Essay writing for Grade 6 students

By Russell williams Head of Teacher Training Professlonal Communicat ions Teaching Specialist.

Know exactly what is required

One of the first mistakes many students make is failing to identifty exactly what
critena you have to fulfil and what the marker is looking for in terms of content and
presentation. Never make an assumption, because the person marking an essay for
one of your subjects may require completely different criteria than markers for your
other classes. Pay close attention to the guidelines established by the person or
committee who will be grading your essay. If you have any questions or concerns, be
sure to address them before you begin writing your document. This will not only
speed up the process, but also increase your chances of achieving a first-class after
submission.

Argument and Structure

As an author, you will present one idea at a time in a focused and coherent manner,
which makes your essay linear in nature. However, an argument is defined as a
series of ideas so you need to learn how to address both argument and structure in
order to achieve a first-class grade on your essay. The structure of your essay will
be based on the particular argument you have chosen or the question you have
chosen to answer. Although the structure will vary for each essay, a well-written
essay will contain the following components:

Introduction
Mainbody
Conclusion
Introduction
This section of the essay has two main purposes: it is used to capture the reader's
attention so they will want to continue reading the rest of the essay. Many students
choose to include a relevant quotation that relates to the main argument, or leads up
to the ideas they present. The second goal of the introduction is to explain to readers
what you are going to discuss and how you will attempt to convince them to accept
your argument. It's important to remember that essays should contain a concise
introduction. There is no need to go into great detail, as you will be explaining and
reinforcing your argument in the following section of your essay.

Main body
The next section of an essay is called the main body, and it should contain several
paragraphs that each contain an introductory sentence, the point you are atempting
to convey, supporting information and a concluding sentence. Although there is no
set rule as to how many paragraphs the main body of your essay should contain, this
section will always be the longest part of the document. The number of paragraphs
required depends on the particular argument you have chosen. Simply put, the main
body of essays should be written so that the what, how and why questions of the
principal theme or argument can be answered. If you follow this structure, you will
greatly improve your chances of achieving a first-class grade.
Answering the what question

This is the main question the reader will want answered, so it should be supported
by convincing evidence. You need to evaluate all of the evidence on the claims you
make, thus convincing the reader to what extent they can be accepted as accurate
and valid. If you want to write a first-class essay, you should answer the what
question immediately following the introduction. This is one of the most important
sections of an essay. and it will enable you to convey your ideas to the reader. f you
devote more than one-third of your entire essay to this section, your document will
appear unbalanced, and you risk losing valuable marks.

Answering the How question

The next question you need to answer in order to write a first-class essay is the how,
the reader will be interested in discovering whether your claims are generic ones that
relate to almost any situation or are valid only for specific, isolated cases. In other
words, how will your arguments fare if they are challenged with a counter-argument?
Look at the against arguments to make sure your essay is balanced and looks at
both sides of the coin.

A first-class essay will normally include a minimum of one paragraph that discusses
the how and questions and analyses the arguments you present. For most essays.
this section follows the what section. However, a critical essay that is not written to
answer a specific question may contain counter-arguments interspersed throughout
the document.

Answering the Why question

You should answer the why question within the main body of your essay; with that
said, it is also important to mention the scope of your document in the introduction.
clear
Failing to answer the why of your essay will cause your document to lack
intent. Even worse, your essay may appear to be incomplete, which will certainly
cost you marks and leave you with a less than satisfactory final grade.

in mind. This
Obviously you should write your essay with your target audience
means you must know exactly who the readers will be and why they will be
interested in the arguments you present. If you fail to follow this guideline, you will
not be
have a very difficult time achieving a first-class grade as your arguments may
relevant to anyone other than yourself. You need to convey why your particular
interpretation of the content will interest the reader this will also ensure a greater
Someone who reads
acceptance of your claims. Also, never assume understanding.
as standard, so
your essay may not be familiar with acronyms or phrases you
use

make them simple to understand

A well-presented Argument

It's essential that you learn how to properly present your argument if you want to
write a first-class essay. After al, this forms thee main section of your document.
Many students make structural errors that weaken the argument of their essays. For
example, they may adopta descriptive format, and merely describe or summarise
the principal arguments. This will prevent you from achieving a first-class grade.

On the other hand, a strong argument will convey focus and criticality. The latter is
one of the main components of a well-written essay, and it reveals that you have
reflected on the material you have read whilst preparing for your essay. In order to
solidify your argument, your essay can contain several criticisms of your main
argument, which you can then defend.

Two other very common error students make when writing essays is to adopt a
generalised rather than focused argument and failing to include sufficient references
or a solid theoretical basis. A first-class essay will not include a general statement
that lacks a pragmatic or theoretical foundation. You must directly address the
research questions if you want to achieve a high grade on your essay.

Concluding Remarks
A first-class essay will also contain concluding remarks, which will vary according to
the argument and nature of the document. Essays may contain a conclusion that
summarises or restates the principal arguments that appear within the main body.
You can emphasise both the positive and negative arguments, and then issue a final
declaration that is based on your initial arguments.

On the other hand, a lecturer may request that the conclusion of your essay merely
contain a final summary that refilects the main content. Because the conclusion is not
standard, you should consult with your teacher or marker to find out what is expected
of you. This will improve your chances of achieving a first-class grade. For most well
written essays, the conclusion of the document will both provide the author the
opportunity to issue a final commentary as well as summarise the main content

Proper Presentation
Failing to present your essay properly will result in a lower grade; thus, you need to
structure your document in such a way that the reader clearty understands your
perspective on the topic or argument presented. A first-class essay will accurately
reflect the author's stylee or "voice ". However, you should never convey your
argument in an informal, facetious or pompous voice; be sure to adopt a professional
and academic tone, and ensure your essay is well balanced. You will achieve a
higher grade if your essay contains a series of short paragraphs that are clearly
linked to the preceding content.
Referencing System
Every essay you write should convey all of your own ideas, and contain accurate and
marks
complete references. Failing to reference your sources correctly will cost you
and prevent you from achieving a first-class grade. You should discuss the
preferred by your particular university or academic institution,
as
referencing system
several different systems exist. You want to ensure you use the official referencing
style requested by the person or committee who will be grading your essay.

all of your sources will earn you a higher grade;

more
Properly referencing accused of the serious offence of
importantly, it will also protect you from being direct ideas that
around any words or
plagiarism. Be sure to include quotation marks
individual or source, and award them appropriate
you have taken from another should also clearly state if your
credit. If you want to write a first-class essay, you elsewhere.
based on ideas you have read or seen
argument has been constructed
Additional criteria for achieving a first
class
will have more chance of obtaining a high
if you follow the above guidelines; you first-class essay
other elements that distinguish a
grade. However, there are some need to convey imagination, style,
from a standard document. For example, you
depth of reading, clarity and originality.
Originality and Imagination
and original argument that demonstrates
You need to present a well-thought out
also helps by making your essay
your ability to think independently. Originality
attention of the reader. You must be able to
interesting enough to capture the document. You
and confidently throughout the
express all of your opinions clearly
can emphasise the originality of your
ideas by incorporating an imaginative
shed a
themes or by including examples that will
perspective that relates to current
evidence.
new light on presented
Clarity and Style
ideas to the reader in a clear manner
In addition to originality, you must present your
should engage the reader,
in order to achieve a first-class grade. Your writing style
more. Don't be afraid compare your
and encourage them to read on and find out
ideas to those from other fields; this will also help to solidify the principal arguments
of your essay.
Depth of Reading
Markers want first-class essays that reveal a solid depth of reading from the author.
They will want to ensure you have a comprehensive understanding and a more
advanced understanding of your essay's subject matter. First-class essays present
solid content that is not superficial or rewritten based merely on existing text.
If you truly want to achieve a first-class grade on your essay, you should also
conduct some external research to investigate some of the so-called" tricks of the
trade" related to proper academic writing. There are various techniques you can use

toimprove the final grade of your essay. Start by visiting your local library for helpful
also conduct an online
publications and books related to essay writing. You can
numerous resources that relate to writing essays
search as the Internet contains
worthy of a first-class grade.
to
to write an essay. If you want
Unlike the sciences, there is no right or wrong way with for the criteria
ensure you are familiar
achieve a first-class grade, you need to need to
Once you have established the criteria, you
regarding content and structure. that flows well and
ensure your essay contains a
solid argument, proper structure
You
incites the reader to continue to the
next paragraph and proper referencing.
elements of
and clearly, and reveal
must be able to present your ideas succinctly want to achieve the
of reading and originality if you
imagination, clarity, style, depth talk to your
Last but certainly not least,
highest grade classification possible. be sure your essay reflects the
or marking committee to
professor; supervisor
learning goals of your particular
course.

Author
Russell illiams Head of Teacher Training
Professional Communications Teaching Specialist.
6 2 8788 830 7859
russell247365@aol.com