Planning your essay

The purpose of essays

The purpose of essays

How does doing an essay display your knowledge and understanding?

What does your tutor want?

Look at your learning outcomes

How students' and tutors' views of what is needed differ

Assessment criteria

What you need to know before you do ANYTHING!

Preliminary groundwork

The stages of essay writing

Overview of the whole process

Planning the whole process

Task timeline

Planning pays

What kind of planner are you?

Planning your planning!

Dividing up the word count

Dividing up the page count

Dividing up the main body

Dealing with the question

Analyzing the question

Breaking down the question

Assessment instruction (or process) words

Analyzing the question for keywords to start your literature research

Sticking to the question

Analyzing essay structure

Analyzing the structure

Making a diamond essay

A diamond essay: looking at the main body

A diamond essay: plan a perfect paragraph

Essay diamond

Use WEED to help you construct a paragraph

Going deeper: the paragraph plan

Synthesizing information

Example of a good paragraph

Introductions and conclusions

Understanding introductions and conclusions

What is the purpose of the introduction?

Writing your introduction: what you need to include

Introduction Part 1: information your reader needs to know

Introduction Part 2: what you are going to do and how this will be done

Introduction Part 3: say what you are going to argue

And finally: a top tip about introductions

Has this student produced a good introduction?

Writing the conclusion: its purpose

Writing your conclusion: what you need to include

Commented [1]: Research Chapter 9 becomes

Chapter

What NOT to do in the conclusion

And finally: a top tip about conclusions

Has this student produced a good conclusion?

Introductions and conclusions checklist

Types of essay

What TYPE of essay are you doing?

Planning an argument essay

Planning a 'to what extent' essay

Planning an informative essay

Planning a compare and contrast essay

Planning a reflective essay

Planning a cause and effect essay

Planning a case study

Exam essays

Are exam essays different?

Before the exam

In the exam

After the exam

Researching

Getting started is hard to do ...

First thoughts: ways to get them down on paper

What is the advantage of using mind-mapping software?

Converting mind map and outline to a document for editing

Information audit

Gathering information

Commented [2]: this chapter becomes chapter

How reliable is your evidence?

Check your sources now: it's as simple as AABBCC

Sources checklist

Being critical

Being critical, or, what do you think?

The critical thinking model

Using the critical thinking model

Where do I show I am being critical?

Language to show you are being critical

Showing your voice in your work, or, what do I think?

Check to see if you have taken a position and shown your voice

References, bibliographies and appendices

Referencing: why am I being asked to reference?

When should I reference?

Can your reader track down your sources?

How to reference

What is the difference between references and bibliography?

Referencing tips

Make referencing easier with online tools

Appendices

Drafting and redrafting

Academic style

Using 'signal' words

Signal words explained

More signal words explained

Making it flow: use signposts

Problem solving

Always proofread your work

Using feedback

Using feedback to make an action plan

The most common errors

Essay-writing checklist.