Essay Writing

An essay should follow this basic structure:

Introduction(1 paragraph, 2 at most)

Main Body(as many paragraphs as you need to cover your points properly)

Conclusion(1 paragraph, bringing together your points – do not introduce new information!)

Essay structure

In other words…

What I’m going to say

Saying it

What I said

For this reason, your introduction and conclusion are likely to be better if they are written after the main body of your essay is drafted.

Essay structure

Write in paragraphs (related groups of sentences; each paragraph should only usually focus on one main idea)

This could include

• A topic sentence

• Supporting sentence

• Evidence & support for what you have written

• Analysis

The main body of your essay

States the main fact

Explains and develops the point you are making

Evidence from your reading (quotes, citations)

Analyse and interpret the evidence. Comment on its significance and impact

Sample paragraph

The central theme of Orwell’s 1984 could be argued to be surveillance of the individual by the state. This theme permeates the novel, and has become the pop-cultural meaning of the term ‘Orwellian’. From the opening sequence, where Winston is roused by a vid-screen, which goes on to order him to engage more in his morning exercises (Orwell 1948, pp.3-7), it is clear that ‘Big Brother’ is watching. However, it could be argued that this communication is more jarring for a contemporary reader than the author’s contemporaneous one: lack of understanding regarding the nature of the broadcast medium of television led many households to cover the screen when they weren’t watching so that they could not be seen (Deary 1995).

Topic sentenceSupporting sentence Evidence & supportAnalysis

You can repeat the ‘evidence and support’ and ‘analysis’

stages several times per paragraph

The introduction• Introduce the aims and the topic areas of the essay

• Provide a summary of your essay with reference to the essay question

• Define any terms in the question which may not be commonly understood

This essay will discuss the relationship between modern culture of surveillance and the vision of the future given by George Orwell’s 1984, exploring the similarities and discrepancies between them. Surveillance can be defined as the “collection and processing of personal data, whether identifiable or not, for the purposes of influencing or managing *the individual+” (Dict. Policing 2012). This essay will look at both the collection and the processing of data, as well as considering the nature of this data and the uses, benevolent or totalitarian, for which it is put to use. It will also endeavour to explore the consequences of surveillance. As our society and that of 1984 appear to be at different stages in the evolution of surveillance, direct comparison will not be possible; however, the author will attempt to draw some conclusions around this area.

This is simply a summing up of the essay

• Re-state the answer to the question

• Summarise the main points of your essay

• Highlight the key ideas which you think your essay covers

• Don’t introduce new information or ideas

• You may want to include a final confident sentence with possible suggestions for future research

• This shows that you have critically engaged with the topic and can recognise areas which you did not have time and space to cover

The conclusion

Essay style• Use the 3rd-person style: never use ‘I’ in an essay unless

specifically told to.

• Formal language : avoid contractions and colloquial language• ‘did not’, not ‘didn’t’; ‘television’ not ‘TV’ or ‘telly’

• Write in proper sentences – word-processing software can assist you with this.

• Don’t use bullet points in an essay• You can sometimes structure bullets into a flowing list by using colons

and semi-colons; however, each bullet usually needs to be a separate sentence.

Essay style• Use clear language to communicate your points

• Avoid obfuscation (obscure language used instead of simple terms)

• Re-write your work at least once, to make it flow better• First-drafts often become ‘garbled’ as you pull ideas together – you may

know what it means, but the marker may not!

• Make sure you are not just describing something. For good marks you need to discuss, explain and analyse ideas.

• Keep within the word count. • If you tend to write too much, reduce the number of individual points.

If you don’t write enough, try to expand the points.

• You should be able to read out your work without struggling for breath (unless you smoke 40 a day…) • If you can’t, you probably need more clause breaks (commas and

semi/colons; turning one long sentence into two or more shorter ones).

• Ask a friend or relative to read over your work. Print out your work and read your essay out loud to pick up mistakes.

Hints and tips

Rewriting a first-draft

The central theme of Orwell’s 1984 could be argued to be surveillance of the individual by the state. This theme permeates the novel, and has become the pop-cultural meaning of the term ‘Orwellian’. From the opening sequence, where Winston is roused by a vid-screen, which goes on to order him to engage more in his morning exercises (Orwell 1948, pp.3-7), it is clear that ‘Big Brother’ is watching. However, I reckon this is more of a WTF moment for modern readers than for a 1940s audience -some peoples covered the screen when they weren’t watching so that the TV people could not see them (Deary). The level of surveillance is also shown when their in the country to hide from the authority [cit]; even in a rural idyll, it seems, Big Brother can see, hear and punish dissent.

3rd personFormal languageProper sentencesClear languageDiscuss/explain/analyse