ATS1340 ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES WORKBOOK 1 ISSUE 2 | Page 8

Discussion for the webinar tutorial/ ‘meet up’
 Key challenges for all “new” students (in Arts/Economics/Sciences)?
 Eg. Reading requirements/Positioning YOUR voice/Being
explicit/Paraphrasing
 Understanding the function of the essay/report
 Successfully implementing the essay/report as a mode of critical/technical
communication
 You as the “novice” academic....UG  Honours PG 
 The DISCIPLINE.....[+ engagement]
Some basic tips and tricks of the trade
 Change positions: put yourself in the position of your tutor/marker...ask what
you would expect/like to see. Remember: it’s 1 a.m in the morning, 6 cups of
coffee already, 23 UG essays left to mark, supervisor meeting at 10 am with
an unfinished chapter of his/her Ph.D thesis
 Avoid the “big splash” effect: cover page graphics/proverbs/anecdotes
 Avoid trying to build direct rapport with your marker
 Understatement in place of exaggeration/melodrama
 Choose the ‘difficult’ essay topics
Discussion
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Main stylistic problems: (1) poor tone/inaccurate register in writing, (2) lack
of explicit structure (3) ‘poor’ word choice (4) lack of references/evidence
Basic misunderstanding of what an essay should be as a technical vehicle of
communication in an academic context