Ask your co-students for a good essay example

And why not do as the title suggests? One of the best ways to learn is to copy. Not to copy exactly as in breach of copyright but rather to copy the good points that are found in an essay and use those good points when writing your own.

So what sort of things would a fellow student be able to help you with? Remember that it's no good getting an essay sample from another student if the quality of work is poor. The idea of copying the principles is that the principles are good. If they're absent or poor then these bad habits won't help you create an ideal essay.

The sorts of things found in a good essay example

• An excellent choice of topic.
• Following the format required.
• Clear, error-free writing.
• Expert proofreading.
• Finishing on time and with the correct word count.

Mind you if the good essay example you read which is being written by one of your fellow students has a brilliant topic, that doesn't necessarily mean it will be right for you. It was right for that particular student because they had an interest in the topic or background knowledge of the topic or they plan to study it in greater detail further down the track. Remember the topic has to work for you.

Study the format of the essay example. Does it have the basic structure of introduction, body paragraphs and conclusion? Does each of these sections contain the correct ingredients? You can learn a lot from reading another student’s essay. Look for different things each time you read the essay. In this case you would be looking for the structure or format of the essay.

Is the writing clear? Are you able to understand what you are reading? Does one sentence flow into the next and one paragraph into the next? Any vague writing is a no-no.

Are there any errors in the writing? Are there spelling or grammatical errors? Has the writer repeated him or herself or wandered off-topic? You're looking for all those sorts of things in a good essay example.

And finally is the word count correct? It's pointless writing a wonderful essay if you are 1000 words out of sync. Get the basics right. So by all means ask a fellow student for a good essay example but make sure it really is good.