1. Introduction
1.1. How to use this guide
1.2. Will the guide tell me everything about essay writing?
1.3. Where to go for further help
2. What tutors look for when marking essays
2.1. Marking schemes : criteria related to grade bands
2.2 Writing skills : 'introductory', 'intermediate', and 'advanced' essays
3. What is a social science essay?
3.1. The structure of a basic social science essay
3.2. What is distinctive about a social science essay?
3.3. Three golden rules for writing a social science essay
4. Matching the answer to the question
4.1. Answering advocacy questions
4.2. Answering evaluation questions
4.3. Answering compare and contrast questions
5. Stages of writing from preparation to final version
5.1. Use feedback and guidance notes
5.2. Read the question
5.3. Identify and organize the relevant material
5.4. First draft to final version
6. Writing introductions
6.1. Longer or 'full' instructions
6.2. Basic short introductions
6.3. When do you write the introduction?
7. Writing the main section
7.1. Structuring your argument
7.2. Using evidence to support your argument
7.3. Adding weight to your argument
7.4. Communicating your argument
8. Writing conclusions
8.1. What a conclusion should aim to do
8.2. What a conclusion should contain
9. Referencing
9.1. Why are references needed?
9.2. What should be referenced?
9.3. Basic principles
9.4. Compiling your references
10. Some common worries
10.1. Plagiarism
10.2. Writing too much
10.3. Using the "I" word
10.4. Using your own experience
10.5. Presentation, spelling and grammar
11. examples of student essays
Essay 1
Essay 2
12. Concluding remarks
appendix A. What to do when your essay comes back / Maggie Coats
appendix B. Process and command words in essay questions / Sue Cole and Pauline Harris
appendix C. Wordstorming : examples of 'mind maps'
appendix D. More on referencing
appendix E. Abbreviations and words in foreign languages
appendix F. Further reading.