Ages 16 to 18

Essay and report planning tips

• The most important tip is: analyse the question very carefully, and make sure you understand what the essay is intended to be about. You may write a perfect essay, but if it is on the wrong subject, then it is not going to gain you many marks.
• Make sure you know how long the essay is expected to be. Ask if you are not sure or, in an exam, read the question carefully.
• It is a good idea to plan a rough outline of the essay first. (If you are producing the essay on a computer using Microsoft Word, there is even a facility for doing this.) To plan a rough outline:
• Begin with an introduction. The introduction shows that you understand what the topic is and introduces what you are going to say - ideally with a brief outline of the structure of the essay. (After you have completed the essay, you may need to re-write the introduction so that it matches what you have actually written about.)
• Then present the main arguments. Use paragraphs to break up the text; start a new paragraph for each new point. Your reader will appreciate it!
• Next, present a conclusion: summarise what you have said and state any conclusions you have reached.
• Once you have completed your rough draft, have a second look at your introduction. Have you done what you said you were going to do? You may need to re-write the introduction or edit the body of your essay so that it all fits together well.
• If you are presenting a research report, then you should explain clearly how you collected the data. You should also plan how you are going to present and analyse the data. For both presentation and analysis, explain why you are using the methods that you are using.
• Unless you are specifically asked to do so, it is generally better not to write in the first person. Don't keep saying 'I think that …'. It is usually better to use the passive voice. Ask your teacher which style is preferred.
• Try not to make your sentences too long. Shorter sentences are often easier to understand. However, don't make your sentences too short either; you don't want the essay to look like something from a tabloid newspaper!

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