How To Write A Half Decent Essay

In the marking mode at the moment and it is sad when so many students just set themselves up for a fall by annoying the marker before the essay even begins.  Remember your essay marker is human and a few simple tips to make their life easier will also make your essay easier to grade.

1. Give your work a title so I know what it is about before I begin reading
2. Use subtitles to break up the text and indicate to the reader your flow of thought 
3. Structure your essay around the marking criteria, give appropriate space to each section based on how many marks are available for that
4. Make sure that for each marking criterion you have included something in the essay to satisfy that criterion 
5. Make it clear what you are doing or arguing for in each section but don't waste text writing "now we are going to do such and such"
6. Don't use metaphors and colloquialisms that could mean anything, the marker probably wont get your jist cos they aren't down with the kids like you
7. Write in a boring font, in 12pt (not to big and not too small) and 1.5 line spacing
8. Make sure you understand the question, if you don't see the point of something you have been asked to do it is probably because you haven't understood it properly
9. Make sure you know what the regulations are for referencing and stick to them religiously
10. Do not make statements that you have no reference for or haven't argued for
11. Don't waste time digressing onto facts and thoughts that are possibly interesting but irrelevant to the essay 
12. Treat the word count with respect, seriously, it is someone's life you are wasting when you write an extra 1200 words that you didn't need to, they can never get those minutes back
13. Don't wait till the day before the essay is due to ask for help, it doesn't impress

"Make life pleasant for the one who examines you and their face will surely shine brighter upon thee" (Hezekiah 6:15)