the most popular type of assignment. One of them is that they ask students to demonstrate more than just knowledge. To demonstrate the purpose of essays, let’s have a look at the difference between an ordinary question and an essay question.
| Ordinary question: | Why did William of Normandy win the Battle of Hastings? |
| Essay question: | William of Normandy’s victory at the Battle of Hastings has often been attributed to his large and well-prepared army. However, without strategy and good fortune, he might well have lost the battle. Discuss. |
The answer to the ordinary question could be a list of items, in no particular order of importance. The essay question directs the writer more: the student has to mention the size and the preparedness of the army, describe William’s strategy and the fortunate circumstances, and decide how important these elements were for the victory. In order to come to a conclusion about this, the writer has to do research. This is indicated in the language: in the first sentence ‘has often been attributed to’ tells the student that there are a lot of sources which she should look at to explain this point of view, and ‘However’ in the second sentence suggests that there is also evidence available for a contrasting opinion. The word ‘Discuss’ makes it clear that there are different points to be made, which should be mentioned and commented on, so that the writer can make a decision about which side she is on.
Glossary
attribute to (attributes to, attributing to, attributed to) VERB If you attribute something to an event or situation, you think that it was caused by that event or situation.
seminar (seminars) N-COUNT A seminar is a class at a college or university in which the teacher and a small group of students discuss a topic.
convention (conventions) N-COUNT Academic conventions are traditional methods or styles of academic writing.
Clearly, a finished essay demonstrates more than just the knowledge students were taught about a subject. The writers will have:
found out much more than what they were taught in lectures and seminars
weighed up the evidence about different points of view
developed their own point of view
increased their knowledge and their depth of understanding
trained their memory to remember the important facts
undertaken activities that prepare them for their future profession.
By writing the information down in essay form, they will have:
organized their thoughts
practised and improved their ability to communicate in writing
shown awareness of the reader, of academic conventions and the way others write in their discipline.
If you plan your time so that you can read up on a topic, think critically about it, follow the essay instructions, and express your view clearly in a well-organized text, you deserve a good grade.
For more information on all these aspects, see later chapters.
Analysing essay titles
Although we called the instructions in the example essay question a question, there was no question mark. The ‘questions’ are really titles. You will need to put the full title on your first page; don’t be tempted to summarize the question and write your own title.
Your tutor may give you a long essay title, which needs to be broken down into smaller parts before it can be addressed. All essay questions will include instruction words, such as ‘discuss’. For international students, these words can be particularly tricky. If you look them up in a dictionary, you may find a large number of meanings that do not always correspond exactly to the more specific meaning in the academic context, which is also why translations into other languages you may speak are unlikely to help.
For example, this is a dictionary definition of ‘discuss’:
1 to have a conversation about; consider by talking over; debate
2 to treat (a subject) in speech or writing ⇒ the first three volumes discuss basic principles
(Source: Collins COBUILD Advanced Dictionary, 2008)
Both definitions suggest that ‘discuss’ means ‘talk (or write) about’. However, in an academic context ‘discuss’ often means something more specific: in order to discuss, you need to refer to different aspects of a topic, look at the benefits and drawbacks of different points of view, and give your own conclusion.
Exercise 1
In which of these essay questions does ‘discuss’ mean ‘write about, describe’, and in which does it mean more? Put a tick in the correct column.
| = write about, describe | = give different points of view (and your opinion) | |
| 1 Parliament today is less effective than it has ever been. Discuss. | ||
| 2 Discuss the geological history and likely method of formation of the Lewisian rocks. | ||
| 3 Discuss the circumstances that can lead to a dramatic change in the use of technology. | ||
| 4 ‘Current stem cell technology is sufficiently advanced for use in medicine.’ Discuss. |
Exercise 2
In the table below, match the instruction words in the centre column with the correct academic meanings on the left. Some of the first and/or second dictionary definitions of the instruction words on the right may help you find their academic meaning.
Tip
Read academic texts in your own discipline to become more aware of the conventions. For example, the instruction word ‘sketch’ can have completely different meanings dependent on the context. To an engineer it can mean ‘draw’, to a theologian it is more likely to mean ‘give a brief description’.
Analysing key words and structure of essay titles
Underlining or highlighting key words is a good technique which you are probably familiar with. The following is an example of an IELTS-type essay question where the most important words have been highlighted (you may find a similar question in the TOEFL test):
Glossary
irrelevant