Essay writing & syntax (1 Viewer)

[Aykay]

Hey guys,

I'm starting year 12 in 3 weeks and would just like to know how I can improve my essay writing and writing syntax. I was never taught how to write essays, and my style of writing isn't ideal.

I know you may say practice, but what should I practice with/on, and how do I learn what an optimal essay should look like?

Also, just wondering how can I improve my writing speed? The top people in my year write 12 pages in an hour, it's pretty intimidating.

Thanks!

 

[findx]

Hey guys,

I'm starting year 12 in 3 weeks and would just like to know how I can improve my essay writing and writing syntax. I was never taught how to write essays, and my style of writing isn't ideal.

I know you may say practice, but what should I practice with/on, and how do I learn what an optimal essay should look like?

Also, just wondering how can I improve my writing speed? The top people in my year write 12 pages in an hour, it's pretty intimidating.

Thanks!

Liberation Learning offers some free ebook on how to write essays. heres the link:
http://www.liberationlearning.com.au/

 

[enoilgam]

Essay writing comes with experience, I remember at the start of year 11 it was one of my weakest points, but now it is definitely my strongest. This is mainly because I did humanities subjects, which required me to do heaps of essay writing. After you keep doing it, you eventually improve and begin to understand the nuance of it and how to write more clearly and succinctly. I know that isnt the answer you are looking for, but that is the best method in my opinion.

Just to add my two cents, I think that BOS sets students up to fail in this area. In high school, you are never formally taught how to write essays (I didnt even know what an essay was until year 11), how to structure them etc. You arent even taught basic rules of grammar which are critical in the process. How BOS expects students to be able to write essays in english and other subjects is beyond me.

 

[Aykay]

Thanks both of you.

My school expects perfect essays and they don't help me great amounts in terms of phrasing, where I need help most. They help me in terms of structure, but I think its the conveying of ideas efficiently where I go wrong.

 

[Absolutezero]

Read and apply this:

http://community.boredofstudies.org/showthread.php?t=257183

I recommend this to everyone, because it's the best essay guide I've ever read. And I've read a few in my time.

 

[Aykay]

Thanks VERY much, that looks extremely helpful!
I think I'm going to read my texts and then just write an essay every day or two in these holidays in preparation for year 12.

 

[tutorsaustblog]

You can buy past papers and their answers. Read the best responses that others have written and compare them to your own. As a generic rule, i always followed te following at it never failed me:

Introduction

Body
Conclusion

 

[tutorsaustblog]

Apologies for the incompleteness of the previous post.

You can buy past papers and their answers. Read the best responses that others have written and compare them to your own. As a generic rule, i always followed te following at it never failed me:

Introduction
- 1 paragraph
- First sentence clearly states whether you are for or against the argument.
- List why you support the argument - what each of your subsequent paragraphs will be about

Body
- Number of paragraphs corresponds to the number of points in your introduction.
- First sentence is the topic sentence introducing point listed in the introduction. The next 2-3 sentences explain the argument
- Include a quote to back your argument - this gives you credibility
- Close your paragraph

Conclusion
- Summarise all paragraph points again
- Close with a quote that backs up your argument

 

[musing]

Essay writing comes with experience, I remember at the start of year 11 it was one of my weakest points, but now it is definitely my strongest. This is mainly because I did humanities subjects, which required me to do heaps of essay writing. After you keep doing it, you eventually improve and begin to understand the nuance of it and how to write more clearly and succinctly. I know that isnt the answer you are looking for, but that is the best method in my opinion.

Just to add my two cents, I think that BOS sets students up to fail in this area. In high school, you are never formally taught how to write essays (I didnt even know what an essay was until year 11), how to structure them etc. You arent even taught basic rules of grammar which are critical in the process. How BOS expects students to be able to write essays in english and other subjects is beyond me.

I agree wholeheartedly with this post. At the beginning of year 11, I did not know how to write an essay properly or succinctly. I read my old essays from year 11 and it was absolutely cringeworthy! But I think the choice of my subjects that are based on essays definitely gave me the edge in essay writing and I eventually improved. From my personal experiences, the best ways to improve your essay writing is to practise and get feedbacks from your teachers.

Also, I think it's just silly to write one essay and after everyday without getting feedbacks from your teachers - otherwise you're not going to see much progress in your writing. Their feedbacks are very important. This is how I did it - write essay, send it to my teacher and get feedbacks, then re-work on the essay by following the feedbacks, send it to your teacher again and so on until it's good enough. Alternatively, you could use a tutor if your teacher do not give you constructive feedbacks or is too lazy to mark/read your essays.

 

[Aykay]

Wow, thanks musing, I'll try your method!