Essay Writing

Step 1: Plan and Organise

• This is the most crucial of all the steps. It involves the most thinking. That said, it is the most neglected step in essay writing!

• Read the question. Read the question again. This is one of the most important steps. You need to identify exactly what the question is asking you to do. What are the instruction words? What are the topic words? Is there anything specific you need to do?

• Gather your resources. By this we mean any notes, textbooks that can help you, or even the knowledge in your head. In an exam this step will rely purely on the knowledge you have gained through studying and revising.

• Get the relevant ideas down into a plan. You can do this as a brain dump first and then think about the order that you want to write them in. You don't need to write all the details down in a plan, just the key themes.

• Before you move to step 2, take another look at your question and check your plan fully answers the question.

Step 2: Write

• If you have completed step 1 carefully, step 2 is the easy bit. You just have to follow your plan!

• Each separate point you make needs to be written in a separate paragraph.

• Each paragraph should be clearly expressed following a particular structure (e.g. Point. Evidence. Explanation. Link to question).

• Ensure your writing is clear by avoiding long confusing sentences. Shorter, carefully structured sentences make essays easier to read. Clarity is key!

• Ensure you include technical terminology, but avoid using unnecessarily verbose vocabulary to try and sound clever, it doesn't work!

Step 3: Edit and Review

• Once you have completed your essay, always go back and check what you have written. We all make mistakes, now is you chance to fix any errors you may have made.

• Take a look at the proof reading section of this website for further tips.