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up pieces from the different essays).
Students get into groups. Each group receives an envelope. They empty out the contents and try to recreate the essay. Once they are done, they read through and assess its quality.
Repeat with the other two essays if time.
Develop a whole-class discussion drawing on the experience.




Repetition
The single best way to improve ones writing is through repetition. Practising again and again. Students may not like this, but they will acknowledge the powerful logic which underpins it. Here are some choice quotes to help sugar the pill:
Practice is the best of all instructors (Publilius Syrus).
My secret is practice (David Beckham).
What we hope ever to do with ease we may learn first to do with diligence (Samuel Johnson).
Diligence is the mother of good fortune, and idleness, its opposite, never brought a man to the goal of any of his best wishes (Miguel de Cervantes).
Begin - to begin is half the work, let half still remain; again begin this, and thou wilt have finished (Marcus Aurelius).
Mind Maps
Many people use mind maps to plan essays. A mind map has a central topic, out of which stem key ideas. From these key ideas, further branches develop, containing sub-points.
Mind maps help one to order information visually. They are also useful for ticking off information as it has been dealt with. In this way they act as an aide memoire, as well as an organisational tool.
Information on mind mapping can be found at:










Different Arguments
We all have our own ways of thinking and areas of life to which we attach particular importance. For students, a corollary of this is that they can get stuck in a cert