e-Tutor - tips
for better tutorial essays!
- Do the reading ... and then a bit more!! You can't write an essay
if you don't know anything about the subject, so find out!! This may seem
obvious enough, but be honest, how many times have you tried to get by just
with your lecture notes and what you imagine to be your "native wit"?
Don't forget to read the relevant parts of the textbooks.
- Say what you think ... not what you imagine your tutor thinks!!
Most lecturers are bored senseless by reading the same old stuff regurgitated
week after week, year after year. They will be more than happy to see something
that isn't just a re-hash of the previous weeks' lecture notes.
- Make a good start. The introduction is the hardest part, because
you have to know what you're going to say before you said it!! Work out what
your argument is going to be, and state it simply. That way, as you continue
with your essay, you remember what the point you are trying to make
is.
- Write legibly - better still, use a word processor. Check your spelling.
Your tutor will a) hate wasting time deciphering your handwriting (and may
not even bother!), and b) may seize on the opportunity to take off marks for
bad spelling - hey, tutors are human too!! (Exam tip: obviously you
can't use Word in an exam, but you can make sure your stunning answer doesn't
get lost in the inky scrawl by underlining key words or sentences).
Now you've read the tips - submit your essay to the e-Tutor!
Each week we'll publish an essay
(anonymously!) along with the e-Tutor's comments, so you can see the changes
needed to improve your marks.
Send your essay to geostudent,
either as an attachment or just cut and paste the text.
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