How to Write Better Essays

we can read around our subject and take on board more ideas and

information.

It also gives us more time to process the ideas. We will see how

important this is if we are to avoid becoming just ‘surface-level proces-

sors’, reading passively without analysing and structuring what we

read, or criticising and evaluating the arguments presented. We will

examine the techniques involved in analysing a passage to extract its

structure, so that we can recall the arguments, ideas and evidence more

effectively. We will also learn the different ways we can improve our

ability to criticise and evaluate the arguments we read. In this way we

can become ‘deep-level processors’, actively processing what we read

and generating more of our own ideas.

Note-taking

Many of the same issues resurface when we consider note-taking.

As with reading, we will see that it’s important not to tie ourselves

to one strategy of note-taking irrespective of the job we have to do.

We will see that for different forms of processing there are the most

appropriate strategies of note-taking: linear notes for analysis and

structure, and pattern notes for criticism and evaluation. Cultivating

flexibility in our pattern of study helps us choose the most effec-

tive strategy and, as a result, get the most out of our intellectual

abilities.

But our problems in note-taking don’t end there. The best notes help

us structure our own thoughts, so we can recall and use them quickly

and accurately, particularly under timed conditions. In this lie many of

the most common problems in note-taking, particularly the habit

of taking too many notes that obscure the structure, making it difficult

to recall. We will exam ways of avoiding this by creating clear unclut-

tered notes that help us recall even the most complex structures accu-

rately. Given this, and the simple techniques of consolidating notes, we

will see how revision for the exam can become a more manageable,

less daunting task.

Finally, if our notes are going to help us recall the ideas, arguments

and evidence we read, as well as help us to criticise and evaluate an

author ’s arguments, they must be a reflection of our own thinking. We

will examine the reasons why many students find it difficult to have

ideas of their own, when they read and take notes from their sources,

and how this affects their concentration while they work.

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