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Writing Essays
Essay writing for GCSE
Date : 13/06/2016
Writing essays is a skill many students
struggle with and it is an essential one to improve across subjects and
educational levels. The best essays make a clear, developed and detailed
argument that is cohesive, clear and insightful.So, first of all, you need ideas. Start
with a quick brainstorm in response to the question & relevance is key! Your
teacher should give you guidance about how much you need to write depending on
the level, subject and exam. As an example, a typical GCSE English Language or
Literature essay written in about 45 minutes would have about 350-400 words and
three body paragraphs, along with a two or three sentence introduction and a
three sentence conclusion. Simplistic pro/con essays tend to be a bit basic for
this level so try developing two paragraphs for one side and one for the other
if it's that kind of essay. For each body paragraph you need to plan two or
three points with examples and each paragraph needs to be on a clear theme.
Thus, if the question was "Are family or friends more important?', one
paragraph topic could be "Family are more important because they have a greater
impact on who you are.' Points made could include how family impact you from
day one and at a critical early stage in life affect personality and habits. An example of personality traits would be being a team player, and for habits could be
reading books or eating healthily.Once you know what you will be arguing in
the main body of the essay you can plan and write the introduction. Here you
will introduce the general theme and the specific question (in your own,
interesting words) and your general argument or the three aspects you will
consider. In addition, any difficult key terms should be defined and essential
background information for the reader to understand your essay can be
explained. The conclusion should not simply repeat the same ideas or words but
it should summarise the essay effectively. Therefore, conclusions tend to
clearly answer the question, summarise the main points and then often
generalize or personalize the argument or briefly consider future/consequent
impacts of the issue. Overall, I see introductions as telling the reader the
starting points for your essay and paragraphs, and the conclusions as
reiterating where the arguments and paragraphs ended up.When you come to write up the essay you'll
need to ensure the language is clear and the ideas are linked. There should be
a logical flow of sequenced ideas from start to finish including planning the
order of paragraphs. For example, you might begin with the opposing view and
build up to your strongest argument right before the conclusion, or the
structure may be ordered by time such as the logical order to do things here.
Add linking phrases to show the links between sentences and paragraphs.
Finally, make sure you have used appropriately precise, varied and concise
language so that the reader can follow your argument and is not put off by
repetition. You need to sound like a reliable, educated source!In conclusion, an effective, top-grade
essay develops several ideas related to the topic into a fluent and convincing
argument. A well-planned essay will contain sufficient detail and flow to
provide a clear, convincing answer. You may surprise yourself how quickly you can
produce essays once you get into the habit of planning!
This resource was uploaded by: Anna