8 ways to get a 1st for your next essay
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Transcript of 8 ways to get a 1st for your next essay
8 waysto get a first For your next essay
http://www.essay.uk.comBy the clever people at
Things that are tough: Getting 70%+
There are so many students are in this boat. Pushing your mark from a 2:1 grade to 1st class is about finding those extra points of excellence. If, no matter how hard you work, you’re never quite hitting 70%, why not look back over your past essays and ask yourself honestly if you’re doing all of these things:
We getcha.
“I felt like I worked really hard for that assignment. But in the end I got 62%. No matter how hard I work, I never quite hit a 1st. What am I doing wrong?”
As a result, students tend to…:
First, you can go wrong by simply not reading the
question properly.
1. Make sure you understand the questionThere are two main ways
students commonly misunderstand the question set
for them.
Pay no attention to any restrictions on the scope
of the question (for example, time periods,
jurisdiction or other specifics)
Write everything they know about the topic rather than answering
the question.
An example:
Brief explanation of what is meant by a
pre nup agreement
Brief explanation of their
unenforceability
Key points from the case
How these key points have affected the
law as it stood previously
How the area is undergoing reform
Jurisdiction: the question does not call for any detail on
pre nups in other countries beyond a brief mention such
as ‘unlike the Netherlands where pre nups are
binding…’.
Affect on enforceability: Only mention specific areas
where there is a change between the old position and
the new post-Radmacher position.
ESSAY TITLE
‘Has Radmacher v Granatino affected the enforceability of pre nup agreements in the UK? Discuss'.
WHAT SHOULD GO IN YOUR ESSAY LIMITATION OF SCOPE
More clues“ELEMENTARY, my dear Watson…”
Other clues on what is expected of you come from the wording of the question – for example, if your tutor asks you to discuss an issue, you are expected to explain the issue, then give two or more sides of the issue and any implications. You can find out more about common words used in essay questions on this page (scroll down to the lower half) : http://www.essay.uk.com/types-of-essay/
I need to explain the issue…
It’s asking me to discuss…
…then give two or more sides of the
issue…
//and any implications
‘blah’
Secondly, there are many different essay types and
each require different things. If you miss
something that’s required by the type of essay you’ll
lose marks. Use the ‘Types of essay’ guide to understand what exactly
you are being asked to do.
2. Use your marking scheme
I know what my tutor is looking for
It’s all in the marking scheme This is easy.
Time for a beer…
Okay, maybe I overdid it…
Pay attention.
Most unis issue a marking scheme with each assignment. This is a recipe for how to get a higher mark so scrutinise it carefully before you start and then review your essay against the scheme after you’re done. There is usually an assessment handbook too, which contains more general advice on achieving the different grade bands.
3. Avoid going off on a tangent
Explain how each point you make is relevant to
the essay question.
“So this example illustrates that….
(some point relevant to answering the essay question)”
“Clever stuff”
“Gulp…”
There will be no irrelevant material in a first class essay.
The way to avoid this is, as you’re writing, constantly revisit the question and ask yourself why you need each sentence to answer it. Make sure you spell out to the reader exactly how each part of your essay answers the question.
You do this by tying the point
back to the question.
4. Be original and don’t use too many quotes
You won’t get a higher grade if all
you do is quote other peoples’
words and material,
especially if your quoting (or
paraphrasing) is particularly
excessive and comes over as a regurgitation of
your reading material.
TIP:Cubing can
sometimes be useful to help generate new ideas around a particular topic.
TIP:
Take the topic and follow these
steps:
• describe the topic
• compare the topic to other
things or topics• associate the
topic• analyse the
topic• apply the
topic; and• argue the
topic.
CUBING
The mark of first class work is originality.
This means ideas of your own that are outside of the material you’ve been asked to read. You need to support these with strong arguments or citations to the material that led you to these conclusions, though – your opinion on its own doesn’t count for much!.
5. Get your referencing rightGo through this referencing checklist and make sure you’re ticking off every point.
• STYLE: Have you used the correct style specified for your course? For example, Harvard, Oxford, OSCOLA, APA…
• FORMATTING: Have you formatted the referencing in the essay and bibliography properly? Check your university guide – there are many variations of the most common styles, especially Harvard.
• QUALITY: Have you used quality sources that are considered reliable such as journals and leading text books? For law assignments, have you used primary sources as authority when they are available?
• QUANTITY: Have you used a good number of references within your essay to support your arguments? For most essays, relying on just 1 or 2 sources won’t be enough and high standard essays demonstrate that the student has conducted plenty of research.
More on the next slide…
Here, we're not just talking about citations.
5. Get your referencing right (continued)
• RECENCY: Where appropriate, are your references up to date? For example, don’t use the 2004 edition of a text book if there’s a 2012 edition out!
• AUTHENTICITY: Are your references authentic? For example, if you find a reference to a journal within one of your textbooks, don’t cite that journal as if you have a copy. Instead, refer to the journal as being cited in the book (each referencing style has a way to present this so check your referencing guide).
• AUTHORITY: Have you provided adequate authority for all of the arguments you have presented? Even if they are original and your own opinion, you need to provide citations to material that helped you reach a particular conclusion.
More to check on your referencing….
6. Avoid generalitiesSweeping generalities are clear signs that you don’t know your stuff, and they really irritate lecturers. Avoid using statements like this:
“Most people think that…” “It is commonly thought that…”For statements like: ‘It has been established that…’, you
can only use them if you back them up with a credible source that genuinely shows that a particular point has
been established. If you can’t find such a source, try and use something such as ‘one possible line of thought is…’
or ‘one possibility is…’ instead.
So many students do a fantastic job of presenting very strong arguments , conclusive evidence and overall
a really impressive essay – but they don’t tie what they’ve written back to the question.
For example, if the question is “Do we value
only what we struggle for?”, you can present all the evidence you like for how we do and don’t only value what we struggle for
but unless you reach a conclusion, you’ve not
answered the question. Make sure you’ve got a
paragraph that starts something like, “In
conclusion, it seems we do tend to only
value what we struggle for because (summarise the strongest arguments or
evidence)”.
7. Make sure you’ve explicitly answered the question.
? Spell it out!
8. Present your work impeccablyIt counts for more than you might think…
Perfect presentation
PRESENTATION = BETTER MARKS
Presentation includes spelling, grammar, punctuation, choice of words, tone, flow, signposting, a cover sheet and index where you have been asked to provide one, and often referencing. There are three points here.
• First, your university will usually reserve a certain amount of marks for presentation, often about 5%. These are the easiest marks out of your whole assignment to pick up, so take extra care not to lose them.
• Secondly, the reality is that your presentation often influences far your grade far beyond the 5% allocated. A lot of the ‘feel’ of the paper comes from presentation. To get the best grades, your presentation needs to be impeccable.
• Third, you might have the best arguments in the world, but it’s possible your presentation could be weakening them. Punctuation and word choice are two examples that can make an enormous difference to the strength of your writing. If in doubt, consider using a professional service to tidy up your writing.
“The marking scheme we were provided with to grade our students’ essays included a note on the final grade to award. Did the essay feel
like a 2:1 or a 1st? If a student’s paper was a few marks off a grade band, up or down, we were entitled to move that essay into the grade band where we felt it should sit”
– Associate Lecturer.
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