How can I improve my degree essay writing?
I was wondering how to get a 2:1 essay at undergraduate. I spend 2 to 3 weeks on my essays but i keep getting 2:2. I takes me 2 weeks to research my essay. about 5 days to write and 1 day to edit. I was wondering how to write more concisely as I struggle with QM wordcounts is 1,500 i can only go 10% over. and references are included in the wordcount but the bibliography isn't. I do history undergraduate. I haven't been able to get any helpful writing support from the writing tutors all they tell me to do is do paragraphs, themes and spelling.
Reply 1
Reply 2
Hi @ineedhelpstudy
As a third year student, I would recommend:
•
Look at the grading criteria for your assignments to identify what you are marked against.
•
Make sure you include a clear introduction and conclusion, and ensure that the rest of your paragraphs flow and all link back to the assignment title.
•
Make sure all of your references are recent, relevant and cited correctly. It is also important to make sure that you have a reference for everything that needs one.
•
Be critical! Try to find literature that you can compare to show that you have understood contrasting opinions. This will help you to be more evaluative and analytical rather than being descriptive.
Hope this helps!
Sophie.
BCU Student Rep.
Reply 3
Hi @ineedhelpstudy 👋
Hope you are well. I don't do history but I can try and offer some advice that may help you! Practicing can definitely help, check the marking criteria alongside your work constantly so you can see the areas you can improve next time more accurately, make sure your essay flows with your introduction, analysis, discussion and conclusion if that is the right order for history! What also might help is peer review. Look for someone in your class and do study sessions together and analyse work together, a fresh pair of eyes can always help sometimes.
Essex Student Rep- Lavanya 💜
Reply 4
Hey,
I’ll try my best to summarise my points, as well as be honest with you:
1.
I noticed students stuck in the 2:2 grade band are those who research a lot, but don’t really critically analyse things. This produces a very descriptive essay, which usually lacks synthesis, conclusions, analysis, etc.
2.
Try deciding your argument early. Then, back it up with evidence/ your research. Analyse how the research supports your argument, and then evaluate the piece (strengths and weaknesses). Remember to always link your paragraphs back to your question/ argument too.
3.
Don’t leave editing an essay on the last day before submission. I made this mistake unfortunately, and found a lot of spelling mistakes afterwards. Always allocate two days for editing your work, as you can always come back to it with fresh eyes in the morning.
I hope this helps, good luck!
Sabina
Reply 5
I’ll try my best to summarise my points, as well as be honest with you:
1.
I noticed students stuck in the 2:2 grade band are those who research a lot, but don’t really critically analyse things. This produces a very descriptive essay, which usually lacks synthesis, conclusions, analysis, etc.
2.
Try deciding your argument early. Then, back it up with evidence/ your research. Analyse how the research supports your argument, and then evaluate the piece (strengths and weaknesses). Remember to always link your paragraphs back to your question/ argument too.
3.
Don’t leave editing an essay on the last day before submission. I made this mistake unfortunately, and found a lot of spelling mistakes afterwards. Always allocate two days for editing your work, as you can always come back to it with fresh eyes in the morning.
I hope this helps, good luck!
Sabina
Hi everyone!
That is great advice. I just wanted to add one more minor point. In addition to what you mentioned, I’ve found that it’s also very important to research in an organised way. It used to take me hours to go through my bookmarks trying to find a paper I had read and wanted to reference, or a specific quote I remembered existed but couldn’t find.
For this reason, I believe it’s important to approach research strategically: make notes, highlight key points, save papers, and use specialised software to organise notes. This really helps save time and leads to better grades.
Take care,
Ilya,
Cyber Security Student at De Montfort University
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