Kelvin Quintyne 2014

FOUN1001: English for Academic Purposes

Outlining

Many students, when asked to produce an outline, may begin with a scratch/informal outline that
looks like the one below:
General Causes of Students Success

(Working) Thesis statement: Hard work causes students success.

I. Accessing information

II. Engaging in learning activities.

III. Extra effort for exams

While this may serve as a start, developing ones ideas more in the form of a more detailed
outline can result in a better essay at the drafting stage. Many writers find writing full sentences
at this stage to be a great help, especially if the outline is shown to anyone to gain feedback
before the drafting stage. A more detailed version of the outline may look like this:

General Causes of Students Success

Thesis: The success of most students can be attributed to the dedication and hard work that they
put into their studies.

I. Most students make sure that they access the necessary information needed for assessment.

II. Students routinely participate in learning activities to improve their knowledge and skills.

III. Typically, students put extra effort into preparation for assessment exercises such as
coursework and exams.

Conclusion: Students willingness to cultivate habits that aid effective learning, in addition to
their execution of required work, can be seen as critical to the level of their success.

Still, if this outline is preparation for a longer essay, developing it further is often advisable. It
could be transformed into a formal two-level outline in which the areas within the body which
are worthy of more detailed development are expanded within the outline.
Kelvin Quintyne 2014
FOUN1001: English for Academic Purposes

General Causes of Students Success

Thesis: The success of most students can be attributed to the dedication and hard work that they
put into their studies.

I. Most students make sure that they access the necessary information needed for assessment.

A. Most students attend scheduled classes regularly and punctually to ensure they
receive the necessary information and guidance from the lecturer/instructor/tutor.

B. Students routinely visit their class websites (if any exist) to read and download
information that is integral or supplementary to the instruction received during
class time.

C. Since reading is an important part of academic study, the majority of students

ensure that they buy the necessary texts that they can afford, along with utilizing a
librarys services to supplement what texts they own.

II. Students routinely participate in learning activities to improve their knowledge and skills.

A. During class time students participate in activities such as group discussions, carry
out laboratory experiments, role playing exercises, among others depending on the
courses subject matter and modes of delivery, to facilitate learning.

B. If a supplementary virtual classroom exists, students also routinely participate in

online discussions and other online exercises to supplement classroom activities.

C. Most students ensure that they complete any coursework, whether or not for
formal assessment, so as to be well prepared for their courses final examinations
and tasks beyond those exams.

D. Many students form informal study groups with some of their classmates to help
each other understand various courses content and complete tasks.

III. Typically, students put extra effort into preparation for assessment exercises such as
coursework and exams.

Conclusion: Students willingness to cultivate habits that aid effective learning, in addition to
their execution of required work, can be seen as critical to the level of their success.
Kelvin Quintyne 2014
FOUN1001: English for Academic Purposes

There are some important points to note concerning the outline above:
The format makes identifying the main divisions from the subdivisions easy.
Not all main points are broken down into subdivisions. It is not necessary to have each
point broken down into supporting points: only those that merit such development within
the paper should have a further breakdown.
There is a logical sequencing of ideas from the beginning to end, including within
subsections.
The conclusion does not simply repeat the thesis statement, but adds a bit more in light of
the entire discussion.