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The essentials of good essay writing
Being able to write a good, concise, coherent well-argued essay is a basic skill that every person needs throughout their life. An essay has 3 main parts: an introduction, middle and a conclusion. If you ensure each paragraph of an essay is a microcosm of the essay as a whole, it stays relevant to the question. This means that every paragraph should have also have a mini intro-middle-conclusion structure. This is a condensed version of a system that I use because it gets great results.
Before you start writing
• Highlight key words in the essay question
• Be 100% focused on the question.
• What are the five essential and major issues you must absolutely cover? Prioritise the issues in order of importance and tackle those first.
The introduction
The introduction is where you define and frame the question. I would suggest you do a quick survey of the varying ways the question could be interpreted – and how you will interpret it, the main themes you will explore, your approach to the argument and what you will be arguing. The reader must know exactly what the question is all about and where the answer is going and so what to expect. If the question is controversial, you could challenge the implicit assumptions it makes in the first paragraph and redefine it if necessary.The Middle
Discuss the argument you posed in the opener using the relevant details and evidence. Make sure you give referenced facts and evidence. Remember to maintain a balance between analysis and supporting detail. Be direct and explicit, inference and narrative has no place in the analytical rigidity of an essay – you are not writing a novel! Remember: most academics are poorly paid, overworked and mark mountains of essays. They should only have to read a sentence ONCE to know what it is all about.
Conclusion In your conclusion, you should say nothing new. The function of your conclusion is to bring together all the various strands of your argument and hammer home your key points. Don’t forget to make sure you are providing a sustained answer to your question.
Re-reading it
• Make sure you properly reference all your points, consistency is very important.
• Do not waffle, be ruthless and chop anything you need to.
• Academics often write the introduction after they have finished writing the essay, try it.
• If possible, leave it for a day or two then come back to it. Just because something makes sense to you in your own mind does not mean it will make sense to others.
• Academic plagiarism is an incredibly serious crime and also means you are not doing yourself justice. Neel Gorasia, Third Year
, University of Bristol
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