We tend to write about essays as if all essays were the same. There is not just one type of English essay, in fact there are many forms of English essays; history essays, biology essays, linguistic essays, science essays and literature essays to name just a few. Some of the differences between the various types of essays are in the ways in which the topic is approached, for example, the differences between argument and explanation. In a general sense essays in the humanities tend to focus more on providing an argument related to the topic while essays in science offer explanations for the phenomena being studied. However there are still structural, linguistic and organisational features of essays that make them recognisable as a particular form or genre.
Sometimes students think of essays in the same way that they think about questions; that there is a correct answer required. So they spend a lot of time looking for this correct answer as if the topic was a question. Essay topics, although often written like questions are not questions in the sense that there is only one “correct” response possible. If a reader were to look through a collection of essays from any one subject they might see as many different responses to the topic as there were essays. Many might share some of the same information but each one would reflect how the writer responded to that information. So the content of essays reflect quite a wide range of possible approaches to the topic yet each of these individual texts would share some recognisable features that identify them as belonging to the genre of essays.
The last important aspect of academic essays that needs to be mentioned is that essay writing is a form of text that is culturally determined and has been developed to reflect the ways of dealing with information within a very specific discourse community. The particular model of essay writing genre that you will be expected to use is one developed in western academic communities such as Monash University, and is particularly relevant to the humanities areas of study. This model of essay writing most clearly expresses the linear structure of logical or speculative argument. It reflects thought processes that focus on critical analysis and individual argument as important features in its style. As a recognisable structure it fulfils the expectations of the reader by offering the writer’s individual argument within a shared and recognisable framework.
Clanchy, J and B. Ballard (1997) in their book on essay writing for students offer the following five points that summarize the specific qualities that are seem as important in academic essays, particularly in the humanities.
1: Your essay should be relevant to the set topic in both content and focus.
[You will have to demonstrate that you have understood the broad ideas on which the topic is based and be able to relate the general theories of the subject to the specific concerns of the topic. This means you can identify the key words and terms in the topic and recognize any assumptions and implications that might be present in the topic.]
2: You should read widely and critically in order to accumulate and select your material.
[You need to read and think about the topic from the point of view of a range of different sources. These might be the set readings, the lectures in the subject and the wider reading that is available in the subject, both set texts and your own research. However a response to the topic is not just a summary of these different points of view but must be your own response offered in the form of an argument that is supported by your wide and critical reading.]
3: You should present a reasoned argument, based on valid evidence and leading to a clearconclusion.
[The concept of argument in essays does not mean agreeing or disagreeing but means exploring the possibilities in the topic in a clear and systematic development of ideas supported by evidence from your reading and research.]
4: Your lecturer will be looking not only at the material you have selected but, more importantly, at the use you have made of it.
[You are expected to select only the relevant sections of the material you have read and that your points are structured so that they are internally consistent. That is you do not jump from one idea or one quote to the next but demonstrate the connections between your points, the quotes and ideas that support your points so you develop a logically and consistent response to the topic].
5: You should aim at precision, accuracy, and appropriateness in language, style and format.
[One important aspect of formal essay writing in English is that the text you submit is in a finished form. This means that you have checked for spelling, grammar and punctuation errors, that you have used the special terminology of your subject where appropriate and that you have structured you argument according to the genre of academic essays. It also means that you have included a bibliography, including a clear reference of all your quotations, charts, tables or insertions in the manner in which your subject requires. Finally it means that your language demonstrates a clear and precise use of English in the formal style expected by your particular subject.]
(Please note there are a wide range of well thought out texts available that set out the skills of academic essay writing. Most departments in their subject handouts suggest texts that will be most helpful for that subject. However for all students, both first and second language speakers, the text on which the preceding five points is based offers an excellent, thoughtful, comprehensive and easy to read discussion of the skills required and the approach expected to academic writing in English. Text: Clanchy, John and Brigid Ballard (1981 rpt. 1997) Essay Writing for Students: a practical guide. Australia: Longman. pp.1-11.
The basic structure of an essay has three main sections. Each section may include one of more paragraphs depending on the size of the essay and the complexity of the topic.
While the basic structure may be familiar, the way in which the content is developed may include structures that are not familiar. An important point needs to be considered and that is that this genre of writing, as most genres, reflects a socio-culturally determined use of text and content. The text arrangement, the content development and the language expectations all are related to a very specific social use of text. These are the expectations of essay writing in an Australian university at the present time. Essays in other socio-cultural contexts may include text and content features not seen as relevant here which is an illustration of how closely texts and their socio-cultural context are interrelated.
Section One
The Introduction
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Opening statement Begin with general statements to introduce the topic and interest the reader in your perspective of the issues. These remarks lead to: |
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The thesis statement This is the most important feature of the introduction. This is the writer’s voice in the text. It is the writer’s own individual response to the topic. It sets out the controlling idea of the argument that will be presented and indicates something of the organization of the essay itself. It demonstrates how the writer is going to respond to the topic. |
Section Two
The Body of the Essay
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This is where the organization of the content is important. The body of the essay may include any number of paragraphs. Each paragraph is either a complete section of the overall argument or a part or a section of the argument. This is the writer’s opinions, speculation, argument , ideas etc. Any quotes, charts, inserts etc all must uphold what the writer is arguing. Expert opinion is used to support the writer’s own argument. |
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The first major structural concern in the body of the essay is the arrangement of the argument. You will need to consider:
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Once you have arranged the material in a reasonable order you need to ensure that there is a logical sense of development within the entire body of the essay. One point must lead to another, by content and/or by the language choices. Essay writing relies on connecting ideas to form a logically developed argument. Also you need to make sure your argument covers all the issues referred to in the topic. They may not all have equal significance in your argument but they need to be acknowledged. |
Section Three
The Conclusion
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Compared to the body of the essay the conclusion is relatively short. All the arguments have been presented in the body of the essay and the conclusion merely draws them together to form an overview for the last time. This is the writer’s opportunity to have a final comment. This might be accomplished in two ways: |
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Either The conclusion can briefly summarize the main points of argument and leave the reader with the writer’s final thoughts on the subject. |
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Or It can restate the thesis statement as the culmination of the argument that has been developed within the body of the essay and finally state any last thoughts on the topic. |
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Remember that while stating your final thoughts about the topic, you cannot add any new information or additional points of argument into the conclusion. |
To illustrate the points made in the above table, the following text is based on an essay by a second language student. It shows how the features discussed might be realized in the text of an essay. Please note that the actual essay has been abbreviated and only one paragraph of the actual argument included in order to demonstrate the genre features of essay writing.
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TEXT OF ESSAY (from the English as an International Language course) |
GENRE FEATURES |
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Topic: (abbreviated version) Select a written genre you are familiar with and explain its structures and patterns. Discuss ways in which a multilingual writer may find this genre difficult and suggest possible strategies for helping to overcome the difficulties. |
Note: The complete topic lists a range of very specific concerns. If using a topic such as this students must take care to cover all aspects of the topic. |
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Introduction: It has been suggested that the genre of academic writing in English is culturally determined. This means that native speakers of English that are members of the academic discourse community can expect to find certain textual characteristics that are specific to academic writing. It does not mean that there are separate genres for each of the various disciplines but that each different discipline incorporates a common set of characteristics that identify academic writing in English from all other styles such as narrative writing and report writing. The primary purpose of this paper is to examine the structure and patterns of written academic discourse in English and show that the characteristics can be identified as part of a genre of academic writing. Also included is an examinations of the difficulties this structure can cause the multilingual speaker and finally there is offered a possible solution to these difficulties. |
The essay begins with general opening statements that indicate the writer’s interest. The opening includes a definition of one of the main concepts so the reader will understand the perspective of the writer. It then lists some of the particular concerns of the writer, which leads to; The thesis statement Here the writer sets out the primary focus of the essay and also any secondary concerns that might be featured in the argument. It is the writer’s response to the particular issues in the topic. |
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Example of a paragraph from the body of the essay Firstly the thesis statement or the proposition of the writer is usually stated at the start of the essay. This is the writer’s considered opinion about a set topic. Moreover it maps out, for the reader, the direction in which the discourse will move. In other words, it focuses the reader’s attention on the topic and key ideas that will be discussed throughout the text. Sub topics may also be included, however they must be related to the main theme of the text. In “The Relevance of Politeness” (Jacher 1988) the writer explicitly states his proposition in the initial paragraph of the essay. Jacher shows that “Sperber and Wilson’s principle of relevance subverts the co-operative principles of Grice and the politeness principles of Leech” (Jacher 198). In this manner the writer sets out the structure of the discussion showing the reader how Sperber and Wilson’s principles of relevance is to be examined in the following paragraphs. |
The paragraph opens with a topic sentence that gives a focus to the information. The body of the paragraph is constructed around a discussion of the ideas in the topic sentence. Included is a quote used as an example of the writer’s point. The information has a logical structure in the progression of ideas; Discussion or Explanation Supporting evidence, in this case as a quote, Summary of the point which will lead to the next point in the next paragraph. Note the language used at the opening of the paragraph which places the point in the structure of the argument, “firstly”. Then the use of various cohesive terms to make sure the information is connected throughout the body of the paragraph, e.g. “moreover”, “in other words” and “in the manner”. |
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Conclusion: Therefore it can be shown that English academic discourse contains certain recognizable features that the multilingual speaker who wishes to be proficient in English academic writing must learn to both identity and to use these characteristics effectively in their own writing. |
In this essay the use of “therefore” signals the conclusion. It begins summary of the general theme set out in the body of the essay. The writer briefly refers back to the thesis statement and then expresses a final thought about the significance of the argument. This is not new information as the idea has already been introduced in the course of the argument. |
Referencing
As well as considering the structure and language of essay writing you also need to be aware of the “rules” for using references to support your arguments and opinions.
Quoting references is an important method of supporting opinions and argument in an essay, however the source of all the references must be clearly noted in the text, either by in-text referencing or foot notes, and in the bibliography or reference list at the end of the essay. Failure to clearly set out where the reference has been taken from is PLAGIARISM and is a serious matter. If you are unsure about plagiarism and how to avoid it, click on the name below and learn more about what it is and how to avoid it in your writing.
