Essay Writing: The Basics

Writing Your Essay

Write a First Draft

Your first attempt at writing an essay will be your draft copy. Writing a draft essay will help you work out:

• what you need to say
• how you will answer the question
• which evidence and examples you will use
• whether you have enough information

Write a first draft to try out the structure and framework of your essay. Once you have a draft, you can work on writing well.

Structure

Structure your essay in the most effective way to communicate your ideas and answer the question.

All essays should include the following structure (click on each section for details)

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Essay Paragraphs

A paragraph is a related group of sentences that develops one main idea.

Each paragraph in the body of the essay should contain:

1. a topic sentence (or main idea sentence) where you state the main point of the paragraph;
2. an explanation of the point you're making;
3. evidence. Most of the time, your point should be supported by some form of evidence from your reading, or by an example drawn from the subject area.
4. a concluding sentence that restates your point, analyses the evidence or acts as a transition to the next paragraph.

Don't just leave the evidence hanging there - analyse it! comment on the implication/significance/impact and finish off the paragraph with a critical conclusion you have drawn from the evidence.

See The Learning Centre guide Quoting Paraphrasing & Summarising and Introducing Quotations & Paraphrases

Tips for Effective Writing

Start writing early - the earlier the better!
Starting cuts down on anxiety, beats procrastination, and gives you time to develop your ideas.

Don't try to write an essay from start to finish
Begin with what you are ready to write - a plan, a sentence. Start with the body and work paragraph by paragraph.

Write the introduction and conclusion after the body
Once you know what your essay is about, then write the introduction and conclusion.

Keep the essay question in mind
Remember what you need to do in your essay and don't lose track of the question or task. Keep it in mind as you draft and edit and work out the best way to answer a question.

Revise your first draft extensively
Look at the whole essay, make sure it flows and that the paragraphs are in a logical order.

Put the essay aside for a few days
This allows you to read your essay with a fresh eye. Proof-read your final draft carefully.

Next Step: Editing your essay

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