A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO WRITING IN ENGLISH FOR UNIVERSITY

STUDY
UNIVERSITY OF READING

Welcome to Week 2
See: Welcome to week 2 video
This week will cover three important aspects of essay writing:

what title you give your essay

how you organise your ideas

the style you use to write your essay.

Find out more about these three topics and what well cover this week in the video.
University of Reading

Essay organisation
See: Essay organization video
Join Seb as he examines his ideas for an essay based on the title Discuss
the reasons why people choose to live in Reading.
Its important to think about how you organise your ideas in your essay because
good organisation can make your essay easier to understand and ensures that you
answer the hidden question in the essay title.
University of Reading

Essay organisation - an example

Now read my essay below slowly and carefully, using your dictionary to
make sure you understand the words.

Discuss the reasons why people choose to live in Reading

Reading is a large town in south-east England with a population of 147,300. It is
about halfway between London and Oxford. Some people were born in Reading, and
they stay because of their family and friends. Other people, however, have
relocated for personal reasons; perhaps they want to take up a new job opportunity
or be near their social circle. This essay will discuss two common reasons why some

A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO WRITING IN ENGLISH FOR UNIVERSITY

STUDY
UNIVERSITY OF READING
people choose to live in Reading: to improve the quality of their family life and to
study.
Reading offers the opportunity for a good work-life balance. It is only 25 minutes
from London by train, but the environment is clean, houses are cheaper and there
are many leisure opportunities for families. There are parks and pools in the town
and the countryside is only a short car drive away. Shopping is also a growing
attraction. The number of retail outlets has increased by one third since the opening
of the Oracle, a new shopping complex, in 1999. The town also has a library, many
places of worship, a theatre, a concert hall, an art gallery, a museum, two cinemas,
a football stadium, and many restaurants. These facilities mean that local people of
all ages have places to go.
Many people also come to Reading to study at a language school or at the
university. They may choose Reading because the university has an excellent
reputation, a beautiful campus and offers a high level of support to its students.
Alternatively, the reasons may be more practical. Transport is efficient; there is easy
access to London and Heathrow Airport. Accommodation is fairly easy to find and
cheaper than London. Job opportunities are also good. Many students take up parttime work, even if English is not their first language.
In conclusion, people live in Reading for their own individual reasons. For some
people, Reading represents a lifestyle choice, and for others it offers opportunities
to study. With its good employment prospects, ideal location, wide range of leisure
facilities, interesting educational opportunities and excellent transport links, it will
no doubt continue to be a popular place to live in the future.
You may like to print off a copy of the essay, or leave this page open in a tab or
window as you will refer to it in the next steps.
University of Reading

Analysis of the five different essay sections

See: Analysisofthefivieddifferentessaysection video
Sebs essay is made up of five different sections: the title, introduction,
paragraph 1, paragraph 2 and the conclusion.

A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO WRITING IN ENGLISH FOR UNIVERSITY

STUDY
UNIVERSITY OF READING
Watch as Seb examines these sections and explores the content that goes into
each. These parts form the building blocks of any essay.

Analysing the organisation of an example essay

Part 1
Now re-read Sebs essay on Reading (copied below). Using the following
template, can you identify the different sections of his essay? If you have
printed off a copy of the essay, mark the parts of the essay on your copy.

Title

Introduction (background)

Introduction (thesis statement)

Paragraph 1 (paragraph leader)

Paragraph 1 (paragraph body)

Paragraph 2 (paragraph leader)

Paragraph 2 (paragraph body)

Conclusion (summary)

Conclusion (future suggestion: a prediction, recommendation or solution)

Discuss the reasons why people choose to live in Reading

Reading is a large town in south-east England with a population of 147,300. It is
about halfway between London and Oxford. Some people were born in Reading, and
they stay because of their family and friends. Other people, however, have
relocated for personal reasons; perhaps they want to take up a new job opportunity
or be near their social circle. This essay will discuss two common reasons why some
people choose to live in Reading: to improve the quality of their family life and to
study.
Reading offers the opportunity for a good work-life balance. It is only 25 minutes
from London by train, but the environment is clean, houses are cheaper and there
are many leisure opportunities for families. There are parks and pools in the town

A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO WRITING IN ENGLISH FOR UNIVERSITY

STUDY
UNIVERSITY OF READING
and the countryside is only a short car drive away. Shopping is also a growing
attraction. The number of retail outlets has increased by one third since the opening
of the Oracle, a new shopping complex, in 1999. The town also has a library, many
places of worship, a theatre, a concert hall, an art gallery, a museum, two cinemas,
a football stadium, and many restaurants. These facilities mean that local people of
all ages have places to go.
Many people also come to Reading to study at a language school or at the
university. They may choose Reading because the university has an excellent
reputation, a beautiful campus and offers a high level of support to its students.
Alternatively, the reasons may be more practical. Transport is efficient; there is easy
access to London and Heathrow Airport. Accommodation is fairly easy to find and
cheaper than London. Job opportunities are also good. Many students take up parttime work, even if English is not their first language.
In conclusion, people live in Reading for their own individual reasons. For some
people, Reading represents a lifestyle choice, and for others it offers opportunities
to study. With its good employment prospects, ideal location, wide range of leisure
facilities, interesting educational opportunities and excellent transport links, it will
no doubt continue to be a popular place to live in the future.

Analysing the organisation of an example essay

Part 2
In the previous step, you were asked to identify the different sections of
Sebs example essay using the template. Below you can see the text of the
essay split into these sections. Did you manage to get it right?
Read through the text below to ensure that you understand what the different parts
of an essay do. You can then reuse these building blocks when writing your own
essay.

Note: Basic academic essays do not use the headings below (e.g. Introduction,
Thesis Statement, Paragraph 1 etc). We have used these headings here, just to
show you how this example essay is organised.

Introduction
Background

A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO WRITING IN ENGLISH FOR UNIVERSITY

STUDY
UNIVERSITY OF READING
Reading is a large town in south-east England with a population of 147,300. It is
about halfway between London and Oxford. Some people were born in Reading, and
they stay because of their family and friends. Other people, however, have
relocated for personal reasons; perhaps they want to take up a new job opportunity
or be near their social circle.
Thesis statement
This essay will discuss two common reasons why some people choose to live in
Reading: to improve the quality of their family life and to study.

Paragraph 1
Paragraph leader
Reading offers the opportunity for a good work-life balance.
Paragraph body
It is only 25 minutes from London by train, but the environment is clean, houses are
cheaper and there are many leisure opportunities for families. There are parks and
pools in the town and the countryside is only a short car drive away. Shopping is
also a growing attraction. The number of retail outlets has increased by one third
since the opening of the Oracle, a new shopping complex, in 1999. The town also
has a library, many places of worship, a theatre, a concert hall, an art gallery, a
museum, two cinemas, a football stadium, and many restaurants. These facilities
mean that local people of all ages have places to go.

Paragraph 2
Paragraph leader
Many people also come to Reading to study at a language school or at the
university.
Paragraph body
They may choose Reading because the university has an excellent reputation, a
beautiful campus and offers a high level of support to its students. Alternatively, the
reasons may be more practical. Transport is efficient; there is easy access to London
and Heathrow Airport. Accommodation is fairly easy to find and cheaper than

A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO WRITING IN ENGLISH FOR UNIVERSITY

STUDY
UNIVERSITY OF READING
London. Job opportunities are also good. Many students take up part-time work,
even if English is not their first language.

Conclusion
Summary
In conclusion, people live in Reading for their own individual reasons. For some
people, Reading represents a lifestyle choice, and for others it offers opportunities
to study.
Future suggestion
With its good employment prospects, ideal location, wide range of leisure facilities,
interesting educational opportunities and excellent transport links, it will no doubt
continue to be a popular place to live in the future.

The links within an essay

See: The link within an essay video
When someone reads your essay, they need to be able to follow the
organisation of the essay. You can help the reader follow your organisation
by making clear links between your thesis statement, paragraph leaders
and your conclusion.

Reordering an essay Part 1

Look at the parts of an essay on education below. They are not in the
correct order. Each section has been labelled with a letter. Choose the
answer below that puts the essay in the correct order.
You may find it helpful to copy and paste the text into a word processor so that you
can move the sections around. Alternatively, you could print the text and cut out
the sections so that you can move them around.
a.
Until the second half of the 20th century, schools were traditional and strict in their
approach to learning. Pupils sat in rows, they were not allowed to talk to each other
during lessons, and corporal punishment was allowed; children were hit with
slippers, rulers or canes by the teachers for not knowing the answers to questions,

A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO WRITING IN ENGLISH FOR UNIVERSITY

STUDY
UNIVERSITY OF READING
and they were encouraged to learn facts, stories and poems by memorizing and by
copying from the board or from dictation. Gradually, teachers began to change the
way they taught. Modern teaching methods are likely to include pair and group
work, and children are encouraged to learn by discovering answers for themselves
rather than constantly relying on the teacher. Modern technology is widely used in
classrooms. Computers are available for children to use even in primary schools,
and most schools now have fast access to the internet and use interactive resources
and whiteboards in the classrooms.

b.
It is important that education continues to develop as society changes throughout
the twenty-first century

c.
In the UK, school attendance is now compulsory for children between the ages of 5
and 16. Children attend primary school from 5 to 11 years of age, and then
secondary school until they are at least 16 years old. The modern state school
system aims to treat all children in the same way and to give them all equal
opportunities. However, the school system has not always been like this.

d.
Approaches to teaching have developed so that children participate more in their
learning.

e.
Discuss some of the changes which have taken place in the school system in the UK
in the last 200 years.

A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO WRITING IN ENGLISH FOR UNIVERSITY

STUDY
UNIVERSITY OF READING

f.
The school system has clearly improved in many ways since the 19th century. Most
importantly, childrens right to education no longer depends on gender or parental
income, and greater educational opportunities are offered more widely to all.

g.
This essay will discuss the key developments over the last 200 years, which have
ensured that a school education is available to all children and is an enjoyable and
interesting experience.

h.
At the beginning of the 19th century, only boys from rich families went to school.
Girls from rich backgrounds were taught at home. Boys were taught Physical
Education, English, Philosophy, Maths, Latin and Greek, whereas girls education
focused on reading, writing, sewing, singing, dancing and French. This was because
girls education involved preparation for marriage, running a home and entertaining
whereas boys education aimed at preparing them for work: the army, perhaps, or a
political life. Gradually, free state schools began to be provided for all children, and
at the end of the 19th century, school became compulsory for all until the age of 13.
This meant that all boys and girls, from rich or poor backgrounds, had the
opportunity to learn to read and write. During the 20th century, the school leaving
age was raised again. Girls and boys began to be treated more fairly; they could
study the same subjects within the same classroom, and all children had the right to
take the same exams.

i.
The school system has changed so all children have the right to an education.

A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO WRITING IN ENGLISH FOR UNIVERSITY

STUDY
UNIVERSITY OF READING
The correct order for the essay is: c. g. a. i. f. b. d. h. e.
The correct order for the essay is: e. c. g. i. h. d. a. f. b.
The correct order for the essay is: a. g. h. b. i. f. d. c. e.
The correct order for the essay is: g. h. d. c. i. f. b. a. e.

Reordering an essay Part 2

You can now read the essay on Education in the UK in the correct order,
with the essay parts shown.

Note: Remember, the headings below are only included to show you how the essay
is organised.

Title
Discuss some of the changes which have taken place in the school system
in the UK in the last 200 years.

Introduction
Background
In the UK, school attendance is now compulsory for children between the ages of 5
and 16. Children attend primary school from 5 to 11 years of age, and then
secondary school until they are at least 16 years old. The modern state school
system aims to treat all children in the same way and to give them all equal
opportunities. However, the school system has not always been like this.
Thesis statement
This essay will discuss the key developments over the last 200 years, which have
ensured that a school education is available to all children and is an enjoyable and
interesting experience.

Paragraph 1
Paragraph leader
The school system has changed so all children have the right to an education.

A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO WRITING IN ENGLISH FOR UNIVERSITY

STUDY
UNIVERSITY OF READING
Paragraph body
At the beginning of the 19th century, only boys from rich families went to school.
Girls from rich backgrounds were taught at home. Boys were taught Physical
Education, English, Philosophy, Maths, Latin and Greek, whereas girls education
focused on reading, writing, sewing, singing, dancing and French. This was because
girls education involved preparation for marriage, running a home and entertaining
whereas boys education aimed at preparing them for work: the army, perhaps, or a
political life. Gradually, free state schools began to be provided for all children, and
at the end of the 19th century, school became compulsory for all until the age of 13.
This meant that all boys and girls, from rich or poor backgrounds, had the
opportunity to learn to read and write. During the 20th century, the school leaving
age was raised again. Girls and boys began to be treated more fairly; they could
study the same subjects within the same classroom, and all children had the right to
take the same exams.

Paragraph 2
Paragraph leader
Approaches to teaching have developed so that children participate more in their
learning.
Paragraph body
Until the second half of the 20th century, schools were traditional and strict in their
approach to learning. Pupils sat in rows, they were not allowed to talk to each other
during lessons, and corporal punishment was allowed; children were hit with
slippers, rulers or canes by the teachers for not knowing the answers to questions,
and they were encouraged to learn facts, stories and poems by memorizing and by
copying from the board or from dictation. Gradually, teachers began to change the
way they taught. Modern teaching methods are likely to include pair and group
work, and children are encouraged to learn by discovering answers for themselves
rather than constantly relying on the teacher. Modern technology is widely used in
classrooms. Computers are available for children to use even in primary schools,
and most schools now have fast access to the internet and use interactive resources
and whiteboards in the classrooms.

Conclusion
Summary

A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO WRITING IN ENGLISH FOR UNIVERSITY

STUDY
UNIVERSITY OF READING
The school system has clearly improved in many ways since the 19th century. Most
importantly, childrens right to education no longer depends on gender or parental
income, and greater educational opportunities are offered more widely to all.
Future suggestion
It is important that education continues to develop as society changes throughout
the twenty-first century.

Choosing a title
View658 comments
In the next few weeks we will work together to write an essay using the
same style of organisation as the sample essay on living in Reading. Youll
each choose a unique essay title, so you will need to think about a topic
that interests you, and that you know something about already.
Youll develop an essay title that begins:
Discuss the reasons why
You will then add your own topic to the end to complete the title. To give you some
ideas, here are some titles that students have chosen in the past:

Discuss the reasons why football is a popular sport in Italy(Giorgio,

Italy)

Discuss the reasons why the marshlands in Iraq are popular with
tourists (Majid, Iraq)

Discuss the reasons why more and more young children are
learning English early in China (Chaohua, China)

Discuss the reasons why people choose to live in Beijing (Li, China)

Although it is important to make use of our personal background knowledge when

we write, academic writing is not usually personal. Instead, academic writing should
be impersonal or objective. Writing in an academic way involves observing the
world as an onlooker. Perhaps the best way to understand this is to imagine that you
are inside a house looking out through a window, writing about facts and situations
as you see them rather than experiencing them yourself. As you become a more
experienced writer, you may learn about other academic genres that require more
personal involvement, but when you are beginning to write, it is important to learn
how to write objectively.

A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO WRITING IN ENGLISH FOR UNIVERSITY

STUDY
UNIVERSITY OF READING
The choice for your own title is very wide. Just choose a topic that you are
interested in, and that you know something about. You should also make sure that
the topic is not personal.
For example:
A former student of the University of Reading, Ali (from Saudi Arabia), chose this
title for his essay:
Discuss the reasons I am interested in studying Plant Sciences
Why did I tell him this was not a good title?

Alis title was too personal. remember my title was Discuss the reasons
why people choose to live in Reading, not Discuss the reasons why I want to
live in Reading.

Ali needs to make his title more impersonal, for example, Discuss the
reasons why Plant Sciences is an interesting subject to study.

You will have the opportunity to discuss your ideas for essay titles in the final step of
this week.

What does writing in an impersonal style mean?

When you write your essay, you need to use an impersonal style, as you
are writing objectively about impersonal topics.
Academic writing is used for discussing facts and ideas about the world. It does not
give personal details. The writer does not know the reader, and so does not address
him or her as a friend.
Academic writing style, therefore, is not informal and personal. It is formal and
impersonal. To write in a more formal, impersonal style we need to avoid using I,
you and we.

What essay title would you choose and why?

Considering what you have learnt in the last few steps, share your essay
title ideas in the discussion below. Remember that your essay title should
begin: Discuss the reasons why
What would your essay title be? Why have you chosen this topic? In week 4, you will
need to finalise your essay title, so that you can write your essay.

A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO WRITING IN ENGLISH FOR UNIVERSITY

STUDY
UNIVERSITY OF READING
Remember, you can Like and reply to other learners comments and dont forget to
take a look at your Replies to see if anyone has responded to your comments.

Q2
For questions 2 to 6, you will find it useful to have a copy of the essayin front of you.
When I was writing my essay I thought about what I needed to include in each section. Which
section was I thinking about when I had this thought?
I need to give the reader some general background about living in Reading, and then Ill narrow the
focus, and Ill show the reader exactly which reasons for choosing Reading I will discuss in my essay.
Title/ Introduction/ Paragraph 1/ Paragraph 2/ Conclusion

Q3
When I was writing my essay I thought about what I needed to include in
each section. Which section was I thinking about when I had this thought?
I need to remind the reader that I have explained about lifestyle choice and study
reasons, and then, Ill widen the focus, and Ill make a prediction about whether
Reading will continue to be popular in the future.
Title /Introduction/ Paragraph 1/ Paragraph 2/ Conclusion

Q4
When I was writing my essay I thought about what I needed to include in
each section. Which section was I thinking about when I had this thought?
I need to copy this at the top of the page to show the reader what I was asked to
write about.
Title/ Introduction/ Paragraph 1/ Paragraph 2/ Conclusion

Q5
When I was writing my essay I thought about what I needed to include in
each section. Which section was I thinking about when I had this thought?
I need to tell the reader that this paragraph is about lifestyle reasons and then I
need to describe this more fully, using details, facts and examples.
Title/ Introduction/ Paragraph 1/ Paragraph 2/Conclusion

A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO WRITING IN ENGLISH FOR UNIVERSITY

STUDY
UNIVERSITY OF READING

Q6
When I was writing my essay I thought about what I needed to include in
each section. Which section was I thinking about when I had this thought?
I need to tell the reader that this paragraph is about study reasons and then I
need to describe this more fully, using details, facts and examples.
Title / Introduction/ Paragraph 1/ Paragraph 2/ Conclusion