Writing Essays and Reports Notes taken from Jean Rose “The mature students guide to writing,” palgrave study guides

Writing an essay The a,b,c approach By now, you will have read and made notes on the main areas you will be covering The next step – make a plan

Three steps: Part A the introduction Part B the middle Part C the conclusion Don’t rush this stage – marks are allocated for structure as well as content. Plan the paragraphs as well, even although you may not be about the exact content

Part A - The introduction Do a brief draft, but write the “proper” introduction at the end! It should indicate the main issues State what ground your essay will cover Planning is the key

Part B – the middle Explain the issues and theories Give examples and other evidence Show what others have said, AND you should comment on these aspects as you go along

Part C – the conclusion Probably only two paragraphs Sums up State what you see as the most reasonable conclusions to draw

You need to include: A clear line of argument – by thinking clearly about what you think is the most valid interpretation of the issues you’re covering and commenting clearly on the material you cover.

How to…. Construct a paragraph – use a key sentence that sets out the main point of the paragraph. Start by trying to use your first sentence as the key one The rest of the paragraph will have explanation and comment, or maybe evidence and examples. Link the paragraph back to the question

How to … Develop the argument Evidence, explanation and comment are all parts of a good essay! Link one paragraph to another – this may seem difficult during the draft phase, but as you write, you will develop ideas and start to see the linkages Read Sue Egan’s paper, “Guidance on academic writing” available from the BX101 website under week 7

Tips: Write impersonally: “Education for adults is essential” is more valid than “I think education for adults is essential” And “Margaret Hodge, the Secretary of State for Education said in her recent speech to Parliament that education for adults is essential” is even better!

And reports? Report writing involves gathering of information…usually for a discussion intended to change the ways things are done. Reports concentrate on the gathering of facts, so that those that read and discuss them can have a very clear picture of what is going on in a particular field

The key components: A brief note on what its on (abstract or executive summary) An explanation of why and how it was et up (terms of reference and procedure) A description of what you found out (findings) An analysis of what you found out (conclusions) Your suggestions for how things might be improved in the future (recommendations)

More information? The learning development unit has hand outs on writing essays and reports (in learning centre) They also have tutors available to work with you every day apart from Sunday Read a good study skills book – the learning centre have most, the bookshop also have a good selection There is an online writing and communication workshop called WCW that has step by step guidance online – ask your tutor or the IT helpdesk about creating a webCT account and accessing the course

Next week is Virtual Lecture week! We want to give students the opportunity to work online There will be no lectures slot but student are expected to look at the website to see what you have to do – seminars will run as usual