ENG2613

How to Write an Essay

Let’s say you are required to write an argumentative essay in response to the following
topic:

“Children should read more non-fiction than fiction.”

Step 1: choosing a side/stance

The very first thing you need to do is think about the topic.
Consider all the information you have learnt over the course of this module as well as
your own personal experiences and decide what you think:

Do you think that children should read more non-fiction? Do you think that children
should read more fiction? Do you think that children should read equal amounts of
both? Or do you think that children should be allowed to read whatever interests them?

What you need to realise is that there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answwer in relation to the
topic. You can argue for any of the positions I have outlined above, as long as you give
enough substantiation to back-up the argument you are making.

By substantiation, I mean that you need to refer to the work of scholars published in
books, articles and online. You may also refer to your own experiences but this should
only be to illustrate a point, not as ‘proof’ in itself (i.e. academic sources are more
important that personal experiences).

Step 2: doing research

The second thing you need to do is research the topic in more depth.
Read various sources such as your textbook, academic articles, scholarly online
sources and academic books. See what other scholars have said about the topic. As
you read, think about the topic and take notes of what quotations you would like to use
in your essay (it is much easier to write down important quotations with complete
reference details now than it is trying to find something later and not knowing where it
came from). Aim to use between 5 and 10 academic sources that you can list in your
bibliography.
Step 3: outlining the argument

In this step, use a clean piece of paper or open a new doc. in Word and jot down the
ideas and points you want to make in your argument.
This step is crucial because jotting down your points enables you to see where there
are gaps in your logic and where you might need extra substantiation.

You can use the headings below (just remember to remove them when you write the
first draft of your essay!):
Introduction: write down the position you’re taking in relation to the topic i.e., should
children read more non-fiction or fiction?
Points: here you to jot down what points you want to make to persuade the reader that
your opinion is valid. Under each point, list the substantiation sub-points you will use to
prove the validity of the main point.
Conclusion: your final statement – this is a quick summary of your stance and the main
points.

Step 4: writing the first draft

Take the rough points and information that you put down in step 3 and write them into
fluent English paragraphs.

Introduction: restate that topic, taking a position i.e. ‘The question of whether children
should read more fiction or non-fiction is controversial. In this essay, I argue that…’ or
‘Many parents and teachers wonder whether they should encourage children to read
more fiction or more non-fiction. In this essay, I show that…’

Body of the essay:

Each point in step 3 must be written in full in its own paragraph.
Start the paragraph with a sentence that makes the point. Follow this with sentences
that provide substantiation for the point. The final sentence of the paragraph ties the
point to the topic i.e., ‘Thus, as Gardner argues, children should be allowed to choose
their own reading material’ or ‘My experience with older learners thus suggests that
while boys prefer non-fiction, girls tend to read more fiction’.

Conclusion:
One or two final sentences: restate the topic and briefly summarise your argument.
Step 5: editing and checking language

Because the mark for this essay is divided – i.e. half for content, half for correct English
– this is a crucial step!

Please take the time to make sure that there are no (or as few as possible) errors in
your work. Check that you have used the correct verbs in the correct tenses. Check that
your pronouns are correct. Check that you have written in full sentences (i.e. there is a
finite verb in every sentence).

Check that each paragraph has an opening main point and that the substantiation in the
rest of the paragraph is all related to this main point.

Check that the last line of every paragraph shows how the paragraph addresses the
issue raised in the main topic.

DO NOT PLAGIARISE!
Plagiarism is using someone else’s work and presenting it as your own.
If you use a quotation from a book, or information from an article, you must ALWAYS give
reference details so that the reader knows the information comes from somewhere else.
Plagiarism will result in a mark of 0% for this assignment.