Part III

Essay Writing Guide

Style as well as substance

Whilst it would seem ‘nice’ if the ideas of a genius would be appreciated even when written in horrible prose, you should not bank on this. The good student not only has good ideas to write about, but can write about them well. And it seems particularly wasteful to be losing marks just because you didn’t spend a little bit of time learning a few style tips.

WAFFLE AND PADDING: NOT THE KEYS TO SUCCESS

Don’t use superfluous words, phrases or sentences. If a sentence means the same thing with a word taken out, take it out. The same applies to whole phrases and sentences within the wider context of a paragraph. Using words and phrases which don’t add anything to what you’re saying will mean that your examiners will conclude that (a) you don’t have enough to say to meet the required essay length, and that (b) you are trying to hide this by means of a slow, repetitive and boring writing style. Which is not clever.

For example — don’t write: When you could write:
Greg Dyke transformed the BBC, changing it so that it was altogether different from what it had been like before. Greg Dyke transformed the BBC.
Some people feel that he is a megalomaniac who wants to take over the world, whilst at the same time other people feel that he is a fundamentally weak man who lacks strength.
Some people feel he is a megalomaniac; others contend that he is fundamentally weak.Nevertheless, we can certainly see that he clearly wields a considerable and substantial degree of direct power, influence and the ability to change things around within the organisation. Nevertheless, he clearly has a considerable degree of direct power within the organisation.

The above para contains 250 per cent more words than the right-hand column, but it contains zero per cent more information. Your examiners spot this kind of thing. Furthermore, by not inflating her essay with space-filling nonsense, the pithy writer of the right-hand column has got room to show her understanding of the subject by expanding on all of these points: what did Dyke do? Why might he be seen as power-crazed, or weak? How has he demonstrated his personal power? In other words, she has got room for lots of analysis, which, as we established above, is good news.

CAN I SAY “I FEEL THIS ARGUMENT IS WRONG BECAUSE...”?

There are different preferences about whether you should say “I” in an essay or not. Sometimes it can look really good if you confidently say “Rather, I would argue that...”. But saying “I feel this argument is wrong because...” can look a bit ponderous, and some tutors don’t like it. A solution to this is to be even more assertive and say “However, this argument is weak, since...”. It will still be clear to your examiners that you are making your own argument – and we definitely do like you to make your own argument. Whatever you are saying, make sure you back it up with argument and evidence.

SURELY THIS STUFF ABOUT ‘STYLE’ IS JUST SUPERFICIAL AND ISN’T VERY IMPORTANT?

Wrong. If your essay is badly-written, you will be losing marks. And, in the outside world, you would be losing readers (whether you are writing books and screenplays, or company reports and letters... or even job applications!). It is very important to write in a crisp, clear style, with good sentence construction and proper punctuation. Needless to say, spelling mistakes also fail to impress.

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"A soldier will fight long and hard for a bit of colored ribbon". Napoleon Bonaparte