|
A good essay showcases your understanding of the subject
at hand. William Bickerdike explains why essays are still
important - whether for exams or for admissions - and gives
some advice on writing better essays
WHY write essays? The time required to produce a well-written
essay seems at odds with today's fast-moving communications.
Yet essays appear all around us - in newspapers, websites,
radio and TV, in work reports and planning documents. Writing
one can be a real challenge, but the skills learnt are of
great value, and are highly sought-after in almost any career.
For the student, the essay is a test of understanding, showing
that knowledge can be applied, that they understand the subject
and can produce something interesting (and possibly original).
Essays also test communication skills - the ability to present
arguments, debate issues, explain, write clearly, and do all
this within a given time limit.
Whether in an exam or as an assignment, a good essay is an
impressive achievement. Here's some advice on how to improve
this vital skill:
READ THE QUESTION
Examiners are always surprised at how many students ignore
the question in front of them and answer, instead, the question
they want to see. Take time to read the question carefully,
looking out for those command words. For example, if you're
asked to 'explain', then demonstrate your knowledge and use
your communication skills to describe the event, issue or
facts. If asked to 'debate' or 'discuss', then you must present
more than one point of view, including your own.
PLAN YOUR ESSAY
A plan gives you the chance to jot down ideas and key knowledge
quickly and systematically. For a coursework assignment, it
is important to have a good plan before you begin. Roughly
group your notes into the different sections of your essay
- this will help you sort your arguments and marshal your
thoughts. Once the plan is ready, the essay will seem surprisingly
easy to write! In an exam situation, remember you will probably
not have time to write a detailed plan, and you should certainly
not spend too much time on it: The examiner is marking your
essay, not your plan! However, writing down a rough outline
of structure and some key ideas can often be helpful to prevent
you from wandering off the track as you write your essay.
PLAN YOUR TIME
Exam essays always have a time limit. You simply can't overrun.
Each essay is worth a set number of marks - you can't earn
more by writing more, and you'll lose marks by not writing
enough. Divide your time between the sections in your essay
plan, and then stick firmly to your timetable. Even assignment
essays are limited by a deadline or word count, so time management
is just as important, especially if research is needed.
DON'T PAD
The length of an essay can seem daunting and it's easy to
start writing long-winded sentences to pad out what you think
is thin material. The essay plan stops this, because writing
the plan reminds you of so many facts, opinions, quotes and
references that soon you'll have more than enough information.
By the same token - don't pad your essay with textbook quotes
linked by a few sentences. An essay is your interpretation
of the issue under discussion. Too many quotes show that you've
read the right books, but not necessarily understood them.
KEEP IT SIMPLE
A simple, straightforward style is best, and easiest to write
under pressure. Start with an introduction, summarizing your
key points, then go into detail in a series of logical sections,
finally ending with a conclusion which brings everything together.
Use clear language and correct spelling and grammar (marks
are deducted for poor use of both). Presentation is also important,
so use paragraphs, subheadings if necessary, and clearly reference
any diagrams. Vary your writing style with questions, sentences
of different lengths, quotations, examples - devices which
keep the reader alert and the text fresh.
PRACTICE
As with all demanding skills, essay writing improves with
practice. Review past papers for typical essay questions and
show practice essays to parents and teachers. Reading widely
also helps. As we said at the start, essays are everywhere
so find some examples, ideally on your subject area but on
other topics as well, and look at how they are written and
structured. The more you read, the more you can learn about
the best techniques, and the better your own essays will become.
The author is Regional Manager, South Asia, University of
Cambridge International Examinations (CIE)
|
