Writing a good essay - Some keys to a good essay -
Understanding the question and answering it. Follow any instructions that you have been given about format, spacing, referencing or anything like that. If you are told in the rubric to print your essay double-spaced, single-sided on pink paper and put it in a blue folder, that is what you must do! You can expect to lose marks if you do not follow the instructions.
Knowing why you are writing the essay - ask youself 'why have I been asked to write this essay?'
Knowing who the reader is. You have to ensure that your essay and the style you use is appropriate. You will have to make assumptions about the knowledge that the reader has. Try to grab the reader's attention early in the essay to make them want to read more. Lead the reader through your essay in a logical way; don't make the reader struggle to understand what your trying to say.
Planning. Allow yourself enough time to do the writing the research and proofreading, so that you hand it in on time. Plan backwards from the date that you are expected to complete the work. By planning backwards you can set yourself targets for each part of the process.
Proofreading. Allow yourself a week to proofread it and edit the essay after you written it. Be very careful if you have used voice recognition software - it will put in some words that will not make sense but will be missed by a spelling and grammar check (the first version of this web page contained some). It is very hard to proofread your own work!
Having structure in your essay. It should have an introduction (of not more than 10% of the total number of words), a middle-the main bit, a conclusion (of not more than 10% of total number words). Follow the rules of structure and grammar and spelling in your essay. Occasionally breaking the rules will make the essay interesting but don't be tempted to break rules until you understand them.
Keep to any word limits that have been set. Writing too much may incur penalties; writing far too much will bore the reader; writing too little will indicate that you haven't done enough work.
Keep it relevant! Do not waffle. Do not include material that is not relevant. Have a bibliography or set of references and cite those in your text to show how wide read your research is; but be careful that you don't cite things that you haven't understood or read properly.
Beware of plagiarism! Do not use other people's work without giving them due credit. When you are writing notes at the research stage use your own words rather than copy from books or lectures, that way you will not plagiarise accidentally. Get into the habit of creating a bibliography as you do your research. If you do quote from sources make sure it is obvious by putting the quotation into "quotation marks" or a different font and cite your sources.
(copyright) M Horne, March 2005. Page updated October 2005.