Help With Essay Writing Required
Help With Essay Writing Required
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Discussion

EmmaP

Original Poster:

11,758 posts

269 months

Tuesday 11th November 2008
quotequote all
One of my former BTEC ND students has written to me asking for help and advice with essay writing and research. He is on the second year of a BA (Hons) in Multimedia (not sure of exact course title as he has just transferred to another university). I have offered him some advice regarding research and essay writing. I was wondering whether or not anybody on here could recommend a book or guide that might assist him further with essay construction and writing.



aclivity

4,072 posts

218 months

Tuesday 11th November 2008
quotequote all
he's got to the second year of university without knowing how to write an essay?

fatboy b

9,665 posts

246 months

Tuesday 11th November 2008
quotequote all
Help with writing essays? Crickey, I could write an essay about that!

Murdoc

364 posts

219 months

Tuesday 11th November 2008
quotequote all
aclivity said:
he's got to the second year of university without knowing how to write an essay?
She did say it was 'Multimedia'.

aclivity

4,072 posts

218 months

Tuesday 11th November 2008
quotequote all
fatboy b said:
Help with writing essays? Crickey, I could write an essay about that!
But presumably you would use a spell checker for the difficult words like crikey? biggrin

Edited by aclivity on Tuesday 11th November 15:30

Soovy

35,829 posts

301 months

Tuesday 11th November 2008
quotequote all
EmmaP said:
He is on the second year of a BA (Hons) in Multimedia.....
So, years of school, GCSEs, A levels and first year of Uni, and he wants advice on how to write an ESSAY?

Words. Fail.




anonymous-user

84 months

Tuesday 11th November 2008
quotequote all
All he needs to remember is that planning is 90% of the job. Once he's got a clear idea of what he wants to say - and in what order he wants to cover the points - writing the thing is piss easy.

What's it actually about?

EmmaP

Original Poster:

11,758 posts

269 months

Tuesday 11th November 2008
quotequote all
Thanks for your replies so far. They are not quite what I was looking for, but not entirely unexpected.

MrTom

868 posts

233 months

Tuesday 11th November 2008
quotequote all
His Uni should have info on essay writing, formats, content, indexing and referencing aswell as talking to his tutors. He should try the Uni library first for some examples of essays and dissertations etc.

Are you sure he just doesn't fancy you, working the sympathy angle. Next he will be inviting you out for a drink to thank you. sperm

EmmaP

Original Poster:

11,758 posts

269 months

Tuesday 11th November 2008
quotequote all
Symbolica said:
All he needs to remember is that planning is 90% of the job. Once he's got a clear idea of what he wants to say - and in what order he wants to cover the points - writing the thing is piss easy.

What's it actually about?
That is pretty much what I have told him. I don't know what the subjects of the essays are. His problem seems to be with absorbing information, organising information and structuring an argument. He is actually a very highly motivated young man.

Andyuk911

1,979 posts

239 months

Tuesday 11th November 2008
quotequote all

EmmaP

Original Poster:

11,758 posts

269 months

Tuesday 11th November 2008
quotequote all
MrTom said:
His Uni should have info on essay writing, formats, content, indexing and referencing aswell as talking to his tutors. He should try the Uni library first for some examples of essays and dissertations etc.

Are you sure he just doesn't fancy you, working the sympathy angle. Next he will be inviting you out for a drink to thank you. sperm
I have advised him to speak with his personal tutor and also subject tutor. I hadn't thought about the library.

I don't think that he fancies me though. I'm old enough to be his mother and he does have a rather lovely girlfriend. Nice thought though hehe

aclivity

4,072 posts

218 months

Tuesday 11th November 2008
quotequote all
To be entirely fair, I don't write essays very often now either. That said, I'm not in full time education any more.

The poster above who mentioned planning has it about correct - think of it in terms of a document map (headings for paragraphs) and then fill in the details.

This link seems pretty reasonable: http://www.english.bham.ac.uk/staff/tom/teaching/h... from a brief reading.

I understand that you are a bit dismayed by the level of responses, but I am honestly taken aback that a second year, degree level student has no experience of written work.

Andy

xiphias

5,889 posts

257 months

Tuesday 11th November 2008
quotequote all
Somewhere on the university network should be a document outlining house style - this should at least show the breakdown of sections and if you bulletpoint from there, you should have a reasonable outline of an essay.

Soovy

35,829 posts

301 months

Tuesday 11th November 2008
quotequote all
EmmaP said:
MrTom said:
His Uni should have info on essay writing, formats, content, indexing and referencing aswell as talking to his tutors. He should try the Uni library first for some examples of essays and dissertations etc.

Are you sure he just doesn't fancy you, working the sympathy angle. Next he will be inviting you out for a drink to thank you. sperm
I have advised him to speak with his personal tutor and also subject tutor. I hadn't thought about the library.

I don't think that he fancies me though. I'm old enough to be his mother and he does have a rather lovely girlfriend. Nice thought though hehe
EmmaP discussing essays, earlier.



EmmaP

Original Poster:

11,758 posts

269 months

Tuesday 11th November 2008
quotequote all
Andyuk911 said:
Some useful points in there. Thanks!

EmmaP

Original Poster:

11,758 posts

269 months

Tuesday 11th November 2008
quotequote all
aclivity said:
This link seems pretty reasonable: http://www.english.bham.ac.uk/staff/tom/teaching/h... from a brief reading.

I understand that you are a bit dismayed by the level of responses, but I am honestly taken aback that a second year, degree level student has no experience of written work.

Andy
That's great!

I'm surprised too as I would have expected him to have learnt how to write essays at secondary school and college.

Puff Puff

23,205 posts

256 months

Tuesday 11th November 2008
quotequote all
He's not doing too badly is he, he has the combined intellect of PH giving him advice.

Arachnid

12 posts

221 months

Tuesday 11th November 2008
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Use the Open University web site. They have a number of easy books to explain essay construction.

Petoz

116 posts

215 months

Tuesday 11th November 2008
quotequote all
Can't begin to offer advice for content etc. But for style, and how best to craft any essay, I was pointed towards Strunk & White, "The Elements of Style." Parts of it came in very useful during my degree, and the multiple essays I had to write (just finished history degree). This is a link to the full text online. Hope it helps.

http://www.bartleby.com/141/

Alternative link:

http://www.crockford.com/wrrrld/style.html


Edited by Petoz on Tuesday 11th November 16:25