Track 1: Start writing essays

An introduction to this album.


© The Open University

Tracks in this podcast:

Track   Title Description
1 Start writing essays    An introduction to this album. Play now Start writing essays
2 Researching an essay    Open University tutors Tim Baugh and Lesley Hoose discuss essay titles, research and schedules with OU student Beth Lewis. Play now Researching an essay
3 Early stages of essay writing    John Humphrys stresses how important it is to know your subject and know your position in the argument. Play now Early stages of essay writing
4 What is good writing?    There is a fine line between good and pretentious writing, John Pilger knows that getting your grammar right is essential. Play now What is good writing?
5 Getting the tone right    Professor Richard Dawkins describes his tone as simple as possible but not simpler. Don’t spell out every tiny detail. Play now Getting the tone right
6 Writer's block    Baroness Helena Kennedy’s cure for writers block is to go to the meat of the argument, then come back to the start later. Play now Writer's block
7 A student's approach to planning    Student Beth Lewis explains how she re-reads all her course notes, this helps her to adjusts and add to her research. Play now A student's approach to planning
8 Different approaches to research    Brian Waldens approach is to research a variety of different points, if it is boring then he picks away at it until the process of elimination is complete. Play now Different approaches to research
9 Writing your introduction    Using a subtle but powerful approach when writing an introduction will grab the reader’s attention. Play now Writing your introduction
10 The main body of the essay    It is important to write with the mindset that the reader is intelligent but misinformed. Play now The main body of the essay
11 Giving both sides of the argument    Matthew Kelly’s approach is to try and talk himself out of an argument, he often ends up switching sides. Play now Giving both sides of the argument
12 Writing your conclusion    It is important to make sure it doesn’t sound like you have too much more to say, it should be conclusive. Play now Writing your conclusion
13 A student's approach to drafting and revising    Student Beth Lewis writes her drafts by hand, this reduces her word count. Play now A student's approach to drafting and revising
14 Different approaches to drafting and revising:    Professor Richard Dawkins explains how important it is to spot what could be misunderstood or interpreted differently. Play now Different approaches to drafting and revising:
15 Getting another perspective    Don’t get to close to your subject, keep your reader in your consciousness, pretend your someone else. Play now Getting another perspective
16 A student's approach to examination essays and writing style    Beth Lewis believes her writing style changes in an exam room, a time limits forces her to a heed to a strict essay plan. Play now A student's approach to examination essays and writing style
17 Different approaches to examination essays    In an exam room Mathew Kelly gets his notes down straight away so he can refer to them quickly. Play now Different approaches to examination essays
18 How to improve your writing    The way to familiarise yourself with good writing is to read a lot. Nothing is too boring to write about it’s about how you write about it that’s important. Play now How to improve your writing