Topic

Topic Learning how to sift through a large amount of data is an important academic skill. You should start by searching through databases â€" Google Scholar is a great tool for this â€" using key words related to your research topic. Once you find an article that sounds promising, read through the abstract to ensure that it’s relevant. Paragraphs, like the essay overall, also have an expected structure. You should start a new paragraph for each major new idea within your essay, to clearly show the examiner the structure of your argument. Each paragraph should begin with a signpost sentence that sets out the main point you are going to explore in that section. An effective way to argue a point can be to present the opposing view first then counter this view with stronger evidence. It is important not to introduce any new ideas in the conclusion â€" it is simply a reminder of what your essay has already covered. However, even in those essays that appear to be highly creative, unscientific, or personal, an argument of some kind is being made. To start you off, and to minimise the likelihood of writer’s block, a useful exercise is to do a ‘brainstorm’ of all your ideas in connection with the essay title. It may be useful again to refer back to the title in the conclusion to make it very clear to the examiner that you have thoroughly answered the question at hand. Make sure you remind them of your argument by very concisely touching on each key point. It is your task to present your argument in a way that your audience can follow; it is not your audience’s job to launch an investigation to detect the points you are trying to make. Underpinning the structure will be the ‘argument’ your essay is making. Again this may be strong and obvious, or it may be almost invisible, but it needs to be there. In different subject areas, and with different styles of writing, the term ‘argument’ may seem more or less relevant. It is also important that you leave time, ideally a couple of days, between finishing your first draft and proofreading. Can great essay writing really be condensed down into just 8 steps? Now, without reading think about just the size of that paragraph. If a marker were to see an introduction that were any less than that they would automatically know, without even reading a word, that the topic was not going to be well introduced. That is not to suggest you simply fill up the paragraph, but that a certain amount of information in the introduction is expected. Writing may be the core task, but reading is equally important. Before you start writing your essay, you should conduct a broad search for relevant literature. It is sometimes helpful to refer back to the title of the essay in the signpost sentence, to remind the examiner of the relevance of your point. Essay writing becomes much easier for you too this way, as you remind yourself exactly what you are focusing on each step of the way. It can be a way of making a lot of progress quite quickly. Some assignments, and most examination answers, will be required to be presented in the form of an essay. An essay is a continuous piece of writing in which ideas, propositions, research and justifications are put forward and analysed in the form of a series of paragraphs. Examples of this type of essay include questions which ask you to take a position on a topic, such as a particular decision or policy, and present arguments which support your position.