english essay

Academic English Skills: Coursework 2 Extended Research Essay What do you have to do?

• CW 2 builds on the work you have done for CW 1 and the presentation assessments. • You have already: developed an essay question • found relevant and useful sources • produced an essay outline • produced a sample of a synthesised summary using your sources • presented and answered questions on your research topic • You now need to: use all this information to write your essay • This follows the approach you would take in any academic research Essay requirements • Depending on your programme, your essay needs to be: • IFY: 1000 – 1500 words • IY1: 1500 – 2000 words • PM: 2000 – 2500 words • Include a list of references of any and all sources included in the essay (*don’t include a list of everything you have read on the topic) As with any essay you should….

• clearly identify and define your topic, providing some background and why the topic is of interest and relevance. • * don’t write about something where there is no contrasting opinions or arguments, or views/ trends have not changed • * don’t give your reason for writing the essay as ‘because I think it’s interesting / because it is different in my country’ • Academic research should : • B uild on existing studies and views • Provide an evaluation or new view of the topic • Not be a mystery – consider that academic studies include an abstract which tells you why they did the research, how they did it, and what they found . • Make your position clear from the introduction and develop and support it throughout the essay (Basic) Example… • Many believe that the UK school starting age of 4 years old is too young. Compare the UK education system with that of a country where children start school later and decide whether there is evidence that a later starting age is beneficial. Consider the social and academic effects. • In September 2015, England’s Schools Minister, Nick Gibb, called for a change to the Schools Admissions Code to allow parents of four year olds to defer the start of school for one year. This follows a growing body of research that suggests that in some cases, four years old is too young (Brown, 2014; Green, 2014; White and Black, 2015). It has been argued that the UK should follow the example of Finland where children begin their formal education at the age of six. Finland produces some of the highest academic results in the world, as well as high levels of reported happiness and satisfaction (Blue, 2016). This essay will outline key arguments and evidence supporting a later school starting age in terms of personal development, economic and social benefits, and academic results. Have a clear position • Make sure that your position is clear throughout the essay • Organise your argument so you present and evaluate different views • You should include counter -arguments – which way round is it more persuasive to present them? • A: your argument – counter -argument? • B: counter argument – your argument? Support all your statements with sources and evidence.

• Remember you can incorporate support by : • Making a statement and then referring to evidence to back it up. • Presenting evidence and then explaining it. • Include summary, paraphrase and direct quotation; don’t over -rely on one. • Make sure the citations directly support or explain your point. • Chose your quotations carefully – don’t just copy blocks of text. • Use a direct quotation when : • You could not say it better yourself. • You want to provide textual evidence that you have understood the article. • You want to attribute the point to someone else. • Vary the way you reference -author prominent referencing : • According to Smith (2017), the best way to learn is… • Smith (2017) explained that the best way to learn is… • Information prominent referencing : • The best way to learn is to set clear goals (Smith, 2017). • Think about the tenses and reporting verbs you use, and how it shows your view of the research. Write in an academic style • The essay is our opportunity to demonstrate what you have learnt about: • Academic caution - don’t present arguments as undisputable fact • Use passive structures: It has been argued that…. • Use hedging: This may be due to… • Academic register – don’t use informal language or personal references • Include more nouns than verbs: More people are employed in teaching jobs than ever before vs Employment in the teaching sector has reached unprecedented highs • Academic tone – you are aiming to present and evaluate, not give advice or opinion, so no ‘ the government should….’ The marking criteria • You are marked on: • Task achievement – Whether the essay question has been fully answered, the inclusion of relevant information and whether points are supported with appropriate examples or data. • Organisation and Cohesion – Whether there is clear and logical organisation of information with appropriate paragraph structure and a range of cohesive devices used accurately. • Language Control – Whether you have used grammatical structures and vocabulary accurately. • Language Range - Whether you have used a wide range of grammatical structures and vocabulary. • Academic Conventions – Whether you have used an academic style and register , and demonstrated an ability to reference sources, paraphrase and summarise. At CEFR B2+ level (60%) this means… • You have answered the question / task clearly • You have included relevant points, and have supported your points with evidence • Your ideas and arguments are arranged logically • Your paragraphs are clear – you have a topic sentence and you develop that topic in each paragraph • Your language is clear enough so as not to cause confusion to the reader • Your language is broad enough so as not to be repetitive or inappropriate/ unclear • You are able to use academic register and style • You are able to reference your sources appropriately Task Achievement 1. Most requirements (topic, reader, purpose and word limit) of instruction appropriately met.

2. Presents a relevant position ... It should be clear what your argument is (for example, you believe that age 4 is too young to start school). Make it clear in the introduction and throughout the essay.

You should include counter -arguments, but make sure it is clear why other arguments and evidence are stronger. 3. All aspects of task are addressed…. You have covered all parts of the question – for example, you considered the social and academic effects of starting school at four and at a later age, using the example of another education system. You have evaluated the evidence and concluded that age 4 is too early.

4. Highlights significant points and including supporting detail… You have included key arguments and have provided relevant support for each point you have made (ie : you have referenced academic results in the same test taken in two countries to support a point about higher performance in one country’s system). Organisation and Cohesion 1. Information and ideas arranged coherently with clear overall progression. Your ideas should be linked together logically so that they form an argument. For example, you may outline the issues with early school age, then move on to how these problems have been addressed in other education systems.

2. Paragraphing, introduction, conclusion and topic sentences are present . We should be able to see clear paragraphs, and there should be a topic sentence in each paragraph. Each paragraph should develop the point made in the topic sentence. The introduction should make the content of the essay clear, and the conclusion should highlight key points, draw conclusions and indicate any limitations.

3. Uses a variety of linking words efficiently to mark clearly the relationships between ideas... You should use a range of cohesive devices; basic linking words and phrases, such as ‘Furthermore, however, as a result), but also cohesive devices like: reference pronouns ( This demonstrates that…), and substitution (There are several arguments against an early school age. The first is… Language control 1. Maintains good grammatical control, using a range of grammatical structures.

You should demonstrate that you can use a range of tenses and structures in your writing. Include passive structures, conditionals/ ‘if… clauses’ (if parents are permitted to keep their child back a year, it is likely that children will benefit from….) as well as a range of tenses.

2. Produces some error -free sentences. Minor errors rarely impede comprehension and are generally non -serious. You should have at least one completely accurate complex sentence to meet this criteria. The meaning and the message of your writing should be clear, even if you make minor errors.

3 . Generally clear spelling and punctuation. Language range 1. Uses an appropriate range of vocabulary for the task so as to avoid repetition . You should make sure you have a range of ways to refer to the key points in the essay question so that your writing is not repetitive. Use different words, but also different parts of speech. For example, if referring to school : education system / formal education / schooling/ schooled/ learning/ primary education/ primary school 2 . Uses less common and academic vocabulary… Common vocabulary means words that are likely to come up in everyday conversations, for example ‘children’. In a non -academic context you may use ‘kids’. You should use some less generic/more precise words, and make sure that your language is formal. For example, four -year -olds / school -age children/ the youngest learners / children aged between four and five… Academic Conventions 1. Clear awareness of academic register and tone Your language should be formal and objective. It should be evaluative / factual, rather than descriptive. Make sure you are using academic caution. You should make sure your point is expressed clearly and concisely – check you are not being vague or repetitive. 2 . Incorporates paraphrase, summary and direct quotation to a good standard… You should include all three – don’t just rely on direct quotations. You should vary the way you incorporate reference – some author first : Smith (2017) argued…. Some information first : It is better to check your work before you hand it in. (Smith, 2017) 3. Referencing and citation included… All your points should be supported and referenced. Make sure your end of text references are complete and use the appropriate format. Checklist • Based on the information you have looked at, what would be a useful checklist to go through before you hand in your first draft?