1. ESSAY WRITING Frequently Asked Questions

2. Where do I start? How do I begin my essay? Read through the question and underline the key words. Break down the question by mind mapping it and making sure that you understand each part of what you are being asked to do. Begin to organise your ideas on the topic and think about the key ideas that you will write about in your essay. Write these ideas on your mind map.

3. What are the key words in the essay question? Any words that tell you what kind of information they want you to find and write about e.g. models of theory, values, give examples, 2 aspects of a theory etc. Words that tell you what to do with that information e.g. Describe, Identify, Evaluate, Summarise etc.

4. Does it matter if I go over the word limit for my essay? Try as much as possible to stay within the word limit that has been given. Usually if you go over a little bit, that’s alright. But if you think that you are going to go over by more than say 200 words, then check with your lecturer to see if that’s alright.

5. How can I stay within the word limit for my essay/assignment? How can I cut it down? Write everything that you want to ideally include in your essay, then go through and cut out what is not needed. Decide which key ideas can be cut out without taking away any of the flow and impact of your essay answer. Plan your essay carefully BEFORE you start writing.

6. How can I edit my essay? Get a couple of people to go through your essay and give you feedback on its clarity, grammar, spelling, ideas etc. Slowly read your essay out loud, word for word, and listen for any errors. Read your paper backward, sentence by sentence. Slowly read from end to beginning. Use reference resources e.g. dictionary, thesaurus, grammar books etc.