academic writing sample

academic writing sample

The Importance of Academic Writing Skills

1. Introduction

1.1 Importance of Academic Writing Writing is a unique mode of communication. In an academe, it would be starting from secondary education to degree, tertiary education and others; it works as a key tool used by students in conveying their ideas and knowledge to their audiences. It is an act that is a must to be completed in their quest of acquiring new knowledge, be it in the area of natural sciences, social sciences, humanities or others. It acts as a mode to allow them to put their thinking skills into action as they can use writing to solve problems, explain, explore, describe, and critically analyze and evaluate the issue at hand. Students will, however, need to equip a special skill if they are to be good in these acts, and that is the ability to write in an academic manner.

Introduction is a beginning section of a piece of writing. It is an essential section that will guide you in understanding the context before you proceed further into reading the article. As for this essay, I will first write a brief description about introduction that is under the question 1 which is importance of academic writing skill and its improvement. In this introduction, I will explain what academic writing skill is, why it is important, and what the improvement is.

2. Benefits of Academic Writing

With word limits in place, writers can ensure every word is packed with information to avoid ambiguity and meet the criterion of writing clearly and precisely.

Knowledge is represented in a person’s mind using schemes. If the same knowledge is represented a number of times in different ways and into different schemes, it is more durable and usable. This polished up knowledge can be passed into long-term memory using maintenance rehearsal and elaborative rehearsal.

The writing highlights an exact understanding of the specific knowledge. This will benefit the writer, as he is being clear on information he has a proper understanding of. If the writing is in the form of a final exam, a research paper can act as a practice run or rough draft for the exam. With the ability to go back and edit what will essentially be a timed information dump, knowledge can be reorganized and spruced up to PK’s Cognitive theory.

The writer is able to clearly assert his knowledge and expertise in a safe and controlled environment. This is beneficial for people who have experienced unsupportive teaching in the past or have had negative reactions to their writing. Learning which avoids humiliation is far more efficient, as is friendly critique, which is generally the method used in an academic setting.

3. Strategies for Effective Academic Writing

The third strategy is to be wary of one’s use of the English language. Whilst lecture does seem quite critical of non-native speakers of English, it is important to remember that good use of language is a vital aspect of academic writing. This point really applies to everyone. That good use of language helps the writing to be more convincing, and that good use of grammar and vocabulary can set a writer above others. Native English speakers do have an advantage here, but this does not mean it is impossible for others to achieve similar results. Regular reading of academic texts will help to internalize complex English language structures, and good writers can develop their own vocabulary and grammar competencies by noting down useful words and phrases that they come across.

The next strategy to implement is to learn one’s lecturer’s or marker’s expectations. There is no substitute for knowledge of the material on which an assignment is based, and this is the best way to show the lecturer that the content of an assignment has been understood. This can then lead to a great writing idea – to write for oneself at first, using the material to be learned as a starting point. When it comes to the argument, the writer should aim to have a logical progression from one idea to the next. The argument should be clear and relatively easy to follow. If the writer can answer the question “what?” with a simple explanation, this is a sign for more development on the topic at hand. If the writer can answer “how?” and “why?” and provide support, this is a good sign that the writer will be able to understand the topic and explain it well in the writing.

To be an effective writer, the most important strategy is to plan everything on paper before starting any writing. With planning, the writer can decide the layout of the writing; decide what to include and what to exclude; see where the weaknesses and gaps in the writing are; and make sure that any arguments or ideas are fully developed. Planning can take between five and twenty minutes, but it is not time wasted. It will save time in the long run, since the writing process will be more focused.

4. Common Challenges in Academic Writing

The writing process varies for many writers, and it is normal for it to take some time to discover what methods work best for you. Nevertheless, the most common difficulty that writers encounter is getting started. Some useful ways for students to begin writing include taking five to ten minutes to brainstorm about the assignment, writing down ideas as they come, or talking to someone about the assignment. Others find that it may be helpful to work on more than one assignment at the same time and to break up writing assignments into several tasks and do a little each day. These techniques can be useful, but it is important for students to critically evaluate if their methods are helping them understand and communicate the assignment content.

Thinking about the writing and revising process, it’s understandable that students want to get a good grade and be finished with the assignment quickly so that they can focus on other things. So, students will try to do the assignment as close to the due date as possible, even if they have a couple of weeks to do it. Writing a paper the night before it’s due is a common occurrence among students at any grade level. Unfortunately, this method of writing may result in a paper that’s of low quality because the writer may be too tired, too rushed, or not have the necessary resources. The most helpful thing that a student could do when writing an assignment is to have a plan. This involves carefully reading through the assignment to understand the expectations, brainstorming to generate ideas, creating a thesis or claim, finding and evaluating sources, and then organizing an outline for the paper. This seems like a lot of work for an assignment, but having a good plan will make the writing process easier and more effective. An effective plan for a good paper can take several days or even weeks. Going back to the example of writing a paper the night before it’s due, a student could write a higher quality paper in a shorter amount of time if they had an available draft and revisited it several times before the due date.

Students often have to write assignments in various subject areas, and these assignments will sometimes involve the use of rhetorical modes and logical arguments to persuade others of the validity of a particular thesis or point of view. For many students, this involves learning a number of new skills both inside and outside the classroom. These new writing skills may be challenging for many students because they haven’t had the opportunity to practice them in the past. Nonetheless, these writing assignments make up a large portion of a student’s course grade and are an important measure of how well a student understands course content. Because writing in academic discourse communities is a complex set of tasks that involve many skills, there are many helpful habits that an English as a Second Language (ESL) student could develop to help them write assignments.

5. Conclusion

So how can students develop good writing and avoid the previous scenario of poor writing and grades out of line with one’s knowledge? Given that the overwhelming majority of college courses require at least two writing assignments, it is in the student’s best interest to learn the material in this essay and apply it, or risk getting grades that do not reflect their knowledge. In order to develop excellent writing skills, one must practice, practice, practice! Writing a paper the night before it’s due is not a good recipe for success. Writing is a process, and in order to write well, one must plan accordingly, dedicate ample time to the assignment, and reflect and revise. All of this should be done in consideration of the assignment’s instructions and grading rubric. When in doubt about what writing style is acceptable for an assignment, ask the professor. People who are successful in improving their writing skills will find that it becomes easier to write and that their ideas will flow more fluently. The result will be a better understanding of the course material and an improvement in critical thinking skills.

The importance of academic writing in college-level courses is huge. By not writing well, students will not do well in their courses. Not to mention the fact that students will fail to adequately learn the information and develop the critical thinking skills that college-level courses aim to foster. As a result of poor writing skills, the students with the best knowledge will not receive the grades that they deserve. This is unfortunate because in the professional world, good writing is an essential skill. Writing helps to communicate one’s ideas in a clear and effective manner. And in this way, good writing is valued in the professional world far beyond its value in getting good grades. As a matter of fact, because writing ability is so highly valued in the professional world, a number of opportunities await those who write well, even in the midst of today’s bleak job market. Therefore, it is imperative that students take the necessary steps to develop good writing skills.