ESSAYS

ESSAYS

1. One of the most comprehensive and sophisticated assignment tasks you will fi nd at university is essay writing.

2. Reflect on the topic

   • It is essential that you correctly interpret the topic, it can be achieved by brainstorming to generate ideas, and then formulate a point of view

3. Research topic

   • However, to do well in a job, you don't always need to have references outside of your course materials.
   • For 100-level papers, 3-5 references may be enough to do you well, as long as you explain the ideas thoroughly and relate them effectively to the topic of the essay.

4. Plan your essay

   • With your argument in mind, write down the main supporting points. Make sure they are in complete sentences and arrange them in the order that best supports your position.

5. Write your essay

   • After the first draft, you can work to refine them.

6. Revise your essay

   • Try to leave yourself at least 24 hours between finishing your first draft and revisions.
   • This will allow you time to distance yourself from the topic and reflect on it with a critical eye.
   • access someone independent who is not doing the course to have a read of your assignment to see if it makes sense.

7. The Importance of Planning an Assignment

   • Overall, writing university assignments takes a lot of time
   • Ideally, four weeks is a good amount of time to allocate for the preparation
   • Prioritise the most useful resources for your assignment
   • Involve reading to make notes and summaries. By the end of Week Two
   • you may also begin to develop a firmer idea of your argument or point of view in response to the assignment topic.
   • The last few days before you submit it may give you time to check spelling and grammar

8. Edit your essay

   • You should check for errors (punctuation, spelling, grammar), bad sentence structure, jargon, slang etc.

9. Interpreting the Topic

   • In order to get good grades, you must be able to interpret an essay topic accurately
   • There are 3 things you need to look for when interpreting an essay topic:
     • Command
     • Topic
     • Focus
   • For this essay topic, the general area of discussion is universities being run like businesses.
   • Essays are one of the hardest assignment tasks to get a handle on.
   • They require more than presenting what has happened in a fi eld of work.

10. Essay Structure

    • All essays share the same basic structure, although they may differ in content and style.
    • Introduction
      • Opening sentences are broad and general, gradually focusing the reader onto the topic
    • Argument Paragraphs
      • Paragraph 1
        • PROPOSITION: Main idea of the essay, summarising the whole point of the essay
        • Sentences developing SS1 (defi nition, explanation, evidence, illustration).
      • Paragraph 2
        • Supporting Statement
        • Sentences developing
      • Paragraph 3
        • Third Supporting Statement
        • Sentences developing
      • Conclusion
        • Narrow statement relating to the conclusion from the previous paragraph.