1. Writing Your Essays At Level 7
You will be able to….
Explain the stages of good
essay planning and writing
Apply and evaluate the
processes
Start planning for your next
essay
The Academic Achievement Team
skills@ljmu.ac.uk
2. Why is structure so important at L7?
• Academic writing is a formal form of
communication between you and the
reader, so…
• without structure, your message can get lost
• it guides the reader to the conclusions you
want to make
• it aids communication by telling the reader
what to expect.
• Allows your ideas and understanding to
shine:
• Let's your academic voice be heard
In lengthier pieces of writing at L7, which
deal with more complex ideas,
these elements become even more important
3. So, start planning…
• Analyse the question
• Identify the subject, key terms and instructional words.
• Map out initial ideas and information you know you want to
include
• 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?
• Plan and do your focused reading
• 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.
4. Start planning…
In your groups, start to plan
out the type of
theme/information you would
include for the question:
What is the role of HE in the
UK in the 21st century?
• How will you decide?
5. Is your reading relevant?
• Skim titles, chapter heading, content pages, abstracts,
and opening paragraphs.
How to skim:
• note any bold print and graphics.
• start at the beginning of the reading and glide your
eyes over the text very quickly.
• do not actually read the text in total. You may read a
few words of every paragraph, perhaps the first and
last sentences.
• always familiarise yourself with the reading material
by gaining an overview and/or skimming before
reading in detail.
• Skim read the two paragraphs on the purpose
of education.
• The essay is What is the role of HE in the UK
in the 21st Century?
• Which do you think you would carry on
reading? Which are the most relevant? How
would you use it in your essay?
6. To think and write critically, you need to read widely so that you get a range of
different (academic/expert) opinions.
Your
academic
writing
Your
academic
reading
7. Get planning…
1. Analyse the question
2. Map out initial ideas and
information you know
you want to include
3. Plan and do your
focused reading
4. Develop your themes
and the points included
in each
5. Decide what your
conclusion will be and
why.
In your groups, have a go at developing themes out
of your initial ideas on this question. Can you see a
structure forming?
8. Get planning…
1. Analyse the question
2. Map out initial ideas and information
you know you want to include
3. Plan and do your focused reading
4. Develop your themes and the points
included in each
5. Decide what your conclusion will be
and why.
In your groups, have a go at developing themes out
of your initial ideas on this question. Can you see a
structure forming?
9. What I am going to write
about and why (how it
relates to the question).
Evidence to use /
works to cite
Intro
Key point
1
1
2
3
Key point
2
1
2
3
Key point
3
1
2
3
Key point
4
1
2
3
Concl.
Once you have your themes, you can start
seeing the relationships between your key
points.
Each main point is a reason for why you have
reached your conclusion. The themes will
help you decide which points/paragraphs
should go together.
Each point is a paragraph.
Plan each paragraph by briefly noting the
evidence you will present and how it relates
to your essay.
Now, detailed
planning
Maybe mind map it, or create a post-it wall
Think about
what point is
the most
important one
to supporting
your argument.
It makes sense
to have this as
your first
paragraph.
11. Planning your paragraphs: WEED
What is your paragraph about? This will be your topic
sentence. Try writing each of these first as you plan.
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 to your question and what you are arguing?
Keep thinking ‘So what?’
In pairs, can you break the sample paragraph down into
WEED?
12. Koenig’s (1998) study of patients with terminal disease, found over 90% of these patients used
religion as a coping mechanism. Spirituality can enhance a person’s desire to live longer by any
means, avoiding an afterlife of punishment or, conversely, hastening death to relieve suffering and
pain on entering the afterlife (Hamel and Lysaught, 1994). However, each faith community can hold
its own unique set of beliefs, but that different denominations or strands of each faith can also
differ in their belief system, including in their approach to palliative care. For example, the
Methodist Church promotes the right to die in dignity without efforts to prolong life ‘merely
because the technology is available to do so’ (Thobaben, 1997), while the Catholic Church believes
that removing ANH will cause unnecessary suffering and therefore condone palliation towards end
of life (Evangelista, 2008). Yet, as Pugh et al (2009) suggest, it is also important to note that beliefs
and choices can vary dependant on the individuals within any given belief system and that all
tenants of their religion may not necessarily be adhered to. Therefore, although HCPs must have a
broad understanding of the stance that major religions take on palliative care in order to approach
patients and their families with empathy and sensitivity, clinical decision-making should also avoid
generalisations and make allowances for individual preferences and choices, regardless of the
patient’s religious affiliation.
Example
What the
paragraph is
about
Explanation
Examples
Doing
something
with the
information
13. Paragraphing
• In your groups, can you start
to organise some possible
paragraphs for the essay on
HE? What is influencing your
decisions?
• Remember, you could use
the reading you did earlier to
help you.
14. Flow between
and within
paragraphs can
be achieved
with signposting
and transition
phrases
but, however, on
the other hand, yet
CONTRAST
for example, that is ILLUSTRATION
similarly,
moreover, furthermore,
in addition
EXTENSION
therefore,
consequently, as a result,
thus
CONCLUSION
then, after that,
ultimately
THE NEXT STEP
As discussed above,…
It is also important to
consider…
When considering all
the points outlined
above …
Before proceeding
to examine X, it
will be necessary
to …
A contrasting
approach is ….
Despite the positive effects
outlined above, there are
also negative
issues to be considered…
15. More detailed planning…
• Using the planning you have
done so far on the role of HE
in the UK in the 21st Century,
in your groups plan out two
paragraphs with a transition
phrase to help link them.
• Keep WEED and your
conclusion in mind
16. Planning your introductions and
conclusions is just as essential as
planning each body paragraph.
Read through the example
introduction and conclusion.
Can you highlight key features
of each and explain why they
are good examples?
What can you learn from
them?
17. This essay will evaluate the key issues raised in the _____Employee
Relations Policy (2017) and its strategic elements over the next two to
three years. Over recent years ___ has built a culture based on core
values across its work force, these being: determination, ambition,
authenticity and family. These four core values are embedded into all
employee frameworks including probation reviews, seasonal reviews,
job descriptions and personal training and development. _______
Directors, Management and employees work daily to create and
maintain these values and are expected to do so as a core part of their
job role (___Employee Relations Policy, 2017; p3). To foster this
culture as a competitive advantage, the ____Employee Relations
Policy (2017) provides a framework of reference for both management
and employees. This essay will firstly define strategy and employment
relations policies before evaluating the role of employee engagement
surveys in the organisation within the context of the Third Way
Agenda and CIPD. Next, it will consider the importance of the
employee voice in strategic planning before evaluating the importance
of engaging and empowering managers as a key element of
strategising employment relations practices.
Clear focus on the task
Establishing background –
notice how the background
remains focused on the actual
task and is not a lengthy
narrative or description about
the organisation
Signposts the structure
18. The evaluation of the key issues above provides a small sample of how the
employee relations strategy within____has been implemented and adapted to
create a clear understanding on the future of the______. The use of employee
engagement surveys has been demonstrated to result in a workforce which is
more highly skilled and more committed to organizational goals and values,
whilst listening to the employee voice heightens their loyalty and commitment
and deepens morale. Additionally, it has been shown that engaging and
empowering managers ensures that strategies are in place that will enable
them to develop their employees’ skills, align their values and ultimately
improve staff retention. Through the use of relevant examples, theories and
models, the overall contribution to employee relations for both employees and
managers for the next two to three years has therefore been shown to play a
critical role in supporting the values and objectives of the organization
throughout the workforce.
Highlights and
emphasises that the
task/brief has been
focused on/answered
Takes the main point
from each of the key
themes evaluated –
notice how it mirrors the
introduction’s
signposting
Ends with a persuasive
ultimate statement
19. • Introductions • Conclusions
• Highlight that you have answered the
question
• Summarise the points discussed and
remind the reader of what they have read
– copy the structure that you discussed
these point in to further give shape and
coherence
• Persuade your readers to accept the
validity of your analysis, point(s), and
argument.
• Establish a satisfactory sense of closure
for the reader
Show your understanding and interpretation of the
questionShow
Introduce the general area of the discussion
(provides a brief overview of the issue(s))Introduce
Indicate how your essay deals with the topic and how
it is structured: signpostingIndicate
Provide a brief indication of what your answer will
be: further signposting of directionProvide
20. Essay writing check-list
• Do your introduction and
conclusion ‘mirror’ each other?
• Does each paragraph deal with
one main point? Are you showing
WEED?
• Does each paragraph relate
to the question?
• Have you shown links between
different paragraphs through
signposting and transition phrases?
21. Reflection…..
• On your worksheets, identify
one area of your essay
writing that you would like
to improve.
• How will you make those
improvements?
Editor's Notes
This question and the two articles are related to the theme of them being aware of why they are here and of being aware of their own learning processes. Use the two – Washington Post and Friere. 10 minutes including discussion (it’s about quick skimming)
This is a good point to emphasise how they need to be going through this thought process as they read and how they should make a note of their critical analysis as part of their notes whenever they are reading. This is also an opportunity to highlight to students the importance and foundational nature of their reading/research.
Also draws their attention to the high level of reading required to write academically at L7 and the necessity of that breadth of reading for them to develop their critical thinking.
10 minutes or so. These themes will form the foundation of their plan as they will be able to see which points could be discussed together or, if they want a paragraph on each, which paragraphs should be grouped together (e.g., the three points of personal/intellectual could be single paragraphs but it makes sense for those three paragraphs to come one after the other before moving on to paragraphs from the other two themes). So, this is just an example of possible ideas and ways of mapping it out, showing them the first stages of planning from analysing the question through to seeing the emergence of themes both before and then, in a more refined way, after their reading. Finally, it should be pointed out to them that their planning, and therefore their essay, will be more effective if they decide what their conclusion is going to be first, so that they can structure their essay around that – critical analyse during their reading will help them to do this, again emphasising the holistic nature of academic reading and writing.
10 minutes or so. These themes will form the foundation of their plan as they will be able to see which points could be discussed together or, if they want a paragraph on each, which paragraphs should be grouped together (e.g., the three points of personal/intellectual could be single paragraphs but it makes sense for those three paragraphs to come one after the other before moving on to paragraphs from the other two themes). So, this is just an example of possible ideas and ways of mapping it out, showing them the first stages of planning from analysing the question through to seeing the emergence of themes both before and then, in a more refined way, after their reading. Finally, it should be pointed out to them that their planning, and therefore their essay, will be more effective if they decide what their conclusion is going to be first, so that they can structure their essay around that – critical analyse during their reading will help them to do this, again emphasising the holistic nature of academic reading and writing.
The key message here is that their planning at this stage must be detailed. They need to think about what point they want to make, how they will support it and whether they can explain how it is relevant to their assignment and the conclusion they want to reach. If they can’t explain this relevance to themselves, they either need to think and read a little more, or more likely leave it out because it isn’t relevant.
Students tend to find this WEED structure useful. I always emphasise that explanations and examples need evidence. Could be WEDEEDED even – as long as W is at the start and they end on some D; also that the two Es could ebe very much intertwined. Paragraph is from a L7 Nursing student. Open up feedback and Q and A on why they broke it down as they did.
From a L7 nursing student.
This is to get them on to the next stage of planning – what should go where.
Their planning getting ore detailed – using WEED to ensure they have evidence and some comments to make in each, linking the flow of ideas. Hopefully they will see how this detailed type of planning allows their writing to emerge.
They have these on the worksheet (from a L7 HRM student). Get them to work in groups ideally This is to get them to develop their own ideas of what makes a good intro and conclusion through a more deductive appropach.
Use this to summarise and emphasise the points you have just made.
Go around the class and ask each student for their area – push them on how they will action their improvement to assess their learning.
