Writing: B2+. Els Geyte Van

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СКАЧАТЬ agree | disagree | not sure 5 I can analyse the structure of an essay question to give a full answer and include the right information. agree | disagree | not sure 6 I know who to go to at my university if I need advice about an essay. agree | disagree | not sure

       Tip

       When you start your degree, you will come across a lot of new words which are specific to your new environment but everybody seems to think you already understand them. Don’t worry about this, but look them up as soon as possible. In this book, the words are explained in the glossary boxes and they are all in the glossary at the back.

       What is academic writing?

      Academic writing is writing which is done by scholars (students or academics) for other scholars to read. It can take many forms: journal articles, textbooks, dissertations, group project reports, etc. Although students are increasingly being asked to write different types of academic text, the essay still remains the most popular type of assignment.

      Essays are written by students and are likely to be read by one person only: their tutor. The essay can be set as a coursework assignment to assess a student’s understanding of a module, or as an exam question.

       For more information on some other types of academic writing, see Chapter 11.

       Glossary

      dissertation (dissertations) N-COUNT A dissertation is a long formal piece of writing on a particular subject, especially for a university degree.

       The purpose of essays

      Essays are a common form of assessment, for example in disciplines such as Business, International Relations, Law, History, Geography, Theology, Communication Studies, Education and Economics.

       Glossary

      discipline (disciplines) N-COUNT A discipline is a particular area of study, especially a subject of study in a college or university.

      There are many reasons why essays are still the most popular type of assignment. One of them is that they ask students to demonstrate more than just knowledge. To demonstrate the purpose of essays, let’s have a look at the difference between an ordinary question and an essay question.

Ordinary question:

Why did William of Normandy win the Battle of Hastings?

Essay question:

William of Normandy’s victory at the Battle of Hastings has often been attributed to his large and well-prepared army. However, without strategy and good fortune, he might well have lost the battle. Discuss.

      The answer to the ordinary question could be a list of items, in no particular order of importance. The essay question directs the writer more: the student has to mention the size and the preparedness of the army, describe William’s strategy and the fortunate circumstances, and decide how important these elements were for the victory. In order to come to a conclusion about this, the writer has to do research. This is indicated in the language: in the first sentence ‘has often been attributed to’ tells the student that there are a lot of sources which she should look at to explain this point of view, and ‘However’ in the second sentence suggests that there is also evidence available for a contrasting opinion. The word ‘Discuss’ makes it clear that there are different points to be made, which should be mentioned and commented on, so that the writer can make a decision about which side she is on.

       Glossary

      attribute to (attributes to, attributing to, attributed to) VERB If you attribute something to an event or situation, you think that it was caused by that event or situation.

      seminar (seminars) N-COUNT A seminar is a class at a college or university in which the teacher and a small group of students discuss a topic.

      convention (conventions) N-COUNT Academic conventions are traditional methods or styles of academic writing.

      Clearly, a finished essay demonstrates more than just the knowledge students were taught about a subject. The writers will have:

       found out much more than what they were taught in lectures and seminars

       weighed up the evidence about different points of view

       developed their own point of view

       increased their knowledge and their depth of understanding

       trained their memory to remember the important facts

       undertaken activities that prepare them for their future profession.

      By writing the information down in essay form, they will have:

       organized their thoughts

       practised and improved their ability to communicate in writing

       shown awareness of the reader, of academic conventions and the way others write in their discipline.

      If you plan your time so that you can read up on a topic, think critically about it, follow the essay instructions, and express your view clearly in a well-organized text, you deserve a good grade.

       For more information on all these aspects, see later chapters.

       Analysing essay titles

      Although we called the instructions in the example essay question a question, there was no question mark. The ‘questions’ are really titles. You will need to put the full title on your first page; don’t be tempted to summarize the question and write your own title.

      Your tutor may give you a long essay title, which needs to be broken down into smaller parts before it can be addressed. All essay questions will include instruction words, such as ‘discuss’. For international students, these words can be particularly tricky. If you look them up in a dictionary, you may find a large number of meanings that do not always correspond exactly to the more specific meaning in the academic context, which is also why translations into other languages you may speak are unlikely to help.

      For example, this is a dictionary definition of ‘discuss’:

      1 to have a conversation about; consider by talking over; debate

      2 to treat (a subject) in speech or writing ⇒ the first three volumes СКАЧАТЬ