Many students practice what is called the "brain dump" approach to essay writing. If uncertain about what the question is asking, they will write down everything they know about the subject in the hope that the final product will include some relevant points. This usually results in poorly structured papers that wander off topic. Applying the following 3 strategies before beginning to write will produce coherent essays that answer the question.
Identify the Instructional Keywords
The first strategy is to locate and underline the question's instructional keyword. These are words that define the type of essay a student is being asked to produce. Terms such as discuss, describe, or compare each require a distinct approach. A discussion paper, for example, is very different from an outline or a define paper, therefore, having a firm understanding of what approach to take is crucial for staying on topic.
Identify the Content Keywords
The next step is to underline the words that define the content or central themes. Essays drift off topic because they include points that have nothing to do with the question's keywords. If, for example, a student is asked to "Outline the factors that encourage young people to smoke and suggest possible solutions to address this", the instructional keywords would be "outline" and "suggest", while the content keywords would be "factors", "young people", "smoke", and "solutions".
A essay outlining the effects of smoking and presenting a case for a complete ban, for example, may be very intelligent, but regardless of how well-written or convincingly argued, if it does not directly address the factors that lead to smoking and offer well thought out solutions, it is not answering the question. Underlining the content keywords will emphasize which topics are relevant and keep the writer on track.
Focusing on individual keywords also breaks the essay down into manageable sections. Rather than being overwhelmed by the enormity of the question as a whole, identifying individual topics or themes helps reduce anxiety and produces more focused content.
Brainstorm Keywords
The third strategy is brainstorming the question's keywords. The aim of brainstorming is to generate new ideas and to get them down on paper. One way to do this is to pose Who? What? When? Where? How? and Why? questions to the content keywords. Using the previous example, some questions may include: "What are the factors?", "How do you define young people?", "Are there any solutions?", or "What are they?" The more questions asked, the more ideas generated for the essay.
Brainstorming can be done individually or in groups; either way, it is important that no thoughts are dismissed at this stage. All ideas are possibly gems when brainstorming. It is equally important to list all questions and ideas or create a mindmap before beginning to search for relevant resources. The questions or topics generated will form the initial framework of the essay and help direct the reading or research required.
Taking the time to explore the question before beginning to write can save work in the long run and ensure a better result. By identifying the instructional and content keywords, brainstorming ideas, and organizing them into key themes, an essay will stay on topic and hopefully attract positive feedback.
Marilyn Michaud - Marilyn Michaud teaches English Literature and writing in Toronto. Her research interests include American history and culture, Gothic ...
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