1. Structuring Essays

2. What’s your favourite film?

3. What happened in Star Wars?
Opening Credits, camera spans out into space and then down onto planet
Princess Leia – plants message in R2D2, then gets imprisoned
- Message includes plans and weakness in Death Star defences
Darth Vader – can’t find the missing plans
- Strangles someone with death choke
Luke on Tatooine with Uncle & Aunt
Sand-people attack Luke – Ben Kenobi watches out for him and shows up
R2D2 goes off to find Obi Wan (Ben). Luke and C3PO go looking for R2
He goes to get droids from Jawas – C3PO & R2D2

4. “Luke you must learn the ways of the Force”
Ben & Luke chat – connect – shows Luke his father’s light sabre
“Luke you must learn the ways of the Force”
Luke’s family murdered. Luke meets Han Solo and goes off on Millennium Falcon with the boys
Leia’s planet gets blown up by Death Star.
So… they rescue Leia. Ben gets killed by Death Vader. The others escape and find Rebellion.
Attack Death Star
- Try to shoot down exhaust port
- Luke uses Force – hears Ben guiding him
- Hans Solo comes out of nowhere and clears route for Luke

5. The film is driven by a narrative just like an essay should.
A narrative that must be:
Logically consistent
Leading to some sort of pay off
Relevant to the topic and question being asked

6. Introduction
Engaging, firstly, with the wider context in which your question is being situated. – what are the implications of this this question or this topic in general?
Secondly, you’ll need to become more specific about what your driving argument is going to be.

7. Each event follows on from the next in sequence
Main Body
Each event follows on from the next in sequence
Each piece of the argument (or arguments) you are making builds on from the last.
Each paragraph flows into the next.
There’s no unnecessary or irrelevant content.

8. The Death Star is destroyed
Conclusion
The Death Star is destroyed
Summarise your argument
Discuss possible wider implications of YOUR argument in relation to the question.

9. How do we do this? Three stages: Editing:
The first draft of any essay is always rubbish (no matter who you are)!
After writing, go back and inspect your essay for spelling/grammar errors and, most importantly, whether you’re argument makes sense and is answering the question.
After that, and once you’re happy with it – READ IT OVER AGAIN.
Planning:
It is important that, BEFORE you start writing, you have a clear idea of 1) what you argument is and 2) how you will structure this argument.
After you’ve completed your research, start thinking about collating all the information together into a coherent narrative and then write this down in note form.
Writing:
It’s fine, and encouraging, to remain open and flexible about where your argument is heading as you write, since this new process may help you see more connections and/or better ways of expressing an idea.
BUT do not stray too far off the beaten path.
Read it aloud.
Read it to a friend.
Have a friend read it for you.

10. Make sure you’re research is targeted towards the eventual construction of an argument. It is encouraging to have a general idea on which direction your argument might lead, but your essay must still be based in the reality of the relevant wider literature.
More Tips:
When researching, keep track of all the sources you’ve gathered (and plug them in to Oscola form), take notes as you go along and keep a ‘master note sheet’ which summarises what a particular source is discussing and, more importantly, how you are going to use it.
Multiple Plans:
Perhaps begin with an outline plan (Skeleton argument), but often it is useful to write more detailed plans around specific parts of the essay – one per argument or even one per paragraph! The more plans, the faster the writing process will be.

11. Planning down to the paragraph
PEEL
Planning down to the paragraph
Point
Evidence
Explanation
Link

12. Describing and Analysing:
The Difference
Descriptive Writing
Critical / Analytical Writing
States what happened
Identifies the significance
States what something is like
Evaluates (judges the value) strengths and weaknesses
Gives the story so far
Weighs one piece of information against another
States the order in which things
happened
Makes reasoned judgements
Says how to do something
Argues a case according to evidence
Explains what a theory says
Shows why a theory is relevant or suitable

13. Explains how something works
Indicates why something will work (best)
States options
Gives reasons for the selection of each options
Lists details
Evaluates the relative significance of details
Lists in any order
Structures information in order of importance [etc.]
States links between ideas
Shows the relevance of links between pieces of information
Gives information
Draws conclusions

14. Four tips to strengthen your analytical writing.
Use analytical terms-
This represents…
reinforces…
portrays…
symbolises…
suggests…
conveys…
Tip 3:
Avoid recounting the situation as much as possible-
Assume we know WHAT happened.
We are interested in WHY you think something happened
Tip 1:
Always try to look at the law from its wider context – social, political, historical or philosophical.
What are the wider implications of what’s being said? What’s not being said?
Always be asking ‘why’?
Tip 4:
Avoid using text books for your principle research/ argument base.

15. Legal Terminology READ A LOT Read more than just your textbooks.
Read journals, articles, reports and blogs.
Really get a feel for how the academic community refers to certain legal terms and, more generally, how they approach legal writing and structuring arguments.
Start your own glossary of terms
Recognising legal terms - Always look for the context in which a possible legal term has been used.