Academic Writing I - Sentence to Essay

The module builds academic writers from the ground up, from the mechanics of a well-formed sentence to the rhetoric of a cohesive essay. Students learn to argue a claim with evidence, cite responsibly and revise through principled passes. Mastery means producing a 1500-word essay that is thesis-driven, source-integrated and register-appropriate.

Learning Outcomes

Construct a focused, arguable thesis statement that controls an essay's scope and stance.

Design body paragraphs using PEEL/TEEL with explicit links between claim and evidence.

Integrate quotations and paraphrases using signal phrases and accurate Harvard/APA citation.

Apply hedging and boosting lexis to calibrate certainty in academic claims.

Evaluate drafts through structured revision passes (global, paragraph, sentence, surface).

Analyse feedback and translate reviewer comments into targeted rewriting actions.

Compare essay subgenres (argumentative, analytical, comparative) and select appropriate structures.

Produce reference entries and in-text citations that meet an agreed style guide.

Topics Covered

The arguable thesis: scope, stance, significance

Introduction architecture: hook, context, thesis, map

Body paragraphs: PEEL/TEEL and claim-evidence loops

Topic sentences, transitions and cohesive devices

Signal phrases and reporting verbs with stance

Paraphrase, summary and quotation: when and how

In-text citation and reference lists (Harvard, APA)

Avoiding plagiarism: patchwriting and originality

Sentence craft: concision, parallelism, cohesion

Essay subgenres: argumentative, analytical, comparative

Conclusion patterns: synthesis, implication, limitation

Revision passes: global, paragraph, sentence, surface

Giving and receiving peer feedback productively

Common error patterns: comma splice, dangling modifiers

Skills Developed

Thesis-crafting Paragraphing Citing Paraphrasing Revising Editing Argumentation Register control

Suggested Resources

Graff & Birkenstein - They Say / I Say (Norton)

Williams & Bizup - Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace (Pearson)

Swales & Feak - Academic Writing for Graduate Students (Michigan)

Hyland - Metadiscourse (Continuum)

Purdue OWL - APA and Harvard referencing modules

Manchester Phrasebank (phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk)

Strunk & White - The Elements of Style

Assessment

Graded through a portfolio of staged writing tasks and one summative 1500-word essay with reflection.

Writing portfolio (paragraphs, drafts)35%

Peer review participation15%

Summative 1500-word essay + reflection50%

Practice bank: 200 MCQs · Timed mock & self-paced modes

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