Writing your assignment
Write your essay
Use your essay plan to develop your introduction, body paragraphs and conclusion in full. Your completed essay should have a clear argument which is relevant to the assignment task, logically organised so that it is easy to follow, and well supported through the use of credible and reliable sources. In this section you will learn more about the essay writing process, paragraph writing and academic language. Use the essay writing checklist at the end of this section to help you finalise your essay.
Watch the video
Video length: 2 minutes, 26 seconds
Key points from the video
- Writing an essay involves taking a position on an issue and defending it using academic support.
- It is not a linear process - there will be planning, drafting, extra reading, redrafting and editing.
- Essays usually have an introduction, body paragraphs, a conclusion and a reference list.
- The introduction usually contains background information about the topic, your position and a preview of how your ideas will be organised.
- Each paragraph has a topic sentence to introduce the focus, supporting sentences with evidence and examples and a concluding sentence to sum up the paragraph or connect it to the next one.
- The conclusion summarises the main points of your essay and restates your position.
- The reference list is at the end of your essay and is a list of all the sources you used in-text (in the body of your writing) to support your argument.
Develop your paragraphs
Click through the slides below to see what an introduction, body paragraph and conclusion look like. Click on the question marks on each slide for further information.
Useful resources
- Essay writing overview (pdf)
- Introductions (pdf)
- Paragraphs (pdf)
- Conclusions (pdf)
- Reference list (Harvard UniSA) - Quick guide (pdf)
- Linking words and phrases (pdf)
- Vocabulary: Linking words and phrases (pdf)
- Psychology example essay (pdf)
- Social sciences example essay (pdf)
Use academic language
Click through the slides below to learn about the key characteristics of academic writing.
Useful resources
- Academic vocabulary and phrases (pdf)
- Expressing yourself clearly and concisely (pdf)
- Tentative language (pdf)
- Writing objectively (pdf)
- Academic phrasebank - Courtesy: Uni of Manchester (link)
Refer to an essay writing checklist
Click through the topics below for tips to help you finalise your essay.
Download the checklist