@ Ayeza S. There has been alot of discussion of this topic. whether or not word limit counts. Most of the forum members are of the openion that one should always be at safer side of words..as close to limit as possible.. perhaps they also mean that closeness also applies if one crosses word limit by a narrow margin. One thing is decided that quantity wud be there if one writes a reasonable essay. But, quality of essay should be the standard. by quality , i mean that your essay should touch all dimensions of topic. There must be blend of argument, persuasion, narrative and any other skills which essay reader demands of you. You must not sacrifice these things if they are explicitly mentioned in essay paper. However, I think, if one is confused about skills of essay due to lack of command[and i believe only few have required command] then one should make it as relevant to the topic as possible. There should be presence of theory and proposals.
I think, if you write your essay with intrest capturing eye then your examiner will reward you for that...
Secondly, it is purely my personal openion that essay setters mention number of words, and skills to confuse and muddle students thinking... it seems to be a trap to. It is ridiculous to assume that ur examiner have calculators to count or they literally count words. What they ,however, do is that they give u credit for how impressively, accurately, relevant material you lay across.

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There are only four questions of value in life, Don Octavio: What is sacred? Of what is spirit made? What is worth living for? What is worth dying for? The answer to each is only love."
Don Juan DeMarco(Johnny Depp), in Don Juan DeMarco