How to Improve Your Essay Writing Skills

Essay writing is part and parcel of most academic subjects. It requires overall good English skills and an ability to articulate your ideas concisely, convincing the reader that you know what you’re talking about. Whether it’s your first time writing an essay or you’re just looking to brush up on your writing skills, here are some tips that we’ve put together, with help from a prep school in Surrey. Continue reading to learn how to improve on your essay writing skills.

Read The Question Carefully

Sounds simple enough but an easy mistake to make! It’s surprisingly easy to go down a rabbit hole when completing an essay question and stray away from the intended subject (or even misunderstand it completely). 

To save you the heartbreak of having to re-do an essay, always dissect your questions so that you clearly understand what it is that you need to write about. Highlight any command words that you can see such as “explain”, “identify”, “analyse” and so on as well as any key themes mentioned. 

You should also make it a habit to refer back to the question while writing, to not only show the marker that it’s being answered but also yourself. Teachers are very helpful too and should be able to offer guidance on what they’re expecting from you so that you know that you’re on the right lines.

Read Model Answers

Knowing where to start is often the trickiest part of writing an essay. It can be a big undertaking and having an idea of how to go about it can help you to overcome this obstacle. Other essay examples can be a great source of inspiration, especially if you’ve not written one before. They can help you to gauge an understanding of what yours should look like in terms of structure, the kind of language to use and so on. 

Read, Read and Read Again

Proofreading is essential for writing any form of literature. When writing from the top of your head, your main priority is to write down all that you can remember and not your spelling (or any part of SPAG for that matter). It’s only when you go back and reread, that you’re horrified by what you’ve written. Doing so will give you the opportunity to correct any mistakes and fine tune your work to make it less wordy and easier to read.

Even so, there is still the risk of mistakes slipping through the net as when we read our work back, we tend to do so the way that things should be written. Having friends and family (or even a proofreading tool) look over your work can help to make sure that everything is fine on the grammatical front for that added piece of mind.

Use Active Voice as Opposed to Passive Voice

While we’re on the topic of “wordiness”, using active voice in your writing can help to make it more concise and less complicated for readers. Fewer words are also used which gives you more to work with if you’re running short on them. Here’s an example:

Sentence 1: The cat was chasing the mouse. 

Sentence 2: The mouse was being chased by the cat.

Sentence 1 uses active voice and, as you can see, communicates what it needs to with the fewest words.

Good Vocabulary Makes for Great Essays

Having varied vocabulary throughout your essay can help to make it more engaging, your words more impactful and communicate what you need to in the most effective manner. A thesaurus can help with this, although it's important to not just throw in big words for the sake of it. You may find that your sentences lose their meaning entirely and don’t make sense.

Plan

Structure is just as important. It helps to create flow and takes the reader through a journey. If this isn’t quite right, jumpy and things aren’t in the right order, they will end up confused. Once you have an idea as to what you’re writing about, create a plan/skeleton that you can use to map out your points. This will ensure that no important points are missed and that your essay is easy to follow.

Leave the Introduction for Last

It’s a strange concept to get your head around but it can help you to create a powerful introduction as you will know exactly what you’re introducing. It can also save you time. As mentioned before, the hardest part is often starting and not having to create an introduction can take some weight off so that you can focus on the actual substance.

Evidence

Finally, an essay is a piece of writing that aims to convince its readers to think a certain way. It’s recommended to have lots of different arguments for this reason to strengthen your case. This can’t be done without good evidence, which takes research and analytical skills to gather from various sources. Remember, not all evidence is good evidence. To make your point clearly and effectively, choose the strongest pieces to go with and consider their validity.

Do you have any other essay writing tips? Let us know in the comments below.

Foods to Boost Brain Power Before Exams

Source.

The saying “you are what you eat” came from the French lawyer and gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin who wrote “Dis-moi ce que tu manges, je te dirai ce que tu es”. Directly translated to “Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are”. 200 years on, we understand that it couldn't be any truer. As we all know, food plays a vital role in our wellbeing and brain health. High quality foods containing fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants can improve cognition by nourishing the brain and protecting it.

This raises the question - can we supercharge our brains for learning?

We have teamed up with a private school in Somerset to explore whether you can boost brain power before an exam and what foods can help to facilitate that.

In short, the answer is YES. Having a healthy diet that consists of “superfoods” and fatty acids can help to improve cognition, memory, and concentration in their own way. Below we explore these in more detail.

Berries

Berries are abundant in rich compounds that can make the brain sharper and boost academic performance. Anthocyanins are examples of compounds that do this by increasing blood flow, preventing inflammation, improving nerve and cell processes. Combined, this boosts memory and improves learning processes. This is supported by a number of human studies that show the clear improvements that berries can have on the brain and its function.

In one study, a smoothie containing a range of berries was given to a group who then were asked to carry out a number of tasks. The response time and accuracy of this group appeared to be higher than that of those that received the placebo for up to 6 hours following.

Coffee

While we all know about the kick a cup of coffee has, what you will be surprised to know is that it can improve brain health and function when incorporated into a healthy diet. This is because of its caffeine and antioxidant content that works in 3 ways.

1. Improved Alertness - Caffeine blocks adenosine, the chemical that makes you tired and sleepy. 

2. Lifts Your Spirits - The caffeine can boost your body’s “feel good” dopamine transmitters.

3. Improves Concentration - In the short-term, caffeine improves your concentration and ability to focus. 

The health benefits come from longer term consumption, which can help to reduce the chances of developing neurological problems such as Parkinson’s Disease and Alzheimer’s. 

Having said this, coffee doesn’t agree with everyone and is best to drink with caution. For some it can cause insomnia which can stop your body and brain from getting the rest that it needs. Others report feeling nervousness, restlessness, experience nausea, an upset stomach and many other side effects. 

To be on the safe side, see how you get on at a time where you have no exams or deadlines and stay within the recommended limit. For adults, this is 400 milligrams (mg) of caffeine per day. 

Nuts

Nuts are loaded with nutrients that are vital for brain health such as zinc and vitamin E. They are also concentrated in healthy fats, protein and fibre which can keep you well energised and ready for long study sessions. This is supported by a study that was carried out on 317 children, where increased nut intake proved to increase reaction times and scores on brain tests.

Eggs

Eggs are good all-rounders which gives them the name “nature’s multivitamin”. They are high in nutrients such as vitamin B12, choline, and selenium that improve brain function. 

In the body, Selenium has a range of jobs correlating with improved coordination, cognition, memory, and motor performance. Vitamin B12 on the other hand takes care of neurological health which can be impaired when levels fall too low. Lutein that is also found in eggs has a role in taking care of the brain and improves eyesight. You won’t be able to get these benefits from just eating the whites alone. While yes, the yolk contains cholesterol, it contains the healthy fats that your brain needs to work at its best.

Oily Fish

Oily fish are high in the Omega 3 oils that your body needs for good brain health and function. While you can take them via an oral tablet, consuming them naturally through your diet will give you added vitamin B12 and selenium for the benefits discussed above. Aside from greater academic performance, in the long term, eating oily fish will reduce mental decline.

With any diet, balance is important and overconsuming fish can lead to mercury poisoning and a build-up of other harmful chemicals that are absorbed by sea animals.

Vegetables

Having a variety of red, orange, and green vegetables will help to improve your overall health and mental wellbeing, which can stop you from feeling lethargic. These are foods like broccoli, carrots, peppers, parsley, lettuce, spinach, peas, and leeks. Eating these will keep you energised and help you get the most out of a study session!

The carotenoid pigments found in these vegetables are also associated with better brain health and performance. In the longer-term, the vitamin K, folate, lutein, and beta-carotene found in these foods can slow cognitive decline.

Whole Grains 

Lastly, we have whole grain foods. These are foods like bread, pasta, brown rice, and oatmeal that contain vitamin E - the vitamin that preserves the brain and protects it from neurodegeneration.

Eat What You Love

Above all, it’s important to do what makes you feel happy. This will stop you from feeling miserable and having to fight your cravings while studying. Feeding them can help you to maintain good mental health, giving you the fight to take on any exam or assignment. 

Disclaimer: The foods mentioned in this article are recommended to help improve brain function. This is not medical or strict dietary advice. Please consult a medical professional before integrating any of these foods into your diet if you have any concerns. 

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