Developing Your Essay Writing

Developing Your Essay Writing Shorter, succinct quotations relating to a particular point can be very effective. Appendices are not usually necessary for an essay. However, you should make your sources clear at the end of the essay. Single pieces of paper for single points, allocated to group headings later. Mind Map â€" sketch out all the ideas in your mind and then work out how they are related to each other. End with a broad statement relating to the significance of your argument. Your paragraphs should link together â€" use connective words, both within and between paragraphs, to keep a sense of cohesion and linkage. Your paragraphs should be balanced â€" keep to the rule of no less than 3 sentences per paragraph. Issue â€" where you outline the specific issues that are relevant to your essay. View the video, then try the essay exercises to test your knowledge! Watch the whole story, or see sections of the story below. All the videos have captions that you can view on YouTube. Any report, regardless of style, is very different from an essay. Reports are designed to be selective in information given, and the correct compilation and layout of a report is arguably as important as the material it contains. Every year, some students decide that they wish to change their programme of study, and move either to another programme within University College Birmingham. When writing a report, a number of books, websites and journal articles may be used. It is extremely important that your sources of reference are both adequate and accurate. Plagiarism is the act of using someone else’s words or ideas and passing them off as your own. Part of the skill in report writing is to know what to leave out as well as include. Think very carefully before adding decorative features like WordArt, page borders or Clip Art to any piece of academic work. Such additions are unlikely to improve the work, and often serve only as a distraction. Quotations â€" It is important to show, by the use of speech marks (“t”), when you are quoting what someone else said or wrote. Lengthy quotations are not generally appropriate to the short essay and it is better to quote a reference for the reader to follow up if she/he wishes. A final check for grammar and punctuation errors is always time well spent, since grading is influenced by the appropriate use of standard English. The last thing you should do before handing in your essay is to proofread it. It is often useful to let someone else read it and listen to their comments, as well as reading it through out loud to yourself. Please think very carefully before numbering headings and paragraphs in reports as these often become confusing and adversely affect presentation. If you decide to use a numbering style, please use the Microsoft Word numbering tools, as these will present the numbers in the most suitable manner. Spider/pattern â€" Draw a diagram with the subject of the essay written in a central circle or box. Generating ideas - there are various methods of doing this. This essay explores the role of cultural capital in the consumption of art, and the impact of cultural capital on consumers’ perception of artistic expressions. In this essay I will look at how people who buy art use cultural capital. You may lose marks if your report is too long or too short. All reports should have an introduction, main body, divided into sections, a conclusion and, sometimes, recommendations. Information which is not directly relevant to your discussion but worthy of inclusion for follow-up purposes should be placed in the appendices. Once you are happy with your brainstorm you can use it to plan your essay. You also need to consider the length of your essay. In a 2000 word essay you can cover more points than in a 1000 word one! Directive or Instructional words tell you how to approach the essay. Careful thought and preparation is the key to presenting successful reports. It is well worth taking some time to think about what you aim to achieve from your efforts and also who the reader may be. A report is a style of writing that is both systematic and objective in its presentation of information to the reader. They are often used as the basis for further research. Report writing skills are widely used in industry and are therefore well worth acquiring.