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Essay Writing Skills .

The document provides guidance on developing an argument and structure for an essay. It emphasizes that all essay writing requires key skills, such as having a clear overarching argument, a thesis statement that sets out the position, and an organized structure. It also discusses starting to outline an argument in response to sample essay questions and the importance of an introduction, body, and conclusion to effectively structure an essay.

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lgibbons
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19 views

Essay Writing Skills .

The document provides guidance on developing an argument and structure for an essay. It emphasizes that all essay writing requires key skills, such as having a clear overarching argument, a thesis statement that sets out the position, and an organized structure. It also discusses starting to outline an argument in response to sample essay questions and the importance of an introduction, body, and conclusion to effectively structure an essay.

Uploaded by

lgibbons
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Essay writing skills.

• “….but that’s not what we have to do in


history/performing
arts/biology/geography/TOK/media studies”
(delete as applicable)
• There are differing conventions to essay
writing in different subjects
• Style may be different, but approach and
structure should not be.
• There are key skills to be harnessed in all
essay writing
Pinning Down the Argument
• There needs to be an over-arching argument
that links all the strands of your response
together.
• It needs to be clear immediately what the
argument will be
• The best way to start thinking about your
argument is to write a thesis statement.
• A paragraph or so that sets out your own
answer to the question as part of your plan
• To help write the introduction
• To remind you of your central focus at every
stage of the essay-writing process.
The Thesis Statement
Where is the debate?
• How far was the desire for wealth the principal
motive for participants in the First Crusade?
(History)
• “In Wuthering Heights love is presented as an
emotion which provokes violence rather than
tenderness.” To what extent do you agree with
this view? (English)

• How would you start teasing out an argument?


Let’s take one we can all look
at….
“The fish finger should only ever be
consumed in a sandwich of white bread, with
a smidgeon of tomato ketchup” (Dr. Simon
Gibbons)
To what extent do you agree with Dr.
Gibbons’ view?

Spend 2 mins on your tables drafting a thesis


statement.
The plan….
• Don’t forget this!
• Spider diagram
• Agree/Disagree table (in a debate style question)
• Bullet point list
• However your brain works!
• Relevant evidence (subject dependent)

• MOST IMPORTANT – the order in which you


sequence your ideas….
• Organisation will depend on subject – speak to your
teachers!
• How would you go about working out a structure?
The plan – part 2 - structuring
• Put your arguments on slips of paper.
• In your groups move the ideas into an order –
make sure you discuss which you think the best
order is.

• How are you connecting your ideas?


• Look at the question.
• Look at your thesis statement.
• On other slips, write connecting phrases
between your ideas.
Introduction
• This should confidently set out exactly what
you think the answer to the question is and
how you are going to prove it
• Think of it as a signpost, telling the reader
what they should expect from your essay.
• Do not be tempted to include something just
in the hope that you will impress the reader
with your knowledge of the subject – it
should be tightly focused on the essay
question.
Writing the Body of the Essay
• Make sure that every paragraph opens and concludes
with a statement that shows how this point contributes
to your argument and thereby answers the question.
• In coursework essays a useful technique to check
whether or not you have actually done this is to copy
and paste the first and last sentence of every
paragraph into a word document.
• You can then read these and check whether you can
see an argument develop through these sentences.
• If the sentences appear to be a mixture of random
points then it is clear that you have not used each
paragraph to structure your argument effectively
enough.
Concluding
• This part of the essay is used to draw
your points together
• It should make it clear to the reader
the final destination that your
argument has reached.
• However, one thing to be careful of is
simply repeating everything that has
already been said.
• How do you avoid this?

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