How to write an essay

"...and now you have to write an essay!"

You may have been told this before and there's no need to panic. If you like writing, it will be fun and if you don't like it, you'll just have to figure out how it's done and then you can move on to the next unit.

Read this page and print the pdf-files with information. Then you can start writing!

What am I supposed to practise?

You're supposed to practise how to express your opinions, how to write clearly and convincingly and you should learn ways to improve your writing.

Rules of writing:

Think of your reader! Then think of your reader again!

What you need to know before you start planning your essay:

What exactly are you writing about?

What is the purpose of your essay? Is it, for instance, to convince somebody, to discuss different aspects of something or to entertain?

Who is going to read your essay? A friend, an employer or a child?

When you know this you can move on to planning the essay and then to the actual writing and rewriting! The following documents are here to help you (if you need them). Print them and think about your own strategies when writing!

1. How to write an essay. A document in Swedish, if this is new to you.

2. Ways to help the reader and make the essay clear - small important words called connectors.

3. How to argue for and against something

4. Example of an essay that a student has written.

The assignment:

Choose a, b or c and write an essay where you:

a. Describe a turning point in your life.

b. Discuss television, computer games, gardening (or any other hobby that you have).

c. Argue for or against smoking in public places, argue for or against private cars in the city or for or against having pets.

Before you begin, answer the questions above (what you need to know before you start) and make sure that you have an outline!

Which description (Carroll's or Conan Doyle's) did you like best? And why?