5 Practical Tips To Write Better Essays

5 Practical Tips To Write Better Essays If it has two parts, divide your essay into two parts to answer the question. Read widely around the topic before you even start and you’re halfway there. Essays need to have a beginning, a middle and an end. The introduction should outline the problem, explain why it’s important, and briefly outline the main arguments. Brainstorming helps you to see what you know about the topic. Brainstorming, researching and planning are cyclical, which means that each process helps the other processes and you might want to do each process more than once. ‘Compare’ often appears with ‘contrast’ in essay questions.ContrastShow the differences between two sets of information or arguments. ‘Contrast’ often appears with ‘compare’ in essay questions.CriticiseEvaluate an argument or a text to see if it is good. ‘Criticise’ does not mean you have to be negative.CritiqueEvaluate an argument or a text to see if it is good. Don’t start with a dictionary definition â€" this is clichéd and boring. It should sum up the main arguments in the middle and finish with a conclusions that finally answers the essay question. Linear plans are useful for essays requiring a rigid structure. They provide a chronological breakdown of the key points you're going to address. We will try to make it clearer for you by actually using a sample introduction that was written for a real-life academic essay. Being a good writer involves using other people’s ideas to support your work. However, you should never forget to say where these ideas come from, even if you don’t quote the person’s exact words. ‘Integrity’ relates to ‘honesty’, and academic integrity involves writing in an honest way, so that no one will think you are claiming that words or ideas from someone else are your own. This is very important in academic writing in western countries, and if you do not do this you might be accused of plagiarism, which is a serious offence at university. Also, the conclusion is the last thing the reader actually reads, so it needs to be memorable. Once you have brainstormed your ideas and done some initial research, start putting them into a logical order as part of the essay planning process. View a text description of the writing an essay time management 'cake'. Here the writer is not ‘in charge’ of the paragraph, and it reads a little like a list. That is something your lecturers do not want to see. You are the principal storyteller, the internal voice of the writer, leading the reader through to your conclusion. Try and achieve a balance between both types of in text-references in your essay writing. Normally, when writing an essay at university you will be expected to use only academic sources. The following learning guide on source credibility will help you to determine whether an external source is academic or not. When you are writing an essay you will need to include references to external academic sources. It might seem strange to think about writing your conclusion before you write the body of your essay, but unless you know where you are going you can easily lose direction. ‘Critique’ does not mean you have to be negative.DefineExplain the meaning of a word or a term, especially in the context of your essay. If it’s a ‘compare and contrast’ kind of question, you’ll need to demonstrate both sides of the argument. If it’s a ‘define and explain’ kind of question, you’ll need to show that you have a deep understanding of the topic. This means that, when writing your essay, you can progress through these points. It's up to you to decide which essay writing strategy to adopt but pick the one that works best for you. We've asked two academic experts for their recommendations on how to plan and write a first-class essay. Mastering how to write an essay early on will help you prepare for writing your dissertation in your final year. Taking the time to properly plan an essay can lead to higher grades, with lecturers welcoming a logical structure that clearly demonstrates your understanding of the subject. Make sure you have researched all the content, information accuracy checked. Try writing an essay in a way that the user finds it interesting and develops enthusiasm in it and finishes it completely.