LSC1103 Page 2

The Essay Writing Process

Step 1 Read the Question

Read the question carefully.  Then read it again.  Work out what is the question asking you for.  Identify the instruction verbs.   Does it ask for:

• Your opinion?
• compare/contrast?
• problem/solution?
• cause/effect

On this course, we will mostly be looking at opinion writing.  But you should follow these stages in the writing process for ALL of your written work at college.

Step 2 Underline the key ideas and words in the question

Use a highlighter or pencil to underline key ideas and instruction verbs in the question.

See this example essay question below:

“Discuss the problems associated with city overcrowding and evaluate possible solutions.”

For that assignment, you have two things to do – discuss and evaluate.  You will be looking at the problems and solutions about city overcrowding.

Step 3 Get ideas and make a plan

What is your opinion about the question?  Do you agree or disagree?  what are your ideas?  You need at least 3 main arguments.  For each argument you need to think of some evidence or an example to support your argument.  Use a visual plan something like this brainstorm or this Outline for an opinion essay.

Step 4 Start Writing

When you have a good plan, you are ready to start writing.  Remember you should start each paragraph with a topic sentence stating the main idea.  Next write your details and add supporting evidence/examples.

After you have finished writing your details and supporting evidence/examples write a conclusion to the essay.  Do not add any new information here.  This is one or two sentences that is a summary of what you have written in your essay.

Have a look at this  Model  Opinion Essay.  for some good linking devices that you can use.

Step 5 Add your full references in APA style.

This is where you write where you got your information from for your essay.  Every idea and things you have paraphrased and quoted MUST be listed so you do not accidentally plagiarise.  This is the part of the essay that saves you from cheating.  You can use an app like citation machine to help you do this. (Look at Task 5 if you need to check what this is)

Step 6 Check your work

Lastly, once you have written your essay it is VERY IMPORTANT that you check your work.  Check:

• Does each paragraph have ONE main idea?
• Signpost words to introduce ideas? (First of all, In addition, finally, etc…)
• Examples to support each idea.
• Check your spelling
• Check your punctuation (full stops, capital letters, etc.)
• Check your grammar.

There are many ways to check your writing.  I suggest that you:

1. Read it yourself (out loud is good because you know good English when you hear it. Ask yourself ‘Does this sound right?’)
2. Get a friend to check it.
3. Use Grammarly to check it.  (HCT subscribes to the premium package for students)

Task 16  Essay Writing (15%)

Opinion essay

Work through this worksheet which will show you how to write an opinion essay.  Finish by writing an essay of 250 – 300 words and post to your blog. Remember to add your references – APA style! (look at Task 5 if you need to check what this is)

Post your essay, notes AND your essay plan to your blog.  Good luck

Task 17 Problem and Solution style Essay

All essays follow the same basic structure, only the words are different.  Once you get the idea they are easy!  Ust the same structure to write a problem and solution essay  Post your essay, notes AND your essay plan to your blog.

Task 18 Cause and Effect Essays

The final type of essay that you will learn about on this course is known as A ‘Cause and Effect’  essay.  Again, I want you to write and essay of 250 – 300 words.  Remember to list your references at the end.  Complete – this  cause and effect essay work sheet and post your outline and essay to your blog.

LSC1103 Academic Reading and Writing – Essay 2

Why quote/make citations

An Essay becomes an Academic Essay if you include information you have researched from credible sources.  This information can be used in two ways:

1. direct quote, where you copy the exact words from your research. You show it is a direct quote by using quotation marks at the beginning and end, “like this” (Wright, 2018).
2. indirect quotation (also called paraphrase). The paraphrase is where you take ideas from your research and put them in your own words.

Location of quotes/citation/

In this essay, you must include an indirect quote (also called paraphrase) as evidence to support your discussion.  This is where you use the ideas from your research, but write them in your own words.  The indirect quote goes in the main body of your essay.  Not in the introduction or the conclusion.

Intext citation – How to cite/ reference your quotes or paraphrase

After you write a paraphrase you must write the family name of who originally said this, the date it was published, and the page number if there is one.  (Wright, 2018 p.1) This is called a  intext citation.  Write the full APA style reference for the paraphrase in your references list at the end of your essay.

Instructions for Essay 2

1.Choose one of the following essay titles.

2.Make a plan.

3. Write your essay and include an indirect quote (paraphrase) correctly cited in your essay.
4. Add a minimum of 3 references in APA style to show where you got your information from.

Choice A

Today the number of people who are at risk of serious health problems due to being overweight is increasing. What are the reasons for the growth of overweight people in society? How can this problem be solved? 250 – 300 words

Choice B

Over the last few years, the number of divorce cases has been increasing in the UAE. What are some of the causes and effects of divorce on children and society? 250 – 300 words

Summaries (10%)

Each summary will be 150 -200 words.  For each summary read the article then post your notes, main idea and  summary to your blog.  If you look at the summary grading rubric you will see how important it is that you use your own words.

• Reduce – your summary should be much shorter than the original text.
• Reject – leave out the details and numbers.
• Reflect – cover all the same ideas of the original text.
• Reword – use your own words.

Here is your first Reading for Summary 1.  Now do the same for Reading for Summary 2

You have now covered all of the course material – Well done.