Essay Tips

Essay Tips This video will introduce useful advice on how to write a well-developed paragraph. Daily workshops are delivered throughout semester and target reading, writing, speaking and referencing skills. They are a great way to bring your academic literacy skills ‘up to speed’. Be sure to provide a map, by previewing or outlining your essay, so that your target reader is at no time unsure which way you are going and where you are taking them. Now let’s summarise the main points of this tutorial. Remember to follow the formula to structure your introduction. The real value of writing introductions based on a simple structural formula is that you’re more likely to feel more confident about what you’re writing. As you develop your writing skills you can modify your style to suit your needs. These definitions may not always be necessary and you should use your own discretion based on the subject material. Other websites should not be cited in essays, but you can use them to further your understanding and get lists of peer-reviewed literature to read. Finally, make sure you read carefully any feedback you are given on your essays. Your tutors will be keen to help you learn and progress. This video will introduce useful advice and tips on how to write an effective conclusion to an essay, report or case study. A concluding sentence that restates your point, analyses the evidence or acts as a transition to the next paragraph represents effective writing. If you experience difficulty in structuring and developing your body paragraphs, you can always talk to a HELPS Advisor or one of our volunteers. They are always ready to help you if you need assistance at any stage of the writing process. This approach is far mare exciting because it shows that you have a definite point of view, and are prepared to argue it. It shows an examiner that you have planned your essay, know what you are going to say and in all probability will support it with good evidence. Be careful not to focus on only one minor point in the conclusion - it is essential to summarise all of the main points covered. A very common mistake that students make is introducing new material, new evidence or new points into their conclusion that have not been previously mentioned in the body of the essay. Firstly we explore the planning and preparation required to write a standard essay and then outline the basic essay structure. This kind of introduction will grip readers, impress them and make them want to know more. Not everyone can do this but, as long as you follow some of the guidelines above, you will avoid shooting yourself in the foot before you have even begun. Another approach is actually to state your answer in the introduction and then go on to prove your case in the essay. This is the first paragraph of the introduction. At undergraduate level, more so than at A-Level, you will need to demonstrate evidence of further reading. Lectures are supposed to be a pointer and guide for your further reading. By reading, we mean published, peer-reviewed literature; Wikipedia does not count! Then, branch out your list to words that aren’t as closely related to your main topic. If writing an essay sounds a little bit scary, just think of it as a chance to improve your writing skills. introduces your main ideas and arguments - that the rest of the essay will explore this in greater detail. You will learn more about the topic, and you will gain more vocabulary words to enrich the essay. A strong essay is one that covers a lot of content in a succinct (short, to-the-point) way. This process of acting like a reporter will give you valuable quotes, resources and vocabulary to begin the writing process. Once you have a thesis, think about your main topic and find words that relate to it in different ways. You also be required to devise your argument which is commonly referred to as the thesis statement. The introduction is usually one paragraph 15% of total word length (don't get caught up on numbers). The introduction sets up the essay by presenting background information related to the essay question. The general focus on the introduction will then become more focussed on the essay question. You will then need to find some research based on the topic which can include text books, journal articles, conference papers etc. Once the essay is written, go back through the writing to find any sentences that seem too long or wordy. A thesaurus is another valuable tool when writing an essay. A thesaurus tells you synonyms, or words that have the same or a similar meaning to the word you look up. It’s important because it can add some volume to your essay and increase the impact of your words. Also, by arguing for the opposite side of your opinion, you will learn which points you need to better address in your essay.