Learning Skills
Essay Writing
Why essay writing is important at tertiary level
Essays are not just exercises in research; they are also exercises in communication. Writing allows you to crystalise your thinking about the things you have been learning in your discipline area and to communicate this to others. Essays provide you a chance to show what you can do: that you understand the question asked; that you understand the issues involved; and that you have done an appropriate amount of reading that has allowed you to gain a reasonable understanding of the issues. The essay writing process is a chance for you to demonstrate your analytical thinking and forces a deep and powerful type of learning to take place.
Essay writing as a form of assessment is frequently used for assignments and in exam situations. Most students, and some more than others, will be required to demonstrate their learning through this type of academic writing during their degree course.