Tips on writing a great essay

As the winter exam season continues and university assessments adapt to the ever-changing climate, many of us face the prospect of primarily online assessments including essays. However, there’s no need to fret! Here are Liberty Belle’s top tips on writing a great essay!

1. Plan, plan, plan!

Whilst it might feel tempting to immediately start writing and go with the flow, writing down even a brief plan can be very helpful for structuring your essay in a clear and concise way. The plan can be a detailed, step-by-step formula of everything you want to discuss, from introduction to main body to conclusion, or simply just noting down key words or ideas. Writing a plan allows you to get all your ideas down, makes sure you include everything you need and helps you keep to a grounded, clear structure.

2.Analyse the question

What is the question asking you to do? Pay attention to specific key words that form the basis for your answer and keep these in mind when you write. Do you need to do any close reading? Most essays require at least some level of in-depth analysis to show engagement with the topic, otherwise they risk being too general. Do you need to cite and reference other scholars? If you’re unsure about what you need to do, don’t be afraid to ask your module tutor.

3.Don’t procrastinate!

We’ve all been there, don’t worry. Essays can feel very overwhelming and sometimes the hardest part is to start writing. Whilst it can seem too daunting at times, planning and breaking down the essay into different parts makes it feel much more manageable. Depending on the length of the essay and how quickly you write, starting at least a week before the deadline should give you sufficient time to plan, write and edit a final draft.

4.Stay on topic

This is where a plan comes in handy! Try and make every sentence directly linked to your argument as much as you can and don’t be afraid to quote the question. Keep focused and don’t talk about anything that isn’t relevant, especially if it’s a short essay (less than 2000 words). As a rule of thumb, if you aren’t sure whether something is important enough to keep in, try rewriting it to explicitly address the question – if you can’t then it’s not important. When including context, keep it relevant and directly applied to the question. Avoid overly generalised information (e.g., ‘women in the 19th century were oppressed’).

5.Make the essay flow

It might sound unimportant but making your essay cohesive not only establishes a clear structure but demonstrates confidence to the examiner. To avoid sounding formulaic, use adverbs such as ‘furthermore’, ‘thus’, ‘subsequently’, ‘contrastingly’, ‘despite this’ and experiment with sentence types and punctuation. Don’t be afraid to look up synonyms for words and deviate from the standard ABCD or for-against essay structure, interlinking points and establishing a clear argument throughout. Although it’s harder to pull off, doing this will definitely achieve higher marks.

6.Reference and analyse

Generally speaking, essays require bringing in critical viewpoints to support or contrast with your main argument. Choose an appropriate number for the essay you’re doing most short essays (<2000 words) don’t need more than 3-5 but longer essays (>3000 words) can benefit from 8 or more. To easily find scholars’ work, use Starplus by either searching directly or typing in the general topic; it’s unlikely you’ll find ones addressing your exact question, so search for ones that address the general topic and cite relevant points from these. To ensure higher marks, analyse and evaluate the citations in regard to your question and use them to advance and support your argument.

Disclaimer: this article is intended to give general advice on essay writing and is not subject specific. If you are unsure about how to write an essay for your specific subject, ask your module tutor.

Edited by Victoria Sales