Essays, writing and revision essentials
Everything you need to smash your first assignment
By now, you’re hopefully settling into university life. You know how to use your libraries and how Skills@Library can help you to sharpen your academic skills.
It’s time to put that know-how to use in your first essays and assignments and maybe even think about exams in the new year. Flying Start covers expectations for independent learning such as time management and getting focused. But the resources below are an extra toolkit to help you to break down essay questions, tune up your techniques and turn tough tests into a piece of cake!
Writing
Gone are the days of practice essays. Now, you have to get it right the first time. And the grade you get back is permanent. So here’s the best way to make your mark:
- Make a plan: Work out what you're really being asked and make a plan to focus your answers.
- Style it out: Academic writing has its own language, style and techniques. Get up to scratch so you don’t get left behind.
- Check the fit: Or rather, that you can fit everything you need to say in your essay and in the right order by structuring your essays.
- Check it again: First drafts are always bad. So get used to rewriting, editing and proofreading your work so you don’t lose easy marks.
Reading, searching and referencing
We know reading sounds simple enough; you’ve been doing it for years! But reading at university means so much more, from finding texts, comparing them, evaluating them and sometimes, just getting your head around what they mean!
- Find the right books: Library Search allows you to find all the digital and physical items on your reading list. To go beyond the basics, check out our search guidance to refine, limit and filter your results to get what you really need. You should also install Lean Library, which searches our catalogue and gives you easy access to materials while you browse the internet.
- How to read long, boring texts: We can’t make it fun, but we can make it easier. We have an easy-to-follow reading guide that breaks down reading strategies, critical reading and how to interpret texts.
- Make good notes: It’s impossible to remember everything you read or hear in lectures, so good notes are the difference between good and bad work. Luckily, we have some good notes on how to take good notes.
- Referencing is king: This is a vital part of essay writing at university, and not doing it can get you into trouble. That’s why we have referencing guidance on finding out your school's preferred style, step-by-step guidance on referencing correctly and a list of tools to make it as easy as possible to keep on top of this academic admin.
Thinking ahead to exams and revision
We know exams are only in January and seem like a long way away. But your first semester will go quickly. Before you know it, you’ll be back from the winter break and into a world of exam papers and late-night study sessions in Edward Boyle.
It might be worth browsing our revision and exam pages to get an idea of what’s in store and what you can do now to plan, prepare and practice for those long study sessions.
Getting help and understanding feedback
Skills@Library has so much support for students, including Skills Space, the Skills Desk, the Writing Space, digital capabilities, workshops, one-to-one sessions, and plenty more to help you improve your skills.
When you get feedback on essays, you might only be told what was wrong, not necessarily how to fix it. Skills@Library can help you to understand your feedback and what adjustments you will need to make for your next attempt.
If in doubt, just ask.
Good luck!
