2. The Writing Stages
The academic writing process involves the following steps:
Understand essay title/requirements
Assess reading texts – choose most suitable
Select relevant areas of texts – keep record for
references
Make notes on relevant areas, using paraphrasing and
summarising skills
Combine a variety of sources where necessary
Select suitable structure for essay – make plan/outline
Organise and write main body
Organise and write introduction
Organise and write conclusion
Critically read and re-write where necessary
3. ID the requirements
When preparing to write an essay, it is essential to
identify the main requirements of the title. You must be
clear about what areas your teacher wants you to cover.
These will then determine the organisation of the essay.
For example:
The state should play no part in the organisation of industry
– discuss.
Here the key word is discuss. Discussing involves
examining the benefits and drawbacks of something.
4. The following terms are also commonly
used in essay titles.
Matchtheterms to thedefinitions
ontheright.
Analyse
Describe
Examine
State
Suggest
Summarise
Give a clear and simple account
Make a proposal and support it
Deal with a complex subject by
giving the main points
Divide into sections and discuss
each critically
Give a detailed account
Look at the various parts and
their relationships
5. Selecting key points
After selecting and
understanding the
most relevant texts,
the next step is
usually to make notes
on the sections of the
texts that relate to
your topic.
6. Note-making
Effective note-making is a key writing skill, with a number of
practical uses. Good note-making techniques lead to
accurate essays. Although you are the only person who
will read your notes, clarity and organisation are important
to save time and errors at the writing stage.
7. Combining Sources
Most essays require the
writer to read more than one
book or article.
Your essay should include a
summary of the views of the
different sources you have
studied.
In some cases the contrast
between the ideas of different
writers may be the focus of
the essay.
9. Planning Essays: Outlines
Planning gives essays a coherent structure and,
most importantly, helps to ensure that they
answer the question set.
Although all essays need planning, they are
written in two different situations: as
coursework, and in exams.
Clearly, under the time pressure of an exam,
planning is more hurried, but can also be more
critical.
10. Almost all essays, reports and
articles have the same basic
pattern of organisation:
11. Brainsto rm ing
In the case of essays written in
exams, it is best to begin
planning by analysing the title
and then writing down any
ideas that seem relevant.
This process is called
‘brainstorming’, and at first
ideas are collected in any
order.
12. Write an o utline .Title: Compare and contrast communism to
capitalism
Intro:
Body:
Concl:
13. The sis State m e nt
Intro:
My argument: In the following essay I will “prove” that
capitalism is better than communism.
Re-written: The following essay demonstrates that
capitalism has far more advantages than
disadvantages.
Body:
Concl:
