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Most students are familiar with the use of essays for assessments, and you may have written essays at school or at college. It is possible to develop good essay writing skills, and the advice and tips that follow will help you do this.
Some people enjoy writing essays and others don't. However you feel about this, it's worth considering what the purpose in writing essays actually is.
There is no single correct way to approach essay writing. Each person has to find what suits them best.
It's very common for students to enjoy the reading they do in preparation for their essay. After all, it's usually interesting and you feel as though you're learning.
But the hard bit is getting the information and ideas you've collected into a well organised, coherent shape and then to start writing. What can help?
Remember: There's no one correct way to get started. Find what suits you!
A warning: if you simply start writing, with your pile of notes at your side, and you haven't given any thought to the organisation of the ideas and information, then you are very likely to end up with an essay that rambles and has no clear sense of direction. Think before you start writing!
Here are some words and phrases that are often used in essay titles:
| Word or phrase | What does it mean? |
|---|---|
| Account for | give reasons for, explain how something came about, clarify |
| Give an account of | describe in detail how something happened |
| Analyse | examine in detail |
| Assess | decide the importance/value of something and give reasons |
| Comment on | explain the importance of |
| Compare and contrast | describe/explore similarities and differences, indicate the significance of the similarities or differences |
| Criticise | consider the evidence or arguments and make a judgment about the merits, points out the faults |
| Define | state precisely the meaning of something, using examples. A simple statement will not be enough, you usually need to explore this thoroughly |
| Describe | give a detailed account of what something is like |
| Discuss | explain and give different views about something, then give your own opinion based on sound evidence |
| Elucidate | explain and make clear |
| Evaluate | examine the evidence and decide on the value of something, make a judgment about it, based on sound evidence |
| Examine | look at very carefully |
| Explain | give reasons for something |
| Illustrate | make very clear by giving examples |
| To what extent | discuss how accurate something is, there is no definite answer to this |
| Show |
make clear, demonstrate, give evidence for |
| Outline | give a short description of the main points |
At university, essays will form part of the assessment for many modules. Sometimes an essay can count for 40% of the total marks for a module. Sometimes it is more than this, and sometimes less. You should always check the information for the module so that you know how many marks are allocated to the particular essay.
So, check your guidelines for:
| Length | Essays vary in length. In first year, students are sometimes asked for essays around 1500 words, and then later essays may be around 2500 words. You are usually allowed to vary from the desired length by about 10%, but you must check how many words are expected. |
| Marking criteria | The guidelines will also give you information about how the essay will be marked. These are called the marking criteria. Marks may be allocated for content, for quality of analysis, for structure, for quality of writing, and for referencing. However, the criteria, and the allocation of marks for each criterion are different for different subjects. So again, you need to check the information given. |
| Structure | Sometimes these guidelines can give you hints about an appropriate structure for your writing. That can be really helpful, so make sure you look for this! |
It's vital that you give yourself enough time to prepare your essay. Planning is a really important skill, and we've considered this in the section on planning and process, so if you haven't looked at that yet, now would be a good time to do it.
In terms of planning, you need to give yourself adequate time to thoroughly analyse the question or title, so that you know exactly what is required, then you have to allocate time to read and research, then time to draft the essay and write the reference list, and finally you need time to carefully edit your work.
The structure of an essay is important for two reasons:
It's obvious that an essay needs a beginning, a middle and an end.
These sections are usually referred to as the Introduction, the Main Body and the Conclusion. In addition you will need a Reference list and perhaps a Bibliography.
But what's the purpose of each section and what should be in them?
| Section | What goes in? |
|---|---|
Introduction |
The purpose of the introduction is to 'tune the reader in'. It
should
|
Main body |
The main body is where you develop the main ideas or argument. Depending on the size of the essay, it will contain several sections, each divided into paragraphs. The paragraphs should be logically linked as you develop the themes or ideas. As we have said elsewhere, the sections may or may not have headings, but you must check your guidelines for this. In the main body you will present ideas or arguments backed up by evidence from your reading. When you mention the ideas of another writer you must reference them. |
Conclusion |
In the conclusion you should summarise the main ideas presented. It should bring together the different strands of your essay, and should follow logically from what you have presented in the main body. The conclusion should also be linked back to the title and show how you have answered the question. The conclusion should not contain any new material. It should be based on what you have already presented. |
References |
The reference list should contain details of all the sources you have mentioned in your essay. A bibliography contains sources you have consulted, but not mentioned in your essay. You may only be asked for a reference list or you may be asked for both. Again you should check what is required. |
In a short essay (around 1000 words) there is usually no need for section headings. Your writing should show how the different parts link to each other. However, in longer essays (around 2500 words) it may be appropriate to insert section headings.
It is very important to check the guidelines you are given because requirements and preferences vary!
Many students find they are in such a rush to meet the deadlines that they don't have time for this. Yet, it can make such a difference to the quality of the essay you submit, and can increase the marks you get.
Don't forget to allow time to edit and review your assignment effectively.
Anne Chirnside
First published October 2006. Last updated 4 February 2009.
Students
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