.jpg)
Recommended Reading
Why do we write essays? I'm sure many students ask themselves regularly - why do we have to write essays! To some extent at GCSE and to a greater extent for A level, students have to write so many essays that they often lose track of just why they are writing - in other words they lose the wood for the trees. They have a tendency to just 'open their minds' and let the contents fall onto the page!
Effective writing must always have two things in mind: purpose and audience. The answers to the two questions: a) what am I trying to achieve with this piece of writing? b) for whom am I writing this? will shape any essay - or that matter report, article, or even memo. These answers will determine the choice of lexicon, the style and tone of what you write as well as the factual content.
In an essay you are trying to answer the question (explicit or implicit) set in the title, and at the same time display your knowledge to the examiner. Don't forget the examiner doesn't know you or the extent of your knowledge - it's upto you to show him/her. Writing an essay is the way you display both knowledge of the text, and your writing skills.
Examiners have huge numbers of essays to read so it's important that you try to make their lives easy! Plan your essay, use good old PEE to structure your paragraphs, use signposts to help the reader navigate your writing and continually refer back to the title/question.
Above all, show the examiner that you have engaged with the ideas of the text, considered various interpretations and are able to give your responses in an accurate and organised fashion. And make your essay stand out from the crowd with a perceptive thought, an original interpretation, an interesting use of quotation or even just a personal response in your conclusion. Your introduction where you set out your approach to the question and your conclusion are what holds your essay together.
Your conclusion is what creates the lasting impression of your essay - the sense of your writing the examiner has when he gives you his mark. Make it a good one!
