Before you put pen to paper and begin writing your essay, it’s important to ensure you understand what exactly you are being asked to do and that you prepare your thoughts and ideas.
Understand the Question
Before you begin to write your essay, it might seem rather obvious, but it is important to really understand what you are being asked to do. Look for any technical terms that you might need to have a good understanding of. These are good starting points so ensure that you know exactly what these mean. Look for any items that must be included in your essay. Then consider possible directions for your essay to take. Write down a list of ideas and them test them for validity against what is being asked in the question.
If you can, try to find a central theme for your essay that can help connect the various elements that make up the essay content.
How will your Essay be Marked?
Sometimes you are provided with information on how an essay will be graded; this can give you guidance on what a potential marker will be looking for.
Types of essays
Essay questions can vary greatly so it’s important to ensure you understand from your lecturer or tutor exactly what is meant. However generally essays fall into a number of types:
- Discuss – these are typically asking you to elaborate on particular issue or issues. It may be that you agree or disagree, but it’s important to support any claim with evidence.
- Critical Analysis – this required a detailed investigation of something to further understand how it creates meaning. Usually detailed investigations take something and go into depth rather than a broad perspective.
- Compare and Contrast – by considering two elements (whether they are ideas, books, theories as just a few examples), you can highlight significant features of the things you are scrutinising.
- Open Question – if your essay question is fairly open then it may be helpful to set a theme. This way you can discuss generally at the beginning and then narrow down you discussion point or argument.
Formulate and Structure your Ideas
At this stage you can begin to gather information and put your ideas into some kind of structure. It may help to draw a mind map of your thoughts. Viewing your various ideas as a diagram can often be helpful in grouping thoughts together as well as deciding on a structure.
Always consider any primary text that you have for your subject and refer to any appropriate secondary text. But don't limit yourself to just the recommended reading, at university level you are often expected to expand your reading. With your central theme in mind you can hopefully order your ideas appropriately.
For any arguments you are stating it is important to support these with evidence.
Structuring your Essay
With your theme in mind, consider what is appropriate for your essay Introduction and Conclusion. Remember the main theme of your essay; this will hopefully perform as a backbone for your content. Your list of ideas or your mind map can be helpful to group your ideas into appropriate paragraphs.
In Conclusion
Taking the time to prepare for your essay or paper can make all the difference. Read the question carefully and take the time to ensure that you really understand what you are being asked to do. If you are stating an arguement, whether in agreement or not, always support your view with evidence. By preparing your essay structure prior to writing, you can ensure that your essay flows and your central theme functions as a backbone for all your ideas.
See also Tops Tips on Writing Essays
Lisa Koning - Currently a freelance writer and designer, Lisa has worked for fifteen years in IT and Business Management. Over the course of her career ...
