Why write essays? The time required to produce a well written essay seems to much when compared with today’s fast moving means of communication. Yet essays appear everywhere in newspapers. Websites, radio and TV, in work reports and planning document. Writing a good essay can be a real challenge but the skills learnt are of great value and are highly sought after in almost any career. Whether part of an exam or an assignment, a good essay is an impressive achievement. Here’s some advice on how to improve this vital skill. Examiners are always surprised at how many student ignore th question in front of them and answer, instead, the question they want to see. Take time to read the question carefully, looking out for those command word. For example, if you’re asked to explain then describe the event, issue or facts. If asked to debate or discuss, then you must present more than one point of view, including your own. For a coursework assignment it is in portent to have good plan before you begin. A plan gives you the chance to jot down ideas and key points quickly and systematically. Roughly group your notes into the different sections of your essay this will help you sort your argument and marshal your thoughts, Once the plan is ready, the essay will seem surprisingly easy to write. In an exam situation. Remember you will probably not have time to write detailed plan, and you should certainly not spend too much time on it. However, writing down a rough outline of the structure and some key ideas can often be helpful to prevent you from wandering off the track as you write your essay. A simple, straightforward style is best and easiest to write under pressure. Start with an introduction, summarizing your key points, then go into detail in series of logical sections finally ending with a conclusion which bring everything together. Use clear language and correct spelling and grammar (marks are deducted for poor use of both). Presentation is also important so use paragraphs, subheadings if necessary and clearly reference an diagrams. Vary from writing style with questions, sentences of different lengths, quotations examples devices which keeps the reader alert and interested. As with all demanding skills, essay writing improves with practice. Review past papers for typical essay questions and show practice esays are everywhere so find some examples, ideally on your subject areas h=but on other topics as well and look at how they are written and structured. The more you read the more you can learn about the best techniques and the better your own essays will become.