week 3- writing skills: essays Flashcards
what is an essay? (3 pts)
- an activity to sharpen thinking and improve writing
- develop generic written communication skills
- written in a formal academic style
5 marking criteria of essays
- knowledge and understanding (accurate terminology and reference to concepts)
- critical analysis
- reading and referencing
- essays that are clearly and coherently structured
- the use of language- good English and correct tone
what are the 4 elements of an essay
intro, main body, conclusion, references
what % should the intro make up
10
what % should the main body make up
80
what % should the conclusion make up
10
what 3 things should be done in the intro
- explain how you interpret the question and summarise the conclusion
- identify issues that you will explore
- give a brief outline of how you will deal with each issue and in which order
what 3 things should you do in the main body
- introduce the point
- discuss the evidence that supports the point
- restate the point and relate it to the thesis
what does it mean to create an integrated paragraph
uses a transitional phrase or sentence linking paragraph to the previous paragraph
what is synthesis
combining separate elements to form a whole to form a summary of what is known
what are implications
how and why are the research findings important, and what do they mean
what can implications be
theoretical, practical, social, political or technological
what are recommendations
what solutions or suggestions emerge from your essay
what 3 things should be done in the conclusion
- summarise the main themes and argument
- state the general conclusions
- make it clear why those conclusions are important or significant
what should be done in the final sentence of a conclusion
briefly sum up the argument and link it to the title
what are the 2 types of in text citation
parenthetical or narrative
what’s a parenthetical citation
appears in the middle or end of the sentence
what’s a narrative citation
appears at the start of the sentence
every citation must link to
a reference
what are the 4 styles of writing
descriptive, argumentative, evaluative, reflective
what does descriptive writing do
Describes what happened
* Describes the main features or functions
* Summarises the main points of a theory or article, etc
what does argumentative writing do
- State your position
- Support your argument with evidence
- Consider the opposition
what does evaluative writing do
Compare (emphasise points of similarity)
* Contrast (emphasise points of difference)
* Evaluate significance
* Make a judgement
* Show your criteria
* Synthesise
what does reflective writing do
Scrutinise an experience and how you dealt
with it
* Evaluate a project and what could be done
differently next time
* Reflect on what you have read and how it links
to theory, practice, and reality
