BIO111 Tutorial - HOW TO WRITE AN ESSAY 2017

Structure of an Essay:

1. Title
This should convey some significant information about a specific topic of your essay.

2. Introduction
Remember that your introduction is the first statement your examiner will read. Again, this
sounds obvious but many students are careless about introductions, saying either too much or too
little. A good introduction sets out clearly your response to the topic and how you are going to
present that response. It’s as simple as that. It is commonly agreed that quotation should be
omitted from your introduction as this is where you are going to say what your response is not
that of others. Remember to keep your introduction short and to the point ending with a ‘feed’
into the opening paragraph of the main body of your essay.

3. Main Body
In the main body of your essay, each paragraph should be based on a separate but related aspect
of the main topic of the essay. Following the plan you made earlier, write each paragraph almost
as though it were under a sub-heading to the main title and supplement each of your points with
the evidence you have collected. Students are often unsure about the length of paragraphs but
though there is no hard and fast rule, it is a good idea to keep them to four or five sentences.

Supporting your statements is vital and, in the case of a literary essay, this evidence should also
be analysed. This means that you should comment on individual words and/or phrases that seem
to you to be of particular interest or importance.

Quotations should not be too long, never more than a few lines at most, except in exceptional
circumstances, and should adhere to the referencing style you have been requested to use. It is
usual to indent longer quotations and set them out on a separate line, single-spaced, following a
colon. Shorter quotations (i.e. a line or less) should be incorporated within the text and enclosed
within quotation marks.

Try to end each paragraph in the main body of the essay with a ‘hook’ to the next i.e. an idea that
introduces the topic of the subsequent paragraph; follow this up by opening the next paragraph
with reference to the link. This will help your essay to flow better and seem to be establishing a
pattern which will ultimately lead to your conclusion.

Paragraphs should move on using the basis of furthering the argument. This can be achieved in
several ways:

i. Sequential writing, where one event follows naturally from another

ii. Elaborative writing, where you develop a point made previously
 iii. Contrasting/comparing, where an idea contradicts or questions a point in a preceding
paragraph
These are just a few ideas, there are many more and your choice may be determined by the type
of essay/argument you are constructing.

4. Conclusion

The conclusion should be a summation of your argument. Students often lose marks for
presenting an abrupt conclusion which overlooks the implications of the overall argument, its
future development and unavoidable contractions/omissions due to shortage of space. It is
acceptable to use quotations in conclusions but not to introduce new ideas at this stage. By now,
your reader should have been given such a strong sense of your central argument that no further
information is necessary anyway. In your conclusion, you are just giving a more generic context
to your specific thesis and tying up any loose ends which you feel have occurred during the
writing of the essay.

5. Citations

All material/information/ideas obtained from other people should be cited in the text as

i. If single author; (Mpho, 2008)

ii. If two authors; (Mpho & Sebolai, 2008) and
iii. If more than two authors (Mpho et al, 2008).
Refer to: Pechenik (2016) – Pages 66-70

6. References

All sources cited in the text should be listed in the “References” section in alphabetical order
Refer to: Pechenik (2016) – Pages 71-76

General points:

1. Style
As a general rule, do not write in the first person unless specifically asked to do so i.e. avoid the
use of phrases such as ‘I think’ or ‘in this essay I am going to’. Rather, allow your essay to
reflect a personal perception whilst being presented in an objective manner. It is useful to look at
how professional writers construct essays to gain style tips (though remember, do not plagiarise
under any circumstances as this is sure to be detected, is unfair on the writer whose ideas you are
stealing and ultimately self-defeating). Most essays are required to be typed and double-spaced
using size 12 font in ‘Times New Roman’ but it is advisable to check on this as requirements
vary. Do not use colloquial expressions, stick to Standard English throughout. Lists are not a
good idea unless the essay specifically requires them, as they can appear to be rushed, a
truncated way of presenting a lot of information without sufficient explanation.
 2. Final checks
When your essay is completed, read it through to check for errors. As mentioned above, it can be
useful to ask someone who has not seen your work to proof-read it for you, maybe even reading
it aloud, as we tend to see what we expect to see and typographical errors can easily be
overlooked. Correct any errors before handing in your work otherwise you are throwing marks
away.

Ensure that you have correctly referenced all quotations and completed the references according
to the stylistic requirements to which you have been asked to adhere. Your references are very
important, as evidence of your research and wider reading and to demonstrate that you recognise
the importance of acknowledging sources. A reference should never be a rushed, last-minute task
but rather should evolve naturally, as your research does. As previously stated, noting full
publication details of every book you consult at the time, will help enormously with this.

and finally...

Remember that your essay is essentially a response to a suggested idea. Your argument should be
clear, coherent, well-referenced and appropriately structured.

Bear in mind that although you are answering a question, you are also writing to engage your
reader’s interest so try to combine thorough, factual research with an engaging, interesting style;
it is your aim to compile an essay that will both inform and entertain. Think of the engagement
of your reader’s interest as a challenge which your essay will meet; remember, your essay will be
one of many to be read by your tutor and making your work stand out as impressive is quite an
obstacle to overcome!

The ability to write a good essay is a skill that is difficult to acquire but not impossible and, once
acquired, can even be enjoyable.

Source: www.ukessays.com with modifications.