1. Planning an Essay
You will be able to…
Explain the stages of planning and
structuring an essay
Apply and evaluate the processes
Start planning for your next essay
2. How have you been planning so far? Let’s
take a few minutes to reflect….
3. Analyse
the
Question
Research
and plan
Writing
Plan
Write
When does planning start?
What is it asking you to do? What key
issues and concepts will you need to
include? What debate will you have to
discuss? Get down some initial ideas.
Gather evidence for your writing. What
do you need to know? What will your
reader need to know? Are there key
points and themes starting to form?
How will you communicate your knowledge,
understanding and ideas?
You will need to
write and re-
write until your
ideas are clear
are
communicated
clearly
4. Planning: each stage is essential
• Think of planning an essay as going for a walk….you need to get to
your destination logically and not take any detours.
5. e.g. “Discuss the role of Higher Education in the UK in the 21st
Century”
THEN:
Think about what you already know
about the topic
Make a rough plan or diagram of all
relevant material
Ask yourself: What do I need to find
out? Where might I look for information?
FIRST:
Identify the subject,
key terms and
instructional words.
Analyse
the
Question
6. e.g. “Discuss the role of Higher Education in the UK in the 21st
Century”
In your groups, start to plan out
the type of theme/information you
would include. How will you
decide?
Analyse
the
Question
7. Make a rough plan based on themes/factors
• Now make a rough outline plan at this stage, before you do your
research. The aim of this is to help you focus your reading, and make
some decisions about how to structure the material.
• Use this as a guide when you map out the main sections of your
essay.
Analyse
the
Question
8. Good for
society:
A ‘thinking’
people
Technological
progresses
Economic
growth
Encourages
appreciation of
equality and
diversity
Personal/Intellectual:
Interests fulfilled
Become a critically
aware individual
Develop a questioning
mind
Personal/employment:
Better job prospects in
competitive market
Get the job I want
Benefits to family
This is one way of making a rough
plan based on themes/factors
Analyse
the
Question
9. Reading and Note-Making
• Using your initial thoughts and categorising,
start reading
• Never just write everything down.
• Have a clear purpose.
Why am I writing these
notes?
How am I going to use
them?
Remember that books and
articles are not written
around your assignments. Ask
yourself whether it will help
you, how much of it is
relevant and how/why.
Research
and plan
10. Is your reading relevant?
• Skim titles, chapter heading, content pages, abstracts, and opening
paragraphs.
Research
and plan
11. A reading grid can help you keep track of your research and analysis, and think
about how you will use or refer to it in your writing:
Author, title Topic Key idea Strengths/Weakn
esses
How to use
Bill Johnston (2010)
The First Year at
University: Teaching
Students in
Transition: Teaching
Students in
Transition (Helping
Students Learn)
Effect of
stress on
university
students
Students need to
have differences in
study practices
made clear at the
outset: this is
primarily the
responsibility of
the university
Very small sample
but longitudinal
study –
appropriate
methods
Rich data – see
transcripts
Compare to
sources which
emphasise the
responsibility of
the student
Don’t forget, use diagrams like mind maps too if you prefer
Research
and plan
12. Reflect and evaluate – refine your plan
• Check the question –have you addressed every part of it in your plan?
• What is your conclusion?
• Have your ideas changed about the structure of the essay?
• How and where will you use the research?
• Does each point relate to the question?
• Are you dealing with counter-arguments to show balance?
Now make a detailed paragraph plan of the main body,
with notes on where your reading will fit in.
Writing
Plan
13. Introduction What I am going to
write about and why.
Evidence to use /
works to cite
Key point 1 1
2
3
Key point 2 1
2
3
Key point 3 1
2
3
Key point 4 1
2
3
Conclusion Summarise/highlight
noteworthy
points/future research?
Make associations and relationships
Each main point you want to make is a
reason for why you have reached your
conclusion.
Plan each paragraph and briefly note the
evidence you will present.
What will each paragraph be about?
It is important to remember that we all
plan at this stage differently BUT the
principle is the same.
Or mind map it, or create a post-it wall
Writing
Plan
14. Planning your paragraphs: WEED
What is your paragraph about? This will be
your topic sentence. Try writing each of
these first
Explanation: what do you mean? Offer some
evidence and explanation
Examples: make sure that you illustrate your
point with examples.
Do: What do I do with this information? How
is it relevant? Keep thinking ‘So what?’
Writing
Plan
16. So, thinking back to your reflections
at the start of this presentation,
what will you start trying to do to
make improvements to your essay
planning?
Editor's Notes
Poss ideas and ways of mapping it out
Avoid reading through whole books and chapters which you hope will be useful. Instead, use your rough plan as a guide and search for relevant pages/paragraphs.
Skim and scan for information, and use the index of a book to find relevant pages and paragraphs.
Read in short bursts – 15-20 minutes - then stop and ask yourself: how is this relevant to my essay? How does it link to what I already know? What more do I need to find out on this and why?
Take notes with the essay title in mind. What might be useful? How will I use this? And remember to record the source of information when you take the note.
Use th two – Washington and friere
Mind mapping also works but use the same features
Check the question –have you addressed every part of it in your plan?
It is easy to overlook parts of the question, especially if your reading has led
you in new directions. You may need to go back and think about a new area
of the question, or do some more reading to fill a gap.
Have your ideas changed about the structure of the essay?
If you have changed your mind about your main points, or want to find space
for some new material from your reading, you may need to cut down some
sections and expand others. Decisions made now will save a lot of
confusion when you start to write.
How and where will you use the research?
Is it really all useful? Decide where you will use the points as evidence or
examples in your essay and put notes in your detailed plan. Do not be
afraid to leave some things out altogether. Keep all your research notes, but
be selective about what goes into the final essay plan.
Can you express each main point as a topic sentence?
Specify each point the essay will make by writing the main point of each
paragraph in a single sentence. You may end up with 8-12 sentences that
give you a summary or ‘overview’ of the whole argument, and tell you that
you have a well-structured essay plan.
Does each point relate to the question?
Check you have not gone off track, and that the paragraphs are in the most
logical order.
Ask them for some egs from their planning so far – what are their premises, turn them into sentences
