Friday, July 31, 2020

How To Write A Narrative Essay

How To Write A Narrative Essay The reference list is at the end of your essay and is a list of all the sources you used in-text to support your argument. The introduction usually contains background information about the topic, your position and a preview of how your ideas will be organised. Essays usually have an introduction, body paragraphs, a conclusion and a reference list. This means that the paragraphs follow a logical order . Have a global structure with themes arranged in a way that allows for a logical sequence of ideas. Be sure to provide a map, by previewing or outlining your essay, so that your target reader is at no time unsure which way you are going and where you are taking them. Now let’s summarise the main points of this tutorial. Remember to follow the formula to structure your introduction. The real value of writing introductions based on a simple structural formula is that you’re more likely to feel more confident about what you’re writing. As you develop your writing skills you can modify your style to suit your needs. These definitions may not always be necessary and you should use your own discretion based on the subject material. Click through the slides below to learn about the key characteristics of academic writing. Don’t be discouraged if you find such workâ€"develop it. All published academic works contain bibliographies that can point you to other papers. Use the on-line library catalogue to search for the books held by the University Library. It will also let you search for any publication citing your target article in its bibliography. You might want to rearrange paragraphs to a different position in your essay if they don't appear to fit in with the essay structure. Ideally the conclusion should summarize the key themes / arguments of your essay. State the take home message â€" don’t sit on the fence, instead weigh up the evidence presented in the essay and make a decision which side of the argument has more support. If there is a word count for your essay try to devote 10% of this to your introduction. You may not be the first to make these connections, but that doesn’t make them any less valid or interesting. This shows the person reading your essay that you have engaged with the topic and really thought about it, rather than just regurgitating what you read in the course textbook, or whatever. It is also a good policy to check your final draft with this in mind. Read each paragraph and ask yourself whether it addresses the topic. If you work continuously on your essay right up to the deadline, there is a very high likelihood that you won’t have done yourself justice. Aim to have what you subjectively feel is a “final” draft at least two days before the submission deadline. Use the remaining days to review your work at well-spaced intervals. This will help you look more objectively at your own work. They are always ready to help you if you need assistance at any stage of the writing process. This video will introduce useful advice on how to write a well-developed paragraph. Daily workshops are delivered throughout semester and target reading, writing, speaking and referencing skills. They are a great way to bring your academic literacy skills ‘up to speed’. This video will introduce useful advice and tips on how to write an effective conclusion to an essay, report or case study. If you experience difficulty in structuring and developing your body paragraphs, you can always talk to a HELPS Advisor or one of our volunteers. Throughout this short guide we use the term “essay” to mean any sort of academic writing assignment that you hand in for a course. Others will be concise reports of experiments or descriptions of economic or other data. However, they are all referred to herein as “essays,” and most of the principles of clarity, organization and presentation apply to them all. Be careful not to focus on only one minor point in the conclusion - it is essential to summarise all of the main points covered. A very common mistake that students make is introducing new material, new evidence or new points into their conclusion that have not been previously mentioned in the body of the essay.

Tuesday, July 7, 2020

What to Wear on Test Day (Seriously)

[caption: Actually not a bad idea] Advice for test day is easily doled out, and often hard to actually follow. Don’t cram the night before. Sleep as much as you possibly can. Eat a real, but not heavy breakfast, with only as much caffeine as you normally have. These are your goals, at least. On the question of clothes, the advice you are most likely to get is to be â€Å"comfortable.† In blogs and forums, I have seen shorts widely recommended for warm days, sweats for cold ones. These kinds of suggestions employ a rather narrow definition of â€Å"comfort,† which does not have to mean â€Å"slacker attire,† just as â€Å"comfort food† does not have to mean â€Å"Cup Noodles.† You actually do need layers. There is about a 50% chance the room will be freezing, especially if the test is in a warmer month. You should have a light base, a t-shirt or an oxford/blouse, and at least a light sweater or jacket ready to wear, if not a jacket jacket. Layers means no shorts/ no short skirts. You can’t layer coverage on your legs. It is safe to assume the room will not be so scorching that wearing pants will prove distractingly difficult, but if you take your seat at a cold desk in a cold room with only shorts and a t-shirt, your focus will be compromised before you start filling in your name. The test is not a dinner party; there is no reason you cannot take it in a coat. If the room is frigid, not only will you be as warm as you need to be, you’ll be more comfortable than your peers who either didn’t come prepared or have some stigma about wearing outerwear indoors. Comfort can be competitive. If you feel like nothing can touch you when you’re in your down jacket or giant hoodie, that’s a feeling you can harness for the exam. This is the point where my advice bifurcates a bit. Wear sweats or temperature regulating gear ONLY if that’s part of your normal look. Comfort on test day is the same as comfort during a normal school day or workday. In other words, if it would normally feel weird for you to dress like you plan on a day of Netflix, or like you are about to hike the Appalachian Trail, then don’t do that! Comfort means feeling confident, which means wearing your â€Å"best† clothes more than the most ergonomic ones. If it helps you get in the zone, dress up a bit, generally going for â€Å"business casual.† For my own part, I like to wear a proper oxford shirt even when working at home. Real confidence comes from taking yourself seriously, and feeling put together can help establish a capable mindset. There is no single strategy for every test-taker. Be comfortable, yes, but remember that the test site is a competitive, formalized space. Picture someone you would assume did well and embody that! Are you interested in working with a study skills tutor like Alex? ;