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Essay Checklist

The essay checklist provides guidelines for writing a discursive essay at university, focusing on the introduction, main body, and conclusion. It emphasizes the importance of a clear thesis statement, logical structure, thematic flow, and effective use of linking words. The conclusion should summarize key arguments without introducing new information and may include recommendations.

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5 views5 pages

Essay Checklist

The essay checklist provides guidelines for writing a discursive essay at university, focusing on the introduction, main body, and conclusion. It emphasizes the importance of a clear thesis statement, logical structure, thematic flow, and effective use of linking words. The conclusion should summarize key arguments without introducing new information and may include recommendations.

Uploaded by

Mujtaba Syed
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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ESSAY

CHECKLIST

You can use this essay checklist to help you ensure


that you have covered all the fundamental elements
required for writing a discursive essay at university.

Introduction

Does your introduction...

• Have a clear introduction that references the original assignment


brief/essay question?
• Explain to your reader what the topic of the assignment is and why
this topic matters? It is important that you 'set up the stakes' in your
introduction. This will help entice your reader and give you a
position from which to build your arguments. For example, if you are
writing about the importance of care planning in nurses, you may
wish to including in your introduction a brief explanation regarding
why care planning exists and what could go wrong if a care plan is
inaccurate.
• Explain to your reader how you essay will tackle its topic? Are you
'analysing'? Reflecting? 'Arguining'?

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• Have a thesis statement? A thesis statement is usually one or two


sentences that explain the over goal of the assignment. For example,
'The essay will discuss the various key stages of early childhood
development, making specific reference to both Vygotsky
and Piaget. It will then apply these theories to a group of early years
learners in order to evaluate their effectiveness is measuring
development.' This thesis statement not only tells the reader what to
expect from the assignment but also gives you, the writer, a loose
structure to follow.

Remember, your introduction should be a brief summary of the main points


and arguments in your assignment. Academic writing does not like surprises;
an introduction should serve as a promise to the reader: this is what this
essay will cover, why it is important, and how it will be organised.

Main body

Does you main body...

• Follow a logical structure? Different assignment questions will lend


themselves to difference structures, but it is generally safe to assume
that a discursive essay (a 'standard' academic essay) will work best with
a General-to-Specific structure. This means that the assignment should
begin with the information that is easiest to understand
(usually the background) before going onto more more complex
arguments.

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ESSAY
CHECKLIST

• Flow logically? In order to make an assignment 'flow', it is best to think


about grouping information thematically. For example, if you are writing
about the history of 'kitchen-sink' drama, you might want to begin by
looking at what came before. This would be your background. Then, the
next theme could relate to how this new type of drama arose from the
culture of the time/what it sought to achieve. You might then look at the
successes and failures of the genre -perhaps this theme might need
breaking down into smaller, more specific sub-themes? Following a
General-to-Specific pattern, you should be able to summarise each
paragraph as a basic theme, and these themes should build logically
towards your conclusion. Can you do that with your essay, or do you
have gaps in logic (gaps in theme)? If so, you need to redraft!
• Make good use of linking words and phrases? Using linkers is one of the
best ways to increase the flow and readability of your work. Linkers can
range from the very simple, such as however, nevertheless, therefore,
additionally... to more complex sentence structures, such as not only....
but also..., However, despite x, y is..., One of the core issues regarding....,
While X states that... it is also true that... There are a number of linking
words and phrases that can be used in academic writing.

Manchester Phrasebank, created by the University of Manchester, is an


excellent recourse of good quality academic linkers. You can check out
Manchester Phrasebank by visiting this URL:

http://ww.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/

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ESSAY
CHECKLIST

Conclusions

Does your conclusion...

• Recap the main arguments given in your essay? There should be no new
information or arguments in your conclusion. The purpose of the
conclusion is to summarise the main ideas and arguments you have
already given in the main body of your assignment.
• Relate logically to the points you have raised? For example, if you have
included multiple arguments explaining that a certain position in flawed,
it would not make sense if your essay then concludes by stating that the
position has merit or validity.
• Give recommendations? Not all conclusions need to do, but in some
cases it may be appropriate. This is especially true if your assignment
brief was to explore or discuss the effectiveness of a certain approach,
theory, or methodology.
• Get to the point? Conclusions shouldn't need to be overly long - after all,
you will have made all your arguments in the main body of your
assignment. A conclusion is designed to pull those arguments together
and reiterate your final position. In this sense, conclusions should be (to
some extent) obvious to the reader. A well-argued essay will naturally
lead the reader to predict the conclusion as the writer will have written
persuasively throughout. If the conclusion comes as a surprise, this may
indicate that you haven't made your arguments clear enough in the main
body.

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