Section 6 - Essay Writing Skills - Introduction - Expectations - Time Management - Planning the Structure of an Essay

Sep 22, 2026

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Section 6 guides learners in developing practical essay-writing skills for university assessment. It outlines expectations for presentation, including formatting, blind marking, and submission practices, then addresses first- vs third-person writing. The section also explains how to manage time to avoid last-minute work, plan resource access, and leave room for proof-reading, editing, and redrafting. It further teaches how to build an argument-focused essay structure by using introduction, thesis, anti-thesis, and synthesis.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPresentations

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time7 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Expectations

Time Management and Essay Writing

Time Management

Planning the Structure of an Essay

Section 6 Essay Writing Skills Introduction This section will look at how to develop essay writing skills, and will end with an explanation of the marking system used within the School for Policy Studies. We will be looking at: 1. University requirements 2. Time management when writing an essay 3. Planning the structure of an essay 4. Getting started: writer’s block 5. Common concerns in essay writing and how to avoid them 6. Writing style – including ‘Mind your language’ and how to avoid using sexist, racist and disablist language in your work 7. Proof-reading your work 8. Marking essays Expectations There are certain expectations concerning presentation that you should take into account when writing essays. Your essays should be typed, in 12 pt font, with 1.5 or double line spacing. This makes the essay easier to read and gives space for feedback comments to be written on the essay. Essays should be printed on one side of the paper only, and page numbers should be used. You should use your candidate number, rather than your name, when submitting assessed work for marking – the essays are ‘blind-marked’, ie the lecturer does not know who has written them, so there is no potential for bias or favouritism. You should always hand in two copies of your work, and always keep a copy for yourself, either on disk, on paper or both. A commonly-asked question is whether students must write in the first or third person (that is, for example, writing ‘I will discuss …’or writing ‘Several issues will be discussed….’) . There is no hard and fast rule within the University: different lecturers advocate different styles, and the style may be influenced by the subject matter. For example, research report might be best written in the third person but more reflexive work may necessitate writing in the first person. Whichever style you choose, it is important to be consistent and to remember that you are aiming to write as a ‘professional’ academic. Time Management and Essay Writing The production of a completed essay involves the development and use of many different skills, as reflected in the sections that this manual has already covered. For example, you must read from different sources, take notes in lectures, from books and journals, and learn to reference accurately. When writing an essay all of these are brought together, alongside skills such as planning an essay, and dealing with common problems associated with writing. In bringing together all of these skills, you clearly need to be organised and plan your time well. When you are writing essays for this course, it is likely you will still be preparing seminar presentations and reading for tutorials and seminars. It is also likely that you will be writing or at least thinking about other essays as well. For this reason do not leave writing essays until the last minute! If you do, however much reading and note-taking you have done, you will not be able to do yourself justice. In addition, the libraries have limited resources and other people, not only those on your course, may have the books you need. It is therefore a good idea to look at essay questions and reading lists as soon as possible and to plan how you are going obtain the resources that you need. If you work on essays steadily and consistently, you will find that you have enough time left for a crucial aspect of essay writing that is often overlooked: proof-reading, editing and redrafting. You need to be realistic but also fair to yourself. Do not under-estimate the time it will take to find and read the resource material, to write, re-write and edit your essay, but remember that you will need to have breaks from your work and that other events (such as birthdays, family celebrations, Christmas, and so on) are also important! Time Management ∙ Do not leave essay writing until the last minute – make a reasonable time plan that takes account of the other work you need to do and other

FAQs

What presentation requirements should be followed when submitting assessed essays?

Essays should be typed in 12 pt font, using 1.5 or double line spacing, printed on one side only, with page numbers. Assessed work should use the candidate number rather than your name, and students must submit two copies while keeping one copy themselves.

How should students manage time when writing an essay for this course?

Students are advised not to leave essay writing until the last minute. They should plan early, look at essay questions and reading lists as soon as possible, and include time for proof-reading, editing, and redrafting while also taking necessary breaks.

How can students plan the structure of an essay to strengthen their argument?

Students should use a framework that helps them answer the question asked rather than including all known information. The section recommends structuring an essay into an introduction, thesis, anti-thesis, and synthesis, ensuring the introduction sets up the topic and argument while the conclusion evaluates how evidence supports the argument.

Sep 22, 2026

Upload by Liam