Writing an Essay:

Generally all essay questions that we give you on the course will be from past exam papers in preparation for the real thing. Here is advice on how to approach a Media Studies essay. Do not worry if some of the concepts we cover here seem difficult, you will develop an understanding over time.

Understanding the Title:

It may sound obvious, but the first thing you need to do is breakdown what the title is asking of you. Many students try to write essays without fully understanding the question. Write an explanation of the title in a brief paragraph.

Working Out Your Argument:

You should now have a point of view about the title. This is essential as you never start an essay without an argument to follow. It is possible that each of you will have a completely different argument, this is good. Do not feel that there is going to be a right answer, just argue your point persuasively.

Choosing Your Examples:

An important part of this is deciding what text examples to use. The important thing when choosing example texts is that they should support your point, you do not want something that contradicts your argument. Think about examples that allow you to make different points to avoid repetition.

Writing Your Introduction:

You are now ready to write your essay. With an introduction you do not need to write a lot, ideally be brief and simple. It needs to be a short account of how you intend to go about answering the question. Do not give away the whole argument, but rather make sense of the point of view you are exploring.

Writing Your Paragraphs:

The main body of your essay should flow in a logical order from the outline you gave in the introduction. Your essay structure should be clear to you as a result of your planning. It should wrap naturally around the examples you have chosen.

Leading Your Reader through Your Essay Gently - Topic Sentences:

Your essay now has a logical plan and follows an interesting line of argument, you must however be certain that your reader finds this easy to follow. Topic sentences are paragraphs that start with a brief introduction, which may link back to earlier points, and tells the reader what you are now covering.