Writing a good essay

Academic Skills Centre

A good academic essay
 fully addresses the question which was asked;

 is based on critical reading and thinking of a wide range of academic

resources;

 reflects depth of knowledge and understanding of the subject being

studied;

 has a convincing argument supported by sufficient, appropriate

evidence;

 contains good illustrative examples;

 follows a clear, logical structure;

 uses appropriate referencing where it is required;

 is professionally presented.

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10 steps for writing an
academic essay
1. Understand the assignment task
2. Research the topic and take effective notes
3. Establish a position
4. Develop a plan
5. Do the math
6. Draw up a detailed outline
7. Write effective paragraphs
8. Reference all your sources
9. Carefully edit your work
10. Check the marking criteria
1. Understand the assignment task

Consider the following question:

In Australia, a person’s social class impacts

their life chances. Critically evaluate this
statement.
1. Understand the assignment task

Consider the following question:

In Australia, a person’s social class impacts

their life chances. Critically evaluate this
statement.
1. Understand the assignment task

Consider the following question:

In Australia, a person’s social class impacts

their life chances. Critically evaluate this
statement.
 2. Research the topic
and take effective notes

In Australia, a person’s social class impacts their life chances. Critically

evaluate this statement.

Evidence Ref.
 Poor areas are associated with higher Brown, 2008: 72
unemployment
 Less opportunity for quality education Stark, 2009:8
Evidence  Less tertiary ed. access Stark, 2009: 14
for  Poorer healthcare services Brown, 2008: 48
Touresse, 2007: 6
 lower life expectancy

Evidence  many successful people have come from Williams, 2010: 9

the lower class . .
against
Perhaps social class impacts
opportunities, but it’s not necessarily
a determinant; social class can be
overcome………but how difficult is
this……?
 3. Establish a position
What do you think  Make clear stance, that you defend with
about the topic?
evidence and argument
 Make clear stance, that you defend with
While you plan…
research…
 Constantly note
evidence and your own thoughts in relation
argument
read… to what you are reading and the assignment
task
Constantly note your own thoughts in relation
to what you are reading and the assignment
task

These reactions to what you engage with are

theThese
emergence
reactionsof
to your ownengage
what you critical position
with are the
emergence of your own critical position
 3. Establish a position
Determine a thesis

A thesis statement
is one or two
sentences
summarising
your position
clearly
 What topics do I need to cover
Don’t think about
order of or discuss to address this
ideas, yet.
question clearly and
Brainstorm as
many
comprehensively?
facets of
the
problem
as you
can.

Also, think about

what
evidence
and
resources
you’ll need
to support
your
argument.
4. Develop a plan

 Brainstorm
List all the ideas that you want to include in your
paper
 Organise
Group related ideas together
 Order
Arrange material in subsections from general to
specific or from abstract to concrete
 Label
Create main and sub-headings

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4. Develop a plan

No: class does not affect life chances

 Individual cases (evidence anecdotal)
 Relies upon overcoming odds

In Australia, a person’s social

class impacts their life chances.
Critically evaluate this statement.

Yes: class affects life chances

What are life chances? Statistics re:
 Education  Life expectancy
 Better jobs?  Year 12 completions
 Employment in general  Tertiary education
 Healthcare  Average income…?
 Mental Health?  Life quality
(mental health, happiness, etc.)
5. Do the math
 Word limit: 2000
Words per paragraph: 200
 Number of academic paragraphs = 10
 Paragraph 1 = introduction
Paragraph 10 = conclusion
Therefore 8 = body paragraphs

This means, I can make 8 points in order to

explain the topic and ‘prove’ the thesis

What are those points going to be?

 Essay Structure

Introduction 200 words

Paragraph/main idea 1 200 words

Paragraph/main idea 2 200 words

Paragraph/main idea 3 200 words

Paragraph/main idea 4 200 words

Body
Paragraph/main idea 5 200 words

Paragraph/main idea 6 200 words

Paragraph/main idea 7 200 words

Paragraph/main idea 8 200 words

Conclusion 200 words

Total: 2,000 words

 Return to your plan

How can I divide the

topics into paragraphs?
 6. Draw up a detailed outline
1. Introduction
2. Define social class
Your essay is a 3. Explain “life chances” and how they are
series of defined
argumentative 4. Discuss evidence that suggests social class
blocks
has little bearing on life chances
5. Critique / evaluate that evidence
6. Discuss the effect of social class on
education
7. Discuss the effect of social class on
employment quantity and quality
8. Discuss the effect of social class on
healthcare
9. Discuss the effect of social class on mental
health/happiness/satisfaction
10. Conclusion
 6. Draw up a detailed outline
Paragraph 4 Discuss evidence that suggests social class has little bearing on life chances
 Individual cases of great success despite class position
(Pete & Firth, 2002; Taylor, Swanson & Rudd, 2007)

Paragraph 5 Critique / evaluate that evidence

 Evidence is anecdotal and not representative
 Tales are used as an ideological tool to suggest that success is based
entirely on individual effort (Althusser, 1991; Zizek, 2006)
 Relies on individuals overcoming great odds
 The fact that these individuals “defy the odds” suggests that for
most, success like this is unattainable
 Statistics are a more effective way of measuring the impact of class
on certain life chances (Dewey &
Townsend, 2004)

Paragraph 6 Discuss the effect of social class on education

 Educational resources are lacking in some schools ABS
 Other social and financial pressures compete with education
(Dewey & Townsend, 2004; Taylor, Swanson & Rudd, 2007)
 School completion rates ABS
 University attendance rates ABS
 A closer look at paragraphs

Introduce the main

idea of the Topic Sentence Introduction
paragraph
+
Elaborate
Reference all ideas Illustrate
sourced from other Body
texts Provide evidence
Explain
Analyse
Clarify the
relevance of the +
main point of the
paragraph and link Concluding/Linking Conclusion
it back to overall
topic and the next Sentence(s)
paragraph
 A sample paragraph
Two key theories emerge as the most widely accepted and adapted
in examining class inequalities: those by Karl Marx and Max Weber.
Karl Marx was amongst the first to define social class in relation to
the means of production. Marx’s theories identified two distinct
Topic classes, the self-employed—or bourgeoisie, in Marxist terms—who
Sentence/s owned their own business or some means of generating income
from which they lived off, or the working class—proletariat—who
work for a wage or salary (Western 2000, p.70). Max Weber’s class
Discussion of
analysis elaborates on this. Like Marx, Weber’s social classes are
evidence
defined according to employment, but of equal importance to
Weber was a person’s status and power. Differing from Marx’s rigid
two-class theory, Weber instead introduced the concept of social
stratification. In this context, Marx’s working and ruling classes
simply form the two poles of Weber’s wider social spectrum (Earle
& Fopp 1999, p.131). This essay will utilise Weber’s concept of
social stratification to discuss the notion of social class.

Clinching
sentence
7. Write effective paragraphs

A paragraph is a miniature essay that is self-contained

and follows the principles of:

 Unity – each sentence in the paragraph relates to the

topic sentence (only one main point).

 Coherence – all sentences in a paragraph connect

together smoothly and logically.

 Clear Order - pparagraphs should have an orderly

arrangement of ideas that support the topic sentence.

 Completeness – the main point is fully illustrated and

developed with sufficient evidence.

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 The introduction
 Provides background information to establish the
context
The – Why is your analysis relevant?
introduction is
roughly 10% of – Why should the reader keep reading?
the total word
count  Defines important terms, central issue(s) and key
concepts

 Introduces the main argument of the essay in the form

of a thesis statement
– What do you plan to discuss
– What is your position?

 Indicates what approaches / analytical frameworks you

will use to address the question (essay map)
– How are you going to address the topic?
 The conclusion
 Is a logical ending to what has been previously been
discussed.
The conclusion
is roughly 10%  Summarizes and synthesizes the main points from the body
of the total
word count
 Refers the reader back to the main argument or thesis from
your introduction

 Clearly signals that the essay is finished and leaves a clear

impression that the purpose of the essay has been achieved

 Recommends, predicts or provides a solution and makes a

final statement about the topic and leaves the reader with
something to think about
 The Essay Structure
1. Introduction
2. Define social class
Your essay is a 3. Explain “life chances” and how they are
series of defined
argumentative 4. Discuss evidence that suggests social class
blocks
has little bearing on life chances
5. Critique / evaluate that evidence
6. Discuss the effect of social class on
education
7. Discuss the effect of social class on
employment quantity and quality
8. Discuss the effect of social class on
healthcare
9. Discuss the effect of social class on mental
health/happiness/satisfaction
10. Conclusion
8. Reference all your sources

• Check the referencing style required

• Follow the appropriate referencing guide,

http://canberra.libguides.com/referencing

• Use correct in-text references

• Compile a reference list

9. Carefully proofread your work

• Follow the required presentation format

• Check that your assignment follows a clear and

logical structure

• Check your grammar, spelling and punctuation

• Check your in-text references match your

reference list
 10. Always check the marking criteria
Introduction to Marketing sample marking criteria

5% Introduction
10% Conclusion
10% Presentation, style and layout and accuracy of sourcing, citation and
referencing
25% Uses a range of academic resources to illustrate issues in
contemporary management
25% Critically evaluates principal historical and current approaches to the
study of management
25% Outlines the tasks and competencies required in the practice of
management
A good academic essay
 fully addresses the question which was asked;

 is based on critical reading and thinking of a wide range of academic

resources;

 reflects depth of knowledge and understanding of the subject being

studied;

 has a convincing argument supported by sufficient, appropriate

evidence;

 contains good illustrative examples;

 follows a clear, logical structure;

 uses appropriate referencing where it is required;

 is professionally presented.

28
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