Writing a Good Coursework Assignment

Mwogeza Resty Kamya Consultant DL

Objectives
By the end of this session you should able to: i. Develop an Essay plan ii. Draft and edit an essay iii. Create good arguments in your essay

Types of assignments
Report Essay

Steps in writing a good essay

Write essay plan Draft the essay Revise Edit Write the final version

Essay plan/Essay structure

Introduction Body Conclusion

Introduction
Do include: Form an argument/point of view What you understand the essay title to mean. The definition of any key terms. An outline of how the essay is structured. Dont: Just repeat the question. Give your conclusion at this point. Start to develop any of your key points yet.

Main body
Do:

do clearly signpost Begin each main section with a sentence that states its purpose clearly. Deal with only one key point of your essay in each section. Write each sub-point of the key-point as a separate paragraph. Give illustrations of each sub-point as you make it. own comments /ideas ,quotations, evidence, published materials and give the sources.

Main body
Dont: Cover more than one key-point in a section. Jump from one sub-point to another in a section. Make a factual assertion without supporting evidence. State a view without supporting evidence.

Conclusion
Do:

Return to the question. State the points you have made in answer to it. Make sure that you have answered the question that was set. Be concise.

Conclusion
Dont:

Repeat earlier statements at length. Introduce new material. Just fizzle out The conclusion is the part which will just have been read before your mark is awarded!

CHECKLIST FOR COMMON PROBLEMS WITH ESSAY WRITING

Essay title

Clear and relevant to the question.

CHECKLIST
Structure Introduction Organisation of points Back up your points Relevance of points Conclusion

CHECKLIST
Quotations and references

Direct quotations Are they in quotation marks? Have you given the page number? References in the body of the essay Purpose Do your references serve a purpose? References at the end of the essay

CHECKLIST
Style

Use the first person For this course we encourage you to write in the first person: I. Write simply Signpost the way for your reader Contractions Abbreviations

CHECKLIST
Sentences Too long Take care with sentence structure. Incomplete Make sure all sentences are complete.

CHECKLIST
Checking

Proofreading Spell-check

What makes your essay tick?

If your argument is going to appeal to reason, then you must strive to avoid faulty or inconsistent reasoning. Here are some examples of faulty reasoning:

Circular reasoning or arguing in a circle: An example might be that we need to educate children to safeguard the environment because the environment will be protected by educated children.

Reasoning that does not follow: Your conclusion must follow logically from what you have argued. If you argue that poverty is responsible for low educational attainment, you cannot conclude that standards can be raised by changing the curriculum.

Taking extreme positions: Do not go from one extreme to the other, for example: Mens technologies are responsible for global warming so now women should take charge.

Assuming that what is true of the part is true of the whole (or vice versa): For example, making the assumption that Black and Ethnic Minorities are not interested in environmental issues based on a survey of a group of Chinese students.

Begging the question: This occurs when you ask a question that wrongly assumes something to be true, for example: How can we reduce the birth-rate in the South to save the planets resources? You must prove that resources are at risk from reproduction rates in the South, not assume that this is the case.

Assuming the conclusion: For example: This NGO is a force for good because it has the right values. You must explain what the right values might be and not assume everyone would agree with you.

Appealing to an unsuitable authority: This happens when you draw on an authority who is an expert in a different field from the one you are discussing. For example, would you quote President George Bush as an authority on the scientific basis of climate change? (You might, however, quote him if you were discussing the political implications of climate change policy.)

Attributing causality: It is important to distinguish cause-effect relationships from statistical correlations or coincidences. For example, better academic qualifications may have some positive correlation with higher pay, but this is not a directly causal relationship, or teachers would be paid more than pop stars and footballers.

Drawing inferences and conclusions: Before drawing an inference/conclusion ensure that there is actual evidence to support it.

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING