Article 9 Step 9: Know how to write a top-scoring essay All words are pegs to hang ideas on - Henry Ward Beecher. Mention the word ‘essay’ and you get a divided classroom: some of you love them and the rest would rather run round the school ten times - on a Sunday. Whatever you think about essays, you need to know how to write them, whether it’s for school exams or further education. Have an open mind about what you might learn: with practice, some people change their minds and admit to falling in love with essay writing! So is there a universal law about what makes a good essay? - Not exactly, because some subjects require a different style or tone of writing. A good essay on history may be different from a good essay in science. A student writing about a novel may use a different approach from a student writing about politics. Different subjects represent different fields of study so we do need to adapt. In terms of writing a great essay, there are two things that you can show to make your essay stand out:
A clear and logical structure
Brilliant thinking and communication skills
Let’s take it for granted that you know your topic very well before you write the essay! How to make your essay great I love the analogy of the skeleton representing the bare bones of an essay. Let’s start with the first bone: The question: To write a great essay, you need a title that is framed as a question. If my essay title is a statement like the political system in Hong Kong, then I might just be tempted to splurge a lot of information and get a little bored. Now if my title was framed as a question like why have attempts to bring democracy to Hong Kong failed? - Then we have a debate, and this is what will interest the reader. We also have a chance to explore ideas to reach a judgment-that is what great essays do. The introduction: In an exam, you may be pushed for time. All introductions should be short and to the point. Great essays begin with an introduction that addresses the question and indicates the main areas that you will explore. It may even indicate the perspective or opinion that you will reach. So, if my question is why have attempts to bring democracy to Hong Kong failed? I might identify three or four main reasons that my essay will explore, and I might even indicate which reason I think is most important. The Body: This is where we pile on the meat to the skeleton you have outlined. The meat is concerned with answering the question in depth. So if our essay is why have attempts to bring democracy to Hong Kong failed? then our reasons must be described and explained. Let’s say one reason relates to the Basic Law and how it has been interpreted. We must start the argument with a key statement that relates to the question. Some writers forget to do this, so each paragraph of the body reads as a story. The problem with that is you may become too descriptive and write about lots of things related to the question but may not necessarily answer it. So, back to the key statement: it’s better to say one reason why attempts to bring democracy to Hong Kong have failed is because of the Basic Law and how it has been interpreted than it is to say It all started in 1997 when – let’s get away from telling a story. Each paragraph should focus on a reason that helps to answer the question. Once you have made a key statement it makes sense to begin with some description to show that you have knowledge and understanding of your topic. You would need to draw upon selective knowledge of the Basic Law, what it states and how it has been interpreted. You may find that a sub-paragraph is necessary to develop your explanation into analysis: You might think about indicate other perspectives that explain why attempts to bring democracy to Hong Kong have failed. You may even go further into the realms of evaluation and provide your judgment about what you have been explaining. Then you move forward to your next paragraph; your next reason. To make your argument flow, try to link it to your previous discussion, Perhaps a related reason why democracy has not been implemented is because of popular opinion and cultural identity, and this is why it has been easier for the decision to be continuously postponed… And so your essay goes on. Although you are writing an argument, you are also trying to find an answer. If you focus on getting to truth that is better than trying to prove that you are right-for most essays that is. Avoid rushing. Less is more if it’s well-explained The Conclusion: If you have already indicated your judgment throughout your essay, it’s not the end of the world if, in an exam situation, you don’t get quite this far. However, the conclusion is the layer of skin that wraps around the bones and flesh to make your essay complete. You want the skin to be tight, so advocate your final point of view with confidence. You have worked towards this final conclusion so don’t be afraid to be decisive. It’s a bit neutral to say: A mixture of all the factors discussed in this essay explains why attempts to bring democracy to Hong Kong have failed. It’s much better to show which reason is most important in the light of the evidence and perhaps leave the reader with your predictions about the future prospects for democracy in Hong Kong. That’ll leave your audience really thinking!
Step 9: Know how to write a top-scoring essay
All words are pegs to hang ideas on - Henry Ward Beecher.
Mention the word ‘essay’ and you get a divided classroom: some of you love them and the rest would rather run round the school ten times - on a Sunday. Whatever you think about essays, you need to know how to write them, whether it’s for school exams or further education. Have an open mind about what you might learn: with practice, some people change their minds and admit to falling in love with essay writing!
So is there a universal law about what makes a good essay? - Not exactly, because some subjects require a different style or tone of writing. A good essay on history may be different from a good essay in science. A student writing about a novel may use a different approach from a student writing about politics. Different subjects represent different fields of study so we do need to adapt. In terms of writing a great essay, there are two things that you can show to make your essay stand out:
- A clear and logical structure
- Brilliant thinking and communication skills
Let’s take it for granted that you know your topic very well before you write the essay!How to make your essay great
I love the analogy of the skeleton representing the bare bones of an essay. Let’s start with the first bone: The question: To write a great essay, you need a title that is framed as a question. If my essay title is a statement like the political system in Hong Kong, then I might just be tempted to splurge a lot of information and get a little bored. Now if my title was framed as a question like why have attempts to bring democracy to Hong Kong failed? - Then we have a debate, and this is what will interest the reader. We also have a chance to explore ideas to reach a judgment-that is what great essays do.
The introduction: In an exam, you may be pushed for time. All introductions should be short and to the point. Great essays begin with an introduction that addresses the question and indicates the main areas that you will explore. It may even indicate the perspective or opinion that you will reach. So, if my question is why have attempts to bring democracy to Hong Kong failed? I might identify three or four main reasons that my essay will explore, and I might even indicate which reason I think is most important.
The Body: This is where we pile on the meat to the skeleton you have outlined. The meat is concerned with answering the question in depth. So if our essay is why have attempts to bring democracy to Hong Kong failed? then our reasons must be described and explained. Let’s say one reason relates to the Basic Law and how it has been interpreted. We must start the argument with a key statement that relates to the question. Some writers forget to do this, so each paragraph of the body reads as a story. The problem with that is you may become too descriptive and write about lots of things related to the question but may not necessarily answer it. So, back to the key statement: it’s better to say one reason why attempts to bring democracy to Hong Kong have failed is because of the Basic Law and how it has been interpreted than it is to say It all started in 1997 when – let’s get away from telling a story.
Each paragraph should focus on a reason that helps to answer the question. Once you have made a key statement it makes sense to begin with some description to show that you have knowledge and understanding of your topic. You would need to draw upon selective knowledge of the Basic Law, what it states and how it has been interpreted. You may find that a sub-paragraph is necessary to develop your explanation into analysis: You might think about indicate other perspectives that explain why attempts to bring democracy to Hong Kong have failed. You may even go further into the realms of evaluation and provide your judgment about what you have been explaining. Then you move forward to your next paragraph; your next reason. To make your argument flow, try to link it to your previous discussion, Perhaps a related reason why democracy has not been implemented is because of popular opinion and cultural identity, and this is why it has been easier for the decision to be continuously postponed…
And so your essay goes on. Although you are writing an argument, you are also trying to find an answer. If you focus on getting to truth that is better than trying to prove that you are right-for most essays that is.
Avoid rushing. Less is more if it’s well-explained
The Conclusion: If you have already indicated your judgment throughout your essay, it’s not the end of the world if, in an exam situation, you don’t get quite this far. However, the conclusion is the layer of skin that wraps around the bones and flesh to make your essay complete. You want the skin to be tight, so advocate your final point of view with confidence. You have worked towards this final conclusion so don’t be afraid to be decisive. It’s a bit neutral to say: A mixture of all the factors discussed in this essay explains why attempts to bring democracy to Hong Kong have failed. It’s much better to show which reason is most important in the light of the evidence and perhaps leave the reader with your predictions about the future prospects for democracy in Hong Kong. That’ll leave your audience really thinking!