Learning Development Unit. A Little Guide to ESSAY WRITING

Transcription

1 Learning Development Unit A Little Guide to ESSAY WRITING 2009

2 Contents Page 1 What are essays? 2 2 What are essays for? 2 3 How do I start? 2 Planning: understanding the task 2 Gathering the information 4 Organising the information 4 4 Writing the first draft 6 Essay structure 6 Essay plans and outlines 9 5 Checking the essay 11 6 References 12 The creation of the essay has been the hallmark of intellectual thought and growth since the time of the ancient Greeks. People used to read collections of essays as some still read collections of poems. They enjoyed the elegance of the style and the development of the argument even if they did not agree with the substance of the content. Modern students, struggling with the concepts of essay writing, take their place in a line of thinkers reaching back thousands of years. 1

3 1 What are essays? Write an essay on... Help! What is an essay? e An essay is an opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding based on your reading of texts and journals, and the information from lectures, and your own experience. An essay focuses on a particular angle, argument or point of view, so you have to be selective. Writing down everything you know is not a good idea! 2 What are essays for? Yeah, what s the point of writing essays? Writing an essay is not just a sort of test; is also an important part of your learning process. The planning and writing process helps to develop your thinking ability and understanding of the subject. So give it plenty of time. Make connections between the different strands of your knowledge; be critical of what you have read, weigh up theory against practice, draw conclusions. Remember your essay should demonstrate that you have READ WIDELY, (proved by in-text citations and a reference list at the end) and EVALUATED what you have read, and SELECTED appropriate material to back up all your statements. 3 How do I start? Planning Divide out the time available between being given an essay title and the handin date. Do not make the mistake of thinking that a 5-week gap means you do not have to do anything for 4 weeks! Spend time immediately thinking about the essay title. Do not underestimate the value of thinking time! Look at every word in the essay title. Make sure you understand the meaning of the active verb: for example, discuss, evaluate, compare and contrast. Think: which is easiest? Describe the room. Discuss the room. Explain the room. See your Student Handbook for a full list of essay title words and their explanations. Or use a dictionary to enable you to complete the following exercise: 2

4 Match the definitions in the right hand column to the academic keywords in the left-hand column. You may use a dictionary to help you. The purpose of this task is to ensure you understand these terms. Account for Pick out the differences between 2 (or more) items. Comment on Give reasons to explain why something happens Compare Weigh arguments for or against something assessing the strength of argument on both sides Contrast Give the main features or characteristics of Critically evaluate Write about the most important aspects of ; give arguments for and against; consider the implications of.. Define Identify and write about the main issues. Give your reactions based on your reading or other verifiable evidence, Describe Put the topic under the microscope; look at it in detail Discuss Provide examples to make something clear Evaluate Give evidence to back your argument; include answers to objections that others might have Examine Show how 2 or more things are similar Explain Give exact meaning of. Try to place the definition in an appropriate context Illustrate Give only the main points, showing the main structure Justify Give main features, like a list but in sentences Narrate Say what happened; tell it as you would a story Outline Pick out the order of different stages in an event or process State Make it clear why something happens or why it is the way it is Summarise Give main points only, omitting details or examples Trace Assess the worth, importance or usefulness of something, using evidence Be aware of your own reactions to the title: did your heart sink at some of the words? How useful! This tells you that you need to research or find out more about this area. It tells you what to put on your must do list. Be wary of feeling too good about some of the words: you will be tempted to concentrate on these aspects of the essay at the expense of others. See the section on structure for more help on looking at titles. 3

5 Read the learning outcomes. Your tutor chose the assignment to check you could meet the learning outcomes. These will give you insight into the real scope of the task. Read the assessment criteria: these will tell you what you MUST think about to get good marks. Look at every word in the task. Underline key words. Now make a list of things to do: reading material, research, questionnaires, revision of lecture notes: whatever! Gathering information Again, do not rush. Allow time to look at a range of materials. Try to read the relevant parts of several texts, and journals. When you visit the resources centre go armed with questions you would like answered. This will ensure your reading is focussed. Be sure you can give a reliable reference for the sources of all your information. Use the Reference Record Sheet provided in the Little Guide to Referencing to write bullet points from books, journal, and Internet sources. Organising the information What do I do with all these notes? If you have gathered notes on Reference Record Sheets, try colour-coding information on similar topics from different sources. These may then start to form a pattern. You may find you have a lot of info on one topic. Does all this information say the same or is some contradictory? Do not be afraid to comment on this. There is a lot of support for the view... (references); however another point of view is... (reference). On balance... Remember the difference between SEARCH and RESEARCH is the thinking you do about the stuff you find, and the comments you make on it. Look at the different themes you have found. Look for commonalities, differences and contradictions within these themes. Base your essay round these themes. 4

6 Record of information search : Place Date Hackney library 19/1/06 Text: Book/journal/website/other Origins of modern music Author/editor: Surname and initial(sbloggs, J Year of publication: 1997 Title of chapter or article (if applicable)/sub-title n/a Edition (if not 1st) (books only) n/a Journals: Volume;issue;month; page numbers n/a Place of publication (not journals) New York Publisher (not journals) Pratts Web site address n/a Punk originated in USA Music first found in bars of Manhatten Not popular initially Took 4 years to catch on Record of information search : Place Date At home 1/2/06 Text: Book/journal/website/other Music, music! Author/editor: Surname and initial(s) Hip happy music Year of publication: 2006 Title of chapter or article (if applicable)/sub-title n/a Edition (if not 1st) (books only) n/a Journals: Volume;issue;month; page numbers n/a Place of publication (not journals) on line Publisher (not journals) Web site address Punk started in UK A middle class movement A political statement JMDonachie. Student Skills Support, 2004 Record of information search : Place Date Hackney library 27/1/06 Text: Book/journal/website/other History of Music Author/editor: Surname and initial(s)smith, P Year of publication: Title of chapter or article (if applicable)/sub-title Edition (if not 1st) (books only) n/a Journals: Volume;issue;month; page numbers n/ Place of publication (not journals) London Publisher (not journals) Pilgrove Web site address n/a JMDonachie. Student Skills Support, 2004 Task: 1. look for similarities, differences and contradictions. Use colour coding to highlight these. 2. look at dates and place of publication. 3. Write one or two sentences around the different views on the origins of Punk, bringing together these records of research, citing sources. Punk originated in UK Identified by clothes and hair style Sex Pistols main group JMDonachie.Learning Development,

7 Start to put the information topics in logical order. Remember that the rules of rhetoric and persuasion suggest you should put forward any view with which you disagree, first, and dismiss it with reasons. Follow with your own weakest evidence and finish with your strongest. Your reader remembers most vividly the last thing you say. 4 Writing the first draft Now you are ready to start your first draft. Did you say first draft? I was only going to write the essay once! Expect to redraft at least once. Leave time between draft 1 and draft 2 to allow you to read your first draft cold and critically. Read it aloud, to someone else or to a poster on the wall. This will help you spot gaps in the logic, and any weak sentence structure. Your skills tutor may read the essay with you at this stage. Your 5 week plan: Think Gather info Sort info First draft Second draft Remember: learning takes place in the thinking time between activity. Don t leave it to the last minute. Essay structure A good essay has a shape, a structure. Don t just rabbit on as ideas come to you! The simplest structure is linear: Introduction point A point B point C Conclusion Once you are practised you can develop a more complex structure (however) point Ai Introduction point A So point B (despite point C) point D Conclusion (but) point Aii 6

8 However complex, there should be a clear argument running through the essay. What is an argument? An argument is not a row or a fisticuffs! It is an attempt to demonstrate to the reader, via a logical train of well evidenced thought, that they should reach a particular conclusion. Points A, B, C and D above represent the direction of the argument. The introduction The introduction should indicate the direction the argument will take. The Introduction is important. It is like a route map enabling your reader to see where you are going so that they can go there too. If you like, imagine a river. The introduction is on one bank, the conclusion on the other. Your argument, the points you make, are the stepping-stones across the river. A bad writer may make the reader face the wrong way or take enormous leaps from one stone to another; a good writer takes the reader gently from one stone to the next. The introduction says what the essay will set out to do. It defines terms and sets parameters. It labels the stepping-stones in the correct order. It is an important part of the essay and may take up 15% of the total words. It is the first thing your marker reads: so give it impact, interest and ensure the English is TOTALLY correct. First impressions are important. Look at this possible essay title: Discuss the impact of recent disability legislation on music or sports or outdoor events. Define your terms. Which area are you going to cover? Outdoor events? If so which outdoor events will you cover? (So no, we are not talking about Granny s 80 th birthday picnic). Clarify detail: State the legislation referred to. Set the parameters The introduction should clarify what you will take recent to mean (the last 5 years? The last 50 years?). You can decide but take clues from areas covered in your lectures. Indicate the areas covered within impact. Indicate the route the essay will take (The essay will look at the impact on marketing strategies, provision of additional facilities, structural amendments to buildings, the need for additional staff training and overall costs. It will also look at the impact on the lives of people hitherto barred from these activities because of their disability and attempt to weigh up the pros and cons to the sector as a whole... ) This sets the pattern. The essay must now follow this pattern. You can always adjust the introduction to suit the essay if the route does not work for you in practice 7

9 The paragraphs Make it clear what the subject of the paragraph will be. If possible link back to the title or introduction. For example: Now to turn to point B... At a very simple level each paragraph will contain a statement, evidence to justify or support that statement, and a comment on the statement or evidence. When you start, it can be useful to follow this pattern. Think of it as the academic sandwich : Statement, (proof/evidence) Comment The conclusion This should mirror your introduction. It will summarise what has been said in the essay and show the logic of the conclusion to your argument. Having considered points A, B, C it is clear that... The conclusion is the last bit of the essay the assessment marker reads. It needs to be clear and strong. It may represent 10% of the total wording. A simplistic model of a structured essay Introductory paragraph: defines terms, says what the essay will be about: Points A, B, C Point A Proof (evidence: eg: quote, paraphrase, data all referenced to reliable source) Comment Link Statement to point b Proof Comment Link Statement to point c Proof Comment Conclusion. This essay has shown that 8

10 As you get more practised you will develop this pattern into a fluent and more complex style, but it will still underlie the development of your argument. Remember, your essay is written in the 3 rd person; it is as far as possible written in the passive voice. Subject verb object John swam the Channel The subject (word governing the verb) is ACTIVE. John is doing something. Subject verb object The Channel was swum by John The subject is not doing anything: it is PASSIVE. The Channel is just being there! By moving the object word in front of the verb, you can often make the ACTIVE voice into a PASSIVE voice. There is further work on the passive voice in Little Guide to Academic Writing Essay plans and outlines You should always plan your essay before you start to write it. Your plan should indicate the line of argument you will follow, or, if you like, the order in which you will deal with themes and make your points. It will indicate the evidence you will produce to support your points. It will show where this evidence comes from. So that your tutor can check that your essay is covering the right material, you may be asked to submit a plan or outline in advance of handing in the actual essay. You may be given guidance as to the form this should take. Generally speaking, a plan consists of headings which represent the themes, followed by bullet points which represent the points you will make within each theme. Next to each bullet point you will indicate the nature of the evidence to support your point and its source. The plan will normally sit on one or two A4 pages. Your plan may take on a form something like this (with the dots filled in, briefly, of course): Title Introduction: Definition of... Brief description of... 9

11 The essay will cover A and B (briefly), argue against C, but the bulk will be on D First section: A Definition (Bloggs, 2003)... Advantages (Bloggs, 2003)... (a, b, c... Shortcomings (Higgins, 2005) (I, ii, iii... ) Comment on value of Higgin s view Second section: B Why some people value B. (Higgins 2005, Smith 2006) Third Section C Brief description. Flaws in C (data from zzz) Analysis of flawed language, eg... Comments from Bloggs, 2003 and Smith, 2006)... Fourth section, D Definition Statements showing why better than A, B, C... Quotes from Irvin (2005) Pull in ideas from lectures. Eg... Data from zzz Conclusion Obviously you will need to have done the bulk of your research before you write your plan. But from your plan your tutor may be able to point out gaps in this research or flaws in your argument so you must include enough detail to make it possible for your tutor to understand how you are thinking. Ask yourself whether YOU could mark your plan! There are other formats possible, Of course, if the plan is purely for your own use, it can be visual, circular, colour coded, or full of abbreviations. There are useful ideas in Writing Essays by Kate Williams. There are several copies of this in BUCKS library. An outline will contain more detail than a plan; you will probably be given a word count and may include some justification for choosing to include particular points Quotes form XX will be included to demonstrate... Ideas from YY will be mentioned but dismissed as out of date. You will probably be asked to use sentences, not bullet points. The outline will be much closer to the final essay but will not go into detail or include complete quotations. It may include outline statements such as: the next paragraph will describe... and then argue the case for... You normally expect to get feedback on the plan or the outline before you write the actual essay and you should treat this feedback as a valuable gift. 10

12 Read it carefully, ask for guidance if you do not understand it, but use it to help you write a good finished essay. To summarise: Why write essays? To prove knowledge, reading and understanding As a learning experience, involving wide reading and in-depth, focused thinking 5 Checking the essay A good essay: Focuses on the given question Explains its intention in a clear introduction Reads easily and follows a logical thread from one paragraph to the next Demonstrates wide reading Uses clear evidence to support arguments Is structured around themes rather than read texts Acknowledges sources of information concludes with a summary of points made earlier which reflect the intention expressed in the introduction Is like a good cake: the ingredients are well selected, in the right proportions and mixed in the right order to make an easily digestible delight You can use this as a checklist next time you write an essay. Check also that you have used the correct font (usually Arial 11 point), used word count (on your PC) and arrived (give or take 10%) at the required number of words (see Learning Development Unit for help in précis skills if it is too long), number the pages, check you have an appropriate cover sheet, and hand it in! (ON TIME!) 11

13 Useful web sites: Reference list Williams, K. (1995) Writing essays. Oxford: The Oxford Centre for Staff Development. 12