Essay Guide
Our comprehensive guide to the stages of the essay development process. Back to Student Resources
How much is that degree in the window?
Fair exchange
You are at university to get a degree but not just any degree: you are here to get the degree you want to have. You aren’t going to get that degree just for turning up but you won’t get a better degree just because you’ve done every last thing and read everything you’ve been set. You need to learn how to do two thing important things: to understand and select what’s important; and to understand what tutors expect you to do.
I gotta use words when I talk to you
One of the most important things at university is the written word. Universities start and finish with it. Some people would even go so far as to say that academic life is founded on it. Tutors give you seminar notes and reading lists. You give them essays. However, understanding what sort of written word tutors are looking for can be confusing. So this part of the guide is going to help you to understand how to use that strange language called ‘academic writing’.
Writing equals access
One way to think about writing at university is that it is the means by which the institution lets you get what you want to have. Written work is what earns you credits which in turn enable you to pass a module which in turn enables you to progress to the next level of your course. Written work is the means by which tutors give you feedback on your progress. Written answers are the means by which you pass exams.