Essay crisis! (1 Viewer)

[melsc]

Everytime i do an essay in a test i get a horrid mark...apparently i write all over the place... but at the moment i am losing more and more confidence in my writing ability and have no idea how to improve it?

 

[silvermoon]

do u mean by 'all over the place' that ur writing doesn't flow? if so, try do a very quick plan (bout 3 minutes will do) before u write ur essay: even if its just in mindmap format. this way, you'll have everything you want to talk about written down in front of you so you don't forget anything and you'll be able to orgainise the info into the best logical progression - this will help correct the 'all over the place' criticism.

 

[mittens]

my modern history teacher was getting really fed up with ppl writing what he called crap for essays and dictated and spend a whole lesson just spelling it out to us and we had to write it all down hope it helps:

planning; this can be done in 9 simple steps:
1. take careful notice of what the question is asking and any instances that it mentions, making sure that your plan stays relevant to the question
2. underline key words in the question
3. the key words should suggest natural divisions in your essay: (in this case it's...) the topic, the context, the interpretation and the angles at which it can be viewed etc. if the questiondoesnt seem to suggest divisions, create your own.
4. write headdings for the divisions; underneath put as many points (relevant as possible.
5. number the points within a division to determine their order of importance when you need to actually write the paragraph
6. number the divisions themselves in the order you wish to include them
7. write the introduction after you write the plan
8. once you start writing the essay you may digress and end up with more paragraphs than what you started with (optional)
9. don't worry about the conclusion, rather, cross that bridge when you come to it.

as far as ur argument goes... the info needs to be analysed and placed in its simlest form... now practise! :uhhuh:

 

[ameh]

bah my friend made the plan longer than the actual essay!

 

[absolution*]

When i write essays i generally use the same process as the one outlined however i dont really think about the ordering so much because im used to setting out essays in that way.

My advice would be to memorise the key isseue within the module and then apply techniques to back up those values.

That way you already have your structure before you go into the exam and dont just mind dump on the page.

Obviously what you need to include varies with each module. (In The WIld requires evaluation of context etc...)

Good luck.

 

[ameh]

is it because your paragraphs are unclear?

if so, then there's a thread called "REMEMBER UR SEXY PARAGRAPHS" somewhere on BoS

 

[silvermoon]

perhaps when ur studying try writing a strucured essay instead of a full essay. eg, write an intro, topic sentences for ur body and some points (key words only, not full sentences) about what u'd cover in each paragraph and a conclusion. once uve done that, look back over ur essay and see if uve put all relevant points together or whether they're scattered throughout the body. this is a fairly common problem, especially under exam conditions - as ppl tend to stress, so they forget things and then remeber them towards the end, when they just stick them in. it sticks out like a sore thumb (odd expression surely?). i try 2 get around it by creating study notes which combine theme, technique and example all together - that way, since ive learned them all together, they come to mind together when im writing in the exam, hence avoiding the 'all over the place' criticism. all u need 2 do is decide in the exam what order ur going 2 talk about the themes and jot down a list (1-2 words only) to make sure u keep on track. anyway, that works for me.