As a student you will almost certainly have to produce essays during your course. Some will be written during term time and contribute to course work assessment, others will be answers to questions set in formal examinations. An essay is usually defined as a continuous piece of writing ranging in length from at least 500 words to about 5,000 words for a special or extended essay. But this booklet is not just about 'writing' essays, it's about the various stages you need to consider when producing an essay and about the ways in which producing an essay helps you to learn. The time given to each of these stages will of course vary according to the conditions surrounding any particular essay. Let's look at the first stage -which is approaching the essay.Why write essays?If we understand the value of doing something, it usually helps to make us feel more positive and confident about the task. So what is the value of writing an essay? Here are some ideas - you might think of more. It forces you to organize your own thinking and develop your own point of view on issues. In one sense, writing is the crucial step which helps you get to grips with new ideas and new experiences. Without that step, it's very difficult or impossible to know how much you've really understood.Expressing yourself - ideas, new information, or whatever, in written form, really is a life skill -which you will need in almost every area of work. Essay writing gives you practice and develops that skill. If it's a term time essay, you can see it as giving you practice for writing under exam conditions. And don't forget that the essay provides very useful revision material.Lastly, it gives you a chance to get feedback from your tutor about their assessment of how much you've understood and how well you are able to communicate this. With your tutor's help, you can identify areas of strength and weakness so you know where to concentrate your energies next time. So, approach y...
