During your A-Levels, you might be set essays as part of your coursework, or if you’re completing an EPQ (Extended Project Qualification). This can appear daunting, especially when it can be difficult knowing where to start. Ensuring to answer the essay title as a whole and meet all the criteria is crucial if you are aiming for the highest marks. This post will support you in simplifying the essay writing process, hopefully making it less overwhelming and more attainable.
After receiving your essay title or question, I would recommend finding your assessment brief and thoroughly reading it to ensure you are aware of the specific requirements for the essay. You can usually find this on your exam board’s website. If you feel it would be helpful, highlight or note the key points outlined in the brief, creating a checklist so you do not miss important information. Make sure to check if there’s a word count and any content that must be included. Similarly, you can apply the same process to the mark scheme, which provides insight into things that can gain you higher marks.
Once you have gained clear insight into the requirements for the essay, it is time to engage with research. Personal research is important as it shows you have developed further knowledge outside your lessons and completed extra reading to aid your understanding. You may have been asked to analyse an extract or address a broader question related to the content in your lessons, essays vary depending on your subject. Gather all the necessary information required, whether this be from lessons or additional reading. I find it easier to collect this information prior to planning my essay and placing it into a separate Word document so I have all my materials prepared.
After collating the research, you can begin the essay planning process. This is the opportunity to structure your paragraphs and identify how to organise your research into these sections. I also create a checklist of key information I need to include in each of these paragraphs to ensure I include everything required. This should make the writing process much easier. Sixth Form Study Skills has resources to support your essay planning which you can use!
When it comes to writing your essay, I would recommend creating draft paragraphs, using your content checklist to ensure all the necessary information is included, then you can refine the language afterwards. Managing the essay writing process can seem overwhelming, so I try to give myself enough time to spread the sections over several days, concentrating on one section each day. Others may find it easier to complete the essay in one sitting, but this varies from each student.
When it comes to starting university, you will learn that word counts are important and exceeding them may result in deductions off your grade. It is important to monitor your word count throughout to avoid going beyond the word limit. You may be given specific guidelines for each section regarding word count so you can follow these too. Failing to state the word count at the end of your essay could also lead to further deductions, so ensure to include this if it’s asked for. Even though at school or college you may not receive these deductions, it is good to practice sticking to your word counts prior to university so you are prepared.
Make sure to include your reference list or bibliography at the end of your essay to acknowledge any authors or websites where you have retrieved your research from. This will vary – make sure to check with your teacher so you know which referencing style you should use.
Writing an essay is never an easy task, but with the correct planning it can be made a lot easier. Good luck with your essays!
Written by Kelsey, a BSc Biomedical Sciences student
