Writing an essay: The Shadow-Line (1917)

Abstract

One feature of studying English that makes it quite different from many other subjects is that your success depends not only on your understanding of the texts, but also on your ability to show that understanding through the writing of a good, literate essay. Be determined from the beginning, therefore, that you will write good essays — work that markers and examiners will not find faults in, but will want to reward with high grades. Obviously most students want to achieve good results, but go about the task in different ways. Some approach the subject casually in the hope that they will get ‘lucky’ examination questions that will enable them to do well without much work or thought, or that they will become inspired on the day. Others don’t bother too much because they believe you are either born with the ability to write good essays or not. In fact, as any examiner will tell you, luck and inspiration have little to do with convincing essays or exam answers, and no one is born with the ability to write anything at all — that is something we all have to learn. So, if we have to learn to write any kind of essay we may as well learn to write good ones. That comes from only one source: developing an efficient and effective method for producing interesting and intelligent essays.