Essay Writing
Amanda Pocklington
Student Engagement & Skills
Overview of session
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What is an essay?
Planning for essay writing
Essay structure & content
Reflection
What does good essay writing look like?
Further support with your writing
What is an essay?
An extended piece of writing in answer to a question
or in response to a statement. It may be a structured
argument or it may be an analysis of an issue or
question in the field. Both draw on the literature to
support the argument or offer evidence in support of
the response.
Interpreting Question
Instruction words
What you are being asked to do: eg. Discuss,
critically evaluate, assess, reflectively comment
on
Topic/subject
What area of the subject do you need to look at:
eg. Common mental health disorders,
UK health policies,
Boundaries/limiters
Specific area to concentrate on: eg. Current, ‘a
named specific disorder’, ‘a specific group of
people’
Planning for Essay Writing
Interpret question
Studies/literature
Reading
Short answer
Reasons for short answer
Reason 1
Reason 2
Reason 3
Body of essay
Checking
Directed reading
Support/reasons for your reasons
Check steps
Connections
Essay Structure
Introduction
Context, signposting, definitions
Body
Interrogation of topic, connected coherent
argument with support
Conclusion
Your ‘answer’, implications
Your Answer, Your Reasons, Your Argument
• Your essay should reflect what you ‘think’ &
your reasons for this – based on:
– Reading – theories, debates
– Evidence – studies, epidemiological
observations/data
– Personal and ‘industry’ experience
• Should demonstrate a clear link to the field by:
 Approp reference to literature – theories, debates
 Connections drawn with evidence
 indications supported by ‘experience’
Critical Reflection
What is the aim of this?
‘Improving the quality of health care, stimulating personal &
professional growth and closing gap between theory and practice’
CEDAR paper
Critical Reflection
What I did
Interrogate/explore what you did, decisions
made – context for discussion
Why
What was the basis for your actions/decisions reasons
So what
Your ‘answer’, implications
What does good essay writing look like?
• Work in pairs or in groups of three and discuss
your answers. Be ready to feed back to the
rest of the group.
What is good & why ?
What could be added/changed?
Useful online resources
• The basics of APA style – online tutorial which explains
formatting and referencing:
http://www.apastyle.org/learn/tutorials/basics-tutorial.aspx
• APA Guide: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
• Online resource with good advice on essay and report
writing in Psychology:
Haslam, S.A. & McGarty, C. (2003). Research Methods and
Statistics in Psychology. London, UK & Thousand Oaks, CA:
SagePublications.
http://www.sagepub.co.uk/resources/haslam
Further Support with your writing
• Relevant resources on ELE - Student Resources
on the front page and choose Undergraduate
Skills.
– Essay writing, referencing skills, critical reading
• Royal Literary Fellows
– Sign up for an appointment in Room 237,
Department of English, Queen’s Building,
Telephone 01392 722450