Students said…

Scott on getting used to writing in your subject area A good way to understand essay writing is to read journals and relevant literature to your course. This will give you an insight into the style and how to present essays and writing to your lecturers and in your exams. [download MP3 ] [ back ]

 

 

 

Claire on report writing It's useful to write your reports with lots of separate headings, so that people who are reading might be able to find the information quite easily. Also it could be a good idea to write in a clear factual style so that it's straightforward and you find it quite simple to read. [download MP3 ] [ back ]

 

 

 

Michael on structure I've found it's good to have a structure before you start writing an essay, for example introduction, a middle and a conclusion.  This gives you a framework to work within.  Also, read the question and make sure you understand it.  There's no point in researching the wrong topic. [download MP3 ] [ back ]

 

 

 

Lynda on planning writing I always leave all my essays and everything to the last minute, which isn't really a good idea. It's very stressful, and I think it's better if you start getting prepared early. I usually do it late at night when the house is quiet; there are no distractions, no telly! [ download MP3 ] [ back ]

 

 

 

Michael on planning writing A wee tip I've found useful is sometimes to write the conclusion before the introduction. This gives you an idea of what you're supposed to be writing about. [ download MP3 ] [ back ]

 

 

 

Carey on analysing the question The first thing is read the question very, very carefully and make sure you have a list of definitions to hand. For example, if the question asks you to discuss then make sure you do that. Likewise if it asks you to critically analyse, make sure you do that. It might be good to write an essay plan. This will help to keep you focused. [ download MP3 ] [ back ]

 

 

 

Carey on asking for clarification Ask your lecturer to go over your essay plan. Always ask for clarification. [ download MP3 ] [ back ]

 

 

 

Ria on report writing You will need to research for any report you write, but don't leave your research until the last minute. You can write a report in a week but you cannot research it properly. When you are working on your report, write it in sections. If you get stuck, you can move on and come back to that section later, when you have the chance. [ download MP3 ] [ back ]

 

 

 

Elaine on writing and presentation Essay writing and giving presentations are a big part of my course. They are hard work, especially when working towards a deadline, but looking back I can definitely see how my skills in these areas have improved, throughout my time here. [ download MP3 ] [ back ]

 

 

 

Ria on oral presentations Oral presentations are commonplace in today's workforce, so learning to do them at uni is a good plan. Everyone is just as nervous as you are and practice will only make things better. It's even easier if you create some PowerPoint slides to help you keep on track of where you want to go. [ download MP3 ] [ back ]

 

 

 

Lynda on oral presentations Oral presentations - this is my weak point, and I find it quite difficult to do, but I think it's very useful to do it. So I use PowerPoint for presenting my work and also get to know my subject really, really well. [ download MP3 ] [ back ]