Essay Writing: Our Guide

Academic writing is a skill which an undergraduate university student must practise and execute often throughout the duration of their degree. Essays are a form of assessment which requires this skill to be demonstrated to the highest level. Here’s the process I take when writing an essay and some tips and tricks I have learnt along the way:

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Reply 1

Swansea Students

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1. Read the questions closely. Sometimes I have found that choosing the question which does not necessarily capture my interests but is a question which I could confidently and successfully debate in a well-informed manner is the best option to take.

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2.Once you have decided on your question, step two is all about understanding it and what it requires. I will often highlight the key concepts within a question to understand what it is asking and from this, I can then make links to the concepts.

It is important to remember at this stage the way in which the question is written and what the command terms are. For example, the question might be an 'assess the extent to which...' question, or an 'in what ways has...' question, or even a 'to what extent question'. All of these questions require different approaches which can fundamentally change the way you argue, construct your ideas and ultimately define your thesis statement.

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 3

Swansea Students

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3.Once you are satisfied with your interpretation of the question, it is time to make a plan and read around the topic. Reading critically, meaningfully and purposefully around a topic can help in constructing your plan and the subsequent arguments you might want to explore.

Reply 4

Swansea Students

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4. Finally, it is time to start writing! While some like to write their introduction once they have finished, I personally like to write mine first. I find that it is a great place to trial and modify my thesis statement and really make it clear in my mind what I am arguing and how I am going to argue it. I like having the ability to refer to my introduction when I am constructing my arguments to ensure that I am staying on track and reinforcing the overall idea laid out in my thesis statement.

Reply 5

Swansea Students

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5. Writing the main body is the next step. While it is difficult for me to say here how to write the main arguments because every essay is different, the biggest tip I can make at this stage is that if you don’t feel that a point is strong enough or you’re just not happy with it, never be complacent with it. Think about it, read about it, sleep on it and talk about it. This lack of confidence within an argument can be transferred to your writing and potentially lose you marks.

Reply 6

Swansea Students

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6. Once you have written your main body, your conclusion is next to be completed. My top tip for a conclusion is to make sure that if it was read in isolation, the reader could gain a grasp of what your essay was about, what the main points were and ultimately, what conclusion you reached.

Reply 7

Swansea Students

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7. Now that your essay is completed, it is time to step away. Stepping away for a few days, or even stepping away for a few minutes to make a cup of tea, can really help you to gain clarity. After being so familiar with your points and reading and re-reading so many times throughout the duration of writing, it can blur the imperfections within your work.

Reply 8

Swansea Students

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Writing Support at Swansea University

Here at Swansea, we have fantastic facilities that can help to boost your essay writing skills further. For example, you can join a course provided by the Centre for Academic Success to develop your writing, or you could make full use of our Royal Literary Fellow who provides one-to-one tutorials and mentoring sessions that can help you maximise your marks.

I hope this method and tips are helpful. If you have any advice or helpful tips that you feel other students might benefit from, please do leave them in the comments below this post, I’d love to hear about them too!