Universily Foundation Sludy

Essay Writing
Eourse Eook
Essay Wriling
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In hi gher educati on i t i s necessary to be abl e to structure and organi se essays i n an
appropri ate way, accordi ng to academi c conventi ons. Thi s modul e provi des an i ntroducti on
to academi c essay wri ti ng. l t gui des you through the process of structuri ng an essay so that
you are prepared for the ki nd of wri ti ng you wi l l have to do i n a typi cal Bri ti sh academi c
i nsti tuti on. You wi l l have the opportuni ty to devel op your i deas and to produce detai l ed essay
outl i nes on topi cs such as traffi c congesti on (covered i n the Probl em-Sol vi ng modul e),
Engl i sh as a gl obal l anguage and urban overcrowdi ng.
Uni t 1 l ooks at some basi c pri nci pl es of wri ti ng academi c essays. You wi l l anal yse essay
questi ons and
practi se strategi es for organi si ng your i deas and gatheri ng i nformati on on a
topi c. Uni t 2 hel ps you get started by showi ng you how to wri te a thesi s statement and begi n
an essay wi th an i nteresti ng i ntroducti on. Uni t 3 deal s wi th the mai n part of the essay and
how to
pl an and wri te effecti ve
paragraphs, whi l e Uni t 4 deal s wi th the concl usi on. Uni t 5
exami nes the l anguage of essays; you wi l l i denti fy the features of academi c styl e and
practi se
usi ng formal , obj ecti ve l anguage. Fi nal l y, Uni t 6 l ooks at some basi c
pri nci pl es to
hel p you i n the future wi th academi c wri ti ng, i ncl udi ng redrafti ng and what l ecturers expect.
A sampl e essay i s i ncl uded i n thi s uni t to demonstrate essay structure and presentati on.
tsy the end of the modul e, you wi l l be more abl e to i nterpret essay
questi ons and understand
what l ecturers expect from you. You wi l l be abl e to tackl e the process of wri ti ng an essay i n
a more organi sed and systemati c way, movi ng from a cl ear
pl an and outl i ne to a wel l -
organi sed and wel l -wri tten essay wi th an effecti ve i ntroducti on and concl usi on.
I
Skills MeF
Getting organised
Learn some basic
principles
of academic writing: essay structure; analysing essay
questions;
brainstorming ideas and issues.
Getting started
Understand how to plan your
writing. Learn to create effective introductions
and write thesis statements.
The body of the essay
Practise arranging your
arguments in a logical sequence. Learn effective
paragraphing.
Practise supporting your
arguments.
Summari es and concl usi ons
Learn how to close your
argument and draw conclusions.
Academic style and register
Practise using appropriate language: formalvs. informal style and some
important aspects of academic written language.
Guidelines for the future
Remember some important points: lecturer expectations; producing
a detailed
essay outline. Study a model essay.
3
Eelling organised
At the end of thi s uni t you wi l l :
.
understand more about the requi rements of wri ti ng an academi c essay;
o
have l earnt how to produce a cl ear outl i ne.
Basic
principles
of essay writing
There are several different types of academic essay. For example, you might have to write:
.
a descriptive essay
.
an argument essay
.
an anal yti cal essay
.
an evaluative essay
.
a
personal
experience essay
.
a reflective essay
Some essays may be a mixture of different approaches and types, but you need to be clear what sort of
essay you are wri ti ng.
Using
Ta,J(
pe( al expeclenc,e, desc(iba a
chafacteri ion and give examPles.
The mo.=t elticierrr form of transport is the train.
Disctlss
numbar of Dritish households.
-fne
Eocopean Union is alreadq far too big. Discrtss.
Learning a ta age B one of tlne besf forms of
4 Task: Essay Writing
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The introduction: What is it for?
What makes a good introduction?
The essay structure: What is a paragraph?
How do you show where a paragraph begi ns and ends?
How do you decide the order of paragraphs?
The concl usi on: What i s i t for?
What makes a good concl usi on?
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Do the questionnaire below. Mark your
competence in each area on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 = poor,
5
=
excellent). Compare your answers with another student.
skitl Score
Writing correct and accurate English
Pl anni ng an outl i ne of an essay
Drafting and redrafting my writing
Editing and proofreading
Organi si ng i nformati on
Organising my time
Fi ndi ng and usi ng source materi al
Paraphrasing other people's words
N*te: You wi l l be abl e to thi nk about the basi c pri nci pl es
of academi c wri ti ng i n more depth i n
Unit 6. However, it is useful at this stage to think about what you can do already.
5
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Taskt Ersay Wriling
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Analysing the essay
question
Di scuss the probl ems associ ated wi th traffi c congesti on. Suggest possi bl e sol uti ons and eval uate thei r
effectiveness.
pr obl ems associ at ed wi t h t r af f i c congest i on.
a) What exactly is traffic congestion?
b) Where woul d you fi nd traffi c congesti on?
c) What are the mai n causes of traffi c congesti on?
d)
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Suggest possi bl e sol ut i ons and eval uat e
thei r effecti veness
Brai nstormi ng i nvol ves free associ ati on, or rapi dl y generati ng i deas on a topi c. Try these two di fferent ways
of brai nstormi ng.
Free writing
Thi s i s where you qui ckl y
wri te down every i dea you have that coul d be rel evant to the topi c. You can wri te
a l i st or draw a spi dergram. The ai m i s to produce
l ots of i deas, so the form i s not i mporl ant. You do not
need to worry about correct spel l i ng or grammar
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i t i s the i deas that are i mportant.
Group brai nstormi ng
Thi s i s where al l the members of a group
contri bute thei r own i deas on the topi c,
' bounci ng'
thei r i deas off
each other.
Transporti ng goods by road.
Start i ndi vi dual l y. Thi nk about the topi c Banni ng l orri es from towns and ci ti es. Accept any i deas
that come i nto your head.
b) Work i n groups. Appoi nt a chai rperson to wri te down i deas. Then brai nstorm the toprc.
a)
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Task: Essay Wriling
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Organi si ng
your i deas
Now that you have a set of ideas, they need putting together in an organised way. One method is to use a
mi nd map to try to represent
your i deas i n a vi sual form. Thi s can be very useful when you want to
qui ckl y
see the relationship between
your main topic, main ideas and supporling ideas (see essay title, Iask2'2)'
You wri te the mai n topi c i n the mi ddl e of the page and
pl ace the mai n i deas around i t, connected wi th l i nes
or arrows. Si mi l arl y,
you wri te the supporti ng i deas around the mai n i deas, connected wi th l i nes or arrows'
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Solufions
Thesis sfatement
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essaj r,oill discrlgs
fhe main
Problems
as5ociated dith
conSestion and afremP-r
fo find a range of
aocV-able solul-iong.
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Probtems a==,ocid+ed
r.pifh trafflc conge on
Definition of traffic conqestion
an area is fillt oc
Usi ng your mi nd maps, work i n groups
to di scuss the possi bl e content of your
essay, the
i ntroducti on and mai n poi nts.
Sludenl noles for Unil I
Unil |
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Eetting organised
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Tark Esrey Writing
Eelling slarled
At the end of thi s uni t you wi l l :
.
be better equipped to start writing an essay;
.
understand how to write a thesis statement;
.
have ideas on how to make the introduction interesting for the reader.
Task I what to inctude
Once you have begun to organise your ideas in a logical way, you need to decide:
o
how to structure your essay;
o
how (and where)to i ncl ude these i deas.
For exampl e, you need to make deci si ons about the mai n secti ons of your essay.
1.1 You mi ght want to i ncl ude the fol l owi ng poi nts i n your essay on traffi c congesti on. Thi nk about
the i mportance of each i tem i n the l i st. Label them I, U or Nl (i mportant, useful , not i mportant).
Add any other i tems or topi cs you can thi nk of.
a) A defi ni ti on of traffi c congesti on.
b) An explanation of the causes of traffic congestion.
c) Your views on traffic congestion.
e) A l i st of sol uti ons to the probl em.
f) Examples of traffic problems in your hometown.
g) Arguments i n favour of or agai nst possi bl e sol uti ons.
1"2 Deci de i n whi ch order t he i deas shoul d appear i n t he essay. Whi ch ones wi l l you need t o
spend most ti me on? Compare your i deas wi th another student.
TaSlf A Information
gathering
In academi c wri ti ng i t i s not enough to use your own i deas wi thout any supporti ng evi dence. l t i s essenti al
to i ncl ude rel evant i nformati on from academi c sources to gi ve them
' academi c
wei ght' . You shoul d obtai n
thi s i nformati on by thoroughl y researchi ng the topi c, usi ng a vari ety of sources.
It i s i mportant to make cl ear notes of any i nformati on you fi nd. You can then use thi s i nformati on, wi th
references, to supporl your argument. (See TASK, Module 10: Research & Referencing.) Keep a record of all
your sources when you collect the information, as it is easier to do this at the time, rather than later.
l0 Tark: Erray Writing
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*"1 *i scuss possi bl e
sources wi th another student" Wri te what you
thi nk wi l l be
your
four mai n
ssurces *f i nfcrm=ti *n.
Sources of information
2.2 Number the fal l *wi ng poi nts i n the order of di ffi cul ty for you.
Finding appropriate references
Paraphrasing in your
own words
Understanding how much use to make of external sources
Referencing in an appropriate way
2.3 Di scuss your answers as a cl ass.
TaSk il Arousing interest: the introduction
The introduction acts as a window to the rest of your writing. A good introduction should make your reader
want to read your work. You can encourage interest by using a variety of different techniques. For example,
you can use one or more of the following:
a) a surprising or interesting fact
b) a questi on
c) a
quotation
d) a defi ni ti on
e) some important background information
Unit E
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Tad<: Esray Wriling
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3.1 Whi ch of the above, a)
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e), has the author used i n the i ntroducti on to an essay enti tl ed:
The educati on system i n your country?
Accordi ng to a recent survey, a si gni fi cant proporti on of the popul ati on i n my country has seri ous
l i teracv orobl ems.
g.2
Look at the four essay titles below. Think of a sentence to use as an introduction to each one,
using any of the above, a)
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e). Try to interest the reader so as to encourage him/her to read
the rest of the essay'
a) Family structure in
Your
country
b) The criminal
justice system in your country
c) lmports and exports to and from your country
d) Transportation in
Your
country
TaSk 4 writing a thesis statement
An introduction should also contain information on how you will develop the topic in the essay title' You write
this in the thesis statement, a statement of your standpoint or the view taken in the essay. lt should be
concise and convincing. Your thesis is the controlling idea of your essay that you will develop in the main body.
You normally follow the thesis statement with a clear indication of how you will structure the main body of
your essay in support of your thesis statement'
4.1 The control l i ng i deas can be stated i n many di fferent ways. l denti fy the control l i ng i deas of the
fol l owi n g thesi s statements.
a) The criminal
justice system in my country functions in a variety of ways.
b) Although the Big Bang Theory is widely accepted, it will probably never be proved, and it
therefore leaves a number of difficult and unanswered
questions.
c) The key to coping with the rise in sea levels is education on its effects and the accurate
forecasting of its hazards.
4.2 How do you thi nk the rest of the essay wi l l be devel oped i n each case? What areas wi l l be
covered? Continue each statement with a sentence outlining the structure of the essay'
begi nni ng:' Thi s essaq Di tl ...' .
le fark: Esray Wrilirq
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unil E
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Eetling slarled
4.3 Look back at the ideas
you
brainstormed in Unit 1 on traffic congestion. What is
your
own
view about
possible
solutions to the problems? ldentifu your main idea and write it as the
controlling idea in a single sentence. This will be
your
thesis statement.
l
What will you
focus on? How will you
develop your
thesis in the main body of
your
essay?
Write a follow-on sentence beginning:'This essaq trlitl ...',
4.4
An introduction should generally move from the general to the specific. The following example is an
introduction to an essay about the problems
associated with urban overcrowding.
5. 1 Arrange the five sentences in the correct order.
Tagk 5 An effective introduction
d)
e)
5. 2
a)
b)
c)
As a result of this migration, modern-day cities face a number of serious problems
related to overcrowding.
People were therefore drawn towards living in towns and cities for simple economic
reasons.
The purpose of this essay is to identify solutions to these problems
of urban
overcrowding and attempt to evaluate their feasibility.
The most critical problems
include homelessness, inadequate healthcare and education,
unemployment, and knock-on effects such as rising crime and drug abuse.
The twentieth century saw a major increase in the world's population
and, at the same
time, the emergence of a society driven by the forces of economics and industry.
Discuss the following three questions
with another student.
a) Mark the general statements G. How do they attempt to interest the reader?
b) Mark the thesis statement with a tick. How do you expect the rest of the essay to be organised?
c) What are the minimum number of paragraphs you would expect in this essay? What can you
predict about their content?
Unil a
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Tark: Errey Wrlting t3
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Is it likely to interest the reader? Why?
Does it start with a general statement related to the topic and gradually become more specific?
Is there a thesis statement that tells the reader what the essay will be about? Can you easily
identify it?
Does the introduction give an overview of the essay structure?
Are ideas clearly linked between sentences or is it sometimes confusing?
Does it include a definition? Do you think a definition is necessary or would be helpful?
Stcen s Weav-Y\esses
The advant aqes and di sadvant aoes of
qenet i cal l v modi f i ed cr ops
New devefopments i n the fi el d of geneti cal l y modi fi ed
(GM) agri cul ture are
reported al most dai l y as excj -ti ng new di scoveri es are made. These new
<ievelopments have generally been welcomed by consumers. Recently, however,
people have begrrn to realise how rapidly GM agriculture is spreading, so
questi ons are bei ng asked about i ts effects on our envi ronrnent and heal th.
Needl ess to say, farmers general l y feel that hi gh producti on l evel s and
top-qual i ty crops are more i mportant than the possi bl e negati ve si de
ef f ect s. I n t he l i qht of such advant ages, t he i nf l uence of GM agr i cul t ur e
on the envi ronment and on our heal th i s, i n my opi ni on, uni mportant.
t4 Task: Essay Writing
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Food additives should be banned. Discuss.
What are the main benefits of investing money in space research?
Euthanasi a shoul d be made l egal . Di scuss.
Outline the different types of alternative energy sources.
What would you do to improve the lives of the elderly in your country?
Essay writing:
points
to remember
o
Planning and organisation are key skills.
.
Keep a close eye on your title: always answer the question.
.
Word processing is very useful. For example, you can change text or move sections about very
easily. (See Module 7: lntroduction to lT SkrT/s.)
.
Keep a note as you go along of all references or sources that you use.
.
Redrafting is an essential skill.
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The body of lhe essay
At the end of thi s uni t you wi l l :
o
have a clear idea of how to structure the main part of an academic essay;
.
know how to plan and write effective paragraphs.
Remember, if you want to write a successful academic essay, you need to have the following:
.
an outl i ne pl an
.
a clear structure
.
a strong introduction
.
l ogi cal and meani ngful paragraphs
.
a devel opment of an argument or di scussi on
.
a concl usi on
The organi sati on of your essay wi l l depend to some extent on what sort of essay you are wri ti ng. The body
of your essay can be arranged in various logical ways, for example:
.
Reasons for and reasons against
.
Causes followed by effects
o
Probl ems fol l owed by sol uti ons
Each mai n i dea shoul d be presented separatel y i n a new paragraph.
Each paragraph i n the body of your essay wi l l usual l y begi n wi th a topi c sentence si ati ng
the mai n i dea of the paragraph.
The topic sentence should be followed by several sentences which support the main idea.
To add support or evi dence, you shoul d use exampl es, fi gures or stati sti cs.
You shoul d al ways use quotati ons to suppotl your i deas.
You shoul d have a strong concl udi ng sentence i n each paragraph to l i nk the reader back
to the topi c sentence or provi de a l i nk to the next paragraph or secti on.
Paragraph organisation
c)
d)
e)
f)
a)
b)
IE Tark: Ersay Wtiling
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The fi rst epi sode i n the Coca-Col a story i s an i mportant part of the ri se of capi tal i sm i n the Uni ted States
of Ameri ca. Towards the end of the ni neteenth century, Ameri ca gradual l y began to transform i tsel f from
a nati on of farmers to a ci ty-based i ndustri al i sed soci ety.The i ndustri al revol uti on was epi tomi sed by
new communi cat i ons and t he arri val and spread of t he rai l ways. Thi s produced a new ki nd of
capi tal i sm, a di sti ncti ve Ameri can vari ety where the ethos centred fi rml y on the i mage of i ndi vi dual
i mmi grant struggl e. The worl d of US busi ness was on i ts way. One of the most i mportant changes whi ch
hel ped busi ness success was popul at i on growt h. The Ameri can popul at i on al most doubl ed i n si ze
between 1880 and 1910, and a l arge proporti on of the i ncrease was created by the new i mmi grants
from Europe and the rest of the worl d. Success came from ambi ti on and hard work, and anybody coul d
make l arge amounts of money provi ded they tri ed hard enough. Hel ped by the success of some,
i mmi grant s f l ocked t o t he USA. By 1890, t here were al ready over 4, 000 Ameri can mi l l i onai res and
Andrew Carnegi e, who had made a fortune from rai l ways and i ron and steel , was spreadi ng the "Cospel
of Weal th". There were, however, some di sadvantages to the new busi ness envi ronment. In many parts
of the USA, there was more than an el ement of the Wi l d West. Conmen, thi eves and swi ndl ers came to
the new towns whi ch were appeari ng, l ooki ng for sui tabl e vi cti ms. A second maj or di sadvantage was
t hat Coke was ori gi nal l y a pat ent medi ci ne, and onl y about t wo percent of t he medi ci nes whi ch were
produced ever became wel l -known
-
most i nventors and sal esmen fai l ed mi serabl y. Thi rdl y, al though
l arge profi ts coul d be made from al l ki nds of medi ci nes, many of whi ch often cost al most nothi ng to
produce, by the l ate 1880s the market for medi ci nes was al ready saturated. Patent medi ci nes, therefore,
were not an easy commerci al area to break i nto. Another i mportant aspect of the story i s that the worl d
of medi ci ne was not advanced at t hi s t i me. Ni net eent h-cent uryAmeri can doct ors were nor numerous,
nor were they very good
(anaestheti cs
were sti l l to be i nvented and some of the pri mi ti ve methods used
by the medi cal professi on were terri fyi ng, ki l l i ng more pati ents than they saved). Thi s was the reason
why many peopl e turned to al ternati ve remedi es, the so-cal l ed patent medi ci nes, to sol ve thei r heal th
probl ems. By the end of the century, there were thousands of cures on offer for every i magi nabl e
ai l ment , f rom t he common col d t o mal ari a, al l of whi ch requi red ext ensi ve advert i si ng i n newspapers
and publ i c pl aces t o promot e t hei r superi or val ues over t hei r compet i t ors. To concl ude, i t i s not
surpri si ng that many woul d-be tycoons were attracted by the ri si ng numbers of consumers and that the
fi el d of patent medi ci nes was an attracti ve starti ng poi nt for some. In 1869, Dr
John
Pemberron, a
Ceorgi a pharmaci st, had moved to Atl anta searchi ng to make hi s fortune by the di scovery of the perfect
pat ent cure. I n 1886, af t er l ong years of research, he f i nal l y l aunched hi s new i nvent i on. l t was i nt o t hi s
very crowded and overcompeti ti ve market that Coca-Col a was to emerge as a hi ghl y successful product.
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Task: Essay Wriling t7
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YASI( A Linking words and
phrases
It is important to develop and link your ideas in each paragraph so the reader can follow your line of
argument clearly. The Coca-Cola essay uses words and phrases to help the reader follow the sequence of
events.
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Firstly
Secondl y
Thi rdl y
Fourthl y
Fi nal l y
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Showi ng si mi l ari ty
Comparing or contrasting
Addi ng somethi ng
Gi vi ng reasons
Showing cause and effect
Gi vi ng an exampl e
l**t*: There is a large variety of link words and there are complex rules regarding their use. You
should consult your tutor on a good source of reference to learn more about how to use them
effectively.
t8 Task: Essay Writing
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The topic sentence and supporting sentences
The topi c sentence i s usual l y at the begi nni ng of a paragraph, but i t does not have to be. When you wri te a
paragraph, you shoul d try to devel op thi s i ni ti al i dea and not change or add too many new i deas.
The benefi ts of i mmi grati on
t o i ndust r i al i sed count r i es.
a)
l mmi grati on i s a very di ffi cul t subj ect to di scuss because there are many possi bl e di fferent vi ewpoi nts.
b)
One of the maj or probl ems of i mmi grati on i s that peopl e i n the host country may di sagree wi th such
a pol i cy.
l mmi grati on can offer several cl ear advantages for i ndustri al i sed countri es.
Example A
There are obvi ous advantages to l earni ng Engl i sh i n Bri tai n. Every day there are opportuni ti es to
practi se l i steni ng to and speaki ng wi th Bri ti sh peopl e. In the fi rst pl ace,
students can experi ence the
cul ture fi rst-hand, whi ch i s a great hel p when tryi ng to understand the l anguage. Thi s i s especi al l y
true i f they choose to l i ve wi th a Bri ti sh fami l y as exchange students, for exampl e. In addi ti on, i f
students attend a l anguage school ful l -ti me, the teachers wi l l be nati ve speakers. In thi s case, not
onl y wi l l students' speaki ng and l i steni ng ski l l s i mprove, but attenti on can be gi ven to devel opi ng
readi ng and wri ti ng ski l l s as wel l .
Exampl e B
l mmi grati on to i ndustri al i sed countri es poses a number of di ffi cul t chal l enges for i ncomi ng fami l i es.
They may need to l earn a new l anguage, they may face raci sm and di scri mi nati on and they
frequentl y have probl ems adj usti ng to the new cul ture. In France, for exampl e, i t i s i l l egal for Musl i m
school gi rl s to wear headscarves to school . Al ready, fi ve Musl i m school gi rl s have been expel l ed from
school for weari ng headscarves. The ban i s percei ved
by many as i ntol erant, undermi ni ng the
i ntegrati on of France' s Musl i ms. Femi ni sts say the l sl ami c scarf i s a repressi ve symbol , but many
French Musl i ms say the ban i s raci st and agai nst thei r human ri ghts. "Everyone has the ri ght to
freedom of thought, consci ence and rel i gi on; thi s ri ght i ncl udes freedom to mani fest thei r rel i gi on or
bel i ef i n teachi ng, practi ce, worshi p and observance" (Arti cl e 18, The Uni versal Decl arati on of
Human Ri ght s). '
c)
-
fark: Erray Writing l9
E3
Paragraph 1
Topic sentence
Supporting sentence(s)
B) Thesis statement
What is the focus here?
Paragraph 1
Topic sentence
Supporting sentence(s)
C) Thesis statement
What is the focus here?
Paragraph 1
Topic sentence
Supporting sentence(s)
3.3 There are three thesis statements below. Write a topic sentence for each of them. Then write
a suppoding sentence or two for the paragraph. Remember to focus on the main idea. The
first has been done for you.
A) Thesis statement
Y- peopte ulho live af horne rrrhite studging at
univer5itS Y]6ve *vecat advantages.
First of all, tkreq can focr:g on theic sludies
rr#hout dorrbing abouf domestic matters.
SJudents tiving arrn3 fronr knme have to learn hor..l
'fo
do
-their
oun laundrS and ma3 uoell have to
shop and cooV- la fnemselves. Those ulho live af
horne do naf have such ccllc.e(ns.
Tkre catres and effec+s of globat darming trrilt be
brief! ouHined in thig essatj.
Pgcsonal cornpute(s kravg revolufionised
c,ommunicafion and brr.sirress P(dcftc'es in the pa5f
J J
e0 fask: Essay Wrfring
-
Uoit 3
-
The body of the essay
Organising an essay
a) How woul d you structure your essay? e.g., Feasons for and
reasons against, causes followed by effects, problems
followed by solutions
b) What are the main points that you
would include in the essay?
c) What sort of research wi l l you have to do on thi s topi c?
1) There i s too much adverti si ng on tel evi si on.
2l Di scuss the advantages and di sadvantages of Engl i sh as a
worl d l anguage.
3) How has educati on i mproved over the l ast one hundred
years?
4l Marketi ng i s the most i mporl ant aspect of a busi ness' s
acti vi ti es. Di scuss.
5) Every i ndi vi dual has a responsi bi l i ty to prevent gl obal warmi ng.
Paragraph begins
s-fofla ts
ot
advanced at thi.= time.
-fttece
r,aece, hot^:eve(, s,ofi\e disadva qes
to the neD business environment.
fiela of pafenf medicines
Das an
One of the most impo nf changes r.,"rhich
hetped business so)Cess (,as
populafion
capitalisrn in fhe United States of America
-
lask: Essay Wriling
?l
=3
4.3
4.4
Choose one title and make a
plan for it, listing the topics you would cover in each
paragraph'
practise
writing the first
paragraph for your essay. Make sure
you staft with a clear topic sentence"
aa
Task: Ersay Wiling
-
Unit 3
-
The body ef lhe essay
taries and
rsions
At the end of thi s uni t you wi l l :
.
have a clear idea of how to finish an academic essay with a successful
concl usi on.
The mai n ai m of the concl usi on i s to show the reader that you have
successful l y answered the questi on that was set. l t does not i ncl ude any
new i nformati on, but i t summari ses the mai n poi nts made i n the body of
the essay. l t shoul d draw your argument to a cl ose and i t al so needs to
l i nk back to the thesi s statement i n vour i ntroducti on.
Restating the thesis
You need to repeat the mai n i deas i n the concl usi on, but you do not want to si mpl y wri te the same
sentences agai n. One way of l i nki ng back to the thesi s statement i s to rewri te i t (that i s, to paraphrase the
i deas and the l anguage). You can use synonyms to do thi s, or you
can rearrange the order and al so change
some of the grammar.
Lack of i nvest ment i n publ i c t ransport
t he mai or ooi nt t hat wi l l be di scussed
i s havi ng seri ous consequences f or t ravel l ers i n Bri t ai n t oday; t hi s i s
i n thi s essay.
Original 55non
lacV- o{
coneq{ence5
t(avelle(s
major
Poinf
di5,uJ55,e-d
-
Task: Essay Wriling ?3
=4
Rewrite the sentence, using synonyms and different word order to make a good concluding
statement. Thi nk about the grammar that needs to change
{e.9.,
wi l l be i s not appropri ate for
a concl usi on).
TaSk ? Organising the concluding
paragraph
Rearrange the fol l owi ng sentences to form an effecti ve concl usi on for an essay on the topi c of
Urban overcrowding.
a) Gover nment pol i ci es ai med at sol vi ng t hese pr obl ems ar e t oo
of t en ver v si mp] e measur es t hat of f er onl y shor t - t er m sol ut i ons.
b) I n concl usi on, ur ban over cr owdi ng causes pr obl ems on al l l evel s.
c) It i s a model whi ch ai ms for i mproved soci al condi ti ons and offers
a hi gh qual i t y of l i f e f or ci t y dwel l er s, what ever t hei r number .
d) Thi s essay has ar gued f or t he i mpl ement at i on of a l ong- t er m
pol i cy whi ch needs t o pr ovi de an economi cal l y sust ai nabl e,
r esour ce- ef f i ci ent model of ci t y desi gn.
e) The cr eat i on of such a model wi l l hel p t o r esol ve many of t he
cur r ent and f ut ur e pr obl ems of ur ban l i f e.
TaSk 3 rinish with a clear statement
Remember that your conclusion needs to be clear and relevant to the question you are answering. A strong
conclusion should refer back to the introduction. ldeally, it needs to leave a strong impression on the reader.
Read the fol l owi ng thesi s statement and the concl udi ng sentences of the same essay. Di scuss
the fol l owi ng questi ons.
a) What is the subject of the essay? Think of a title for it.
b) How i s i he concl usi on si mi l ar to and di fferent from the i ntroducti on?
1. 2
2.',|
t
I
I
)
3. 1
e4 Tark: Erray Wriling
-
Unit 4
-
Summaries and conclusions
Thesis statement: The growth
of a
'fast
food'
cul ture i n thi s country has generated
unexpected probl ems, i ncl udi ng ri si ng obesi ty
l evel s and, more i mportantl y, the l oss of our
gastronomi c heri tage. Thi s essay wi l l exami ne
the rol e of fast food i n the devel opment of an
i ncreasi ngl y unheal thy Bri tai n.
Concl usi on: Fast food outl ets cannot enti rerv
be bl amed for our i ncreasi ngl y unheal thy
dietary habits. Fast food evidently responds to
a need in our modern society, and reflects
changes i n our modern l i festyl e. l t i s, rather,
our l i festyl e whi ch needs changi ng i f we hope
to become a heal thi er nati on.
Advanfages Disadvantages
-
Task: Essay Wriling
?5
T Lecturer expectations
4. 1 Tutors and lecturers have clear ideas of what they want to see in the conclusion to an
academic essay. Look at the list below and check that you understand the expectations.
ldentify whether you think you are strong or weak in these areas.
I
;r:ti:
,i:r,l
xx
I am good, OK, uoeaL at ...
' r * ' * r ' " - * "
J
a retevarrt concluding statemenf
eE Tarkr Essay Writlng
-
Unit 4
-
Summaries Bnd ctrnElusiong
-
fark: Esray Wriling ?7
Hcademic slyle
and regisler
At the end of thi s uni t you wi l l :
.
be more fami l i ar wi th the l anguage of essays and abl e to i denti fy some of the
features of academic style;
.
have practi sed usi ng formal , obj ecti ve l anguage.
Formal or informal register?
Academi c essays usual l y requi re a formal styl e. You need to remember what to avoi d i n an academi c essay.
fnformal/spoken: Geography? Well, I think it's basically
just
some sort of mix of physical and social
sciences and how they interact together. You know, like, for example, how global warming has an
effect on the economy, um, of a region ... but you can also look at these things individually too ... er
... so you could
just
study things like sea-level rise which'd be physical, oryou could look at ... say
... how people, human beings, adapt themselves to the environment, that's human.
Formal/written: Geography is the study of the surface of the Earih, the location and distribution of its
physical and cultural features, and the interrelation of these features as they affect humans. ln the study
of geography, two main branches may be distinguished, physical geography and human geography.
?ea+oce Informat/spoV-en examples Format/uor n exarnpleg
Use ol contra ons,
isnt, dont, .
Use ol fillerg,
Vr)ell, ec, elc.
Use of pds3lve volce
Impersonal and ob1ective
Pergonal and subiective
Punctu on
eB Task: Essay Wdling
-
a) | don' t bel i eve thi s i s true at al l . l t sounds l i ke nonsense.
b) New regulations will come into effect next year.
c) The study was conducted wi th a group of school -age chi l dren.
d) We' re defi ni tel y goi ng to have to fol l ow those stupi d new rul es next year.
e) Further anal ysi s i s requi red before concl usi ons can be drawn.
D
l t real l y puzzl es me why some students don' t get better grades.
g) Our experi ments were OK
-
they j ust proved that hi s argument di dn' t stand up.
h) He' l l have to have a better l ook at the fi ndi ngs before maki ng hi s mi nd up.
i ) l t has been proved that the cl ai ms are unfounded.
j )
We went down to a school and chatted wi th some of the ki ds.
k) l t i sn' t cl ear why qui te a l ot of students don' t get real l y good grades.
l ) A maj or aspect of the i nvesti gati on i nvol ved research i nto soci al housi ng trends.
Gauti ous l anguage
Another typi cal feature of academi c wri ti ng i s the need to be careful or
cauti ous. Unl ess you are quoti ng a fact or a stati sti c, or there i s evi dence
whi ch shows
' 100%
certai nty, statements and concl usi ons are often
qual i fi ed i n some way to make them l ess assedi ve or posi ti ve. The reason i s
partl y Engl i sh academi c styl e, but i t i s al so to avoi d maki ng any fal se
cl ai ms. Thi s use of cauti ous l anguage i s someti mes cal l ed
' hedgi ng' .
l , . r : : , - l I ; l i
Some col l eges and uni versi ti es i n thi s country have l arge numbers of i nternati onal students.
Some col l eges and uni versi ti es i n thi s country appear to have l arge numbers of i nternati onal
students.
Instead of comi ng here, i nternati onal students shoul d study i n thei r own country.
It coul d be argued that, i nstead of comi ng here, i nternati onal students shoul d study i n thei r
own counrry.
Thi s i s a mi sappl i cati on of government pol i cy.
Thi s woul d seem to be a mi sappl i cati on of government pol i cy.
A } D
i i
B ) i )
i D
c ) D
i D
e9
=5
D) i ) Thi s i s true.
ii) To a certain extent, this may be true.
E) i ) Erl i chman' s fi ndi ngs
prove that the amount of i ndependent study i s di rectl y rel ated to hi gher
oerformance levels.
i i ) Erl i chman' s fi ndi ngs suggest that the amount of i ndependent study mi ght be di rectl y rel ated
to hi gher performance l evel s.
F) i) Inflation will not rise next year.
i i ) Evi dence i ndi cates that i nfl ati on wi l l probabl y not ri se next year.
G) i ) The survey demonstrates that Engl i sh school chi l dren don' t l i ke l earni ng more forei gn
l anguages.
i i ) The survey tends to i ndi cate that Engl i sh school chi l dren are apparentl y not i n favour of
l earni ng more forei gn l anguages.
H) i ) There are si tuati ons where thi s i s the onl y sol uti on.
i i ) There are undoubtedl y si tuati ons where thi s woul d seem to be the onl y
possi bl e sol uti on.
Hedging fea+oce
Exampte
hedging vecbs Some colleges appeaf to have
Use of modal vecbs
Qualif3ing
exP( e3 3lon3
hc^ec+lves and adverbg
Se-l exp(es3lons
""ltrw,
W ffi Register in use
Informal English uses everyday spoken forms (colloquialisms) that are inappropriate for formal written
Engl i sh. l t i s i mportant not to mi x styl es i n academi c wri ti ng.
. l ] i t . i ' i . i f . : : : i 1 , | . i : . - ! i l ; j i , . . i i : . . ] { l , , : i . i t l ' ' j i . ; . . .
l , . - : i . : : i . : : : l i , n: { 1' : . ; i : i l { : i . ; : l l j i l ; . : : i i f ' - : i l i r . . i , i ; l . : Fi : i j : gi . l : ; . : t : : l ql ; : : l t
q' ;r' i .
i l .o,l :.r-' ,:,;-' i ,:!:l i i l i Y' ' f
;::i tl i l [' +g' =
ri ci i ]!+F]i :t' : Ii i f+' ;{j t{l f{*
30 Task: Ersay Wdting
-
ii*!t *
-
itr**qq::r* 6i1rlq +n#
,frllesir*t
A massi ve change
-
one whi ch real l y hel ped busi ness
-
was more peopl e arri vi ng i n t he USA. There were
two ti mes as many peopl e who got here between 1880 and 1910, and l ots of them came from al l sorts of
di fferent pl aces l i ke Europe. l f you wanted to be successful you had to work real l y hard; however, you
coul d get ri ch qui ckl y i f you di d thi s. Lots of i mmi grants made i t and because of thi s, l ots more wannabe
mi l l i onai res t urned up i n t he US. By 1890, Ameri ca maybe had around 4, 000 mi l l i onai res. One of t he
best was Andrew Carnegi e, who got ri ch through trai ns and i ron and steel . Hi s message was cal l ed the
' Cospel
of Weal th' .
appropriate vocabulary and grammatical
structures;
cautious language (Unit 5, Task 2, page 29).
Another ki nd of useful al ternati ve fuel i s el ectri ci ty. Thi s i sn' t real l y a very effi ci ent fuel ri ght now, because
the technol ogy i s somewhat l i mi ted; however, i t' s fai r to say that recent advances i n the producti on of
el ectri c cars coul d maybe make thi s a real i ty i n the future. But i t i s possi bl e for cars powered wi th
el ectri ci ty to rel ease l i ttl e or no emi ssi ons, so i f we want thi s al ternati ve fuel to become a real i ty, we' l l
need i t i n l ots of cars. Maybe then i t' l l make some sort of a di fference. If we want thi s to happen, i .e., to
knock a bi g chunk out of t he pol l ut i on probl em al l around t he worl d, i t ' l l t ake a whi l e.
a
a
-
Task: Essay Wriling 3l
Sludenl noles tor Unil 5
Euidelines
for lhe fulure
At the end of this unit you will:
o
understand the editing and redrafting
r
have a clearer understanding of what
wri ti ng.
processes
in essay writing;
lecturers expect from a
piece
of academic
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
Things to remember
understandi ng the task
checki ng the ti tl e careful l y
answeri ng the questi on
set
getting
organised
keepi ng to deadl i nes
wri ti ng a pl an
collecting and recording sources and important information
keeping useful phrases
and examples of "essay language"
reflecting on what you
have written
checki ng and redrafti ng l anguage and content
wri ti ng a fi nal draft
presenting your essay in a clear and acceptable form
Redrafting
a;s'{+1+b
number Of cri mes Da-rch prrrrc' tua-t' i orr
-
Task: Essay Wriling 33
=5
a) How many drafts of an essay shoul d
you wri te?
b) What do you need to consi der and work on when you redraft an essay?
Redra ng: +hing5 to r.oorL on Consider ong
paragcaphs
.
eaclrt
ParagfaPh
ha.= a main idea
.
Pa(a3faPh5
afe in the fi o(de(
gfammar
ten of essa3
Remember that your mark wi l l depend not onl y on how good your wri ti ng i s, but al so on how successful l y
you have completed the task. lt is important to make sure
you read and understand the feedback that your
l ecturer gi ves you to hel p you wi th your next essay. l t i s al so i mportant to understand the marki ng cri teri a.
34 Task: EssaYWr i l i ng-
: r
i
-
r '
: ! : : : : : i - r
For i nst ance, robbery mi ght be decreased whereas murder has i ncreased so t he
t hei r perf ormance i n a posi t i ve way.
good ro i ncl ude eg
cet?
-
this is rather a oeneralisation!
a) You have wri tten a competent answer, but unfortunatel y i t i s an answer to a di fferent questi on!
b) Your essay woul d be i mproved by checki ng the grammar
and spel l i ng.
c) You have answered the questi on very wel l ; you show a good understandi ng of the i ssues and
have provi ded
some excel l ent exampl es.
d) There i s l i ttl e evi dence i n the essay of refl ecti ve and eval uati ve thought. Your concl usi on i s rather
weak.
e) The essay needs to be word-processed
-
i n general , the presentati on i s very poor.
fl
You have made good use of personal refl ecti on and have cl earl y done a l ot of background
readi ng on t he t opi c.
g) You have descri bed the si tuati on wel l but have not anal ysed the advantages and di sadvantages
as the questi on asked you to do.
7O%o+
60-69%
50-59o/o
4049%
30-39%
-
Task: Essay Wriling 35
Marki ng cri teri a
Mark
i deas general l y not made cl ear and often i rrel evant; weak paragraphs; smal l range of
vocabul ary; grammati cal structure i s very l i mi ted
i deas general l y cl ear but not al ways very rel evant; some l ack of paragraphi ng; l i mi ted range
of vocabul ary; l i mi ted grammati cal structure at ti mes
lacks any satisfactory organisation or development of ideas; vocabulary use very weak;
unsatisfactory use of grammatical structure; generally fails to meet the required pass
standard
excel l ent text organi sati on; cl ear paragraphs wi th wel l -expressed i deas; wi de range of
vocabul ary; good use of grammati cal structure
good text organi sati on wi th general l y rel evant i deas; adequate range of vocabul ary and
orammati cal structure
A model essay
Essay title: Discuss the problems associated with urban overcrowding and evaluate
possible solutions.
a) How does the wri ter arouse your i nterest?
b) What i s the thesi s statement?
l ntroducti on:
The twenti eth century saw a maj or i ncrease i n the worl d' s popul ati on and at the same ti me the
emergence of a gl obal soci ety dri ven by the forces of economi cs and i ndustry. Peopl e were
i nexorabl y drawn towards l i vi ng i n towns and ci ti es, mi grati ng from rural communi ti es out of
economi c necessi ty. As a resul t of thi s i nfl ux, modern-day ci ti es across the gl obe face seri ous
probl ems due to overcrowdi ng. The most cri ti cal i ncl ude poverty and homel essness, unempl oyment,
the provi si on of adequate heal thcare and educati on, and knock-on effects such as ri si ng cri me and
pol l uti on. The purpose of thi s essay i s to i denti fy sol uti ons to some of these probl ems of urban
overcrowdi ng and attempt to eval uate thei r feasi bi l i ty.
lask: Essay Wriling 3E
-
- r i H* vi ;
. r . l i i *
t * " ! { I i t t f { : : } * * g l } * i i , , 1- . { i di . ' - : - - - i : vq, - :
" . : . -
{ i , : { i : , i ! ={ r . i
. . . : ci : . : i . , cLr ve, , . i r - : ; l r * 1. - g} i : t : g ! * i *
i . ' i i f {*' {: i , ri ; {i ' : ] i l v*f l bs i n t *e e*s*? i : Ei * h, ; $: -i l * 1F: +r: *
gt at *f t f f t ! .
i #f rt FF vt ' u r#"?{i .
Mai n body:
Urban overcrowdi ng i s not a recent phenomenon, but i t has recentl y become a gl obal demographi c
probl em. The ri se of the worl d' s
' Megaci ti es'
such as Tokyo, Jakafta, Sdo Paul o and Cai ro, wi th
popul ati ons approachi ng 20 mi l l i on, i s one of the most marked trends of recent decades. In 1950 for
exampl e, New York Ci ty was uni que among the worl d' s ci ti es i n havi ng more than 10 mi l l i on
i nhabi tants. By 1975 that number had grown to 15 mi l l i on . By 2015 i t i s esti mated i t wi l l reach
21 mi l l i on. (UNO 2005). Two pri nci pal reasons for thi s phenomenon
can be i denti fi ed, one economi c
and the other soci ocul tural .
Peopl e mi grate to the ci ti es i n search of both economi c securi ty and i mproved soci al condi ti ons.
As the economy of a nation develops, its cities develop as centres of industry investment and
educati on, provi di ng pl enti ful j ob opportuni ti es for those i n search of a hi gher standard of l i vi ng.
Sydney, Sdo Paul o and Frankfurt are al l thri vi ng modern ci ti es whi ch have devel oped exponenti al l y
si nce the Second Worl d War. A fudher exampl e i s Tokyo, the hub for Japan' s rapi d economi c
devel opment i n the 1960s and 70s; i ts popul ati on grew qui ckl y as peopl e moved there to fi nd
empl oyment, and i t i s now the most popul ous ci ty i n the worl d (popul ati on 35.3 mi l l i on).
Not al l devel opi ng nati ons, however, are equi pped to cope wi th such rapi dl y expandi ng ci ty
populations. The overriding problem associated with overcrowding is poverty and its attendant
soci al depri vati ons
-
homel essness, unempl oyment and i nsecuri ty. l mmi grants to ci ti es from rural
areas are typically the poorest members of urban society, and in many cities are often forced to live
i n shantytowns or sl ums on the peri phery of the ci ty wi thout access to cl ean dri nki ng water or safe
sani tati on, i n cramped and unsani tary condi ti ons. Exampl es of such poor l i vi ng condi ti ons can be
seen across the continents, from Caracas to Bombay. Unemployment is widespread as families fight
to survi ve. Transmi ssi on of i nfecti ous di seases i s very common i n such condi ti ons, resul ti ng too
frequently in high infant mortality rates (UNESCO 2002). Furthermore, access to vital social services
such as hospitals and schools may be restricted as authorities try to cope with large numbers of
peopl e, thus denyi ng chi l dren adequate educati on and heal thcare.
Inevi tabl y, there i s no one best sol uti on to a probl em of such magni tude. Two sol uti ons are
proposed, both of which seek to move people away from the cities. The first is that of resettlement,
where government-l ed housi ng i ni ti ati ves seek to rehouse fami l i es on the outski rts of ci ti es. The
Shanghai housi ng resettl ement proj ect, begun i n 1987, i s an exampl e of successful urban renewal
where l i vi ng condi ti ons have been measurabl y i mproved. Resol uti on of the housi ng shorl age has
promoted l ong-term soci al devel opment and stabi l i ty, resul ti ng i n soci al and economi c benefi ts. Thi s
measure does not, however, address the problem of urban sprawl as the city spreads outwards, but
it does relieve the pressure of urban overcrowding.
The second solution encourages the relocation of businesses, factories and warehouses to rural
areas. l t expl oi ts brownfi el d si tes i n the countrysi de whi ch are devel oped as busi ness parks. Pol i ci es
of i ndustri al rel ocati on have been successful i n Canada and the UK. where i ndustri al expansi on of
ci ti es has been curtai l ed. However, peopl e are not wi l l i ng to l eave the ci ti es unl ess they are
guaranteed better housi ng, school s and transport faci l i ti es, so l ong-term government i nvestment i n
these areas is crucial. Furthermore, such projects are disputed by environmentalists, who see the
devel opments as a threat to the bal ance of the countrysi de.
a) Underline the topic sentence in each paragraph in the text and make a note of its key words below.
b) How much support does the writer give for the topic sentence in each paragraph? Make a note
(key words) of the support below.
,J.i;i *
-
*r*lfieirne* {*r ifg* ii.l*ure
-
Task: Essay Wriling 37
Paragraph 1
Support examples and evidence:
Paragraph 2
Topic sentence key words:
Support examples and evidence:
Paragraph 3
Topic sentence key words:
Support examples and evidence:
Paragraph 4
Topic sentence key words:
Support examples and evidence
Paragraph 5
Topic sentence key words:
Support examples and evidence:
38 fark: Essly Writlng
-
llnil 6
-
'Euidelines for lhe fulure
a) descri be the si tuati on and causes
b) suggest sol uti ons
c) descri be the probl ems
a) l s there any new i nformati on i n the concl usi on?
b) How does the concl usi on l i nk back to the i ntroducti on?
Concl usi on:
In concl usi on, urban overcrowdi ng causes probl ems
on al l l evel s. Government pol i ci es
ai med at
solving these problems
are too often simple stopgap measures offering only short-term solutions.
Thi s essay has argued for the i mpl ementati on of a l ong-term pol i cy
that potenti al l y provi des
an
economi cal l y sustai nabl e, resource-effi ci ent model of ci ty desi gn. l t i s a model that ful fi l s a uni versal
desi re for i mproved soci al condi ti ons and ul ti matel y offers a hi gh qual i ty
of l i fe for ci ty dwel l ers,
whatever thei r number.
4"S L**k t*r**g*t tF"t* wh*i* *s$*F *r** d**d{"$*
1vir*i'#
ge.:r:
***l* *e;*k* a:h:=::l**s fre}lt.t **s*rt*Li* *c:
m*r* **rstl**x 3te**gi;':g ieetg**g*"
Bfrit* y*ur r*i***'rg*s in h* tarhS* i**l*.,+..
Change m
To
ijs*g ff
-
S**3**lielss fs. l*e f*;lqJF
-
Tark: Ersay Writing 39
TaSk 5 write an essay outline
The sample essay in Task 1 was an example of the Situation-
Probl em-sol uti on-Response
model (see Uni t 3, page 17).
5.1 Prepare an essay outl i ne for the fol l owi ng essay
questi on (or one of the other
questi ons i n thi s modul e).
Fol l ow the stePs bel ow
Engtish has become a global language because it is both
easy to learn and superior to other languages' Discuss.
.
Analyse the question: How many general statements
are there? What is the main instruction verb?
o
Brainstorm ideas using one of the techniques from Unit
1, Task 3, page 19.
o
Write a thesis statement to show how your argument will develop through the essay'
.
Decide which essay
pattern to use (Unit 3, page 20).
o
Link your ideas into a logical sequence and decide how many paragraphs you will use.
.
Write a topic statement for each paragraph.
o
Note the supporting evidence and examples for each of your main poinis.
.
Refer to TASK Module 10: Research and Referencing, if you are including
quotations.
5.2 Discuss
your essay outlines in small
groups'
Sludenl noles For Unit E
40 Tark: Erray Wrlling
-
Unit E
-
Euidelines lor lhe fulure
Msdule I
Web work
Exlension aclivilies
ABC of academi c wri ti ng and essays
htt
p :l/www. m d x. ac. u k/WWWSTU DYlg i oess. ht m# p i a n s
Review
This is part
of a guide for students at the University of Middlesex. lt gives comprehensive explanations
of terms and examples of essay types and sections.
Task
Note down useful words and terms connected with essay writing, together with their definitions.
Andy Gi l l ett' s academi c wri ti ng
http ://wlvw. uefap. com/rvriti n g/writf rarn. hrir
Review
This is a very useful study skills site written by Andy Gillett at the University of Hertfordshire.
Task
This link takes you to the writing section. Try the exercises at the end of each section, then check your
answers. Begi n wi th Understandi ng the Questi on and appl y your knowl edge from thi s modul e.
Expand one of your essay outl i nes i nto a ful l essay. Al though you may have a number of essays to
wri te over the year, i t i s useful to wri te one i mmedi atel y on compl eti ng thi s modul e.
You can compl ete one that you have been worki ng on i n thi s modul e, or choose an area to wri te about
that you are parti cul arl y i nterested i n.
Terkr Esrey Mlllng 4l
Msdrule I
ffilErEffy
A*ad*r*i* writfng
{r:}
Writing that students and
academi cs
produce. l t normal l y i nvol ves
research, demonstrates l earni ng or knowl edge
and fol l ows cl ear conventi ons i n i ts styl e and
organisation. For example, essays and
assignments, reports, disseftations, theses.
Arg*m*nt e$say
{n}
An essay that i nvol ves bui l di ng
a case for an idea or thesis statement. This
eniails giving reasons for your thesis statement
and provi di ng evi dence to back i t up.
&n**y**
{u}
To break an issue down into parts in
order to study, i denti fy and di scuss thei r meani ng
and/or relevance.
&**FytleaF e***y
inl
An essay thai involves
analysing a text, theory or set of ideas.
*r*inst*rn:
{v}
The act of writing down all the
thoughts and i deas you have about a topi c
wi thout stoppi ng to moni tor, edi t or organi se
them. Brai nstormi ng i s a creati ve
process that
can be done al one or i n a group.
**l l *qr"ri *l
i *di }
Used to descri be i nformal spoken
words and expressi ons used i n conversati on, or
informal written language used in letters to
fri ends and fami l y or e-mai l s. For exampl e, i n
Bri ti sh Engl i sh, a col l oqui al way of sayi ng
' Don' t
be annoyed!' woul d be
' Don' t
get i n a ti zz!'
Sraft
{n} {v}
1 (n)An early version of a piece of
academi c wri ti ng that i s used as the starti ng
point for further work. 2 (v)To create an early
version of an essay, knowing that you will go
back afterwards and develop and edit your
l anguage and i deas.
*eadl i ne
{n}
The date or ti me by whi ch an
assi gnment or proj ect needs to be compl eted.
*escriptive essay
{n}
An essay that describes a
process or sequence of events rather than
argui ng, i nterpreti ng or eval uati ng.
trdi t
{v}
To sel ect, rearrange and i mprove materi al to
make i t more sui tabl e for i ts fi nal purpose. Edi ti ng
material involves reorganising it, correcting errors,
i mprovi ng the wordi ng or content and changi ng
i ts l ength, by addi ng secti ons or i aki ng them out.
Task: Essay lllriling
v*5r**t*
{v}
To assess information in terms of
quality, relevance, objectivity and accuracy.
v*i**iv* *ssay
{n}
An essay that requires you to
ei ther compare and eval uate a range of thi ngs i n
relation to one another, or to look at the
arguments for and agai nst one thi ng, and come
to a
j udgment i n your concl usi on. l t i s aski ng for
your personal opi ni on, backed up wi th facts,
exampl es and expl anati ons.
Ex*n':ptifu
{viTo
illustrate a belief, statement or
theory with examples. You may be asked to do
this in an essay.
Fr** writir":g
{v}
To write without deliberate or
consci ous thought so that i deas fl ow freel y.
Thi s i s someti mes done as an exerci se to
stimulate ideas and creativity in preparation for
a written assignment.
Ftedging
{*}
The use of deliberately vague, uncertain
language in order to avoid assefting something as
a fact that may not be true. In the context of
academi c wri ti ng, hedgi ng l anguage i s often used
to di scuss theori es and possi bl e sol uti ons.
Key skEl l
{s' :i
A ski l l that i t i s i mportant to master i n
order to be successful in a certain area
(such as
academi c l i fe or empl oyment).
Markir:g *rit*ri*
{tt}
A list of criteria or qualities that
the person who marks an assi gnment or exam i s
l ooki ng for, i ncl udi ng aspects of the styl e,
presentation and organisation of the work. For
exampl e, one cri teri on for an assi gnment that i s
graded above 70% (a first) is likely to be that it
must i ncl ude ori gi nal i deas.
Mind inap
{r*}
A diagram used to represent words,
ideas, tasks or other items linked to, and arranged
radially around, a central key word or idea
*bje*tiv*
{*dj} it"t}
1 (adj) An opinion or idea that is
not i nfl uenced by personal feel i ngs or emoti ons.
2 (n)The ai m, or what you want to achi eve from
an activity.
*utfi **
{*}
A bri ef pl an that shows the order i n
whi ch you wi l l deal wi th the mai n i ssues or i deas
i n a pi ece of academi c wri ti ng.
4?
To alter a piece
of text so that you
restate it (concisely) in different words without
changi ng i ts meani ng. l t i s useful to paraphrase
when wri ti ng a summary of someone' s i deas; i f
the source i s acknowl edged, i t i s not pl agi ari sm.
It i s al so possi bl e to paraphrase your own i deas
i n an essay or
presentati on;
that i s, to state them
again, often in a clearer, expanded way.
" An essay that asks
you to descri be and draw concl usi ons abour
somethi ng that you have experi enced.
. .
To read through a pi ece
of wri ti ng
and pi ck
out and correct errors i n i t. l t i s useful to
ask someone el se to proofread your work. Thi s
shoul d be done before the fi nal draft of a oi ece of
academi c wri ti ng i s submi tted.
To write out a new draft of an essay,
i ncorporati ng changes and maki ng addi ti ons.
Thi s i s done after you have read through, edi ted
and/or had feedback on the fi rst draft.
'
, , 1( n) Acknowl edgment of t he
sources of i deas and i nformati on that you
use
i n wri tten work and oral presentati ons.
2 (v)To
acknowl edge or menti on the sources of
i nformati on.
.
,
.,r , ,,
,
An essay that i nvol ves thi nki ng
about a statement or i dea and deci di ng whether
you agree wi th i t, and gi vi ng reasons for your
deci si on.
,:i ,
,
The styl e of speech or wri ti ng that i s
used in a specific context and/or by a specific
group of peopl e. For exampl e, a student wi l l use
a very i nformal , col l oqui al regi ster to text or e-
mai l a fri end, but a formal sci enti fi c regi ster to
write a chemistry report.
'
i .
,
To paraphrase
or say somethi ng agai n
i n a di fferent way. Thi s i s often done i n essays to
hel p cl ari fy an i dea or i ssue. The concl usi on of an
essay wi l l often restate the ori gi nal thesi s
statement i n more deoth.
Somethi ng (usual l y
a book, arti cl e or
other text) that suppl i es you
wi th i nformati on.
In an academi c context, sources used i n
essays and reports must be acknowl edged.
, ' 1 ( n ) Af r a me wo r k o r
arrangement of several pafts, put together i n a
parl i cul ar
way. 2 (v) In academi c wri ti ng, to put
together i deas, arguments or thoughts i n an
organi sed, l ogi cal way. l t i s i mporl ant to
structure essays and presentations
as you
work on them.
Descri bes an i dea or opi ni on
that i s based on someone' s personal
opi ni on
rather than on observabl e phenomena.
Informati on from
academi c sources that shoul d be i ncl uded i n a
pi ece
of academi c wri ti ng. Thi s evi dence
i l l ustrates and backs up your i deas and adds
' academi c
wei ght' to your work.
i
Sentences that
usual l y fol l ow and systemati cal l y devel op the
i dea contai ned i n the tooi c sentence.
' i
.,
A word or phrase
whi ch has a
si mi l ar meani ng to another one and can
repl ace i t i n a sentence wi thout changi ng the
meani ng of the sentence.
A method or way of doing
something. For example, it is possible
to learn
useful techniques for answering exam questions.
: r , : ,
r
. As t a t e me n t t h a t e x p l a i n s
the control l i ng i dea or mai n argument (thesi s)
i n a pi ece
of academi c wri ti ng. l t i s stated i n
the i ntroducti on and supported by reasons i n
the body of the essay.
A sentence that states and
someti mes summari ses the topi c/mai n i dea of
the paragraph
and the standpoi nt taken by the
wri ter. l t usual l y comes at the begi nni ng of
each paragraph.
Taskr Essay Wriling 43
Published by
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Copyright @ 2OO7 Garnet Publishing Ltd.
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