Essay Writing Tips

We all know that writing essays is no fun and it can be hard to remember how to do everything, so our users have put together a little mini guide to boost your memory on writing essays. Hope it's of some use!

Planning

You need to plan your essay before you can write it!

1. For planning the main body of essays which are more analytical/argumentative (as opposed to descriptive), divide a page into two colums (you can simply fold an A4 sheet down the middle). Put the heading "Points/arguments" at the top of the left hand column. Put the heading "Evidence/examples" at the top of the right hand column.

2. Then as you are planning your essay put all the arguments/points you want to make in the left hand column. Don't worry about order at the moment.

3. In the right hand column put all the evidence/examples you are going to use to support the argument/point you are making - write them opposite the point. Also put down evidence/examples that seem 'important' but which don't relate to any point/argument that you are making. Is there an obvious argument to be made on the back of that evidence? If so, write it down in the column opposite.

4. Do you have any arguments/points you want to make for which you have no supporting evidence/examples? If so, can you search the literature to find support for your view?

5. When you are finished, each point you make should have at least one (and possibly two or more) examples/pieces of evidence in support. There should be no examples floating around that don't support a point (if there are, delete them!) and no arguments/points that have no evidence in support.

6. Now think about the order of the points you have listed. Depending on the essay, that could be chronological (by gestation etc...) or otherwise obvious. Does one point depend upon another? If so, it must come after the point from which it follows on. If there is no obvious order, start and finish with your strongest points and bury your weaker points in the middle. You rarely need more than two pieces of evidence/examples to support each point.

7. A classic paragraph in an argument-making essay would be as follows:

Sentence 1: Assertion/Point/Argument.
Sentence 2: Evidence (A) in support of assertion
Sentence 3: Possibly more evidence (B) in support of assertion (or alternatively, elaborate on Evidence A).
Sentence 4: Draw out for the hard of understanding exactly how Evidence A (& B) demonstrate that your assertion (sentence 1) is true
Sentence 5: Link this paragraph to the next paragraph, ideally showing how point in this para leads logically on to the assertion you are about to make in the next para.

Use sub-clauses and intros to demonstrate knowledge of (and kick out of the way) counter-arguments (e.g. "Although it has been argued blah bla (Ref X), such and such evidence (Ref Y) shows that..."

Covering all marking criteria

Now the worst thing you can do is forgot to cover something which is meant to be included, so to avoid this try the following -

1. Have sub headings in red with the learning outcomes highlighted, make sure you delete these before hand in. This a good way of getting the right information into each essay and making sure everything is covered.

Referencing

A lot of people can get bogged down with referencing or forgot to add all their references so to avoide this follow these simple steps -

1. If you read something, make a note of the point/reference in a notebook or something because when you come to need it for you essay, you won't be able to find it

2. Reference as you go

3. Have your reference list at the end of your document and just keep filling it in

Presentation

Having a poorly presented essay is not going to give your work credit, make sure you present it correctly and professionaly so you can get those top marks!

1. Have a professional looking front page to your essays

2. Make use of the header/footer facility for page numbering and your student ID