Before writing your essay in detail, it is important to plan your ideas. This planning will be based on the essay question(s), the reading you have done and your analysis of the material.
Common ways to plan an essay include creating a brainstorm or an essay outline with points in list form. Here are two examples prepared in response to the question 'With reference to relevant literature, critically discuss the following statement - Managers are not leaders' 1000 words.
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QUESTION: With reference to relevant literature, critically discuss the following statement - "Managers are not leaders." (1000 words) |
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| 1. | Introduction (100-150 words) |
> | Intro to topic |
| > | Comment on its importance | ||
| > | Statement of essay's main argument | ||
| > | Description of essay plan | ||
| 2. | Definitions of terms (80-100 words) |
> | Manager |
| > | Leader | ||
| 3. | Differences between managers and leaders (100 words) |
> | Managers: organisation, day-to-day running of the business |
| > | Leaders: big picture, longer-term vision | ||
| 4. | Similarities between managers and leader (Katz) (50 words) |
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| 5. |
Similarities between managers and leaders (Robbins et al. & Vecchio et al.) |
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| 6. |
Integrated definition (early) |
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| 7. |
Integrated definition (more recent) |
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| 8. | Evaluation of integrated definition: Distinctions no longer apply (100 words) |
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| 9. | Conclusion | > | Summary |
| > | Restatement of argument | ||
| 10. | References | ||