How to Write the First
Draft in essay writing.
Introduction
By this stage, you will have a final essay plan and a
research document that presents your findings from the
research stage in an organised and easy-to-use way.
Together, these documents provide a clear map and all
the information you need to write a well-
structured essay, in a fraction of the time it would
otherwise take.
This timesaving comes from the fact that you have
already made all the big decisions about your essay
during the research phase:
You have a clear idea of your answer to the essay
question.
You know the main topics you will discuss to
support your answer.
You know the best order in which to discuss these
topics.
You know how many words should be spent on
these topics, based on their importance to
supporting your answer.
, You know what points you will make under each
topic and will discuss each of these in a new
paragraph.
You know exactly what information each paragraph
of your essay should contain.
You have already compiled your list of references
or bibliography, and have easy access to all the
details you need to correctly cite and reference your
work.
Formal academic language
Before starting to write your essay, you must understand
that using formal academic language is essential when
writing at university. Formal academic language is clear
and concise. You should never use 20 words when 10
will do; and your writing should leave no room for
misunderstanding or confusion.
First person should almost always be avoided when
writing an essay; however, it is recommended that you
check with your tutor or lecturer about their attitude
towards the first person and when it should be used, if
ever. Conversely, contractions (e.g. shouldn’t, could’ve,
he’s and hasn’t) are always inappropriate in academic
writing. The only time you should see a contraction in
academic text is in a direct quotation, usually taken from
informal or spoken text.
Draft in essay writing.
Introduction
By this stage, you will have a final essay plan and a
research document that presents your findings from the
research stage in an organised and easy-to-use way.
Together, these documents provide a clear map and all
the information you need to write a well-
structured essay, in a fraction of the time it would
otherwise take.
This timesaving comes from the fact that you have
already made all the big decisions about your essay
during the research phase:
You have a clear idea of your answer to the essay
question.
You know the main topics you will discuss to
support your answer.
You know the best order in which to discuss these
topics.
You know how many words should be spent on
these topics, based on their importance to
supporting your answer.
, You know what points you will make under each
topic and will discuss each of these in a new
paragraph.
You know exactly what information each paragraph
of your essay should contain.
You have already compiled your list of references
or bibliography, and have easy access to all the
details you need to correctly cite and reference your
work.
Formal academic language
Before starting to write your essay, you must understand
that using formal academic language is essential when
writing at university. Formal academic language is clear
and concise. You should never use 20 words when 10
will do; and your writing should leave no room for
misunderstanding or confusion.
First person should almost always be avoided when
writing an essay; however, it is recommended that you
check with your tutor or lecturer about their attitude
towards the first person and when it should be used, if
ever. Conversely, contractions (e.g. shouldn’t, could’ve,
he’s and hasn’t) are always inappropriate in academic
writing. The only time you should see a contraction in
academic text is in a direct quotation, usually taken from
informal or spoken text.
