How To Improve Your Essay Writing

How To Improve Your Essay Writing Unless you are told otherwise by the course instructor, use the Departmental conventions. You should only use a quotation when you are unable to say something better, not just because you can’t be bothered to summarize a point of view! For example, if an author has summed up their argument in one pithy phrase, then it might be worth repeating. E.g. is the essay asking you to compare, justify, argue, discuss etc. Also underline the key words/ideas that have been used like workplace diversity, communication etc. Give yourself time to test for potential glitches of this sort. Although there is no strict convention on layout, do consider how the essay looks on the page. Several studies have shown that presentation does have a subconscious effect on markers, even when they’re not explicitly marking on that criterion. However, if you are doing a group work assignment and your lecturer has asked you to work together and submit the assignment jointly, that is not collusion. Collusion, like plagiarism, has an element of dishonesty in it. Paragraphs should be balanced â€" keep to the ‘no less than 3 sentences per paragraph’ rule. Elaboration and examplesElaboration of the main point should add more detailed information in relation to the topic sentence. The last sentence is a broad statement relating to the significance of the argument. The first sentence links the conclusion to the discussion in the previous paragraph. No specific correlation found in literature (Beckett, 2008; Lambert, 2009). Poor spelling, reasonably or not, gives the impression of carelessness and laziness. Since your essay will be processed electronically, use the spell checker! But don’t rely on it exclusivelyâ€"proofread your essay carefully as well. You can also download a PDF version of the chocolate essay. As you can see from the assignment planning calculator, if you only start your essay a few days before the due date, you will have to do things too quickly. Before you begin your essay, have a look at the Massey University assignment planning calculator. View a text version of the above proofreading and editing your essay considerations. Proofreading has a micro-focus on the details of your essay, such as formatting, grammar and punctuation. Editing focuses on the big picture elements such as overall structure, appropriate paragraphing and whether the question has been answered. Your lecturers will want to hear your ‘voice’ as they read your essay. View a text version of the redrafting your essay diagram above. Always save each draft as a separate file; then you can see how your essay develops and improves. Sometimes an essay will begin with a direct quote to draw readers into the essay. Scope â€" where you outline what exactly is going to be covered in relation to your argument. View the text description of the above body paragraph example. You can then add examples and references to make your paragraph stronger. Concluding sentenceThe Concluding Sentence should echo the main point of the paragraph and function as a bridge to the next paragraph.N.B. You may feel that a diagram could help illustrate a point. This has the added effect of breaking up large chunks of text that can be subconsciously off-putting to the reader. But beware the added complexities involved in formatting your document or the added time required to add a diagram by hand. Some versions of the software available on public machines produce graphics that cannot be printed from other machines. How to revise your essay to make sure you eliminate as many errors as possible before submission. The number of points that you make will depend on the word count (1500 words, 4-5 paragraphs). Secondly identify and highlight the instructional words. People who collude do so secretly, as they know that the lecturer would not be happy. Include a reference in the text, where the words or ideas appear, and in a reference list at the end of the essay. Here is the final version of the chocolate essay.