Successful Writing of a Literary Composition - Essay Example

HOW TO WRITE AN ESSAY Introduction An essay is a literary composition that is short in length, generally consisting of a few pages. An essay is a composition which presents the personal views of the author, and addresses one or more topic areas. In academic essay writing, it is important that adequate referencing is done, to gather comprehensive information about the topic, and to support or oppose the views of the writer with citations from published works. The purpose of writing an essay is to demonstrate understanding of a topic or academic question pertaining to a particular discipline. One’s knowledge and writing skills, the ability to find appropriate literature to support one’s views and to add a greater number of perspectives, are expressed through the work. This paper proposes to provide guidelines on how to write an essay. Discussion The main parts of an essay are the introduction, the discussion or body of the essay and the conclusion. The essay may be structured further to organize the argument clearly under subtopics, if required. Spurr (2005) gives comprehensive guidelines on academic essay writing. To start with, it is important that the essay question or topic is understood clearly, without any ambiguity. Next, appropriate books, journals, newspaper and magazine articles where relevant, and recognized sources of information from the internet should be identified and accessed. Key arguments and theories which express the writer’s viewpoints should be summarized, and referencing should be done to support as well as counter these arguments. The introduction introduces the reader to the question at hand, explains the subject of the essay, defines terms and establishes the parameters of enquiry or investigation. An outline of the arguments that are to be put forth in the discussion and main theorists’ work that may be drawn upon will serve to present a map of the terrain that will be explored in the essay. The research topic is stated as a thesis statement, and this will form the focus point of the entire argument or discussion in the paper. A good introduction is essential because it helps to form a favourable impression about the essay in general. The discussion should remain focused on the main topic, throughout the work. Through extensive research, supporting approaches as well as counter arguments should be available for drawing upon. It is important to critically analyse the opinions and arguments of various scholars, in comparison with the writer’s viewpoints. To avoid plagiarism, other authors’ works should be appropriately cited within the text as well as presented in the list of references at the end of the essay. Quotation marks should be used for directly quoting any phrases or sentences, along with citations including the page numbers from which the quote was extracted. References to real world examples and evidence from empirical research should be used. The conclusion should present a recapitulation of the thesis statement from the introduction, to remind the reader that the task that was proposed has been accomplished. The conclusion should summarise the essential points that have been learned through the essay, how the essay question has been answered, and end with a suggestion for future enquiry. Thus creating a vivid impact in the conclusion helps to complete the work to a high standard. Conclusion In essay writing it is crucial to demonstrate an understanding of the topic, and to convey writing, referencing and presentation skills. The work should be well structured and organized, presenting the main points in a sequential and cohesive manner. Reference Spurr, B. 2005. Successful essay writing for senior high school, college and university. Australia: New Frontier Publishing. QUESTIONNAIRE ON THE LONDON UNDERGROUND Male/ Female: Age: 1. What is your frequency of use of the London Underground? a) Daily b) A few times a week c) A few times a month d) A few times a year e) Rarely 2. What are your reasons for travelling by the Underground? a) Workplace b) Shopping c) Visiting d) Sport or entertainment e) School/ College/ University, as a student f) Personal work (bank, doctor) g) Other reasons. 3. Do you find the service to be economical? a) Yes b) No 4. Which class do you travel in? a) First Class b) Standard Class. 5. What type of ticket or pass do you use? a) Ticket b) Travel card 6. Do you use a Railcard to buy your ticket? If yes, which type of Railcard do you use? a) Network railcard b) Young persons’ railcard c) Senior Citizens’ railcard d) Family railcard e) Other 7. Have you been held up due to delays in the scheduled running of trains? If yes, for an average duration of a) 10 minutes b) 15 minutes c) Half an hour d) Longer 8. Are you satisfied with the speed of the service and the smoothness of the ride? a) Yes b) Sometimes c) No 9. How would you rate the reliability of the Underground train service? a) 100 % b) Almost always c) Not up to expectations d) Unreliable 10. Are the stations well-maintained, modernised and temperature regulated? a) Yes b) Technical maintenance and cleanliness need improvement c) Too warm in summers d) Too cold in winter e) Insufficient waiting space, crowding. 11. Are plans to install lifts, wider ticket gates and new platforms being implemented, for improving access from station to platform and platform to train? a) Work is underway b) Conditions remain the same 12. Are security arrangements adequate against terrorism, vandalism, robbery and other attacks? a) Yes b) Needs to be focused on c) Inadequate arrangements. 13. Is access to Customer Information easy and efficient? a) Yes b) Inadequate 14. The Underground facility has flights of stairs, escalators and long walks. Can the service be easily accessed by those with mobility issues such as the disabled and the elderly? a) Yes b) Needs to be improved c) Not accessible to the disabled and mobility impaired. 15. Are you satisfied with the safety precautions being taken by the authorities, in the Underground train service against fire and accidents? a) Yes b) Not to the required level c) Totally inadequate safety arrangements. Read More