Student Disability Services
Essay Writing in 8 Steps
Step 1:Get to grips with the scale of the task
This is important because it’s much harder to cut down to the required word count if you have
written too much than to plan carefully and write the right amount in the first place. Scale is also
important because it will dictate the amount of detail you can include.
Think about the word limit (2,000 words, 3,000 words?). How many typed pages will there be (about
500 words per page with single spacing)? Roughly how many section do you think there will be (e.g.
6 including introduction and conclusion)? For example, each sec)on for a 2,000 word essay would be
in the range of 300 – 350 words. Think about the number of words per page (500, font 12, single
spaced or 250 double spaced). A 2,000 word essay will fill about 4 (or 8) pages. If you visualise and
work within a framework like this, you will be more likely to produce a piece of writing that is of
about the right length. No )me wasted chopping bits out.
Step 2: Consider the subject of the essay / the essay title
Read the essay title carefully, as every word will be important. It may be helpful to iden)fy two
different sorts of words: Content words and Instruc)on words.
Content words relate to the subject you will be writing about. The area about which you will be
demonstra)ng your knowledge and understanding, be it cogni)on, anatomy, French history,
Descartes or post-impressionism.
Instruction words are those that tell you how you are expected to demonstrate your knowledge and
understanding, e.g. discuss, give an account of, describe, compare and contrast, jus)fy, evaluate,
analyse, critically examine, define, explain. The instruc)on words are easy to overlook, because it is
the content words that tend to stand out. It’s perhaps a good idea to highlight them as a reminder to
bear them in mind as you plan, research and write.
Step 3: Dra& a Plan
First; what do you already know about the subject? Perhaps not a great deal, as you may not have
read very much yet. But you may have attended a lecture or course of lectures; you may already have
ideas of your own. Before starting your research, get some ideas down on paper or use mind-
mapping software. This could be in the form of a mind-map or simply a list of headings – areas that
