Essays are generally a blend of researched evidence (e.g.

from additional
reading) and comment.

Some students' essays amount to catalogues of factual material or summaries of other

people's thoughts, attitudes, philosophies or viewpoints.

At the opposite extreme, other students express only personal opinions with little or no
researched evidence or examples taken from other writers to support their views.  What
is needed is a balance.

The balance between other researchers’ and writers’ analysis of the subject and your
own comment will vary with the subject and the nature of the question.   Generally, it is
important to back up the points you wish to make from your experience with the findings
of other published researchers and writers.

You will have likely been given a reading list or some core text books to read. Use these
as your research base but try to expand on what is said and read around the subject as
fully as you can. Always keep a note of your sources as you go along.

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