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Planning and Writing Essays

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ELS

Effective
Learning
Service

Essay
Writing
For appointments contact: els@qmu.ac.uk or elsinternational@qmu.ac.uk web: www.qmu.ac.uk/ELS

Contents

Page
What do tutors want to see in an essay?

2

What are the key stages in writing an essay?

2

What is an essay?

3

The structure of an essay

4

Analyse the task

5

Make a structure plan

6

Reading and researching

7

Reflect and evaluate – refine your plan

8

Writing the first draft

9

What is a paragraph?

10

Signalling words within paragraphs

11

Linking ideas between paragraphs

12

Writing the introduction

13

Writing the conclusion

14

Academic writing style – a very brief guide

16

Planning an essay – a mindmap with an overview

17

1

What do tutors want to see in an essay?



that you have understood the question



that you have structured the work clearly and logically



that you show evidence of relevant reading

What are the key stages in writing an essay?



analyse the task



ask yourself what you know and need to know about the topic



make a plan of the structure of essay



read and research and note-take



reflect on and refine your plan



write the first draft – main body, then introduction and conclusion



plan your time and set goals

This leaflet will outline the key stages you need to go through and will also show you how to write a good paragraph, an introduction, and a conclusion.
Subject preferences may vary. It is always a good idea to check the preferred format for your assignment.

2

What is an essay?

Essays allow students to demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of a topic based on research and reading. The skill of good essay writing is to be able to critically discuss and evaluate ideas within a set word limit. The focus of an essay is usually on developing an argument or analysing ideas rather than on description. The essay is written in paragraphs and

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