Writing Essays and Assignments

Essays and assignments are a dialogue between you and the reader (in the case of college, usually, your teacher or the examiner/moderator).

They allow you to demonstrate what you know about a topic and to receive feedback to improve your learning and skills.

They're a good practice of exam technique.

They give you a chance to revise a topic, analysing and evaluating it more thoroughly.

And they help you to develop your own independent learning skills through creating something original, researching, structuring a logical argument, expressing your point succinctly, and evaluating to your own conclusion.

They should, therefore, be seen as a really useful and important part of your courses - something to enjoy exploring and developing.

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Unfortunately most students simply see them as a time-consuming burden, especially when the effort put in doesn't seem to match the grades and feedback. And sometimes it just feels impossible to even know where to start...

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In this course book, we will look at how to make essay or assignment writing a simple, planned process that will allow you to explore the topic, structure your answer, conclude the question, and achieve the excellent marks you're fully capable of.

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Each subject you're studying will have a slightly different approach to essay or assignment writing, which your teachers will explain to you, but there are some general rules and tips that always hold true. These are:

• planning (do not skip this!),
• structure,
• answering the question correctly (and therefore coming to an appropriate conclusion),
• layout and language,
• reviewing and proof reading, and
• acknowledging feedback.

So let's begin before the beginning and write that perfect essay...