How to Write Better Essays

Checklist

1 Is the content accurate?

2 Are the grammar, punctuation and spelling correct?

3 Have I distinguished clearly between my own ideas and those of

others?

4 Have I acknowledged all sources and references?

5 Have I omitted any text from my bibliography?

Fourth revision – style

For most of us this is the most difficult and confusing of all revisions.

There’s just so much we need to focus on. To make it easier, just work

from a simple list of things you’re looking for. Eventually, you may want

to include other things that you come to realise are significant prob-

lems in your writing. But at this stage just confine yourself to the

following simple list of the most important things that you need to

pay attention to – they will have an immediate impact on your

writing, making it light, interesting and easy to read.

It’s worth reminding yourself that the more you take out at this stage,

the more readable your work becomes. What remains becomes more

vivid, grabbing and keeping the interest of your reader. In view of this

you will almost certainly need a number of revisions of this type. I find

the more of these revisions I can do the better it becomes, until I reach

a stage when I realise all too clearly that I need do no more.

Unnecessary material

As you go through your work, keep asking yourself if there are any

unnecessary words, phrases, sentences, or even paragraphs, that

ought to be removed. Again, remind yourself that the readability

of your work will improve in proportion to the unnecessary material

you eliminate.

In the advertising essay you might have a sentence like the

following:

A small sign nailed to a village tree announcing where and when the

local village fête will take place might be giving just information, but

beneath it lies a covert message, an appeal to people, who might be

reading it, to come along and support local causes in their fund-

raising activities.

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