Essay writing
Why do professors ask us to write essays as part of our assessments?
We all love multiple choice exams. We know the answer is there staring us in the face.
Even if we don't know the answer we can often use logic to figure out what we know the answer isn't, narrowing down our choices.
But essays don't give us any easy outs.
They make us commit in writing to what we think the answers are.
They make us demonstrate how much we understand about the subject.
They make us demonstrate how well we can think about the subject from different points of view.
Throughout this page I will assume you have read the texts: The Three Little Pigs and Little Red Riding Hood.
Essay writing can be broken down into 2 parts:
Read the Question:
this will tell you exactly what the examiner is looking for in the essay. The way the question is worded will indicate what's expected of you.
Write the essay:
this is always done using the exact same format.
How to Read the Question.
You're asked to write an essay AFTER you have been to the lectures, read all the supporting texts and had a chance to think about it.
Reading and remembering facts you've learnt about the subject is enough to get you though your multiple choice exams.
The essay will show how much you understand the facts.
Why bother with an Essay writing plan?
Your essay is a story you are telling your professor that will show that you understand the subject they have been teaching you.
No matter how the question is worded the essay is always written using the same 3 step plan.
Don't start writing and hope the answer comes nicely out of the pen for you.
If you take a few minutes to prepare your plan you will write an essay that is easy to read, shows off how well you know the subject and is quick to write.