How to Write High-scoring University Essays
What you'll learn
- Learn how to write well-organised essays with a logical structure that meets the expectations of teachers in Western universities
- Discover the key features of academic writing and how to display an academic style in your work
- Find out how to plan essays successfully so that you can save time later in the writing process
- Learn how to proofread and edit your essays so they make a good impression on the reader
- Understand how to write effective paragraphs
Requirements
- For non-native speakers of English, English language proficiency of IELTS 5 or above
- Despite the course title ('The *new* student's guide to academic writing'), you do NOT need to literally be a new student to benefit from this course - this course can benefit 1st year as well as postgraduate students who want to learn the fundamental principles of good essay writing.
- No previous knowledge of essay writing is required - you just need a desire to learn!
Description
Learn how to write top quality essays at university, and discover the keys to successful academic writing that achieves high marks.
University writing can be confusing when you don’t know what your teachers expect, but in this course I will use my experience of gaining top grades as a student, and of teaching in universities, to share key principles that you can apply to produce excellent essays.
Master the skills you need to write excellent university essays
Discover the 5 essential features which will make your writing appropriately academic
Find out how to develop strong claims in your essays
Learn how to write an introduction that is well-structured and impresses your reader
Find out how to write well-organised paragraphs and avoid paragraph-level mistakes common among new students
Learn what goes into an excellent conclusion (and what not to put in)
Gain skills in proofreading and editing so you can avoid embarrassing grammatical errors
Learn how to write essays that satisfy and impress your teachers
A university education is a significant investment for your future, but there are some things you must do in your writing in order for it to be successful. Having read numerous student assignments over the years, I made this course to share with you what teachers are looking for, so you can satisfy those expectations in your essays.
Content and overview
The course contains over 20 video lectures, plus practice activities and quizzes.
We will start by looking at the main differences between academic and non-academic writing. This will prepare you to write in an effective academic style. You’ll learn what to do, and what not to do, so you’re writing is sufficiently formal, and possesses features such as precision and a basis in evidence.
Then we’ll cover the keys to effective essay planning – you’ll get practical, step-by-step guidance on how to develop your essay’s argument and structure. After understanding this, you will gain clarity about what to do when preparing to write your next essay.
We will cover the main components of the essay itself – the introduction, the body of the essay, and the conclusion. You will understand specifically what to put in each of these sections and how to structure them in an effective way.
You’ll learn how to write paragraphs that teachers regard as well-focused and logical.
You will also discover practical strategies you can use so that your work contains fewer language errors.
After completing this course, you will have gained a step-by-step understanding of how to write a well-structured essay.
The keys to successful academic writing are simple enough for anybody to use – but MANY students fail to achieve good grades because they don’t apply the principles of essay structure and academic writing taught on this course. These principles of writing are in many cases not explicitly taught on university programmes, so in this course I want to make the underlying expectations clear.
Who this course is for:
- International students wishing to study at university in English speaking countries
- Anyone preparing to start a university course who wants to know more about what academic writing is, and how to write successful academic essays
- Those who want a refresher of the key components of successful academic writing
- Students who have started a university course but want to develop their understanding of the basic principles of good writing
- NOT students who feel that they already understand what to include in the sections of an essay, and are already confident about writing well-structured paragraphs
Instructor
- 4.5 Instructor Rating
- 174 Reviews
- 890 Students
- 2 Courses
Background
Daniel started teaching English over 10 years ago, beginning with English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), and has since taught academic English courses and linguistics at universities in the United Kingdom.
Daniel is responsible for Soar in English, an imprint of Issachar Publishing Ltd, which provides English language resources for international students.
He also has extensive experience of academic proofreading for students at all stages. He is director of NCL Proofreading Services, which provides professional proofreading services for university theses, dissertations and other assignments, as well as for business customers.
Qualifications
Daniel has a PhD in Linguistics, an MA (distinction) in Linguistics, and a BA (Hons) in English Language and Literature. He also has a Trinity Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CertTESOL) and qualified teacher status in the UK gained through a PGCE PCET in teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL).
Interests
Daniel enjoys learning languages - especially Chinese! He likes meeting people from other countries, and finding out about their cultures.