what does discuss mean in an essay question

How to Answer a Discuss Essay

When an essay title includes the word ‘Discuss’, this means that you are being asked to debate the subject of the essay. In other words, you need to be able to demonstrate that you have understood and evaluated both sides of the topic, problem, or opposing views in a theoretical perspective. At the same time, you need to be able to show, through rational evaluation of the evidence why you favour a particular view.

From this definition, it is clear that a ‘discuss’ essay is looking for balance, not bias or persuasion. In other words, the essay is not starting from one perspective and aiming to confirm this. Rather the intent of a ‘discuss’ essay is to deliver a work that clearly separates facts and opinions. The skills required for this include paraphrasing, summation, and the clear evaluation of different viewpoints. Common titles for a discuss essay include the format “AI is killing natural innovation from engineers. Discuss”, “Highlight and examine the advantages and disadvantages of home schooling for toddlers”, “Examine the arguments for and against the widespread mandatory delivery of the Covid-19 vaccine”. All of these titles require a discuss essay to be produced.

• A discuss essay of the highest standard will be logical, flow well and make arguments and statements based on knowledge and evidence, covering all perspectives.
• You should include all the most important (key) factors or issues in a subject area, highlighting where there is debate over these, ensuring that both sides of the argument are presented.
• Make statements and deliberations that are based only on credible and viable research, that has been previously well presented.

Structure of a Discuss Essay

Introduction.

In all essays the best introductions are those which draw in the reader with a strong statement from the outset.  The remainder of the introduction should give a brief indication of the subject being covered, the key points that will be discussed, and if you wish, anticipated conclusions. You should also incorporate any acronyms, or industry specific terms that will be covered in the essay.

Main Body of the work

The main body (or the meat of the essay) should be divided into separate paragraphs that each cover one distinct point or statement.  A discuss essay requires presentation of evidence, so each paragraph should be focused on one point with both for and against perspectives, before a final summary point identifying one or the other as being justified.  In all cases, any points made should be backed up by evidence, correctly cited and referenced at the end of your work.

Important point: The evidence provided, and references cited should only come from valid, credible sources, preferably peer-reviewed articles, and fully referenced. It is vital to ensure that the views expressed are not opinions but have been delivered based on evidence of wider reading in the field.

To ensure a logical flow, you should raise the main or key points of an arguments first, and then move onto sub-arguments, ensuring that all the paragraphs are well linked to deliver a cohesive, essay that flows in a logical way.

A discuss essay conclusion should contain two elements.  Firstly, a summary of the core ideas, returning to the evidence presented and the points made, along with an indication of which you believe delivered the strongest arguments for or against the statement in the title.

Secondly, a discuss essay should give your opinion, which should be grounded in the presented evidence, to demonstrate your ability to draw a conclusion from the data considered.  In other words, following an internal debate with yourself, evaluating the information available, you should demonstrate that you have an informed opinion on the subject under discussion.

To help you in the construction of your discussion essay, we have put together a list of key words and phrases that can be used to ensure you deliver a first-class piece of work.

Key Discussion Essay Vocabulary

When presenting evidence:.

• It is suggested that…
• Evidence available indicates that….
• It has been indicated that…
• Aspects of the work suggest that…
• The evidence presented supports the view that…
• The evidence presented however overlooks…
• Closer examination suggests….

For summarising, the following phrases are useful:

• The most important

When introducing an opinion:

• There is no doubt that…
• A key argument in favour is that…
• I believe that…

• How it works

How to Critically Discuss in an Essay – Simple Steps

Published by Carmen Troy at September 19th, 2023 , Revised On July 25, 2024

Critical discussion is the key to writing evidence-based, impact-making essays. If you know the art of writing arguments-based essays with supporting facts and figures, you will likely convince readers to believe in your thesis statement .

Most researchers make the mistake of writing essays without critically discussing their thesis statements with the supporting facts and figures, which can spoil their reputation as impact-creating researchers.

To learn how to critically discuss in an essay is essential for you to establish your authority in literary circles or among readers as a good researcher, you just need to learn some tips and tricks and then practice them to tame your abilities and thinking or writing skills.

What is a Critical Essay?

An academic writing in which an author makes a claim about how particular ideas or themes are conveyed in a specific text and then supports it with evidence is known as a critical essay.

We often associate the word “critical” with a negative perspective, like identifying flaws and errors in anything, but it means discerning and analytical in the context of a critical essay. Critical essays are written to analyse and evaluate the specific aspects of any theory or idea to issue a verdict about its content or quality.

What is Critical Discussion in an Essay?

Critical discussion in an essay refers to the process of examining, analysing, and evaluating various viewpoints, arguments, evidence, and theories related to a particular topic or idea.

For example , analysing the elements of matriarchy in Mary Wollstonecraft’s famous prose “A Vindication of the Rights of Women”.

It not only means description but also requires the writer to engage with the material thoughtfully and reflectively to weave arguments backed with evidence around the topic sentence. To write critically, you need to think critically, which is the base process of writing. There will be no critical writing and discussion without critical thinking.

Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is a cognitive process involving analysing, evaluating, and synthesising information logically and objectively. It involves analysing and evaluating information to form a judgement or decision about anything.

What Critical Discussion is Not?

Let’s discuss what critical discussion is not before moving on to the components of a critical discussion essay. Excessive description of the ideas and repetition of other opinions without critically analysing them in your essay refers to what critical discussion is not.

Let’s have a look at some elements of what critical discussion is not in an essay.

References Devoid of Analysis: Using only other critiques or opinions to support your arguments without presenting your critical views about the topic in the essay is not critical discussion. You need to present your ideas as well along with other people’s ideas in your essay to match the requirements of critical discussion.

Only Description, Not Critical Arguments: You need to present a description of a particular art/ literature/ science work to set the scene or tone of your essay. You must include your critical opinion of the theory, concept, or idea you are discussing to turn your essay into an argumentative essay.

Focusing on Weaker Aspects: Some researchers confuse the word critical with evaluating only negative elements about a particular topic or idea. They get trapped in this confusion and only discuss the weaknesses or negative aspects of the theory or idea being discussed.

However, they are required to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the topic or idea evenly to present a wholesome, critical view of the essay. So, if you only discuss negative aspects in your essay, then it is not considered to be a critically discussed essay.

Quick and Easy Approach: Writing a critical discussion essay takes a lot of work. It requires you to take as much time as you want to read the relevant material, analyse facts and figures, reflect upon the critiques of others, and then formulate a sound argument for your essay to be based upon.

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Components of Critical Discussion in an Essay

There are several components of critical discussion that can be used while writing an essay. But we’ll discuss 5 most important and relevant to the critical discussion to help you equip yourself with the necessary critical discussion and writing skills.

1. Analysis

To analyse any topic or idea, you need to break down the information collected from different sources into manageable parts to understand how they relate to each other and support the thesis statement.

2. Evaluation

The evaluation process needs to be performed to determine whether the evidence is reliable, credible, and sufficient to support the claims made and to decide whether to use the collected data in your research study or not.

Also, consider conflicting opinions and viewpoints available to free your study from any kind of bias. It helps you to reach the most likely correct or bias-free conclusion.

3. Interpretation

After analysing and evaluating the data, you need to synthesise the information in a manageable order to interpret it and turn it into supporting arguments for your essay.

It helps you gain new insights or different perspectives on the topic, which is supposed to result in implications, future directions, or alternative interpretations.

4. Argumentation

Now, you can utilise the above steps in presenting arguments in a logical order to support your thesis statement of the essay. Also, use extracted evidence and reasons to support your points and persuade the reader. Remember to address potential counterarguments and refute them effectively by using evidence to demonstrate a thorough understanding of the topic and strengthen your position.

5. Reflective Thinking

Reflective thinking is the key to hunting down your own biases and assumptions involved in your essay discussion. It also helps you to pinpoint stages where different biases might influence your interpretation of the evidence and arguments. Try reflective thinking before and after writing to maintain a critical perspective throughout the essay. It will help you figure out points that might be influenced.

Tips for Writing a Critical Discussion Essay

You can write a good critical discussion essay by following the 7 tips discussed below. You just need to follow the tips mentioned in order to write an evidence-based essay. The following tips are mentioned below for writing a perfect essay from scratch.

Tip 1: Start with a Thesis Statement

Always start your essays with a thesis statement clearly indicating your viewpoint about the topic you are going to discuss. If you are struggling to write a clear and concise thesis statement for your essay. Stress no more; we can help you out by doing so.

Tip 2: Use Supporting Evidence

Essays that include supporting evidence in the form of quotations, textual references, and so on are of more value than essays devoid of any supporting facts and figures. By doing this, you can leave a mark on the audience’s minds by supporting your thesis statement with relevant data.

Tip 3: Analyse the Relevance of Data

Make sure to analyse every piece of evidence you use by considering its relevance, reliability, and sufficiency according to your essay. The relevancy of the data used in the essay helps you to establish yourself as a credible researcher.

Tip 4: Use Quotes and Phrases

You can use the quotes and phrases that you have marked as relevant to your field of study in your essay to support your thesis statement. By doing this, readers will realise that you don’t build castles in the air; instead, you use evidence to back your statements,

Tip 5: Use Clear and Concise Language

The readability of your essay depends upon the sentence structure and language you use in your essay. To increase the readability of your essay, use clear and concise language to help readers understand your viewpoint without any confusion. Also, make sure to avoid the use of complicated words, technical terms, and jargon in your essay.

Tip 6: Discuss Counter Arguments

If you want to provide a wholesome view of your essay to the readers, discuss counterarguments and conflicting views about your thesis statement. It helps you to make your readers aware of the other views and convince them with your arguments to support your views.

Tip 7: Consistency

Consistency is the key to writing perfect essays. All you need to do is maintain your tone and language throughout the essay to comply with the research writing rules and regulations. Try to use tone and language appropriate to your audience and should reflect their level of knowledge about the topic. If you are writing for the masses, explain every abbreviation you use, but it is unnecessary for researchers in the same field.

How to Structure a Critical Discussion Essay?

Structure is the most important element of any essay because it shows the quality or level of logicality in your prose. There are several tips available on how to structure a critical discussion essay. You can follow any format relevant to your topic.

But first, let’s discuss a general structure that needs to be followed for writing a critical discussion essay. The structure of an essay is also referred to as the outline of the essay, so don’t get confused; both words can be used interchangeably.

Critical Discussion Essay Structure

Introduction

• Thesis statement
• Background of the topic or author being discussed
• Supporting statements
• References from different sources like books and articles
• Counter Arguments
• Your rebuttal with supporting facts and figures
• Recap of the thesis statement and whole information discussed above
• Suggestions for future implications of the essay

You can follow the above steps to learn how to write a critical discussion in an essay. But make sure to follow the process in logical order and practice to master the art of essay writing. Don’t forget to work on developing critical thinking skills to perfectly craft your essays because they are the backbone of essay writing.

If you still need help writing a good essay , you can get a consultation from our experts and buy our essay writing services at the best prices.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to critically discuss in an essay.

You need to create an outline first and then write arguments backed with supporting evidence to critically discuss in an essay. You can use research articles, books, and other sources to find supporting evidence for your thesis statement. 

What are the Components of Critical Discussion in an Essay?

There are 5 components of critical discussion in an essay: evaluation, argumentation, analysis, reflective thinking, and interpretation.

How to Write a Critical Discussion Essay?

You need to brainstorm ideas, research, and select a topic to write a critical discussion essay.

After that, create an outline to write your essay in a logical order.

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An expository essay requires the writer to take a balanced approach to the subject matter rather than justifying a particular point of view.

Not sure about how to organize an essay? This article is designed to provide a brief yet compact view to master the skill of organization of essay.

This article aims to provide you to understand the concept of descriptive and narrative essay style along with the necessary tips required for these essays.

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Identify, Explain, Analyse … essay question words

If you’re struggling with essay questions and wondering what they mean and how to answer them, you’ve come to the right place. While writing essays can be difficult, it’s important to do thorough research and present your arguments convincingly. However, understanding the different question words such as ‘discuss’, ‘examine’, and ‘justify’ is crucial to crafting a well-structured essay. Many students need help understanding the question requirements, but our guide on essay question words will help you avoid this pitfall and excel in your essay writing.

what are Question words?

Question words like ‘analyse’, ‘evaluate’ and ‘explain’ in essay titles indicate how to structure your essay. These words often require critical responses of varying degrees, while some may only require a descriptive answer. It’s important to always adhere to the question words regardless of their nature, as failing to do so can result in irrelevant and low-scoring essays. For instance, a question asking to compare the British and French upper houses of parliament requires more than just pointing out the differences between the two systems.

To avoid such mistakes, it’s recommended to read this guide. The guide categorises the question words as either ‘descriptive’ or ‘critical’ depending on their nature, which will help you identify the type of response required for your essay. Regardless of your level of knowledge in the subject area, misinterpreting the question words can lead to poor essay writing.

Question words that need a critical approach

Certain interrogative words necessitate a crucial response, and the extent to which your responses must be critical varies based on the specifications of the inquiry. We have outlined these distinctions for you below:

When essay questions use the term ‘analyse’ about a particular argument or topic, they require a comprehensive dissection. You must break down the topic or argument into its basic components. Additionally, you must conduct a critical examination of each of these parts. To do so, you should draw upon important debates and evidence to explore the arguments for and against the topic and consider how the different parts of the topic or argument are connected. Your analysis should not simply summarise key debates in the literature; rather, you should take a clear stance based on the evidence and tie your position to the literature.

To respond to an essay question that uses this particular term, the primary objective is to offer your own opinion or judgment about the accuracy of a set of research findings or an argument. You may also need to show the degree to which you concur with a argument or specific hypothesis. It is important to present information from various academic sources that support both sides of the argument. After providing an overview of the evidence, you should clearly state your position and support it with the evidence that led you to your conclusion.

When presented with a question that uses the term ‘justify,’ it is necessary to clarify the reasoning behind your argument by providing evidence that influenced your perspective. You must persuasively present your evidence in your response, showcasing valid reasons for adopting your stance. Additionally, it would be best to address opposing arguments before concluding your argument. This demonstrates a balanced view of the topic and a broad understanding of the relevant literature. To do this effectively, a critical approach is necessary. You should explain why alternative arguments are insufficient and why your argument is superior.

• Critically evaluate

To respond to a ‘critically evaluate’ question, you need to express your opinion on the validity of an argument or research results. To achieve this, you must evaluate the statement or research finding carefully and critically. Your essay response should be assertive and present your thoughts on the accuracy of the topic in question. It is important to support your claims with enough evidence and present a balanced analysis by critiquing alternative perspectives. In addition, it is important to draw evidence from various sources to make your essay response more convincing. To conclude, state your position clearly, explain your reasoning, and provide evidence that influenced your perspective. Finally, it is important to justify your position by presenting a well-reasoned and convincing argument to the reader.

If you encounter a question that includes the term ‘review,’ you are required to undertake a critical examination of a particular subject or argument. This involves summarizing the main themes or points and analyzing them in a critical manner while expressing your viewpoint. In essence, questions that use the term ‘review’ require you to assess the validity of the essay question.

For instance, if the question prompts you to review the literature on electoral reform in Great Britain, you should provide an overview that includes any significant arguments or issues that emerged. Next, you must logically and analytically comment on this material. This includes stating your agreement or disagreement with other scholars’ views and discussing contrasting perspectives. To support your assessment, it is essential to provide evidence, and you should clearly state your position.

Review answers should not be descriptive; instead, they must showcase high analytical skills. The objective is not to repeat the ideas of other scholars but to critically evaluate their work.

When faced with an ‘assess’ question, your task is to evaluate a particular argument or topic’s value, strengths, or weaknesses. Unlike other essay questions, ‘assess’ questions require you to consider multiple viewpoints rather than just expressing your opinion. To create a compelling argument, it is essential to express your ideas on the subject matter explicitly and substantiate them with evidence obtained from secondary sources in literature. The reader should be able to comprehend the robustness of your evaluation through evidence that supports your stance. Besides, it is crucial to recognize the limitations of your argument and tackle any opposing viewpoints that may emerge.

When you come across a ‘Discuss’ question word, you must provide a comprehensive answer encompassing all facets of the argument or research topic. To demonstrate your reasoning skills, you should utilise evidence to support or oppose the argument/research topic.

To conduct a comprehensive examination of the topic, it is advisable to take into account various viewpoints articulated by other researchers. After considering the key arguments presented in the literature, present your perspective on the topic. Clearly expressing your stance and substantiating it with all the relevant evidence is critical.

To conduct a comprehensive investigation of a research topic or argument, it is essential to closely examine the crucial facts and significant issues. Therefore, ‘examine’ question words necessitate an analytical approach. It is also crucial to provide some background information to explain why these issues and facts are important. Have other scholars examined these issues and facts differently? If so, it is necessary to note these differences, the reasons behind them, and compare them to your approach.

In contrast to other question words, the questions that use the term ‘examine’ are more focused and less broad, as they require you to analyse specific evidence or facts in a critical manner for your analysis.

• To what extent

This kind of question requires you to assess your level of agreement with a statement given in the question. To achieve this, you must conduct a thorough analysis of the subject and the evidence cited to support your stance. To address such questions, you must demonstrate your knowledge of the topic and use a critical approach to present your argument. You should examine both sides of the issue and present contrasting evidence. However, you must explain why specific evidence or information is more relevant in supporting your answer.

Question words that need a descriptive response

Sometimes, certain question words only need a description as a response, and this is true for the words listed below:

This question requires you to clearly define the subject matter, providing a detailed explanation of its meaning. If there are multiple definitions of the subject, mentioning them and explaining why you’ve chosen to use a particular definition is important. If there is disagreement among scholars regarding the definition, you should discuss this as well. Make sure to provide multiple meanings if they exist, demonstrating your familiarity with the literature.

• Demonstrate

To effectively answer ‘demonstrate’ questions, it is necessary to provide numerous examples, evidence, and logical arguments. The main objective is to show how a particular research topic or argument is legitimate by offering evidence and arguments to validate your claim. Emphasise your position when addressing such questions. It’s crucial to provide solid evidence to build a strong case.

To answer a “describe” question, it is essential to provide a comprehensive understanding of the primary features of a research topic impartially. As the responses to these questions are primarily descriptive, providing a narrative-style account or depiction is crucial. Rather than focusing on the fundamental meaning of the subject, “describe” questions emphasise its specific qualities, which should serve as the foundation of your answer.

In ‘elaborate’ questions, providing a comprehensive and detailed account of an argument or a research topic is necessary. Such questions typically require descriptive responses, so you must show that you have conducted thorough research to substantiate the information you provide.

To answer ‘explain’ questions, you must detail a research topic or argument. Pretend you describe it to someone who knows nothing about the subject and provide as much detail as possible. You should also define any jargon or key terms that you use. Additionally, you should support your claims with academic research. Your response should demonstrate your clear understanding of the topic or argument and present a coherent interpretation to the reader. To achieve coherence, it is helpful to consider the ‘what’, ‘how’, and ‘why’ questions and structure your response logically.

It is important to approach “exploratory” essay questions with a questioning attitude. Objectivity is crucial because you must present all viewpoints before stating your arguments. A detached, unemotional tone is often more effective than an assertive, argumentative tone. The objective is to provide a comprehensive description of an argument or research topic by analyzing its different components.

When presented with an essay question that uses the term ‘identity’ in relation to a research topic or argument, your task is to provide a succinct and well-structured explanation of the main ideas. This is similar to what has been done in this paragraph.

To respond to these questions, you must usually provide various examples, such as graphs, figures, tables or specific research data and evidence. The purpose of including these examples is to showcase your understanding of the topic and to provide additional explanations or support for your answer.

To provide an outline answer, you must present a structured summary of an argument or a research topic. Including only the main points and essential supplementary information is essential instead of getting bogged down in minor details. Ensure that your response is presented in a clear and organised manner.

When you’re tasked with summarising a research topic, you must provide a concise version of its main points or facts. Your focus should be on the most important information, and you should leave out all minor details. Summaries are usually short and straightforward, conveying the primary facts clearly and efficiently. The goal is to present the main points briefly and impactfully.

This means to elucidate a topic or argument and make it more understandable. This may involve clarifying a topic or an argument by presenting it in simpler terms. These questions need you to clarify or simplify a complex subject or topic. It is crucial to maintain coherence when answering such questions and to present your response systematically.

You must find commonalities between two or more discussion topics if asked to’ compare’. To go beyond a simple comparison, you should attempt to comprehend the origins of the similarities and their importance. Additionally, you should highlight differences, but your essay should focus on establishing similarities.

To answer ‘contrast’ questions, you need to highlight and explain the disparities between multiple subjects of discussion rather than their similarities, unlike ‘compare’ questions. The main focus should be on outlining the differences and identifying what distinguishes them from one another. When dealing with ‘contrast’ questions, keep these broad queries in mind.

By providing an explanation of the meaning of essay question words, we hope to offer guidance on how to approach them in your essay writing . Additionally, here are some tips to keep in mind when answering essay questions:

Firstly, make sure you fully comprehend the question and understand what is required of you. Thoroughly examine the question words and their meaning before you start planning your response.

Secondly, read the question multiple times and attempt to uncover any underlying assumptions or subtext. Highlight key phrases and create a basic outline of your response. This outline doesn’t need to be complex, but it will help you structure your response coherently.

Finally, before submitting your essay, review it carefully for inconsistencies and grammatical or spelling errors. It may be helpful to have a professional editor examine your work to provide fresh insights and identify areas for improvement.

Author Bio: Mark Edmonds is a seasoned academic writer and a proud member of the Academic Assignments team. With over a decade of experience in assignment writing services , Mark has helped numerous students achieve academic success through his expertise and guidance. He holds a Master’s degree in English Literature and has a keen eye for detail, which enables him to craft top-notch assignments that meet the highest standards of academic excellence.

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22 Essay Question Words You Must Understand to Prepare a Well-Structured Essay

(Last updated: 3 June 2024)

Since 2006, Oxbridge Essays has been the UK’s leading paid essay-writing and dissertation service

We have helped 10,000s of undergraduate, Masters and PhD students to maximise their grades in essays, dissertations, model-exam answers, applications and other materials. If you would like a free chat about your project with one of our UK staff, then please just reach out on one of the methods below.

Now, we may be experts in best essay writing , but we’re also the first to admit that tackling essay questions can be, well, a bit of a challenge. Essays first require copious amounts of background reading and research so you can include accurate facts in your writing. You then have to figure out how to present those facts in a convincing and systematic argument. No mean feat.

But the silver lining here is that presenting your argument doesn’t have to be stressful. This goes even if you’re a new student without much experience and ability. To write a coherent and well-structured essay , you just have to really understand the requirements of the question. And to understand the requirements of the question, you need to have a good hold on all the different question words. For example, 'justify', 'examine', and 'discuss', to name a few.

Lacking this understanding is a pitfall many students tumble into. But our guide on essay question words below should keep you firmly above on safe, essay-acing ground.

Definition of Question Words with Examples

No matter their nature, question words are key and must always be adhered to. And yet, many students often overlook them and therefore answer their essay questions incorrectly. You may be a font of all knowledge in your subject area, but if you misinterpret the question words in your essay title, your essay writing could be completely irrelevant and score poorly.

For example, if you are asked to compare the French and British upper houses of parliament, you won’t get many points by simply highlighting the differences between the two parliamentary systems.

So, what should you do? We advise you start by reading this guide – we’ve divided the question words either by ‘critical’ or ‘descriptive’ depending on their nature, which should help you identify the type of response your essay requires.

These are the question words we will cover in this blog:

Question Words that Require a Critical Approach

Once you have done this, it’s also important that you critically (more on this word later) examine each part. You need to use important debates and evidence to look in depth at the arguments for and against, as well as how the parts interconnect. What does the evidence suggest? Use it to adopt a stance in your essay, ensuring you don’t simply give a narration on the key debates in the literature. Make your position known and tie this to the literature.

2. Evaluate

It is essential to provide information on both sides of the debate using evidence from a wide range of academic sources. Then you must state your position basing your arguments on the evidence that informed you in arriving at your position.

Also, you may want to consider arguments that are contrary to your position before stating a conclusion to your arguments. This will help present a balanced argument and demonstrate wide knowledge of the literature. Here, a critical approach becomes crucial. You need to explain why other possible arguments are unsatisfactory as well as why your own particular argument is preferable.

4. Critically evaluate

The key to tackling these question words is providing ample evidence to support your claims. Ensure that your analysis is balanced by shedding light on, and presenting a critique of, alternative perspectives. It is also important that you present extensive evidence taken from a varying range of sources.

State your conclusion clearly and state the reasons for this conclusion, drawing on factors and evidence that informed your perspective. Also try to justify your position in order to present a convincing argument to the reader.

Put another way, ‘review’ questions entail offering your opinion on the validity of the essay question. For example, you may be asked to review the literature on electoral reform in Great Britain. You'll need to give an overview of the literature. and any major arguments or issues that arose from it. You then need to comment logically and analytically on this material. What do you agree or disagree with? What have other scholars said about the subject? Are there any views that contrast with yours? What evidence are you using to support your assessment? Don’t forget to state your position clearly.

Review answers should not be purely descriptive; they must demonstrate a high level of analytical skill. The aim is not simply to regurgitate the works of other scholars, but rather to critically analyse these works.

However, when assessing a particular argument or topic, it is important that your thoughts on its significance are made clear. This must be supported by evidence, and secondary sources in the literature are a great start. Essentially, you need to convince the reader about the strength of your argument, using research to back up your assessment of the topic is essential. Highlight any limitations to your argument and remember to mention any counterarguments to your position.

Give a detailed examination of the topic by including knowledge of the various perspectives put forward by other scholars in relation to it. What are your thoughts on the subject based on the general debates in the literature? Remember to clearly state your position based on all the evidence you present.

You should also try to provide some context on why the issues and facts that you have closely examined are important. Have these issues and facts been examined differently by other scholars? If so, make a note of this. How did they differ in their approach and what are the factors that account for these alternative approaches?

‘Examine’ questions are less exploratory and discursive than some other types of question. They focus instead on asking you to critically examine particular pieces of evidence or facts to inform your analysis.

9. To what extent

Such questions require that you display the extent of your knowledge on a given subject and that you also adopt an analytical style in stating your position. This means that you must consider both sides of the argument, by present contrasting pieces of evidence. But ultimately, you must show why a particular set of evidence, or piece of information, is more valid for supporting your answer.

Question Words that Require a Descriptive Response

It is important that you provide more than one meaning if there are several of them as it shows that you are very familiar with the literature.

2. Demonstrate

Make sure you assert your position with these types of questions. It's even more important that you support your arguments with valid evidence in order to establish a strong case.

3. Describe

‘Describe’ question words focus less on the basic meaning of something, therefore, and more on its particular characteristics. These characteristics should form the building blocks of your answer.

4. Elaborate

In addition, always remember to back any claims with academic research. In explanatory answers it is important that you demonstrate a clear understanding of a research topic or argument. This comes across most convincingly if you present a clear interpretation of the subject or argument to the reader. Keep in mind any ‘what’, ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions as this will help you to structure a clear and logically coherent response. Coherence is extremely important in providing explanatory answers.

A somewhat detached, dispassionate tone can be particularly effective, in contrast to the more assertive, argumentative tone you might adopt for other types of essay question. Just remember that the key objective here is to give a nuanced account of a research topic or argument by examining its composite parts.

7. Identify

8. illustrate, 10. summarise, 11. clarify.

Such questions require you to shed light on a topic or, in some instances, break down a complex subject into simple parts. Coherence is very important for acing such questions, remembering to present your answer in a systematic manner.

12. Compare

Furthermore, you may also want to emphasise any differences, although the focus of your essay should be on establishing similarities.

13. Contrast

How to strategically structure essay based on question words.

Understanding how to structure an essay based on question words is crucial for producing clear, focused, and compelling academic writing. The question words we analised above guide the direction of your response and dictate the type of content required. Recognising the demands of each question word allows you to strategically organise your essay, ensuring that your arguments are relevant and comprehensive. By mastering this approach, you can enhance the clarity and impact of your writing, making your academic work more persuasive and effective.

Here are a few more handy tips to bear in mind when addressing your essay questions:

When you first get your essay question, always try to understand exactly what the question means and what it is asking you to do. Look at the question word(s) and think about their meaning before you launch into planning what to write. Hopefully, our guide has shown you how to do this expertly.

Remember to read the question several times and consider any underlying assumptions behind the question. Highlight the key words and if possible, make a very basic draft outline of your response. This outline does not have to be detailed. But if you follow it as you write, it will help keep your response coherent and systematic.

Finally, remember to read through your essay at the end to check for any inconsistencies and grammatical or spelling errors. Or, if you're in search of the perfect finishing touch, have a professional apply an edit to your final essay. It always helps to have a second set of fresh eyes to assess your work for any errors or omissions.

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The Writing Guide

• The First Thing
• Step 1: Understanding the essay question

Identify task, content & limiting words in the essay question

Words, words, words..., academic writing webinar part 1.

• Step 2: Critical note-taking
• Step 3: Planning your assignment
• Step 4a: Effective writing
• Step 4b: Summarizing & paraphrasing
• Step 4c: Academic language
• Step 5: Editing and reviewing
• Getting started with research
• Working with keywords
• Evaluating sources
• Research file
• Reading Smarter
• Sample Essay
• What, why, where, when, who?
• Referencing styles
• Writing Resources
• Exams and Essay Questions

Essay topics contain key words that explain what information is required and how it is to be presented.  Using the essay question below indentify task content & limiting words.  Regardless of your topic or discipline, if you can identify these words in your essay topic, you can begin to consider what you will need to do to answer the question.

Task words : These are words that tell you what to do, for example “compare”, “discuss”, “critically evaluate”, “explain” etc.

Content words : These words in the essay topic will tell you which ideas and concepts should form the knowledge base of the assignment. Refer to subject specific dictionary or glossary.

Effective communication is considered a core skill in higher education and is usually conveyed through the medium of academic papers and essays. Discuss the process of writing academic essays and critically examine the importance of structure and content.

Before you scroll down to the next box, what can you unpack from this topic? What are you actually going to look for in a search tool like One Search? What are you supposed to do?

• Content Words
• Limiting Words
• Context Words

Task words are usually verbs and they tell you what to do to complete your assignment.

You need to identify these words, because you will need to follow these instructions to pass the assignment.  As you research and write your assignment, check these words occasionally to make sure you are still doing what you have been asked to do.

Here are some definitions of different academic task words.  Make sure you know exactly what you need to do for your assignment.

Don't try to use them in your research - they aren't things to find, only things to do.

The task words from our sample question are:

Effective communication is considered a core skill in higher education and is usually conveyed through the medium of academic papers and essays. Discuss the process of writing academic essays and critically examine the importance of structure and content.

• Discuss means to "consider and offer an interpretation or evaluation of something; or give a judgment on the value of arguments for and against something"
• Examine means to inspect something in detail and investigate the implications

So, you would need to give a short description of what essay writing is all about, and then offer an evaluation of the essay structure and the way it presents content.

• Task Words Here are some definitions of different academic task words. Make sure you know exactly what you need to do for your assignment.

The content words are the "meat" of the question - these are things you can research.

Effective communication is considered a core skill in higher education and is usually conveyed through the medium of academic papers and essays . Discuss the process of writing academic essays and critically examine the importance of structure and content .

You will often be asked to talk about "the role" something plays or "processes", "importance", "methods" or "implementations" - but you can't really research these things just by looking for those words.

You need to find the keywords - the most concrete concepts - and search for those.  The information you find about the concrete terms will tell you about the "roles" and "methods", the "process" or the "importance", but they probably won't use those words exactly.

One of the core skills of academic research is learning to extrapolate :  to find the connections in the information you can find that will help you answer the questions which don't have clear, cut-and-dry answers in the books and articles.

So, the core keywords/concepts to research are:

• "academic writing"
• "higher education"
• structure and content

Limiting words keep you focused on a particular area, and stop you from trying to research everything in the history of mankind.

They could limit you by:

• Time (you may be asked to focus on the last 5 years, or the late 20th Century, for example)
• Place (you may be asked to focus on Australia, or Queensland, or South-East Asia)
• People groups (such as "women over the age of 50" or "people from low socio-economic backgrounds" or "Australians of Asian descent")
• Extent (you are only to look at a particular area, or the details you believe are most relevant or appropriate).

In this example, you have two limits:

• "higher education" is the industry focus. This could be expanded to include the tertiary or university sector.
• Essays - we are concentrating on essay writing as the aspect of communication.  Note that this is also a content word. There can be (and usually is) some crossover.

Sometimes it can help to add your own limits .  With health sciences, you almost always limit your research to the last five or six years. Social sciences  are not as strict with the date range but it's still a good idea to keep it recent.  You could specifically look at the Australian context.  You may decide to focus on the private sector within that industry.

With the question above you could limit yourself to only looking at first year university students.

Sometimes an assignment task will give you phrases or sentences that aren't part of the task at all:  they exist to give you some context .

These can be ignored when you do your research, but you should read over them occasionally as you are writing your assignment.  They help you know what the lecturer was thinking about (and wanted you to think about) when they set that task.

Effective communication is considered a core skill in higher education and is usually conveyed through the medium of academic papers and essays . Discuss the process of writing academic essays and critically examine the importance of structure and content.

You don't have to do anything with the first sentence of this question - but it does get you to think specifically about the "using essays to communicate knoweldge" - something that isn't mentioned in the task itself.

Obviously, whoever wrote the task wants you to think about the assignments as a form of writing and communication.

It is easy to get distracted and go off on tangents when doing your research .  Use the context words to  help you keep your focus where it should be.

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How to Write a Discussion Essay

Last Updated: June 27, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Jake Adams . Jake Adams is an academic tutor and the owner of Simplifi EDU, a Santa Monica, California based online tutoring business offering learning resources and online tutors for academic subjects K-College, SAT & ACT prep, and college admissions applications. With over 14 years of professional tutoring experience, Jake is dedicated to providing his clients the very best online tutoring experience and access to a network of excellent undergraduate and graduate-level tutors from top colleges all over the nation. Jake holds a BS in International Business and Marketing from Pepperdine University. There are 14 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 447,466 times.

Discussion Essay Outline and Example

Planning Your Essay

• For instance, maybe the question is, "Immigration has been a heated topic on the national level for many years. With issues like the DREAM Act and President Trump's stances on policy, it's likely to remain a central issue. Using authoritative resources to back up your argument, take a stance on immigration policy, establishing whether you think it should be more or less strict and why."
• You can establish that the main topic is immigration policy from the sentence, "Take a stance on immigration policy."
• If you're having trouble understanding the question, don't be afraid to talk to the professor. They can help you better understand what they're asking for.

• If your essay will be based off a discussion had in class, ask your instructor if you can use class notes as a primary source.
• Look for respected news sources, as well as websites with ".edu" and ".gov" extensions.
• You may need to look up information on the DREAM Act or President Trump's policies to help you understand the question, for example. For this part, you don't need to take extensive notes, as you're just trying to get a feel for the subject.

• If you were given a text to base your essay on, make sure that text has enough evidence to support your chosen position.

• Use Roman numerals on your page to mark your main ideas. Write a main point by each Roman numeral. You should only cover 3 to 4 main points in a relatively short essay, such as one that's 3 to 5 pages.

• Your main sources should be books or ebooks, journal articles from academic journals, and credible websites. You can also use high quality news articles if they're applicable to your topic.

• For a book, you should include the author's name, the editor's name (if applicable), the title of the book, the publication year, the publication city, the edition, and the title of the book chapter in an anthology by multiple authors.
• For a journal, include the author's name, the journal title, the article title, the digital object identifier (DOI), the ISSN, the publication date, the volume (if applicable), the issue (if applicable), and the page numbers for the journal article.
• If you're searching in a database, you can often ask the database to save this information for you, but you should include identifiers on your notes.

• For example, if one of your main points is "Immigration increases diversity," some of your points underneath might be "Brings in new cuisines," and "Brings in new art."
• Find examples from your research, and add notes to each point to fill them in.

Writing the Introduction

• For an example or anecdote, start by telling a short story about something relevant to your topic. For instance, you might write the following for an essay on immigration, "When I was 4-years-old, my parents told me we were going on a long trip. After a bus ride, we spent nights walking, my dad carrying me most of the way. One day, we crossed a river. That day marked our first day in our new country."

• For example, you might write, "Immigration is a highly-debated issue. It is controversial because some people fear how it affects the resources of the country the people are immigrating to, while others believe the improved quality of life for immigrants is what’s most important."

• For instance, your thesis statement might be, "Immigration is good for the country because it increases diversity, infuses the country with new talent, and broadens the population's perspective, and it should be encouraged with a few basic safeguards in place."

Composing the Body of Your Essay

• For instance, if you're writing a short research paper, one paragraph might be your main point "Immigration increases diversity," where you cover all your bullet points in that paragraph.
• If you're digging deeper, you might create a section about diversity, and then use a paragraph to cover "brings in new cuisines," another to cover "brings in new art," and so on.

• Try not to set up a "straw man" argument, where you don't give the other side a fair chance. You should be able to support your position without purposefully creating a weak position on the other side.

• For instance, maybe you want to transition between a section about increasing diversity to one about bringing in new talent. You might write a sentence like, "Increasing diversity in our country doesn't just bring in new cuisines and art, it also brings in hard workers that have fresh perspectives on old problems in the workforce."

• You can paraphrase other ideas or use direct quotes, but only use a direct quote if the author said something in a unique way. Otherwise, put it in your own words.
• You may want to begin body paragraphs with a quote from a relevant source. Then, explain or provide commentary on the quote and show how it supports your position.
• You can also use statistics to back up your research. For instance, if one of your arguments is that immigration doesn't increase crime, use statistics to back that up.

Concluding Your Essay

• For instance, you might write, "A truly great country is one that celebrates differences and welcomes new ideas and perspectives. While immigration has some negative effects on a country, overall, allowing people from other countries to come in helps to spark new ideas and make the country a better and more interesting place to live. Rather than being a drain on society, immigrants are motivated to work hard and our citizens can only benefit from listening to their perspectives."

• Once you have the flow down, read it again to check for grammatical mistakes and typos. It can help to read it aloud, as it slows you down and forces you to read every word.

Expert Q&A

• Remember you can't research forever. Often, the research stage absorbs a student so fully that the upcoming submission date seems unimportant. Make sure to leave yourself at least a few days to write your essay. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ Jake Adams. Academic Tutor & Test Prep Specialist. Expert Interview. 20 May 2020.
• ↑ https://student.unsw.edu.au/answering-assignment-questions
• ↑ https://student.unsw.edu.au/essay-and-assignment-planning
• ↑ https://opentextbc.ca/writingforsuccess/chapter/chapter-11-developing-a-convincing-argument/
• ↑ https://student.unsw.edu.au/organising-your-ideas
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/introductions/
• ↑ https://www.umgc.edu/current-students/learning-resources/writing-center/writing-resources/parts-of-an-essay/essay-introductions
• ↑ https://wts.indiana.edu/writing-guides/how-to-write-a-thesis-statement.html
• ↑ https://www.student.unsw.edu.au/writing-your-essay
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/establishing_arguments/organizing_your_argument.html
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/establishing_arguments/research_and_evidence.html
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/conclusions/
• ↑ https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/conclusion
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/editing-and-proofreading/

About This Article

To write a discussion essay, start by taking a side on the issue you're writing about, like "Immigration is good for the country." Then, outline the main points that made you decide to take that position and do research to find evidence that backs them up. Look for credible sources that can help you make your argument, and don't forget to cite them. Then, when you're writing your essay, devote 1 paragraph to each main point and include your evidence. For help writing the introduction and conclusion to your essay, scroll down! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Discussion essays Considering both sides of the argument

Discussion essays are a common form of academic writing. This page gives information on what a discussion essay is and how to structure this type of essay. Some vocabulary for discussion essays is also given, and there is an example discussion essay on the topic of studying overseas.

What are discussion essays?

Many essay titles require you to examine both sides of a situation and to conclude by saying which side you favour. These are known as discussion or for and against essays. In this sense, the academic meaning of the word discuss is similar to its everyday meaning, of two people talking about a topic from different sides. For a discussion essay, a balanced view is normally essential. This makes discussion essays distinct from persuasion essays , for which only one side of the argument is given. When writing a discussion essay, it is important to ensure that facts and opinions are clearly separated. Often you will examine what other people have already said on the same subject and include this information using paraphrasing and summarising skills, as well as correct citations .

The following are examples of discussion essay topics.

• Examine the arguments for and against capital punishment.
• Schools should teach children not only academic subjects but also important life skills. Discuss.
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of technology in the classroom?

Although the structure of a discussion essay may vary according to length and subject, there are several components which most discussion essays have in common. In addition to general statements and thesis statement which all good essay introductions contain, the position of the writer will often be stated, along with relevant definitions . The main body will examine arguments for (in one or more paragraphs) and arguments against (also in one or more paragraphs). The conclusion will contain a summary of the main points, and will often conclude with recommendations , based on what you think are the most important ideas in the essay. The conclusion may also contain your opinion on the topic, also based on the preceding evidence.

An overview of this structure is given in the diagram below.

Discussion vocabulary

When summarising the stages in a discussion or in presenting your arguments, it can be useful to mark the order of the items or degrees of importance. The following words and phrases can be used.

• First..., First of all..., The most important...
• Second..., In the second place...
• Finally..., Lastly...

The following can be used when introducing your opinion.

• There is no doubt that...
• I believe that...
• One of the main arguments in favour of/against X is that...

It is important in English writing, including academic writing, to use synonyms rather than repeating the same word. The following are useful synonyms for 'advantage' and 'disadvantage'.

• advantage: benefit, a positive aspect/feature, pro (informal)
• disadvantage: drawback, a negative aspect/feature, con (informal)

Example essay

Below is an example discussion essay. Click on the different areas (in the shaded boxes to the right) to highlight the different structural aspects in this essay.

Title: An increasing number of students are going overseas for tertiary education. To what extent does this overseas study benefit the students?

Most people spend around fifteen years of their life in education, from primary school to university study. In the past, students only had the opportunity to study in their own country. Nowadays, however, it is increasingly easy to study overseas, especially at tertiary level. Tertiary education, also called post-secondary education, is the period of study spent at university. As the final aspect of schooling before a person begins their working life, it is arguably the most important stage of their education. While there are some undoubted benefits of this trend, such as the language environment and improved employment prospects , there is also a significant disadvantage, namely the high cost . The first and most important advantage of overseas study is the language learning environment. Students studying overseas will not only have to cope with the local language for their study, but will also have to use it outside the classroom for their everyday life. These factors should make it relatively easy for such students to advance their language abilities. Another important benefit is employability. Increasing globalisation means that there are more multinational companies setting up offices in all major countries. These companies will need employees who have a variety of skills, including the fluency in more than one language. Students who have studied abroad should find it much easier to obtain a job in this kind of company. There are, however, some disadvantages to overseas study which must be considered, the most notable of which is the expense. In addition to the cost of travel, which in itself is not inconsiderable, overseas students are required to pay tuition fees which are usually much higher than those of local students. Added to this is the cost of living, which is often much higher than in the students' own country. Although scholarships may be available for overseas students, there are usually very few of these, most of which will only cover a fraction of the cost. Overseas study therefore constitutes a considerable expense. In summary, studying abroad has some clear advantages, including the language environment and increased chances of employment , in addition to the main drawback, the heavy financial burden . I believe that this experience is worthwhile for those students whose families can readily afford the expense. Students without such strong financial support should consider carefully whether the high cost outweighs the benefits to be gained.

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Below is a checklist for discussion essays. Use it to check your own writing, or get a peer (another student) to help you.

Bailey, S. (2000). Academic Writing. Abingdon: RoutledgeFalmer

Cox, K. and D. Hill (2004). EAP now! Frenchs Forest: Pearson Education Australia

Jordan, R.R. (1999). Academic Writing Course. Cambridge: CUP

Roberts R., J. Gokanda, & A. Preshous (2004). IELTS Foundation. Oxford: Macmillian

Next section

Find out how to write persuasion essays in the next section.

Previous section

Go back to the previous section about different essay types .

Author: Sheldon Smith    ‖    Last modified: 16 January 2022.

Sheldon Smith is the founder and editor of EAPFoundation.com. He has been teaching English for Academic Purposes since 2004. Find out more about him in the about section and connect with him on Twitter , Facebook and LinkedIn .

Compare & contrast essays examine the similarities of two or more objects, and the differences.

Cause & effect essays consider the reasons (or causes) for something, then discuss the results (or effects).

Discussion essays require you to examine both sides of a situation and to conclude by saying which side you favour.

Problem-solution essays are a sub-type of SPSE essays (Situation, Problem, Solution, Evaluation).

Transition signals are useful in achieving good cohesion and coherence in your writing.

Reporting verbs are used to link your in-text citations to the information cited.

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• Focus and Precision: How to Write Essays that Answer the Question

About the Author Stephanie Allen read Classics and English at St Hugh’s College, Oxford, and is currently researching a PhD in Early Modern Academic Drama at the University of Fribourg.

We’ve all been there. You’ve handed in an essay and you think it’s pretty great: it shows off all your best ideas, and contains points you’re sure no one else will have thought of.

You’re not totally convinced that what you’ve written is relevant to the title you were given – but it’s inventive, original and good. In fact, it might be better than anything that would have responded to the question. But your essay isn’t met with the lavish praise you expected. When it’s tossed back onto your desk, there are huge chunks scored through with red pen, crawling with annotations like little red fire ants: ‘IRRELEVANT’; ‘A bit of a tangent!’; ‘???’; and, right next to your best, most impressive killer point: ‘Right… so?’. The grade your teacher has scrawled at the end is nowhere near what your essay deserves. In fact, it’s pretty average. And the comment at the bottom reads something like, ‘Some good ideas, but you didn’t answer the question!’.

If this has ever happened to you (and it has happened to me, a lot), you’ll know how deeply frustrating it is – and how unfair it can seem. This might just be me, but the exhausting process of researching, having ideas, planning, writing and re-reading makes me steadily more attached to the ideas I have, and the things I’ve managed to put on the page. Each time I scroll back through what I’ve written, or planned, so far, I become steadily more convinced of its brilliance. What started off as a scribbled note in the margin, something extra to think about or to pop in if it could be made to fit the argument, sometimes comes to be backbone of a whole essay – so, when a tutor tells me my inspired paragraph about Ted Hughes’s interpretation of mythology isn’t relevant to my essay on Keats, I fail to see why. Or even if I can see why, the thought of taking it out is wrenching. Who cares if it’s a bit off-topic? It should make my essay stand out, if anything! And an examiner would probably be happy not to read yet another answer that makes exactly the same points. If you recognise yourself in the above, there are two crucial things to realise. The first is that something has to change: because doing well in high school exam or coursework essays is almost totally dependent on being able to pin down and organise lots of ideas so that an examiner can see that they convincingly answer a question. And it’s a real shame to work hard on something, have good ideas, and not get the marks you deserve. Writing a top essay is a very particular and actually quite simple challenge. It’s not actually that important how original you are, how compelling your writing is, how many ideas you get down, or how beautifully you can express yourself (though of course, all these things do have their rightful place). What you’re doing, essentially, is using a limited amount of time and knowledge to really answer a question. It sounds obvious, but a good essay should have the title or question as its focus the whole way through . It should answer it ten times over – in every single paragraph, with every fact or figure. Treat your reader (whether it’s your class teacher or an external examiner) like a child who can’t do any interpretive work of their own; imagine yourself leading them through your essay by the hand, pointing out that you’ve answered the question here , and here , and here. Now, this is all very well, I imagine you objecting, and much easier said than done. But never fear! Structuring an essay that knocks a question on the head is something you can learn to do in a couple of easy steps. In the next few hundred words, I’m going to share with you what I’ve learned through endless, mindless crossings-out, rewordings, rewritings and rethinkings.

Top tips and golden rules

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been told to ‘write the question at the top of every new page’- but for some reason, that trick simply doesn’t work for me. If it doesn’t work for you either, use this three-part process to allow the question to structure your essay:

1)     Work out exactly what you’re being asked

It sounds really obvious, but lots of students have trouble answering questions because they don’t take time to figure out exactly what they’re expected to do – instead, they skim-read and then write the essay they want to write. Sussing out a question is a two-part process, and the first part is easy. It means looking at the directions the question provides as to what sort of essay you’re going to write. I call these ‘command phrases’ and will go into more detail about what they mean below. The second part involves identifying key words and phrases.

2)     Be as explicit as possible

Use forceful, persuasive language to show how the points you’ve made do answer the question. My main focus so far has been on tangential or irrelevant material – but many students lose marks even though they make great points, because they don’t quite impress how relevant those points are. Again, I’ll talk about how you can do this below.

3)     Be brutally honest with yourself about whether a point is relevant before you write it.

It doesn’t matter how impressive, original or interesting it is. It doesn’t matter if you’re panicking, and you can’t think of any points that do answer the question. If a point isn’t relevant, don’t bother with it. It’s a waste of time, and might actually work against you- if you put tangential material in an essay, your reader will struggle to follow the thread of your argument, and lose focus on your really good points.

Put it into action: Step One

Let’s imagine you’re writing an English essay about the role and importance of the three witches in Macbeth . You’re thinking about the different ways in which Shakespeare imagines and presents the witches, how they influence the action of the tragedy, and perhaps the extent to which we’re supposed to believe in them (stay with me – you don’t have to know a single thing about Shakespeare or Macbeth to understand this bit!). Now, you’ll probably have a few good ideas on this topic – and whatever essay you write, you’ll most likely use much of the same material. However, the detail of the phrasing of the question will significantly affect the way you write your essay. You would draw on similar material to address the following questions: Discuss Shakespeare’s representation of the three witches in Macbeth . How does Shakespeare figure the supernatural in Macbeth ?   To what extent are the three witches responsible for Macbeth’s tragic downfall? Evaluate the importance of the three witches in bringing about Macbeth’s ruin. Are we supposed to believe in the three witches in Macbeth ? “Within Macbeth ’s representation of the witches, there is profound ambiguity about the actual significance and power of their malevolent intervention” (Stephen Greenblatt). Discuss.   I’ve organised the examples into three groups, exemplifying the different types of questions you might have to answer in an exam. The first group are pretty open-ended: ‘discuss’- and ‘how’-questions leave you room to set the scope of the essay. You can decide what the focus should be. Beware, though – this doesn’t mean you don’t need a sturdy structure, or a clear argument, both of which should always be present in an essay. The second group are asking you to evaluate, constructing an argument that decides whether, and how far something is true. Good examples of hypotheses (which your essay would set out to prove) for these questions are:

• The witches are the most important cause of tragic action in Macbeth.
• The witches are partially, but not entirely responsible for Macbeth’s downfall, alongside Macbeth’s unbridled ambition, and that of his wife.
• We are not supposed to believe the witches: they are a product of Macbeth’s psyche, and his downfall is his own doing.
• The witches’ role in Macbeth’s downfall is deliberately unclear. Their claim to reality is shaky – finally, their ambiguity is part of an uncertain tragic universe and the great illusion of the theatre. (N.B. It’s fine to conclude that a question can’t be answered in black and white, certain terms – as long as you have a firm structure, and keep referring back to it throughout the essay).

The final question asks you to respond to a quotation. Students tend to find these sorts of questions the most difficult to answer, but once you’ve got the hang of them I think the title does most of the work for you – often implicitly providing you with a structure for your essay. The first step is breaking down the quotation into its constituent parts- the different things it says. I use brackets: ( Within Macbeth ’s representation of the witches, ) ( there is profound ambiguity ) about the ( actual significance ) ( and power ) of ( their malevolent intervention ) Examiners have a nasty habit of picking the most bewildering and terrifying-sounding quotations: but once you break them down, they’re often asking for something very simple. This quotation, for example, is asking exactly the same thing as the other questions. The trick here is making sure you respond to all the different parts. You want to make sure you discuss the following:

• Do you agree that the status of the witches’ ‘malevolent intervention’ is ambiguous?
• What is its significance?
• How powerful is it?

Step Two: Plan

Having worked out exactly what the question is asking, write out a plan (which should be very detailed in a coursework essay, but doesn’t have to be more than a few lines long in an exam context) of the material you’ll use in each paragraph. Make sure your plan contains a sentence at the end of each point about how that point will answer the question. A point from my plan for one of the topics above might look something like this:

To what extent are we supposed to believe in the three witches in Macbeth ?  Hypothesis: The witches’ role in Macbeth’s downfall is deliberately unclear. Their claim to reality is uncertain – finally, they’re part of an uncertain tragic universe and the great illusion of the theatre. Para.1: Context At the time Shakespeare wrote Macbeth , there were many examples of people being burned or drowned as witches There were also people who claimed to be able to exorcise evil demons from people who were ‘possessed’. Catholic Christianity leaves much room for the supernatural to exist This suggests that Shakespeare’s contemporary audience might, more readily than a modern one, have believed that witches were a real phenomenon and did exist.

My final sentence (highlighted in red) shows how the material discussed in the paragraph answers the question. Writing this out at the planning stage, in addition to clarifying your ideas, is a great test of whether a point is relevant: if you struggle to write the sentence, and make the connection to the question and larger argument, you might have gone off-topic.

Step Three: Paragraph beginnings and endings

The final step to making sure you pick up all the possible marks for ‘answering the question’ in an essay is ensuring that you make it explicit how your material does so. This bit relies upon getting the beginnings and endings of paragraphs just right. To reiterate what I said above, treat your reader like a child: tell them what you’re going to say; tell them how it answers the question; say it, and then tell them how you’ve answered the question. This need not feel clumsy, awkward or repetitive. The first sentence of each new paragraph or point should, without giving too much of your conclusion away, establish what you’re going to discuss, and how it answers the question. The opening sentence from the paragraph I planned above might go something like this:

Early modern political and religious contexts suggest that Shakespeare’s contemporary audience might more readily have believed in witches than his modern readers.

The sentence establishes that I’m going to discuss Jacobean religion and witch-burnings, and also what I’m going to use those contexts to show. I’d then slot in all my facts and examples in the middle of the paragraph. The final sentence (or few sentences) should be strong and decisive, making a clear connection to the question you’ve been asked:

  Contemporary suspicion that witches did exist, testified to by witch-hunts and exorcisms, is crucial to our understanding of the witches in Macbeth.  To the early modern consciousness, witches were a distinctly real and dangerous possibility – and the witches in the play would have seemed all-the-more potent and terrifying as a result.

Step Four: Practice makes perfect

The best way to get really good at making sure you always ‘answer the question’ is to write essay plans rather than whole pieces. Set aside a few hours, choose a couple of essay questions from past papers, and for each:

• Write a hypothesis
• Write a rough plan of what each paragraph will contain
• Write out the first and last sentence of each paragraph

You can get your teacher, or a friend, to look through your plans and give you feedback. If you follow this advice, fingers crossed, next time you hand in an essay, it’ll be free from red-inked comments about irrelevance, and instead showered with praise for the precision with which you handled the topic, and how intently you focused on answering the question. It can seem depressing when your perfect question is just a minor tangent from the question you were actually asked, but trust me – high praise and good marks are all found in answering the question in front of you, not the one you would have liked to see. Teachers do choose the questions they set you with some care, after all; chances are the question you were set is the more illuminating and rewarding one as well.

Image credits: banner ; Keats ; Macbeth ; James I ; witches .

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