Writing an essay will be a common requirement for students when they enter the senior stages of their studies. This is an area where your child can really develop their understanding of analytical thought, use of developing a good argument, and better ways to form a solid opinion on something.
Essay writing is also an essential for exams and preparation for them. They will be very commonly asked of students when they are sitting English, History and language exams for instance.
To help your child develop their essay writing skills, here are some top tips we recommend.
Break each area down into chunks
When writing an essay you will need to cover certain areas, which can be broken down into manageable chunks. These include developing an argument, analyse what is being asked of you in the essay question, criticise and explain your reasoning.
For you as a parent helping your child, this is where you can ask them some questions to get them in the right frame of mind. When they read the question, what do they feel? Do they disagree with the argument, or do they have a balanced view on it? This is where your child can start developing their essay plan out in their head, or consider writing out these areas into bullet points.
Time your child
This might seem a little over the top, but timing your child helps them get into the groove for exams. Writing an essay has to be done as quickly as possible, and they only have a set amount of time to write it out. This can help your child prepare for when they will need to write reams of text as quickly as they can, but with clear thought behind it.
Teach your child about connecting words
These will help your child know what makes a good essay. Words like “moreover”, “therefore”, “additionally” and “conversely” are examples that students should become acquainted with when they write out lots of essays so that they get used to forming arguments. These help your child think about the words that can come next in their paragraph.
Thankfully there are a lot of ways you can help your child with their writing skills. There will of course be a lot of support at your child’s school as well, just like at this boarding school in Ireland. Always utilise your child’s teachers for more advice.