Four devices to make your writing clearer: strategies for editing

Please note the examples given are from an essay in which the writer critically reflects on their placement.
The language may not be appropriate for other types of assignment. Also, the online resources include a
mix of formal and informal words and phrases: think about the style you require before choosing.

1. The Thesis Statement

This is a sentence in your introduction that tells your reader the purpose of the assignment. It
usually contains key words from the title of the assignment as well as any specific information
about how you are going to answer.

This essay will critically evaluate the role of the positive communication and in classroom
management, with reference to experiences on placement as a TA in the art department of
a secondary school.

2. The Essay Map

This also goes in your introduction, usually immediately after the thesis statement. Just as you
would tell an audience the contents of your talk, you need to tell your reader the contents of your
essay. It lets them know how you are going to fulfil the purpose set out in the thesis statement and
gives them a preview of the contents.

It will firstly explore the literature surrounding positive communication in classroom

management, before evaluating the extent to which this was achieved on placement and
finally identifying areas for continuing professional development in this area.

3. The Signposts Guidance on signalling transition from Manchester Phrasebank

Signposts let your reader know where they are on the map that you gave them in the introduction.
They are placed at key points of transition in your essay. They allow the reader to follow your
argument and as such, they function like subheadings. However, they can also be used to show how
each section links together, and therefore, the logic behind your structure.

In terms of the literature on positive communication, the key authors are X, Y and Z.

Having explored the literature on positive communication in the classroom and finding that
A+B = C, it becomes clear that on placement I was effective at managing groups, but not the
whole class.

Based on this evaluation, two areas for continuing professional development stand out as
necessary for improvement: A and B.

4. The Signals Guidance on choosing and using signals from uefap.net

Signals let your reader follow the direction of your argument from sentence to sentence within a
paragraph. They make the nature of the links between pieces of information clear. They also
convey critical thinking because they reveal how you have engaged with sources to develop your
ideas. See the link for further explanation and examples.

York St John, Study Development (2019). Four devices to make your writing clearer: strategies for editing.