Hi,(My questions keep being deleted.....for clarity, I'm not asking for support with content,

Hi,

(My questions keep being deleted.....for clarity, I'm not asking for support with content,

just basic advice on structuring academic writing, due to my complete lack of experience with this).

I've just embarked on a masters course and as a maths graduate, I have zero experience in essay writing and so I'm struggling.

I'm hoping you can give some pointers as to how to structure my argument in terms of:

1. How to open my argument.....for example, is it suitable to open with a direct quote such as....'the past 20 years have seen a drastic change in Leadership formation'?

2. How to use references to make an argument. For example, do I provide an opinion, then back it up with a reference, or does this type of writing render my opinion invalid?

3. Approximaty how many references to use in this short section of the assessment. (Each part is 1000, this is just one of 5).

4. Are references direct quotes, or must they be paraphrased?

I've attached the question incase the context helps.

'Student's should draw from the literature and policy context to discuss the purposes that leadership serves within educational settings and how this frames and has framed our understanding of leadership (what a leader is) over time.