Guide to Essay Writing

This guide will help you to improve the marks you receive for essay-based assessments.

1. Why is essay writing important at University?

Essays are not just exercises in research; they are also exercises in communication. Essays give you a chance to show what you can do: that you understand the question asked; that you understand the issues involved; and that you have done the appropriate amount of research and reading. Essays also allow you to demonstrate your analytical thinking and force a deep and powerful type of learning to take place. For these reasons, they are a common form of assessment at university. This form of assessment is frequently used for session assignments and exams.

2. Is there an essay writing process that I can follow?

Yes. There are a number of steps students need to work through:

1. Analyse the question
2. Do research
3. Plan your answer
4. Write
5. Edit / revise

Each step is important. However some students do not pay sufficient attention to the steps of question analysis, planning and editing. Perhaps this reflects insufficient time being allocated to the assignment task as a whole.

Poor question analysis may result in a well written essay but one that doesn’t address the question asked or goes off on tangents. A lack of planning often results in a poorly structured essay, which is hard for the reader to follow. Failure to edit an essay results in poorly presented work containing unnecessary errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation.

Attention to all steps is important if you wish to attract good marks.

The HU Learning Skills portal gives further details on each step of this process.

3. Is there a basic essay structure I should be aware of?

Yes. The often-mentioned basic essay structure is shown below.

Each section, the introduction, body and conclusion, has a specific purpose, which means the reader will be looking for expected features.

A traditional essay does not include headings. As such it will appear as a series of paragraphs, with each paragraph having a place and purpose which the writer needs to make clear in topic sentences at the beginning of each paragraph. However, lecturers are becoming more flexible in their expectations and in some cases are allowing students to use headings in their essays. Always confirm with your lecturer if headings are allowed if you are not sure.

Many students find using headings helps them structure their essay. This is true for many DE students as headings are commonly used in workplace writing. If this is true for you and headings are not allowed, use headings in your draft, then convert them to topic sentences, before you submit your essay.

3.1. Introduction

The introduction to your essay is an important paragraph. It is the first thing the reader sees. A good introduction should:

1. Orientate the reader to the general topic (determined by your essay question)
2. Identify the focus or purpose of the essay (determined by your essay question)
3. Outline the scope, that is, the points to be covered, noting any limitations (will be guided by the question, your research and the thesis)
4. Identify the thesis (the thesis is your argument or viewpoint and will drive your essay)

An introduction is usually one paragraph, although this is not always the case, particularly with long essays. Some students define key terms in the introduction. Others signal within the ‘scope’ that key terms will be defined in the essay. If this is case, do this at the beginning of the body of the essay. The decision about where to define key terms is probably guided by the length of the definition discussion. A simple definition may sit well in the introduction. A protracted definition may be distracting and better dealt with in the body of the essay.

3.2. Body

The body of an essay is where you develop your essay. This occurs in a series of paragraphs with each paragraph logically flowing to the next. Thus a good use of topic sentences and correct paragraph structure are important.

The first sentence of each paragraph, often referred to as a topic sentence, introduces the paragraph by stating and summarising the main point being made in the paragraph. Topic sentences often contain transition signals, which aid in the smooth transition from one paragraph to the next. This first sentence should inform the reader of the point you are making and how this paragraph relates to the question. In fact, if the reader were to scan your topic sentences, they should be able to obtain a sketch of the entire essay. This sketch should show the logical progression of the points you are making. Absence of topic sentences leaves the reader wondering what you are trying to say and why, ultimately confusing the reader.

Signposting is not limited to topic sentences. Signposting within your paragraph also aids the reader. The following example well illustrates the effective use of signposts (bolded).