Academic Writing and Paragraph Structure .pptx

Steps to follow when writing an essay.

1. ACADEMIC WRITING & PARAGRAPH STRUCTURE How to write clear, structured, and engaging essays English FAL Grade 12 Presented by Ms. Phogole

2. Introduction to Academic Writing Academic writing is formal writing used in school, university, or professional settings. Its purpose is to inform, explain, or argue ideas clearly (Mahilum, 2025). Usually its target audience is teachers/lecturers, students, or professional readers (Mahilum, 2025). Academic writing is always structured, organized, and objective. Example : Writing an essay on environmental issues or school policies.

3. Characteristics of Academic Writing It focuses on facts and evidence, not personal opinions. Avoid slang, contractions, or casual expressions. Ideas must be easy to understand, logical, and well-sequenced . Support your points with facts, research, or examples ( PaperTrue , 2023.). Example : Instead of saying: “ I think bullying is bad ,” Write : “ Bullying negatively affects student learning and participation” (Smith & Brain, 2000, p. 2).

4. Academic vs. Non-Academic Writing Aspect Academic Non-Academic Purpose Inform/Argue Entertain/Inform Audience Teachers/Lecturers/Students Everyone/General Readers Structure Organized Flexible Language Formal Informal Content Source Research/Evidence Personal Opinion

5. Steps for Writing an Essay According to PaperTrue (2023), essays can be written in 8 steps: Pick a topic that interests you. Form a clear thesis statement (main argument of your essay). Create an outline to organize ideas. Write the introduction (background info, thesis). Develop body paragraphs (main points and evidence). Write a conclusion (summarize and restate your thesis). Edit and proofread for errors. Finalize the essay for submission.

6. Stages of Writing Brainstorm ideas, research, and create mind maps. Draft the essay, focusing on getting ideas on paper. Improve content, structure, and clarity by adding, removing, or reorganizing ideas. Check grammar, punctuation, spelling, and formatting. Submit or share your essay with the intended audience.

7. Types of Sentences There are 4 main sentence structures: Simple sentence consists of one idea: e.g. The sun set behind the mountains. Compound sentence consists of two or more ideas: e.g. The sun set, and the birds flew home . Complex sentence consists of one main idea and one dependent idea: e.g. Although it was late, the birds flew home . Compound-complex sentence consists of two main ideas and one dependent: e.g. Although it was late, the birds flew home, and the children went inside.

8. Techniques to use when forming a sentence Start your sentences differently with a noun, adverb, adjective, or prepositional phrase. Use rhetorical questions to engage with readers, e.g. What if the world could be free of poverty? Use gerunds (verb ending with - ing as a noun) e.g. Swimming is fun . Use infinitives (“to” + base verb) e.g. To swim is fun . Mix short and long sentences for rhythm (Bustani, 2025). NB : Writing all sentences with the same length can make your text boring.

9. Paragraphs Paragraph is a group of sentences that focus on one main idea (Bekele, 2025). Usually 4–7 sentences long , but can vary. Purpose of a paragraph is to write clearer and helps readers follow ideas. Only start a new paragraph when there is a: New topic or idea New time period or setting New person/speaker/author

10. S.E.E. Method for Paragraphs S - Statement: Start with the main idea of the paragraph. E - Explanation: Add supporting details and explanations. E - Example: Give a real-life example, fact, or quote (Bekele, 2025). Example : S - Statement : Bullying affects students’ learning. E - Explanation : Victims often miss school and cannot focus in class. E - Example : A study reported 30% of students skipped school due to bullying (Sutter et al., 2023).

11. Practical Application Write your own academic essay, taking into consideration all the content and steps that were taught today. Allow your peers to edit your essay and make use of the constructive feedback effectively. BY DOING SO, YOU ARE DEVELOPING STRUCTURED THINKING, CLARITY, AND ACADEMIC WRITING SKILLS (ASHRAPH, 2025).

12. Conclusion Academic writing is formal, evidence-based, and structured. Essays follow these steps: pre-writing, writing, revising, editing, publishing/submitting. Paragraphs use S.E.E. method for clarity. Different types of sentences keeps writing interesting and clear.

13. REFERENCES Ashraph , F. (2025). The stages of writing [ Powerpoint slides]. SlideShare. Retrieved 17 August 2025, from https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/8-june-the-stages-of-writing-used-pptx/282231374?from_search=59#3 Bekele, S.S. (2025). Writing paragraphs: Non-fiction level 3 [ Powerpoint slides]. SlideShare. Retrieved 17 August 2025, from https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/writing-paragraphs-non-fiction-level-3-pptx/282120411?from_search=97#6 Cunille Bustani, M. (2025). Bee’s Sentence structure review for between C1-C2 [PowerPoint slides]. SlideShare. Retrieved 17 August 2025, from https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/bee-s-sentence-structure-review-for-between-c1-c2/282471591 Mahilum, S.L. (2025). Academic-Writing in English for Academic and Professional Purposes [PDF slides]. SlideShare. Retrieved 17 August 2025, from https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/academic-writing-in-english-for-academic-and-professional-purposes-pdf/282399107?from_search=1#7 PaperTrue . (2023). How to write an essay: 8 simple steps with examples . [Article] PaperTrue at Scoop.it!. Retrieved 17 August 2025, from https://www.papertrue.com/blog/how-to-write-an-essay/ Smith, P. K., & Brain, P. (2000). Bullying in schools: Lessons from two decades of research.  Aggressive Behavior: Official Journal of the International Society for Research on Aggression ,  26 (1), 1-9. Sutter, C. C., Haugen, J. S., Campbell, L. O., & Jones, J. L. T. (2023). Teachers’ motivation to participate in anti-bullying training and their intention to intervene in school bullying: A self-determination theory perspective.  International journal of bullying prevention ,  5 (1), 1-12.