WRITING ESSAYS'

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WRITING ESSAYS.
Study Skills Facilitator Elizabeth
Hofstede
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Essay Writing a Step by Step Guide
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Step One - Setting weekly Goals

• Week One
• Select topic
• Record early ideas
• Brainstorm topic
• Answer questions who? what?why?when?where?how?
• Gain a good understanding of topic.

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• Week two
• Preliminary reading
• First outline
• Identify and collect appropriate references for
  more detailed information

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• Week Three
• Read selected material
• Note taking
• Sort out notes and refine outline

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• Week Four
• Write first draft
• Begin writing on -/ -/ -/
• and finish draft by -/ -/ -/

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• Week Five
• Redrafting
• Editing.

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• Week Six
• Submit on time
• Due Date - / -/ -/

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Step Two - Select your Topic

• Choose a topic in which you have some interest
• Analyse each question before you make a choice
• Do you have access to sufficient information on
  the topic you have chosen?

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Step Three Make a note of early thoughts and
ideas

• Jot down all your initial thoughts
• Which issues are relevant to the question?
• Which of these may need to be defined?
• Which approach are you intending to take?

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Step Four Brainstorm the Topic

• Over a few days spend a few minutes jotting down
  your ideas about the essay topic.
• At different times you may have a varied list of
  ideas.
• Later you can choose the most appropriate.

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Step Five Gain a good understanding of the
Question

• Carefully Analyse your topic
• Refer to the Booklet to make sure you understand
  what the verb in the question is asking you to
  do.
• The booklet is titled
• Have I Understood the Question?

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Step Six Preliminary Reading

• Gain an Overview by Skimming
• Read the First and Last few
• Paragraphs of each section
• OR
• Read the first Sentence of each
• Paragraph.

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• Gain an Overview by Scanning
• Use the Contents Page and Index
• to identify Relevant Chapters.
• 2. Read through these to identify Relevant
  Sections that are worth reading in more detail

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Step Seven Preliminary Outline

• Begin by Jotting down Relevant Headings.
• If you dont fully understand what is expected of
  you seek help from a friend,
• or from the Study/Skills Facilitator
• Think how to put your ideas together, these will
  make up the body of your essay

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Step Eight Identify and CollectReferences for
more Detailed Information.

• Use your plan to identify areas you need to do
  more research on.
• Your Research can now be directed to Specific
  Topics.

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Step Nine Read Selected Material

• Read the material you have selected to answer
  any questions you may still have on the different
  key points
• Record full Reference details in Note form
• Sort out your notes and Refine your Outline

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Step Ten Write the First Draft

• Start Writing on -/ -/ -/
• and finish on -/ -/ -/
• Upon completion of the first draft
• Read your Essay aloud and if
• possible to someone else. This way
• you will know if you have enough
• evidence to support your arguments

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Step Eleven -Redrafting

• Leave a couple of days between
• completing the draft essay and then
• return to it to Edit and Redraft

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Step Twelve Submitting on Time

• If you have stuck to your timetables this should
  not be difficult.
• Remember if you need to ask for an extension it
  is always better to ask before the deadline date.

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Plagiarism The Authors Ultimate Sin.

• Remember to check your Referencing very
  carefully. Ask for a handout as you may not
  realise you are plagiarising another persons
  work. There are severe penalties for plagiarism
  in Australian Universities

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The Structure of an Essay
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STRUCTURE

• INTRODUCTION
• BODY
• CONCLUSION

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INTRODUCTION

• MUST BE SOLID
• MUST CONTAIN HOW YOU HAVE
• INTERPRETED THE QUESTION
• STATE YOUR THESIS (ARGUMENT)
• Which you will explore in the BODY of the
  ESSAY
• YOU MAY WISH TO SAVE THE
• FINDINGS for the END.

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CONCLUSION

• YOU NEED A POWERFUL CONCLUSION
• IT IS THE LOGICAL CONSEQUENCE OF EVERYTHING THAT
  HAS GONE BEFORE.
• THE CONCLUSION TIES TOGETHER THE RELATED STRANDS
  IN THE ESSAY.
• IT MAY ALSO CONTAIN SOMETHING OF A SURPRISE TO
  FINISH WITH A FLOURISH.

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WHAT HAPPENS IN BETWEEN?

• THE BODY OF THE
• ESSAY

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THE BODY

• A TOPIC SENTENCE
• 1. SUPPORT
• 2. SUPPORT
• 3. SUPPORT
• MAKE SURE YOU GIVE EVIDENCE
• TO SUPPORT YOUR ARGUMENT.
• (CONCLUDING SENTENCE)

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CONTINUE

• TO ADD AS MANY PARAGRAPHS AS ARE NECESSARY TO
  EXPAND ON
• ALL ISSUES FOUND IN YOUR INTRODUCTION.
• TRY TO SEQUENCE THEM,AND MAKE THE THREAD EASY TO
  FOLLOW FOR THE READER.

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LINKING AND SEQUENCINGWORDS

• BUT HOWEVER THOUGH
• SUCH AS ALTHOUGH IN CONCLUSION
  WHEREAS
• IN ADDITION FIRSTLY
• IN MY OPINION ON THE OTHER HAND
• IN SPITE OF FINALLY
• THERE IS LITTLE EVIDENCE

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HOW DO YOU

• ANALYSE / INTERPRET
• AN ESSAY QUESTION?

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QUESTION

• Account for the rapid spread of HIV AIDS in
• Africa in the eighties. How has HIV AIDS affected
  infant health?

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3 important parts of the question

• TOPIC
• INSTRUCTION WORDS
• FOCUS

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• TOPIC is HIV AIDS
• INSTRUCTION WORDS-
• Are ACCOUNT FOR and HOW
• The FOCUS is rapid spread in Africa
• In the eighties and in the second part of the
  questioninfant health

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What is the purpose of analysing a question in
this way?

• It ensures that you answer all parts of the
  question
• It helps you to focus on the essential elements
  of the question so that your data collection
  becomes more FOCUSED and PURPOSEFUL

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• How can I be sure that Im
• Covering all the points?
• I DONT know much about
• The TOPIC.

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SIX SMALL QUESTIONS to ask

• WHO? WHERE?
• WHAT? HOW?
• WHEN? WHY?

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EDITORIAL CHECK LIST

• HAVE I ANSWERED THE QUESTION?
• HAVE I ACKNOWLEDGED ALL REFERENCES?
• HAVE I CHECKED THE SPELLING AND PUNCTUATION?
• DO I HAVE THE CORRECT NUMBER OF WORDS?
• HAVE I KEPT A COPY OF THE ESSAY?