At some point, throughout their education students will be asked to write an essay based on what they have covered in a particular subject. However, what they are not taught is how to structure an essay correctly in terms of what specific points need to be included, as this is usually something pupils figure out whilst writing their essay. Generally, writing an essay can be difficult and stressful for majority of students to complete which is why guidance is needed to help produce the perfect essay and avoid any recurring mistakes.

In this seminar, we were given the task of creating an App which would be able to help an undergraduate student write an excellent essay, this could then help them to produce essays more accurately in the future. As usual, we formed our own groups of five and designed the App on a poster which we named ‘Essays ‘R’ Us’. It was crucial that our App must consist of all the important points students need to include in their essay but also how they are able to learn from their mistakes which the app should provide with pointers. As a result, knowledge gained from the app can be implemented into future essays.

Some points that our app was able to provide include:

• Correcting grammar and punctuation
• Providing argument structures
• Essay templates
• Identify the need to reference and paraphrase
• Detects plagiarism and helps to avoid repetition of vocabulary

Firstly, in order to write the perfect essay it is essential students must structure their essay to present their argument coherently. If an essay is structured correctly it is more likely to help the reader to follow your ideas logically and to understand your overall point. However, when an essay is unclearly structured this can cause confusion for the reader about the point your argument is trying to convey and ultimately reduce the amount of marks that contribute to your grade. The introduction is a key component to an essay as this introduces the topic, explaining how it’s relevant to your argument and mainly outlining the points you will be discussing to indicate the direction of what your argument is largely leaning towards. Secondly, the body of an essay is the largest part and is made up of several paragraphs to support and elaborate on your argument. To achieve a well though out body of the essay, using PEEL paragraphs is a precise way to succeed in this, this means beginning by stating your point briefly to introduce what you will be speaking about, then by demonstrating evidence for the point you’ve expressed which presents your claim as true and valid through factual information, as well as strengthening your argument to become more effective. Furthermore, explanation is where you showcase your understanding in detail and how the evidence supports your claim though analysing. Lastly, link the points made in the paragraph back to the original statement in the beginning and what’s been referred to in the introduction to allow for a more sustainable argument.

The conclusion paragraph should basically summarise the key ideas that you have discussed throughout your essay to signal that the essay is reaching an end, reminding the reader of the strengths of your main argument and reiterates the key evidence supporting those arguments you’ve made. It is important that in your conclusion you don’t attempt to introduce any new points or information as this defeats the purpose of delivering your initial argument to a close. Along with a conclusion, it is also crucial to include references at the end of your work this means to acknowledge the different sources you have used in your essay. the use of referencing allows you to support your claims. However, if these are not included it is known as plagiarism which is demonstrating others ideas by incorporating it into your work and not giving full acknowledgement.

Some referencing styles include two things listed below:

• Citation: This is when you refer to a particular source and is provided within your text
• Bibliography: A list of the many sources that are included in the essay with full details at the end of your work