Get the words right!
Essay writing - a skill for life. William Bickerdike provides tips on how to write them well
Why write essays? The time required to produce a well-written essay seems at odds with today's fast moving communications. Yet essays appear all around us - in newspapers, websites, radio and TV, in work reports and planning documents.
Writing one can be a real challenge, but the skills learnt are of great value, and are highly sought after in almost any career.
For the student, the essay is a test of understanding, showing that knowledge can be applied, that they understand the subject and can produce something interesting (and possibly original) to say.
Essays also test communication skills - the ability to present arguments, debate issues, explain, write clearly, and do all this within a given time limit.
Read the question
Plan your essay
Plan your time
Exam essays always have a time limit. You simply can't overrun. Each essay is worth a set number of marks - you can't earn more by writing more, and you'll lose marks by not writing enough.
Don't pad
The length of an essay can seem daunting and it's easy to start writing long-winded sentences to pad out what you think is thin material.
The essay plan stops this, because writing the plan reminds you of so many facts, opinions, quotes and references that soon you'll have more than enough information.
By the same token - don't pad your essay with textbook quotes linked by a few sentences.
Simple and straightforward
A simple, straightforward style is best, and easiest to write under pressure.
Start with an introduction, summarising your key points, then go into detail in a series of logical sections, finally ending with a conclusion which brings everything together.
Practice
As with all demanding skills, essay writing improves with practice.
Review past papers for typical essay questions and show practice essays to parents and teachers.
What is the best thing to do?
"The more you read, the more you can learn about the best techniques, and the better your own essays will become."
Should it be long?
"The length of an essay can seem daunting and it's easy to start writing long-winded sentences to pad out what you think is thin material.
"The essay plan stops this, because writing the plan reminds you of so many facts, opinions, quotes and references that soon you'll have more than enough information. Don't pad your essay with textbook quotes ... ."
The writer is the Regional Director, University of Cambridge International Examinations (CIE)
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