QUALITIES “There's nothing to writing.

  All you do is sit down

Good at a typewriter and open a vein.” 

Walter Wellesley "Red" Smith
writing
IDEA OR FOCUS

An essay should have a single clear central idea.

A paragraph should have a clear main idea or a topic

sentence.

Good writing demonstrates awareness of the topic and

does not contain unnecessary information.
QUALITIES “Fill your paper with the breathings of your

Good heart.” 
William Wordsworth
writing
ORGANIZATION
An essay should have a structure or plan of development.
This may be achieved through the use of transitional
devices to signal the relationship of the supporting ideas to
the main idea, theme, or unifying point and the evidence
of a connection between sentences.

Good writing uses transitions to signal the plan or text

structure and end with summary or concluding
statements.
QUALITIES “Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the

Good glint of light on broken glass. ”

Anton Chekhov
writing
LANGUAGE OR WORD CHOICE

Choose precise and vivid words and you will add strength
to your writing and enable readers to follow your ideas and
picture in their minds the things that you describe.
QUALITIES “If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to

Good live, I wouldn't brood.  I'd type a little faster.” 

Isaac Asimov
writing
SENTENCE FLUENCY

In a piece of writing, it is not only important that the words

blend together smoothly—it is also important that the
sentences flow well from one to another. By using a
variety of sentences—different lengths and different
structures—and using transitions to connect them, you will
create a smooth rhythm in your
writing.
QUALITIES “Writing is easy:  All you do is sit staring at a

Good blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on

your forehead.” 
writing Gene Fowler

CONVENTIONS

Conventions refer to punctuation, capitalization, spelling,

and variation in sentence used in the paper. Papers
representing the higher end of the scale follow, with few
exceptions, the conventions of punctuation, capitalization,
and spelling and use a variety of sentence structures to
present ideas.
QUALITIES “Every author in some way portrays himself in his

Good works, even if it be against his will.”

Goethe
writing
VOICE

Just as you have a distinctive way of expressing yourself

when you speak, you can develop a distinctive
voice as a writer.
INTRODUCTION

BODY

CONCLUSION
 INTRODUCTION
1. Introduce the topic with
some indication of its inherent
interest or importance, and a
clear definition of the
boundaries of the subject area
2. Indicate the structure
and/or methodology of the
essay, often with the major
sections of the essay or its
structural principle clearly
stated
3. State the thesis of the
 INTRODUCTION
attention-grabbers

• Offer a surprising statistic or

fact
• State an interesting quote
• Use a rhetorical question
• Involve your readers with an
anecdote or story
'I know that many of you think the homeless
are a lost cause and that they are lazy good
for nothings. Well, of course, that might be
true for some of them, but let me tell you
about Dave. I went to school with Dave for
three years until Year 11. It was just before
our exams when Dave's mum and dad hit
problems - big-time! From there on in life
began to fall apart for Dave. He just wasn't
able to cope. By the time he was eighteen,
when I was sitting for my A-levels, Dave was
on the streets...'
Each day
160,000
students
miss school
for fear of
being
bullied.
I promised God I would eat all my peas, but He didn't care. A
confused eleven-year-old girl, I sat and listened to my father
pace. With each heavy step echoing loudly throughout the
silent house, my family's anxiety and anticipation mounted
while awaiting news of my grandfather's health. My heart
racing, I watched the clock, amazed that time could crawl so
slowly. Finally, the telephone interrupted the house's solemn
silence. I heard my father repeating the words "yes, yes, of
course." He then hung up the receiver and announced my
grandfather's death and cancer's victory.
As I first set foot in the hollowed
halls of my dear Alma Mater, the
words of Ben Stein ring in my ear:
“The first step to getting what you
want out of life is this: Decide what
you want”.
If practice
makes perfect
and no one is
perfect, then
why practice?
 INTRODUCTION
transition
Bridge the gap from the attention
grabber to the purpose and
significance of your essay.
•Narrow the focus of the topic
•Explain the relevance of the
attention-grabber
•Provide necessary background
information
 INTRODUCTION
thesis statement
It states exactly what your essay is
discussing
 BODY
In the body of your essay, you
should develop the ideas that you
presented in the introduction.
Some people refer to this as
"fleshing out" your ideas. It can
be helpful to make a list of the
ideas you want to present, along
with any research to support
those ideas.
 BODY
fleshing out
1. Elaborate on points made in the
introduction
2. Provide background and details
on topics mentioned
3. Give substance, using
anecdotes, metaphor,
symbolism, and other methods
 CONCLUSION
Your conclusion should remind the
reader of what your paper actually
says! The best conclusion will
include a synthesis, not just a
summary--instead
summary of a mere list of
your major points, the best
conclusion will draw those points
together and relate them to one
another so that your reader can
apply the information given in the
essay.
 CONCLUSION
synthesis
1. Give a list of the major
arguments for your thesis
(usually, these are the topic
sentences of the parts of your
essay).
2. Explain how these parts are
connected.
 CONCLUSION
context
• Tell the reader what you want him
or her to do.
• Explain why this topic is timely or
important.
• Remind the readers of why the
topic matters to them personally.