How to Write Better Essays (Palgrave Study Guides)

This book is worth its weight in gold for anyone who needs to write essays and I have recommended it to many of my friends. I have always been able to write decent enough essays, getting A grade GCSEs and A/ B grade Alevels, but my undergraduate essays never quite seemed to reach the top marks. I couldn't quite understand this though because I always got top marks for my scientific reports, literature reviews, and exams yet my essays never seemed to go above a 2:1. If I put in a huge amount of effort I would be able to reach a high 2:1, while hardly any effort would get me a low 2:1, I just couldn't seem to break out of it! That was until I read this book.

This book was an absolute delight to read. It is extremely well written, interesting and engaging. To be honest, I just couldn't put it down. It was as though everything clicked into place for me - I could see exactly where I'd been going wrong. The book breaks down the process of essay writing into steps starting from how to think about essay questions, how to make notes and read background material, right through to writing style and proof reading. It is broken down in a way which is easy to follow and apply. But more than just improving your essays, this book provides advise on how to think more creatively - so you can reach those 1st class grades. However good your essays currently are, Greethams book will undoubtedly improve them, and I would reccommend it to every undergraduate!

Before I read this book I always found essay writing a laborious and painful process which I usually procrastinated about and spent many days dreading having to actually get down and do. This book actually made the whole process of essay writing much more enjoyable, and actually much quicker. My essays now take much less time (from background reading to final draft), get better marks, and are more enjoyable to write - what more could any student want. The first essay I wrote after finishing this book got a 1st, and I have never got anything less than a 1st for any essay since.

It is now nearly 2 years since I read this book and I have recently graduated (with a 1st). I deceided to write this review because I feel so indebted to Greetham's book for transforming my academic experience.

Having been stuggling to find a good guide to essay writing my prayers were answered when i happen to stubble across this one. 'How to write better essays' is everything you need to know to write better essays from time management, researching, structure etc... Easy to read and filled with practical exercises to help build up your skills. Love this quide!

This is a good book that is packed with useful advice that really makes a difference. We were told to buy a really useless book that was supposed to make you better at legal reasoning and essay writing but it was a total waste of time so I bought this book instead and it has really made my marks better. It was a bit dull in places and there could have been a bit more effort made to make the whole thing easier to follow but the results make it worth the effort of ploughing through it as you end up with all sorts of ideas about how to make your work better. It worked for me.

This book is horribly unengaging. It is difficult to simply pick up and read because the boring nature of the subject is presented in dull, lifeless format.

The content is superb if you persevere; greetham goes into great depth from interpreting the essay title through to presentation. I have improved from low 60's to high 60's over christmas in my second year of a degree from using this book.

So; if you do not need visual stimulus to keep you engaged then this is for you.

If you've only written essays at GCSE or A level then it can be a huge leap into a different territory when you begin writing undergraduate level assignments. This book fills in the gaps in a totally accessible way and is suitable for all study levels.
After reading it and putting the techniques into practice my grades went from C's to A's - need I say more!