English for Academic Purposes
Essay Writing
Week 1: Good Writing
Good writing?
Think about the reading you have done so far for any of your previous studies (in
your home country or in the UK): what do you think are the elements or
‘ingredients’ of ‘good writing’ in these academic texts? Write in the space below:
An old, yet still fresh idea
The foundation for modern thought on effective communication is based on
an ancient idea originally presented by the philosopher, Aristotle, over 2000
years ago, in relation to rhetoric (persuasive public speaking).
Aristotle presented an analysis of rhetoric, which included three elements:
Logos, Pathos and Ethos:
Logos Pathos Ethos
Logos are appeals to Pathos is concerned Ethos is the appeal of a
reason and an attempt with an appeal to the speaker to an audience
to persuade an emotions of the in terms of his or her
audience through valid audience. credibility and
arguments. experience; this is
The speaker will someone worth
This can be achieved attempt to induce a listening to.
by the presentation of particular state of mind
reliable evidence, in the audience,
usually in the form of including anger,
facts, definitions, understanding,
statistics and other sympathy, tolerance; it
data that appeals to will tap into the
the logic and sentiment or feelings of
intelligence of the the audience.
audience.
Aristotle Updated
You may be wondering what Aristotle has to do with writing assignments for
higher education in the 21st Century?
But Aristotle’s ideas are still relevant today and can be applied to both
spoken and written forms of communication, including academic writing.
Logos, Pathos and Ethos in academic writing:
Logos Pathos Ethos
You check facts carefully You give examples to You build credibility as a
before including them in illustrate the theories and writer if:
assignments. ideas you present. This
There is a clear structure
helps to connect these
You demonstrate your to your writing (this
concepts with people’s
knowledge of relevant presents a positive
everyday experiences.
theories, models, ideas impression of you as
and practices. You use words that have someone who has
real meaning to people. carefully organised their
You give reasons and
So you avoid writing in ideas before writing.
evidence to back-up
jargon or in convoluted
statements. This evidence Your writing is succinct
language.
will be referenced and focused;
accurately. You address the reader in
There are no spelling or
an intelligent manner: in a
You show you understand grammatical errors in
careful, precise, yet clear
a range of arguments and your text. This
points of view. and accessible way. demonstrates your
command of English,
which can reinforce a
desired positive
impression of you.
You demonstrate your
reading on the essay
topic.
Aristotle’s ideas also connect with what HE tutors expect of students in relation to
academic writing.
What tutors expect from student assignments
Tutors look for the following in student assignments:
1. Reasoning, argument and analysis
2. Effective use of sources
3. Structure and approach
4. Good presentation
Reasoning, argument and analysis (Logos)
Above all, the tutor will look for clear engagement with the set
topic or question.
You should show clear understanding of ideas and
be able to provide examples of ideas and concepts
presented in your assignments.
Tutors also respect students who take a critical stance with
their reading and who can present convincing arguments that counter any
particular theory, idea or point of view. (An ‘argument’ is a point of view
supported with reliable evidence, e.g. from articles, books, statistics etc.).
They will want you to develop your own point of view, or arrive at a conclusion,
based on a thorough analysis of the subject within the constraints of the word
limits for the assignment. Above all, they will ask themselves, ‘has the student
addressed the essay topic or question’?
Effective use of sources (citing & referencing sources) (Logos)
Tutors will expect you to show evidence that you have read a variety of texts
that connect and engage with the assignment topic.
They will also want evidence that you can be selective about which material to
use in your work. The tutor will seek evidence that you have researched the
subject as thoroughly as possible in the time available to you.
This evidence is presented by referencing your sources accurately. This will be
dealt with in more depth in Unit 4 of this section.
Structure and approach (Ethos)
The tutor will look for:
evidence of planning and organisation of material in the
assignment;
a logical structure, including an introduction and
summary/conclusion.
Good presentation (Ethos)
Tutors expect that you will take pride in the way you present your work. It should
look good, e.g. word-processed, and be free of spelling mistakes and grammatical
errors.
Spelling mistakes and grammatical errors can interrupt the process of
communication between you and your tutor. If an essay or report is
difficult to understand, because of grammatical or spelling errors, your
tutor will struggle to follow your train of thought.
The tutor will also be impressed if you can write in a way that expresses
something of your personality and your individuality.
Style in writing
The best academic writers have always striven to make their ideas accessible to a
wide and intelligent readership. This invariably results in a style of writing that
connects with the experiences, senses and emotions of the reader – and it a way that
connects with Aristotle’s Pathos element of effective communication.
For example, read the following example by Anthony Giddens; it is the concluding
section of an essay in which he describes the impact of globalisation.
(Sou
As the changes described in this chapter gather weight, they are creating rce:
something that has never existed before, a global cosmopolitan society.
We are the first generation to live in this society, whose contours we can
only dimly see. It is shaking up our existing ways of life, no matter where
we happen to be. This is not – at least at the moment – a global order
driven by collective human will. Instead, it is emerging in an anarchic,
haphazard fashion, carried along by a mixture of influences.
It is not settled or secure, but fraught with anxieties, as well as scarred
by deep divisions. Many of us feel in the grip of forces over which we
have no power. Can we re-impose our will upon them? Arguably we can.
The powerlessness we experience is not a sign of personal failings, but
reflects the incapacities of our institutions. We need to reconstruct those
we have, or create new ones. For globalisation is not incidental to our
lives today. It is a shift in our very life circumstances. It is the way we live
now.
Giddens, A. (1999). Runaway World: how globalization is reshaping our lives.
London: Profile Books).
Look carefully at the Giddens extract and comment in the right hand column of the
grid that follows on:
The style of writing generally.
The impact of some of the words: single out a few words that have a particular impact
on you and try and say why this is.
The way the writing tries to appeal to the reader.
The style of writing
generally
The impact of some
of the words: single
out a few words that
have a particular
impact on you and
try and say why this
is.
The way the writing
tries to appeal to the
reader.
Your tutor will discuss this exercise with you. Alternatively, you can check the
answers yourself in the online tutor guidance notes for this Section and Unit.
Key points
Good academic writing has three elements: (1) valid arguments,
supported with reliable evidence; (2) clear structure and organisation;
and (3) good presentation of work, which includes correct
punctuation and spelling.
Good academic writing is always clear and accessible to its intended
readership.
Materials used and adapted with kind permission from
www.transitwestyorkshire.ac.uk
