Linking Words for Essay Writing

Student Services

A Helpful Guide to Essay Writing!
By Vivien Perutz

ESSAY WRITING
Contents

Page

Introduction

3

Part 1 – structure and organisation

4

A good essay structure
A model essay structure
Essay writing – the main stages
Stage 1 – analysing the question
Key words in essay titles
Stage 2 – planning
Stage 3 – use your plan to guide your research
Stage 4 – refine your plan
Stage 5 – drafting
Stage 6 – editing your draft
Useful linking words and phrases

4
4
5
6
6
8
9
9
10
10
11

Part 2 – style and clarity

14

Academic writing style
Descriptive writing
Argumentative writing
Evaluative writing
Using personal experience
A critical, analytical approach
Using your reading to support your writing
Citing references in text – some useful expressions
Conventions of style in academic writing
Expressing your ideas clearly
Spot the gaffe!

14
14
15
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22

Sources of further guidance

23

Useful websites

23

2

Introduction
Please note the following is general guidance; different courses
have different demands. You should check with individual tutors
regarding specific requirements.
The guide is partly based on material gathered and adapted from a
range of publications listed in the further reading section at the end.
Part 1 concentrates on structural and organisational aspects. Part 2
offers guidance on style and clarity in essay writing.
The guidelines should be taken as just that. There is no rule, for
example, that says you must plan an essay before writing it. Some
people find that they work best by getting the ideas flowing first and
imposing some sort of structure later; it is only once they start writing
that they start to have an idea of what their direction will be. Even so,
they must be clear at the outset as to what the essay title requires of
them to make sure that they stay within its constraints. If, however, you
are fairly new to essay...