Essay writing tips
I actually found some of the overall structure of the assignment
disjointed. Having completed both a Bachelors and Masters degree, I have
had plenty of opportunity to refine my assignment writing style. In my
Master's degree, I learned a very simple method for structuring my
paragraphs that enabled the essay to flow, cover all my points but still
remain succinct. The way I structured my paragraphs was as follows.
Thesis statement: What is the single point I am trying to prove in this
paragraph?
What is my paragraph actually about? What is the one point I am trying
to make in this paragraph? I found that if I stuck to one point per
paragraph, my writing was clearer, my information was applicable to my
point rather than hopping about all over the place, and I kept on topic.
Example. A thesis statement could be The sky is blue. My first sentence
would form my thesis statement. I would then spend that entire
paragraph citing information as to why the sky is blue, discussing various
arguments for and against the proposition, my own thoughts on why the
sky is blue. But having one point per paragraph is an essential part of
having a clear and concise essay. Treating every single paragraph as if it
was its own individual little essay and not just a place to dump a bunch of
quotes and information, thats how I did well in my Master's degree.
Body: Proving my single point with information only relevant to that
single point
This section is where I would form the basis of my argument. I would
introduce my information. I would cite studies related to my point. Only
information related to my thesis statement would enter this paragraph.
Anything that was not directly related to my point would have to be
pushed to a separate paragraph. If I found that the information did not
directly link to this paragraph or to the main point of my essay, then as
interesting as it was to me, I would leave it out.
Analysis: Analysing and critiquing the information presented in the body
of my paragraph
This is where the real meat of the discussion was. Here is where I would
pick apart the theory I had just spoken about in the body of my essay. I
would bring together all of the information presented and tie it back to
the thesis statement of the paragraph. How does all this information and
subsequent arguments relate to the main point?
Conclusion: How does all of this information and argument tie back in
with the thesis statement of my whole essay?
In other words, how does this relate to the body of my essay as a whole?
How does this single point support my main thesis point?
In all areas of my paragraph, I am including information that is directly
related to the main thesis point for that paragraph, and only that
paragraph. It is so easy to get off topic on a point that may be interesting
to us as students, but in terms of the overall flow of the essay, ends up
distracting the reader from the main point of the essay.
When writing my paragraphs, I would often structure my paragraphs with
little headings.
TS: (thesis statement)
B: (body)
A: (analysis)
C: (conclusion)
I would insert my information into these little boxes, and would keep
them there until I was happy with the flow of my essay and was just
about to submit my assignment, then and only then would I remove the
mini headings. That way I could see very easily if I had hit all my main
points, kept one point per paragraph, had analysed my research
properly, and tied the information back to the thesis point of my entire
essay.
While this may seem like a complicated process, once you actually get
used to structuring every single paragraph in this fashion, not only does it
keep you on topic but it also makes your essay so much easier to follow
for the reader. Using this structure that a lecturer once showed me,
meant that every time after that I never got less than 65-70% for an
essay again. I just hope this helps because Ive been down the study track
quite a bit and this is a strategy that really helped me get great marks. If
you have questions, just contact me :-)
Corallie