help your child develop

Helping your child develop essay writing skills

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Writing essays is one of the most important skills a child can be taught, with it being a major requirement when it comes to their school days and exam preparation. They are one of the biggest factors of GCSE exams and A levels, with the combination of coursework and written tests making it crucial for students to develop and clean up their writing skills. Essay writing is also well known for helping students support and develop other skills such as critical thinking and analysis. As a parent, it is important you do your best to ensure your child acquires this skill as early on as possible, in order to prepare them better for their future. A little confused on where to start? Don’t worry. Here is some advice from this private sixth form in Cambridge on helping your child develop essay writing skills.

Start at the very beginning

In order for your child to be great at essay writing, it is important that they start with the basics. There is no point jumping in the deep end and expecting your child to write endless pages of work, as this will only confuse them and make the process harder to complete. Instead, start with the task of them writing something very small. The idea right now is to simply understand how they write and what areas they may need support with. Take some time to sit with your child and ask them to write about their favourite memory or what they did in their day. Encourage them to include as much detail as possible. This activity will help them get a good feel for writing and find their flow. 

Show them how to plan

A huge aspect of essay writing is planning, as it ensures their writing has a good structure and makes sense. Instead of completely focusing on tone or vocabulary, ensure that they perfect the outline of their work instead. Use the sandwich method of a solid introduction, paragraphs for each point, and a conclusion to tie all loose ends together.

With the above in mind and a whole lot of practice, you can be assured that your child will have the ability to write great essays in the future. Good luck!

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