WRITING ESSAYS
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27/06/2016
Essays: making the transition
You have transferable skills which are
important in essay writing eg:
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problem-solving
reporting the ideas of others
evaluating the ideas of others
summarising
ordering material logically
expressing an opinion
Essays: making the transition
27/06/2016
What is an essay?
‘An essay is a well researched and logically
structured answer to a particular question, or
questions, usually presented as an argument.
It is a point of view formulated by critically
assessing the information or ideas relevant to
the essay topic. It is presented in the form of a
series of main points which support your direct
answer to the question……
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Essays: making the transition
27/06/2016
……Each of these points is addressed in a separate
paragraph and is supported with evidence, explanation
and/or examples. The argument presented in an essay
should be supported by referencing authorities in the
relevant field. The argument should also form a
cohesive whole: this means the paragraphs need to be
logically ordered and connections made between the
points presented in those paragraphs…..’
http://unilearning.uow.edu.au/essay/ accessed June 24 05
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Essays: making the transition
27/06/2016
‘…answer to a particular question, or
questions’
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the task set should guide all your reading, planning and
writing up
analyse the task carefully – the topic, the focus and
what you are actually asked to do with it – the
instruction
Further guidance:
See handout: Analysing your assignment title
and link
http://www.uefap.co.uk/writing/
select link to ‘Questions’
Essays: making the transition
27/06/2016
‘well researched’
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use your reading lists wisely
don’t try to read everything
let the task guide your reading
go beyond the recommended reading where
appropriate: secondary sources may well be your starting point
but think about primary sources as well
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Further guidance:
http://www.uefap.co.uk/writing/ select link to
‘Research’
Essays: making the transition
27/06/2016
‘usually presented as an argument’
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what is your main idea or ‘angle’?
this should be expressed clearly in your introductory section
subsequent points should develop this main idea
argument involves analysis of ideas, not just the presentation of
factual information:
http://www2.ntu.ac.uk/sss/studysupport/Information/Writing/a
nalytical.htm
http://homepages.ed.ac.uk/rholton/write/writehome.html
http://dissc.tees.ac.uk/Writing/writingyouressay/page2.htm
http://dissc.tees.ac.uk/samplesmenu.html
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Essays: making the transition
27/06/2016
‘a point of view formulated by critically
assessing the information or ideas
relevant to the essay topic’
Being critical means that:
• you are taking a questioning attitude to what you read
• you are evaluating ideas and evidence
• you are selecting from a range of sources or ideas,
comparing and contrasting them
• you are able to put ideas together to come up with
something new
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Essays: making the transition
27/06/2016
‘a series of main points which support
your direct answer to the question’
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Everything you write should relate clearly to the
task
There is no essay question which asks you to
write everything you know or have read about
a topic
Essays: making the transition
27/06/2016
‘Each of these points is addressed in a
separate paragraph’
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a paragraph is a group of sentences on the
same point
it should include a topic sentence (usually the
first sentence) with further development
test your paragraph – if it’s a good one, you
should be able to give it a heading
http://dissc.tees.ac.uk/Writing/paragraphs/Cont
ents.htm
Essays: making the transition
27/06/2016
‘and is supported with evidence,
explanation and/or examples’
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Points need to be fully developed in depth
What counts as evidence will vary from
discipline to discipline
Use the authority of published researchers to
add weight to your points
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/print/ge
neral/gl_pgrph2.html
Essays: making the transition
27/06/2016
‘The argument presented in an essay
should be supported by referencing
authorities in the relevant field.’
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you must reference all ideas taken from other writers
failure to reference properly will result in accusations of
plagiarism
check your course handbook for the referencing
conventions that you must use
more on this later………
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Essays: making the transition
27/06/2016
‘The argument should also form a
cohesive whole: this means the
paragraphs need to be logically
ordered..’
http://ioewebserver.ioe.ac.uk/ioe/cms/get.asp?cid=5054&
5054_0=6805
Follow links for ‘Argument’ and ‘‘Argument’ as text’
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Essays: making the transition
27/06/2016
‘and connections made between
the points presented in those
paragraphs…..’
This is achieved by good signposting and careful
use of linking words:
 Pronouns (this/these, it,)
 Repetition
 Cohesive markers (however, consequently etc)
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Essays: making the transition
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Signpost Language (helps guide
the reader)
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‘In this section I set out the aims…’
‘My first/second concern is…’
‘I shall argue that…’
‘Table 3 shows …’
‘A further example…’
‘This will be discussed in section 2’
‘I have described the way in which…’
Essays: making the transition
27/06/2016
Try this test to see if you have structured
your points logically and clearly:
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Cut your draft essay up into separate
paragraphs or sections
Ask a friend to put it back together again
Essays: making the transition
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You should include
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A clear introduction which identifies the issue,
gives the context and states your main idea
Clear signpost language
A logical development of a (limited) number of
ideas
An interesting conclusion which relates back to
the question
Essays: making the transition
27/06/2016
Introductions
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Interpret the essay title
Give some background or context
Present the main argument or thesis statement
Define the terms used
Map out the essay – so that your reader can
see where you are going
Essays: making the transition
27/06/2016
Conclusions
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Draw together the points previously discussed, without
repeating them
Refer back to the question and show how it has been
answered
Clearly express the writer’s point of view based on the
evidence presented earlier in the essay
Bring the essay to a close
Suggest further related ideas that could be explored
Essays: making the transition
27/06/2016
More on referencing and plagiarism
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Essays: making the transition
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What is Plagiarism?
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_plagiar.html
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Essays: making the transition
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What do I need to reference?
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everything which is not considered to be
‘common knowledge’
summaries of other writers’ ideas
paraphrases of other writers’ ideas
direct quotations – including the exact page
number
internet sources – including the date you
accessed the site
Essays: making the transition
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Why do I need to reference?
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to give credit where credit is due – academic
integrity
to help the reader find the material themselves
if they wish
to avoid accusations of plagiarism – a very
serious offence with serious consequences
Essays: making the transition
27/06/2016
How should I reference?
Check your course handbook or website.
No matter which system you use, it should be:
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Clear
Consistent (eg in-text, footnotes)
Complete (eg name, date, page)
http://www.uefap.co.uk/writing/
Follow links for ‘Referencing’ and also ‘Citation’
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Essays: making the transition
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To recap:
…..Essays are used as an assessment tool to
evaluate your ability to research a topic and
construct an argument, as well as your
understanding of subject content.”
http://unilearning.uow.edu.au/essay/ accessed June 24 05
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Essays: making the transition
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References
1. Clark R(1998) ‘Characteristics of a good
essay’. Effective Learning/SLDC Website
2. Creme P & Lea M (1997) Writing at University.
Buckingham: OUP
3. http://unilearning.uow.edu.au/essay/
accessed June 24 05
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Essays: making the transition
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Useful resources
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Student Learning Development Centre:
http://www.lancs.ac.uk/depts/celt/sldc/?openpage
for resources and information about the El and ELLIS
programmes
http://www.uefap.co.uk
http://owl.english.purdue.edu (American English)
http://www.phrasebank.man.ac.uk (useful phrases for
academic writing)
Essays: making the transition
27/06/2016