Writing an Essay
Introduction – Say what you are going to say
Body – Say it
Conclusion – Say what you said
Introduce the topic of the essay and the structure that the essay will take. It should be long enough to cover everything but short enough to hold the reader’s attention.
Begin by defining language from the question in the title e.g. the meaning of common law or civil. Be brief though. The essay should not be wholly descriptive.
The question may ask you to “critically analyze”. If this is the case then give the advantages and disadvantages of the subject and way them against each other. After exploring both sides of the argument, choose a side and defend your choice. Be objective.
Advantages, disadvantages and your opinion should always be supported by evidence – cases, Acts of Parliament, articles by professors, and legal textbooks. Remember to give full citations for all the evidence you use. This can be done using brackets ( ) or in footnotes/endnotes. Choose one style and stick to it throughout the essay.
IMP: Remember to keep the argument structured. This is vital! Don’t be over wordy either. This is not an English language essay. You do not get extra marks for big words. The marks come for clear, coherent arguments. The best legal scholars are able to say the most intelligent, insightful comments using simple, clear language (unlike most of the judiciary).
You may want to include sub-headings to help make your structure clear. This is fine but not essential.
Conclude by summarizing all the important points in your essay. Do not introduce new arguments here. Do mention everything important without being too repetitive. The conclusion should be one or two paragraphs – ideally one long paragraph for the length of essay you are writing.
After your essay, do not forget to include a full list of references for sources used.
Include books, cases, articles etc here.
Give a full citation for cases as seen in your materials e.g. Carlill v Carbolic Smoke Ball Co Ltd [1892] 2 QB 484.
Books should follow the format of author name – year - title – edition – publisher.
E.g. Slapper, G. & Kelly, G. (2001) ‘The English Legal System’, Fifth Edn., Cavendish Publishing: London.
