Writing the essay

Writing the essay

@LIPALRC

Time to write!

By now you should have:

• Ensured you fully understand the essay question.
• Checked your module handbook for information on the essay task:
• For practical info, like due dates and word count.
• For info on how the essay fits into your wider learning, for example, are you aware of the expected learning outcomes of the module?
• Brainstormed your inital ideas.
• Completed an extensive Literature Search.
• Brainstormed an outline plan that:
• brings together your own ideas and the research material you have found.
• Identifies the key points and subsidiary points you want to include.
• Created a structured plan that organises your key points into a logical sequence of paragraphs.

SAY WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO SAY

The 'Rule of three' structure

Your essay needs a clear introduction, a main body and a conclusion.

SAY IT

SAY WHAT YOU HAVE SAID

The Introduction

Use your introduction to explain what your essay is going to do. Your introduction should be around 7-10% of your total word count.

• Explain how you interpret the question.

• Summarise your argument and conclusion.
• Define any key terms.
• Identify the key points you are going to cover, but don't go into detail, save that for the body of the essay.
• Identify the key points in the same order you intend to write about them - look to your essay plan!
• Outline how you will approach the question.

The main body

Now it's time to develop your argument. The main body of your essay should total 75-85% of your word count. Follow your essay plan and build the essay paragraph by paragraph.

• Each paragraph should make only one main point.
• Order the paragraphs in the same sequence you said you would cover the topics in your introduction, the same sequence you decided on in your essay plan.
• Link each paragraph to the next using transition words.
• Thanks to your essay plan, your paragraphs should flow in a logical and consistent order. Gradually building your argument. The essay should feel like it is progressing naturally toward a conclusion, rather than jumping around or plodding along list-like.

What's in a paragraph?

• It's a good idea to kick off a paragraph with a topic sentence. This expresses the main point of the paragraph.
• If you need to, explain any essential concepts and provide definitions.
• Provide evidence and examples to support your points.
• Comment on the evidence, do you agree with it? Explore what it means.
• End the paragraph with a concluding sentence. It should relate the paragraph back to the overall subject of your essay and lead into the next paragraph.

The main body

Now it's time to develop your argument. The main body of your essay should total 75-85% or your word count. Follow your essay plan and build the essay paragraph by paragraph.

LET'S GO!

The first sentence of the paragraph should introduce your main idea. This is the topic sentence.

Lead into the next paragraph.

Keep adding your paragraphs, remembering to link back to the previous and forwards to the next, until you reach your conclusion.

Develop the paragraph, include the evidence, quotations, examples from your research.

The first sentence links the paragraph to the previous paragraphs, then introduces the key point.

Develop the paragraph, include the evidence, quotations, examples from your research.

Lead into the next paragraph.

The conclusion

Use your conclusion to sum up your argument and answer the essay question. Your conclusion should be around 7-10% of your total word count.

• Don't add any new information.

• Summarise your argument and the supporting evidence.
• Highlight the most important points.
• Lay out your general conclusions.
• Sum up your argument and refer back to the essay question.

Reviewing your work

Take time to critically review and refine your work before you hand it in.

• Do you have feedback from previous assignments? Are there comments that keep coming up? Unclear idea, poor grammar, missing reference. Take a look at areas of your work that have received negative feedback and work on them.

• Check for clarity.
• Are your sentences too long? Remove rendundant words and phrases. Try to convey your meaning in the shortest way possible. This can also help you to stick to the word count.

Reviewing your work

Take time to critically review and refine your work before you hand it in.

• Choose words carefully and avoid repetition. Try using a theasaurus to find synonyms and expand your vocabulary. Take care though, few words have synonyms that convey exactly the same meaning.

• Avoid being vague
• Is it always clear who or what you are referring too? Watch out for mentions of they, this, it. Make sure they don't fall too far away from the thing they are referring to.
• If you are using tables or figures, label them, and be specific when referring to them: "see Table 1.2", rather than "see above table". That way if you move parts of your essay around it will still be clear which table or figure you are talking about.

Reviewing your work

Take time to critically review and refine your work before you hand it in.

• If possible find a friendly reader! Is there a colleague or friend who could read through your work? They might not have expertise in the subject, but they may be able to point out things like grammatical errors, repetition, and vagueness.
• If no one is available to read your work, try using a 'read aloud' function such as the one in MS Word. Stepping back from your work and hearing it read out loud can help you spot errors.

The LIPA Style Guide

For information on how to present an essay, including guidance on things like appendices and punctuation, take a look at the Style Guide for Written Work at LIPA.

go to the lipa style guide

More Tips

Struggling to find just the right word or phrase? Take a look at Manchester University's useful Academic Phrasebank.

go to MU's Academic Phrasebank

Find useful books on study skills, including essay writing, in the LRC at 371.3 For further help and advice contact the LRC team LRC@lipa.ac.uk

Topic sentences

A topic sentence makes a claim or states an idea that is then developed in the rest of the paragraph. It signals to readers how the paragraph is connected to the wider argument addressed by your essay.

An example (on Miley Cyrus's MTV awards performance, specifically the twerking):"Cyrus's performance was criticized from a variety of perspectives." The paragraph goes on to explore these criticisms, providing referenced examples. It ends: "...the use of twerking and similar dance styles...perpetuated a blurring of the line between legitimate entertainment and "highly styled pornography with musical accompaniment". This leads into the next paragraph which presents alternative views from more supportive commentators, specifically those who addressed the sexualised nature of the performance

Click here for link to chapter. "Oxford handbook of hip hop dance studies" also available in the LRC

Transition words & phrases

Transitions help readers move between ideas, paragraphs and sections of your essay. The kinds of transition words you use will depend on how you are linking ideas. Are you comparing and contrasting, or perhaps you are showing cause and effect? You might be agreeing or disagreeing with a point.