How to Write Better Essays

The next stage

As we’ll see in the next stage, by planning in this way you can begin to

write introductions, conclusions and paragraphs with complete confi-

dence. It is impossible to write a good introduction to an essay if you

don’t know what you’re introducing. The same can be said for devel-

oping your arguments from one paragraph to another. Without a clear

idea of the structure of your arguments and how you plan to move con-

sistently from one idea to another, you will be forced to do this at the

very same time that you’re searching for just the right word or expres-

sion to convey your ideas with complete accuracy. As a result you’re

likely to do neither very well.

170 Planning

Assignment 8

Revising and recalling plans

Now that you’ve planned your essay, the best test of whether it works,

in so far as it’s relevant, clearly structured and answers the question

completely, is to try to recall it under timed conditions, as you will have

to in the exam.

Spend fifteen minutes committing your plan to memory. Concentrate

on the main structure. If you can recall the key points that make up this

structure, you will be able to recall the detail within it, if your arguments

are organised in a clear, logical manner, and they’re relevant to the

question.

After you’ve done this, put it aside for a day or so, but decide before-

hand at what time you will come back to test yourself. Then, when you

come back, take out a blank sheet of paper and give yourself ten minutes

to reproduce the plan.

If the plan works, you will be able to recall, maybe not all of it, but at

least the main structure. If you can’t recall much at all, it may be due to

technical reasons: the keywords that trigger off your arguments aren’t

crisp and sufficiently memorable, or perhaps the structure is buried

beneath too much detail. Make the necessary changes and try again.

You will know when you’ve got it right: you will be able to recall with

complete accuracy all of the structure and most of the detail. Having

done this once successfully, you will know what will work in future.

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