Selection of practical tips to help develop and enhance essay writing skills

1. How to write an effective essay
Ten top tips for students
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• Treat every idea, opinion and
argument, even those you like and
agree with, as things to be tested,
challenged and questioned.
• Explain how any point that you
make relates to the question, even
if it seems obvious to you.
• Although complex ideas often
require specialist language,
avoid using a ‘convoluted’ style
that might obscure the ideas
that you are trying to present.
Language should be as clear and
straightforward as possible.
• Use the conclusion to provide a
succinct summary, draw your themes
together and demonstrate how you
have answered the question.
• Ensure that your spelling,
grammar and punctuation
are as good as possible and
your essay is formatted and
referenced correctly for your
department.
• Develop a better essay structure
by making focused notes. Have
the essay question in front of
you whilst you read, and only
record the information which is
directly relevant.
• Imagine somebody asked you
to summarise, in no more than
a few sentences, the main
argument of your essay. If
you can answer that question
confidently, you’re probably on
the right track.
• Use essay-planning to help
you map out a structure and
prioritise the points you want
to develop and the evidence
you are going to use.
• Set yourself an early deadline
for producing the first draft,
so there is plenty of time for
review and improvements.
• Use the introductory
paragraph to clarify what you
understand by the question
and outline what the essay
will cover, so that the
structure of the essay is made
clear to the reader.
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