At a recent Essay Writing seminar we explored the fundamentals of essay writing. Thanks to all the parents, carers and students who came along for an extra English lesson!

Essay writing may seem like a daunting task, but here at NAC the English Faculty aim to support students with each step of the essay writing process.

Here’s a short re-cap of some of the basics we covered last night. Have a look through the PowerPoint for more detailed explanations and please remember, if in doubt, ask your teacher.

Essay Basics

1. Golden Rule – answer the question!
2. An essay is an argument – you need to have a thesis.
3. General essay structure:
   • Introduction
   • Body
   • Conclusion
4. We teach students to follow the PEE/AL structure for paragraphs. Some of the terms are interchangeable in different subjects. In English, we structure paragraphs like this:
   • P oint
   • E xplain (Elaborate)
   • E vidence / A nalysis
   • L ink
5. As students move through the stages, the structure and expectations around essay writing become more complex.

Download: NAC Essay Writing