In both exams and coursework it is essential for students to understand
what an essay title is asking them to do. When the focus of the task is
clear, a plan can then be prepared whi should make sure the question
is answered fully. is unit looks at:
key words in titles
essay length and organisation
alternative methods of essay planning
1 e planning process
Tea ers frequently complain that students do not understand what they are
asked to do, but this can be avoided by more care at the start of the process.
Planning is necessary with all academic writing, but clearly there are
important di fferences between planning in exams, when time is short, and
for coursework, when preparatory reading is required. However, in both
cases the process of planning should include these three steps:
a) analyse the title wording
b) decide how mu space to give to ea part of the answer
c) prepare an outline using your favoured method
When writing coursework, your outline will probably be revised as you read
around the topic and develop your ideas.
See Unit 5.3 Longer Essays
2 Analysing essay titles
Titles contain instruction words whi tell the student what to do. Note that en contain two (or more) questions: titles o
What is meant by a demand curve and why would we expect it to slope
downwards?
In this case ‘what’ is asking for a description and ‘why’ for a reason or
explanation.
Mat the instruction words on the le to the de finitions on the
right.
Many essay titles also include a context, su as a time period or
geographical area:
Instruction Subject Context
Discuss the growth of nationalism in nineteenth-century
Western Europe Instruction Subject Context Compare the effects of privatisation on of Poland and Hungary
the economies 1990–2000
Clearly, it is important to limit your answer to the given context. You will
lose marks if you ignore this limitation.
3 Practice
Underline the instruction words in the following titles and consider
what they are asking you to do. en decide if any context is given.
a) Summarise the main reasons for the growth of e-commerce since 2010
and discuss the likely results of this.
b) Describe some of the reasons why patients do not always take their
medication as directed.
c) What are the bene fits of learning a second language at primary s ool
(age 6– 10)? Are there any drawba s to early language learning?
d) What are the most signi ficant sources of renewable energy? Evaluate
their contribution to the reduction of carbon emissions in the last 15
years.
e) Discuss the response of buildings and soil to earthquakes, indicating
what measures can be used to ensure structural stability.
4 Brainstorming
When time is limited (e.g. in an exam) it may be helpful to start thinking
about a topic by writing down the ideas you have, in any order. Taking title
3d) in the preceding section, you might collect the following points:
Sources of renewable energy
Wind
Solar
ermal
Wave/tidal
Biomass
Contribution to reducing CO2 emissions
ficant in sunny areas but not at night
Solar signi
Wind power available day and night
Wave and tidal power still in development
Working with a partner, brainstorm ideas for the title 3c).
Remember to deal with both parts of the question.
What are the benefits of learning a second language at primary school
(age 6–10)? Are there any drawbacks to early language learning?
5 Essay length
Coursework essays usually have a speci fied length, normally between 1,000 and 5,000 words. You must keep to this limit, although 5% more or less is
generally acceptable. However, at the planning stage you need to consider
what proportion of the essay to give to ea part of the question.
As a basic guide, 20% is usually fficient
su for the introduction and
conclusion together (references are not usually included in the word count).
erefore, in a 2,000-word essay the introduction and conclusion would
have about 400 words and the main body approximately 1,600 words.
If this was the length given for title 3c) on page 35, you might decide on
the following approximate allocation:
Introduction 250 words
Bene fits – young ildren less inhibited, more open- 400 words
minded
– young appear to have be er memories 300 words
– may improve understanding of their first language 200 words
Drawba –s may not understand the grammar involved 400 words
– may not understand the cultural context 300 words
Conclusion 150 words
Total 2,000
words
is calculation is useful since it can guide the amount of reading you need
to do, as well as provide the basis for an outline. Moreover, it prevents you from writing an unbalanced answer in whi part of the question is not fully
dealt with.
Essays in exams do not have a word limit, but it is equally important to
plan them in similar terms (e.g. Part 1: 40%, Part 2: 60%).
Underline the instruction words and the context in the following
titles and decide what percentage of the main body to give to ea
part of the answer.
Part Part
Title 1 2
(%) (%)
a) Describe the typical social, cultural and environmental
impacts experienced by tourist destinations in
developing countries. How can harmful impacts be
reduced or avoided?
b) How can s ools make be er use of IT (information
te nology)? Illustrate your answer with examples from
one country.
c) Outline the main di fficulties in combating malaria in
Southeast Asia. Suggest possible strategies for more
effective anti-malaria campaigns.
d) What is ‘donor fatigue’ in international aid, and how
can it be overcome? 6 Writing outlines
An outline should help the writer to answer the question as e ffectively as
possible. Care at this stage will save wasted e ffort later. e more detail you include in your outline, the easier the writing process will be. With
coursework, the outline will normally be wri en when you start reading
about the subject, and it may be modified as you read more.
Note that for coursework it is usually beer to write the main body first,
then the introduction, and finally the conclusion. erefore you may prefer
to outline just the main body at this stage.
ere is no fixed paern for an outline; different methods appeal to
different students. For example, with the first part of title 3d) on p. 35:
What are the most significant sources of renewable energy?
a) e outline might be a list:
Significant sources Wind – best sites o en remote Solar – costs have reduced sharply
ermal – limited application
Wave/tidal – still unproven
Biomass – uses scarce land
b) An alternative is a mind map:
Discuss the advantages and drawba s of ea method with a
