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How to write an English essay...

The complete guide to writing a 2:1 standard university essay...

How to Write an Essay...

The basis of most academic work is the ability to construct a good essay. Although this sounds obvious, it is a skill which most students need to develop as none of us is born with the natural ability to write an essay, never mind one which will both address a given topic effectively and adequately, support an argument with evidence. Read more...

It’s never been more important to know how to write a good English essay. Universities place huge importance on essay writing – some courses are assessed solely on essays – yet these days universities are finding that many new students do not have basic essay writing skills.

In this guide, you can find lots of hints and tips to help you develop your technique and learn how to write great English essays.

PREPARATION

At least half the time you spend on your essay should be preparation. If you are organised and have all your ideas fully formed, the process of writing can be relatively painless.

Research

The most important thing for you to do is to get to know the subject matter of your essay. Always keep in mind that what makes a good English essay is a personal response to the subject matter.

Know the text

Read the text. While doing so, keep the topic of your essay in mind. Why not stick a few large-print copies of the question/topic in visible places? Then, every time you look up from reading, you can be reminded of it, and so stay focused.

Making Notes

Some hints:

  • Keep your notes relevant – are they related to the question/topic?
  • Bullet points are a good way to note ideas in few words
  • Get the facts! Without dates, names and theories etc, your essay will be too vague
  • Annotate the text itself – it forces you to continually use the text as a resource
  • The Cornell System is just one technique that can help you produce effective notes – try a few methods until you develop a style that suits you

Develop your ideas

The library is an amazing resource for research. How about asking your teacher or professor to suggest some secondary reading? It can be very useful in helping you develop your own opinions. Don’t be afraid to disagree with any critical responses you encounter: It means you are probably on the right track to coming up with an original English essay!

Planning

Now you have an understanding of your subject matter and are developing some good ideas, it’s time to let them take shape. The goal of planning is to identify your main and supporting ideas, your reasons for them, and organise them in a logical sequence. You should try as many planning methods as possible and get creative in developing your own technique.
Some good methods:

Rewrite and consolidate ideas

  • Lets you develop good ideas, reject bad ones and organise your thoughts into an essay structure

Brainstorming

  • Use this method of free writing to suspend your inner critic – you’ll develop some good ideas this way

Mind Mapping

  • Helps you organise points, sub-points and reasoning

Index cards

  • Write your ideas on cards/labels you can reorganise easily - start thinking in a less linear way!

WRITING YOUR ESSAY

Essay structure

Introduction:

This should clearly explain your topic, and introduce your main point. It is probably easier to write this when you have finished the rest of the essay.

Body Text:

The main part of your essay; this is the written version of your plan.

Conclusion:

To bring your essay to a close, come back to your main point and reassess it, making appropriate comments.

Thanks to your careful planning, writing your English essay shouldn’t be too difficult! Here are a few tips:

Content

  • Support all your ideas with reasoning

  • Make sure everything you write is relevant to the topic/question

Style

  • Double space for ease of reading

  • Indent paragraphs

  • Deal with one point per paragraph

Grammar/Punctuation

  • Make sure your English is perfect if you want to be taken seriously

                   > Use an English grammar guide

                   > Get a friend to proofread your work

Quotations

  • A good general rule is to keep quotations as short as possible, and don’t forget to cite the page number

  • Don’t use quotations and references to prove your opinions – think of them as starting points from which you can form ideas

Bibliography

  • Make a list of all the sources you used. Ask your teacher/professor what reference style they expect – here is one common style:

Author’s last name, author’s first name, title, (city of publication: publisher, date of publication)

FINAL TIPS

Don’t forget to proofread your essay! Try reading it aloud or upside-down to avoid scanning past errors.

Remember this above all else: Answer the question, and do not include irrelevant material.

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