Essay Writing Skills

This resource covers key considerations when writing an essay.
While reading a student’s essay, markers will ask themselves questions such as:
 Does this essay directly address the set task?

 Does it present a strong, supported position?
 Does it use relevant sources appropriately?
 Is the expression clear, and the style appropriate?
 Is the essay organised coherently? Is there a clear introduction, body and conclusion?
You can use these questions to reflect on your own writing. Here are six top tips to help you address these criteria.
1. Analyse the question

Student essays are responses to specific questions. As an essay must address the question directly, your first step should be to analyse the
question. Make sure you know exactly what is being asked of you.
Generally, essay questions contain three component parts:
 Content terms: Key concepts that are specific to the task

 Limiting terms: The scope that the topic focuses on
 Directive terms: What you need to do in relation to the content, e.g. discuss, analyse, define, compare, evaluate.
Examples
 Simple example
o
o
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 Complex example
2. Define your argument

As you plan and prepare to write the essay, you must consider what your argument is going to be. This means taking an informed position or
point of view on the topic presented in the question, then defining and presenting a specific argument.
Consider these two argument statements:
The architectural use of light in Gothic cathedrals physically embodied the significance of light
in medieval theology.
Or:
In the Gothic cathedral of Cologne, light served to accentuate the authority and ritual centrality
of the priest.
Statements like these define an essay’s argument. They give coherence by providing an overarching theme and position towards which the
entire essay is directed.
3. Use evidence, reasoning and scholarship

To convince your audience of your argument, you must use evidence and reasoning, which
involves referring to and evaluating relevant scholarship.
 Evidence provides concrete information to support your claim. It typically consists of specific
examples, facts, quotations, statistics and illustrations.
 Reasoning connects the evidence to your argument. Rather than citing evidence like a shopping
list, you need to evaluate the evidence and show how it supports your argument.
 Scholarship is used to show how your argument relates to what has been written on the topic
(citing specific works). Scholarship can be used as part of your evidence and reasoning to
support your argument.
4. Organise a coherent essay
An essay has three basic components - introduction, body and conclusion.
 Introduction
o
o
o
 Body
 Conclusion
o
o
o
5. Write clearly
An essay that makes good, evidence-supported points will only receive a high grade if it is written clearly. Clarity is produced through
careful revision and editing, which can turn a good essay into an excellent one.
When you edit your essay, try to view it with fresh eyes – almost as if someone else had written it.
Ask yourself the following questions:
Overall structure
 Have you clearly stated your argument in your introduction?
 Does the actual structure correspond to the ‘road map’ set out in your introduction?
 Have you clearly indicated how your main points support your argument?
 Have you clearly signposted the transitions between each of your main points for your reader?
Paragraphs
 Does each paragraph introduce one main idea?
 Does every sentence in the paragraph support that main idea?
 Does each paragraph display relevant evidence and reasoning?
 Does each paragraph logically follow on from the one before it?
Sentences
 Is each sentence grammatically complete?
 Is the spelling correct?
 Is the link between sentences clear to your readers?
 Have you avoided redundancy and repetition?
See more about editing on our editing your writing page.
6. Cite sources and evidence

Finally, check your citations to make sure that they are accurate and complete. Some faculties require you to use a specific citation style
(e.g. APA) while others may allow you to choose a preferred one. Whatever style you use, you must follow its guidelines correctly and
consistently. You can use Recite, the University of Melbourne style guide, to check your citations.

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This resource covers key considerations when writing an essay.

 Does this essay directly address the set task?

1. Analyse the question

 Content terms: Key concepts that are specific to the task

2. Define your argument

3. Use evidence, reasoning and scholarship

See more about editing on our editing your writing page.

6. Cite sources and evidence

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