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Essay
Skills
Prescription for Success.
Dee Teal BTh
Tutor Southern Cross College
Oxford Falls Campus - 2008

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Overview
Doing the Groundwork
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Time Management
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Plan Ahead
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Getting to Grips with the Essay
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Reading the Question
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Choosing your Topic
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The Different Kinds of Academic Essays
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Overview
Doing the Groundwork for your chosen work
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Planning
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Research
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Academic Resources
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Literary Resources
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Online Resources
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Overview continued.
Solid Foundation.
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Competent Note-taking and referencing.
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Index Cards
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Journaling
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Color Coding and Highlighting
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Mind-mapping
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Planning the Essay Structure
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Re-Reading the Question
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Structuring the Basis for Your Answer.
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Overview continued.
Building the Structure
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Re-Reading the Question
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Consolidating your Answer - Break it down.
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Articulating your thoughts (what you Think is What the Marker wants to know.)
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Structuring your Essay
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Drafting
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Re-Drafting
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Roofing & Flooring
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Introducing the premise of your essay
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Concluding and wrapping up what you learned.
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Writing an Abstract
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Overview continued.
Wallpaper & Carpet
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SPELLING
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English spelling NOT American – set your dictionary in Word
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Spell Check. TWICE.
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Proof
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GRAMMAR
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3rd Party Proofing.
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Furniture
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Easy Marks through correct Formatting
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Handing in on time.
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Time Management
Seriously. Plan that Sucker.

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Time Management
Timeline your Essay
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Get in Early
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Research and Note Taking
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Structure and Writing
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Proofing.
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Submitting.
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The Essay

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Choosing Your Topic
If you are offered a choice
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Pick the one that sits best with you.
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Stick With It.
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If in doubt about what’s required ASK for clarification
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The Question
Interpret the question fully before beginning
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If in doubt – ASK for clarification
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Rewrite the question in plain English if it helps
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+ account for explain (reason)
analyse examine closely, examine in parts, show how the
parts contribute to the whole
argue present a case for and/or against
assess decide the value of, judge, measure
the importance of
compare discuss two or more things in terms of their
similarities and differences
critically evaluate weigh arguments for and againstsomething,
assessing all evidence.
Decide which opinions, theories,
models or items are preferable.
define explain, give full meaning(s), make clear
what is meant by, use definition/s to
explore the concept of
describe give a detailed account of the features of
something without interpreting the
information
discuss present and give a judgment on the value
of arguments for and against, consider all angle
distinguish bring out the differences between two possibly
confusable items

+ enumerate an item-by-item account, such as all the steps in a process
evaluate judge, criticise in terms of impact/significance, and
investigate the implications
examine make clear the details/meaning of, look in particularat
reasons causes and effects, account for, give
reasons, justify
explore describe in detail, and note impact
illustrate use examples to show a concept
indicate focus on specific areas (similar to illustrate)
interpret make clear the meaning of, consider implications
narrate concentrate on saying what happened, telling a story
outline describe main features, a broad but thorough
account, identify briefly the main features of
prove show by logical argument
relate show similarities and connections between two or
more things
review describe chief features, criticise generally (important parts)
to what extent
consider how far something is true or not true, consider howfar
something contributes to a final outcome
trace identify and describe the development or history of

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Doing the Groundwork
Academic Resources

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Where to get Your Research
Libraries
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Oxford Falls Library
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AlphacrucisLibrary
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State Library of NSW
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Internet
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Academic Sources IMPORTANT
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Internet Archive (www.archive.org)
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iTunes U (via iTunes store)
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Google Scholar (www.scholar.google.com)
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Organising Found Research
Work Efficiently
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Photocopy Relevant Pages – watch copyright
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 Copy front page and publication info for referencing
 Keep copied documents filed and collated.
Notes
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Note page numbers and references
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Keep them ordered. Either by Subject or by Source.
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Colour-code - PostIts/Highlighters/ Coloured sticky-tabs
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Mind Mapping – Free Mind
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Index Cards – organized according to Subject or Source
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Hanging Files – Ongoing Research
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Bookmarking – Foxmarks/citeulike.org/del.ic.ious
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BibMe – Referencing Easily

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iTunesU– The World’s Best University’s Lectures

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Archive.org– Multi Media and Open Source Files

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Archive.org– Multi Media

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Google Scholar
Search Journals and Academic Books

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Bookmarking
History
Research Tools

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Writing the Essay
Structure
Writing

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Structure your Essay
Break Down the essay into easy bites
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10% Introduction
 In a 1000 word essay this
equates to:
80% Body
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10% Conclusion
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Intro – 100 words
Break Down the Body even further
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Body -
33%Main Idea 1
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Each Main Idea
Supporting Information
 265 words
33%Main Idea 2
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Conclusion – 100 words
Supporting Information
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33%Main Idea 3
 Doesn’t that seem so much
more bearable??
Supporting Information
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Writing the Essay
Stick to the structure
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Know your research and notes
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Know where you’re going.
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If you process your thoughts by writing do so but don’t consider
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it your final draft.
If English is your second language don’t be ashamed to ask for
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help.
Write the introduction and conclusion only when you are clear
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on the question and how you’ve answered it.

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Writing the Essay
Footnotes
Track your References and Footnotes as you go to make
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finishing easier.
Footnotes – are references referred to directly in your text. If you
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have cause to write “many people say Drugs are good for you” You
MUST back it up with a reference, or else it begs the question “Who
are the many people?”
Also used when quoting someone directly.
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See Handbook for correct formatting page 36.
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Writing the Essay
References
Use useful online helps like www.bibme.org but make sure your
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output is formatted as required byAlphacrucis.
Reference as you go. For every book you use note down the
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relevant details, whenever you grab a book/journal/webpage or
other resource note the details.
Do not include the Dictionary in your references. Markers can
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spot padding a mile away.
Use good quality academic reference materials. Don’t be
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afraid to use other media, just reference it correctly.

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Formatting
Easy Marks

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AlphacrucisCourse Handbook
Read it.
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Relevant Pages 21 - 24
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Formatting
Font – Serif Fonts for Printed Work PLEASE. You don’t get
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marks for pretty, you get marks for easy to read.
Fonts
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Times New Roman
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Book Antigua etc.
Line Spacing
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Not 1 Line
1.5 Please.

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Margins
This is Important
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Approximately 2.5cm on the left hand side and 3.5 on the right
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– this leaves room for marker’s feedback.
This is a little bit of testing text… Where I rabbit on
and on until you get well fed up with all the nonsense
I’m spouting…
This is a bit more text – you could call it a 2nd
paragraph even.

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Title Page

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Abstract
All essays (except Book Reviews) require an abstract.
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Length = No More Than 10% of the Word Limit
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Is a statement of the method used in answering the questions
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and the conclusions reached in that method.
Differs from the Introduction as the intro poses the initial
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question and states the student’s intent. The abstract sums up
the whole document.

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Useful Tips

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Insider Tricks
Know what you’re being marked on and bear it in mind when
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writing your essay (it’s on the back of your assignment cover
sheet... Get the coversheet before you go to hand it in!)
Make good use of the internet for research tools and resources.
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If in doubt about a question or definition try Google. You might
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get a quicker answer than waiting for your tutor.
Get a 3rd party to proof your essay (Pam does!) you get so
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used to seeing what you want to see and mistakes slip through
easily. ESPECIALLY if you’re writing tired.