University of Waikato
Teaching and learning Development Unit
Te Waahanga Whakapakari Ako
ADRAW – Five step essay process
1. Analyse the essay question and Assess your current level of
understanding;
2. Develop your own research questions;
3. Research (i.e. find) the answers to your research questions;
4. Answer the essay question, i.e. reach a conclusion about the essay
question;
5. Write the essay.
Introduction
Lecturers use the essay writing process to make their students read academic
literature (e.g. course readings, journal articles, book chapters etc.) so they
can learn the key ideas, explanations concepts, models and theories etc. that
scholars have developed in relation to an issue.
There is always some disagreement among scholars about any given issue.
Therefore, there is never any one right conclusion or answer to an essay
question. Lecturers want you to read and think about the competing ideas and
theories in the academic literature and reach your own conclusion about the
issue, i.e. to identify and describe the ideas and theories you find to be the
most persuasive - those that you think best explain the issue.
Whatever conclusion you reach, it must be based on logical, relevant
arguments and supported by a discussion of appropriate ideas, concepts and
theories from the literature. You will also need to provide practical examples
(e.g. of relevant human behaviour, events / incidents, court cases, political
systems, hypothetical scenarios etc.) from the literature and the ‘real world’ to
show the lecturer you understand how these ideas, concepts and theories
work in practice.
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In order to tackle an essay you must read the relevant academic literature
and discuss and reference the various ideas, concepts, and theories from the
literature in your essay. You cannot write an academic essay based solely on
your own opinions and without reference to the academic literature. This is not
scholarship.
The five step essay process requires you to set aside your personal opinions,
hunches and biases about an issue and - as objectively as possible - find,
read and think about the diverse points of view, ideas, concepts, theories, etc.
about the issue in the academic literature. You can then reach your own
conclusion about the issue based on what you have learned from these
academic writings.
If you do happen to have an opinion about the issue in the essay question
(i.e. you think you already know what the answer is) put your opinion ‘on the
shelf’ for the time being. After you have researched and thought about the
issue came back and ‘re-visit’ your original opinion. Do you still feel the same
way? You may or may not.
Step 1. Analyse the essay question / Assess your current level of
understanding of the topic
Analyse the essay question
Breakdown the essay question to make sure you understand the ‘guts’ of the
question, i.e. what the focus of the question really is.
Isolate and identify the key words in the question – and define them.
Use the Topic / Focus / Command model. For example, consider the following
hypothetical essay question:
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‘The process of colonising indigenous peoples is typically systematic and
subtle, occurring through a variety of ways over a long period of time. Discuss
how the establishment and operation of the Native Land Court contributed to
the colonisation of Maori people in Aotearoa.’
Topic: Colonisation
Focus: Native Land Court
Command: Discuss
Topic - is the general subject the essay is about.
Focus - is a specific aspect of the general subject. Lecturers have their
students explore the details of a specific aspect of a subject so they can gain
insights into the general nature of the subject itself (e.g. its origins, how it
affects people etc.) In other words, the focus (specific aspect) provides the
student with a convenient ‘window’ through which to see and understand the
topic (general subject).
For example, studying the workings of the Native Land Court in the nineteenth
century allows the student insights into why and how British colonisation was
so successful and helps explain to some extent the socio-economic plight of
Maori people in New Zealand today. It is this in-depth understanding of the
nature of British colonisation and its implications for contemporary New
Zealand that is the more important learning outcome for the student - rather
than knowing how the Maori Land Court operated
It is important to understand the relationship of the focus to the topic. A
student might ‘go off-track’ with this particular essay question by, for example,
just focusing on how the Native Land Court was structured and how its
officials were appointed, but not discussing the ways in which the role of the
Native Land Court contributed to colonisation.
Command – is the instruction telling you the approach you must take when
studying the issue in question. For example ‘discuss’ means identify, analyze,
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compare / contrast and criticize differing points of view (e.g. different theories,
pros vs. cons) about something. It is imperative you understand the meaning
of these commands, because it is very easy to ‘go off track’ if you have
misunderstood the command. A glossary of common ‘command’ instructions
is attached as an appendix to this hand-out.
Other key words in the essay question.
It is also necessary to identify other key verbs and nouns in the question and
ensure we understand their meaning. So in the example question key words
we need to define accurately are establishment and operation – do we
know what these words mean in relation to the Native Land Court?
We can look up the meanings of these words in the dictionary. We can find
synonyms (words with similar meanings) in a thesaurus to help us ensure we
understand what they mean.
Step 1. Assess your current level of understanding of the topic
Remind yourself what you already know about the topic (from this course,
other courses you have taken, life experience etc.)
You can do this by writing as much as you can about the topic on a sheet of
paper in the space of five minutes. Do not refer to any notes, books etc. Do
not stop to edit. Just write as much as you can in five minutes. This is called
‘nut-shelling’. This will give you a good sense of how much you currently
know about the topic. And perhaps more importantly will give you some
indication of what you don’t know.
Step 2. Develop your own research questions
The essay writing process requires you to have appropriate knowledge of
your topic so that you can answer the essay question and write the essay.
The challenge is deciding exactly what kind of information you will need.
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Use the 6 ‘W’s (‘who’, ‘what’, ‘why’, ‘when’, ‘where’, ‘how’) to come up with
questions – the answers to which will help you understand your topic.
e.g. Why was the Native Land Court established? When was the Native Land
Court established? How was the native Land Court established? Who
established the Native Land Court? etc.
N.b You can build ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘why’, ‘when’, ‘where’, ‘how’ questions around
the following types of words: ‘established’, ‘purpose’, ‘advantage’,
‘disadvantage’ ‘same’, ‘different’, ‘implication’, ‘origin’, ‘relationship’, ‘factors’,
‘issues’, ‘people’ etc.
Phase 1: Brainstorm as many ‘W” questions as you can – knock yourself out!
You might come up with 20 or so. Don’t worry about how crazy they sound at
the moment – just right them down on individual scraps of paper. You will
notice that when you come up with a question you will immediately think of a
second ‘follow-up’ question e.g. you will often come up with a ‘how’ question
after you’ve come up with a ‘who’ question.
Phase 2: Sift through your research questions and get rid of the irrelevant
ones. Find the relevant research questions by going back to the essay
question and asking yourself: “Will the answer to this research question
help me understand and answer this essay question?”
You should finish with three piles of research questions: ‘The Definitelys’, ‘The
Maybes’ and ‘The Definitely Nots’. Ideally, you should end up with about six to
eight ‘Definitelys’. Finding the answers to these six or so questions is what the
next (research) step is all about.
More examples of typical essay research questions:
‘What was the purpose of the Native Land Court?
‘Who benefited from the Native Land Court? also > ‘How did they benefit?’
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‘Who was disadvantaged by the Native Land Court? also > ‘How were they
disadvantaged?’
‘When was the Native Land Court established?’ also > ‘Why was the Native
Land Court established?
‘How is the old Native Land Court different from today’s Maori Land Court?’
Repeat this exercise for ‘Colonisation’ e.g.
How is colonisation defined?
What were the impacts of colonisation on Maori? etc.
Step 3. Research (i.e. find) the answers to your research questions
Literature search
You will need to identify the sources of information you already have, or know
of, that you think might contain the answers to your research questions, i.e.
relevant lecture notes, course readings, course text books etc.
If you feel you need to broaden your search for information – try a key word
search on the on-line University of Waikato Library catalogue
(http://waikato.lconz.ac.nz/) or ask the librarian at the Information Desk on
Level 2 of the Library for help.
Your lecturer will also be able to give you guidance about where to find
appropriate information.
Making notes / filing system
You need to make and keep notes of the information as you find it.
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For each source of information (e.g. book chapter, journal article etc.) use a
separate sheet of paper to make notes. Remember, you already have specific
research questions you are seeking the answers to – so look for information
that is relevant to answering those research questions.
Your notes should be brief – and you should use your own words as much as
possible to capture the main points. Putting ideas into your own words forces
you to have to really think about and understand the ideas you are reading.
Remember the main points should be relevant to the research questions.
Always record the name of the author / date of publication / title of the work
etc. at the top of your page – so that you know where the notes came from. If
there is detailed information or information you think you might take quotes
from – just record (for now) the page numbers where that information
appears. You can go back and copy the information into your essay when you
come to write it.
You need to have a tidy system for filing your notes as you make them – so
that you can easily find them later. One easy and effective way of doing this is
by taking a ring-binder folder and dividing it up into sections for each of your
six or eight research questions. You can then file each page of notes under
the research question that it is relevant to.
As you read, and learn more about the issue, you might find that new
research questions are occurring to you, or that you start thinking that some of
your original research questions may not be relevant after all. This is all part
of the research process – if you feel that you have come up with a new or
better research question – then go ahead and seek out the information you
need to answer it. Remember, you know more about the topic now than when
you started.
Step 4. Answer the essay question
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Once you have gathered, read, and thought about the information from your
research you should now be in a position to come to some sort of conclusion
about the essay question. It is at this point that you will arrive at your position
on the issue in question.
Many students often do badly in essays because they have not really arrived
at a solid position on the issue in question. As a result, their essays are often
incoherent and rambling and do not address the essay question.
It is important to note that you do not necessarily have to take an ‘absolute’
position, (i.e. either ‘one way or the other’) on an issue. If, for example, your
reading / thinking about an issue leads you to conclude that it has both
positive and negative implications or aspects depending on the circumstances
– then that is a valid position for you to take. However, you must support your
position with logical arguments and evidence from the literature. In other
words, persuade the marker your position is valid by the soundness of your
reasoning.
Thesis statement
It is strongly recommended that you come up with a thesis statement. This is
a one or two sentence statement that accurately captures your answer or
position on the issue. This statement, in a nutshell, is what your essay will be
about. This statement will guide you when you write the essay – it will help
you stay focused.
For example, in response to the following essay question:
‘The process of colonising indigenous peoples is typically systematic and
subtle, occurring through a variety of ways over a long period of time. Discuss
how the establishment and operation of the Native Land Court contributed to
the colonisation of Maori people in Aotearoa.’
a possible thesis statement might look like this:
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‘The Native Land Court contributed directly to the colonisation of Maori people
by breaking up the traditional system of collectively owned land; therefore
preventing many Maori people from owning and accessing their land which in
turn led to major spiritual, social and economic hardship for generations.’
Step 5. Write the essay
All university essays comprise three major parts: the introduction; the body;
and the conclusion;
Essay outline
Before you actually write your essay take time to write an essay outline on a
separate piece of paper i.e. a list of the headings of the sections of your
essay. Each section contains a key theme that supports your thesis
statement. This list will be your ‘map’ of the essay because it outlines the
main ideas and the order in which they appear.
An outline might look like this:
Introduction
The process of colonisation in Aotearoa
The establishment of the Native Land Court
The powers of the Native Land Court
Impact of the Native Land Court on Maori spiritual well-being
Impact of the Native land Court on Maori social well-being
Impact of the Native Land Court on Maori economic well-being
Conclusion
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Sub-headings
Your outline should also include sub-headings under each heading i.e. the
distinctive points within a theme. For example the following heading might
include these sub-headings:
The process of colonisation in Aotearoa
-
Defining colonisation
-
Well-being of Maori people before colonisation
-
Legislation and policies instrumental in carrying out
colonisation
-
General consequences of colonisation for Maori people
The introduction
Your introduction is the opening paragraph or section of the essay which tells
the reader the purpose of the essay (i.e. the issue it is investigating), identifies
the main sections, and states the position it takes on the issue (i.e. your thesis
statement). You may want to start your introduction with a context statement,
i.e. a statement that expresses the importance or relevance of the topic or
issue that you are exploring in the essay. For example, you may wish to
briefly tell the reader about recent events (e.g. political, social, economic,
cultural etc.) that have led to the issue becoming topical and therefore worthy
of investigation. You may wish to use (and cite) an appropriate quote that
powerfully or concisely illustrates the importance of the issue.
You should always write your introduction last. After all, how can you
introduce something to someone when you haven’t seen it yourself yet?
Generally, the introduction usually comprises approximately 10% of the total
word-count.
The body of the essay
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The body is the bulk of the essay (approximately 80% of the word-count) and
is everything you write between the introduction and the conclusion.
The first part of the body of the essay should provide the reader with some
background information about the issue, e.g. definitions of key terms, the
origins of the issue; identification of people affected by the issue etc. (e.g. see
the sub-headings above – under ‘The process of colonisation on Aotearoa’).
The rest of the body is dedicated to systematically discussing the main points
that support your position on the issue.
The conclusion
Your conclusion has two purposes. Firstly, it is a summary of the key points of
the essay, i.e. the key theme or idea from each section – not a list of the
headings of each section. Secondly, it should finish with the most important
insight or powerful learning that you want your reader to take away with them.
This insight is not the thesis statement. It can be what you regard as the main
cause of the issue set out in the thesis statement. Or it can be an opinion
about the main implications of the issue set out in the thesis statement.
Generally, the conclusion usually comprises approximately 10% of the total
word-count.
Remember to proof read your essay before you hand it in, i.e. check for
grammar, punctuation and spelling errors.
You will also need to find out what referencing system (e.g. APA) your
lecturer wants you to use for citing references from the literature. Make sure
you have some guidelines setting out the rules.
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Appendix 1
Glossary of assignment commands (From ‘Learning @ the University of
Waikato’ a Teaching and Learning Development Unit learning resource CD.)
Account for (see Explain)
Analyze

Carefully examine information, an idea, an issue etc. Identify the parts
(components, elements) that make up the whole. Describe and explain how
the various parts fit together and are related to one another.
Argue (Justify, Prove)

Present evidence and/or reasons to support your point of view. Make your
argument (justification, proof) convincing by establishing that your evidence
can be relied on and your reasoning is sound.
Compare

Look for similarities and differences in the features and qualities of two or
more things. While you may mention differences, emphasize the similarities.
Consider

Think about or reflect on the importance or significance of something - in
relation to a particular issue.
Contrast

Look for, and emphasize, differences in the features and qualities of two or
more things.
Compare and contrast

Identify both similarities and differences in the features and qualities of two
or more things.
Criticize (Discuss critically)

Identify the relative strengths and limitations (pros and cons; merits and
weaknesses) of something. Strengthen your criticism by presenting
convincing arguments for your judgment that particular strengths or
limitations exist.
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Define

State clearly and precisely what something is. This involves identifying the
features and qualities that make it different from everything else and those it
shares with other things. (To define something, you need to analyze,
compare and contrast).
Describe

Present a detailed and comprehensive outline or account of the defining
features of some thing, or some event.
Discuss

Identify, analyze, compare and contrast and criticize differing points of view
(eg different theories, pros vs. cons) about something.
Evaluate (Assess)

Present, with supporting arguments (evidence and reasons), your own view
about the value or validity of something. Evaluation involves criticism.
Examine

Look very closely at, or into, something. This is likely to involve analysis,
comparison and contrast – and possibly criticism.
Explain

Clarify what is involved in something (provide more detailed and in-depth
information). Present reasons for why something exists or has occurred, why
there were certain outcomes or effects, why a relationship exists between
some things.
Illustrate

Use some form of imagery to present what you know. Forms of imagery
could include a drawing, a diagram, a chart, a plan, a map. You may be
expected to provide labels or brief statements to help the reader interpret the
image.

OR Use examples to clarify or support an idea
Interpret

Similar to explain.
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Justify (see Argue, Prove)
List

Present, concisely, a series of points about something. The points may be
itemized (e.g. numbered).
Outline

Provide a complete overview of all of the main ideas about some topic or
issue. Leave out minor details.
Relate

Either, provide a description or account of what occurred or identify
connections between things.
Review (review critically)

Provide a detailed analysis (and criticism) of the ideas and information
associated with a topic, problem, question or issue.
Summarize

Identify all of the most important points that have already been stated and
present them in a much shorter form than previously.
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