How to Write Distinction Essays Every Time: Step 5. Write the First Draft of the Essay

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This article is part of the series ‘How to Write Distinction Essays Every Time: The Six Steps to Academic Essay Writing’. Writing the first draft has never been so easy! Now that you have completed your research in an organised way and have written a final draft of your essay plan, writing the first draft of your essay will be easier than it ever has been. All of the following decisions about your essay have already been made: Your answer to the essay question The main points you will discuss to back up your argument The order in which to discuss your main points How long to spend discussing each main point The information that each paragraph will contain (i.e. …

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How to Analyse an Essay Question

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When writing an essay, it is crucial that you actually answer the essay question. To do so effectively, you must first analyse the essay question thoroughly so that you fully understand it. This includes working out which kind of essay you are expected to write. There are two main types of essays: explanatory essays and argumentative essays. An explanatory (or informative) essay, as its name implies, is an essay that explains or presents a certain topic in a descriptive way, conveying the information in detail. This type of essay is intended to educate readers and perhaps enable them to see the topic from a different perspective, but it is not intended to change their opinion. In an argumentative essay, the writer’s …

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How to Write a Critical Review

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When you are required to write a critical review, you will need to do two main things: summarise and evaluate a text. The critical review can be of a book, a chapter or a journal article. You are usually asked to read the selected text in detail and also other related texts in order to present a rational and practical evaluation of the selected text. Being critical does not simply mean criticising in a negative way. Instead, it requires you to question the text, and to present your judgement or evaluation of it reasonably. Although critical reviews might have different evaluation criteria depending on your discipline, they usually have a similar structure. To write the review correctly, you should check …

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Ten Ways to Improve Your Grades

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  It is possible to improve your grades by self-editing your essay or assignment before you hand it in. Many students fail to look over their work once they have completed it, or they do not know what to look for. This means that students are handing in work that contains spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, unclear or clumsy writing, and referencing and formatting errors. Some students have even greater problems with issues such as the clarity and consistency of their argument or their essay organisation. These types of mistakes are costing you grades! You might be very surprised how much your grades can be improved through editing your own work before you hand it in. This article will explain ten ways you …

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What is a Thesis Statement?

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  What Is a Thesis Statement? A thesis statement is a sentence or sentences that present the main idea or the central argument of your essay. It tells the reader what your position is on the topic discussed in your paper. Your thesis statement should be presented near the beginning of your paper, usually at the end of your first paragraph. A good thesis statement will answer your essay question and outline what you will write about, clearly and concisely. Why should your essay include a thesis statement? The thesis statement guides you to write your essay in a developed and organised way, allowing you to present your argument in a manner that is not too broad. In addition, it provides the …

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What is a Topic Sentence?

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  The body of an essay includes many paragraphs that each discuss a new topic to substantiate the essay’s thesis statement (i.e. answer the essay question). Before you start writing a paragraph, it is important to have a topic sentence to unify the paragraph’s content and to ensure the paragraph discusses the topic coherently. A topic sentence is a single sentence that states the main point of a paragraph. It acts like a thesis statement for just that paragraph. It must be presented at the beginning of a paragraph to tell the reader what the topic of the paragraph is and how the paragraph will discuss it. Another important function of a topic sentence is to prove the essay’s thesis statement. It can …

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