Critical Reflection (Final)

                The essay writing experience in this course has truly enabled me to enhance my academic writing ability. In this learning process, I was taught to do various preparation work before the actual essay writing, such as analysing articles to obtain significant information, writing a reader response which is a thought provoking practice, and doing citation exercises to avoid plagiarism. From these preparation exercises, I realised the fact that there are certain techniques behind the production of a good essay, and it is not merely about bombastic language and abstruse content.

                At the start of the course, my essays tended to be more descriptive rather than critical. Most of the time my arguments were also too vague or beating around the bush due to phrasing problems and the lack of solid examples. In this essay writing exercise, I have learned to present arguments more distinctively by providing clear thesis statement and topic sentences, following by coherent elaboration with evidence. This is achieved by doing a lot of reading and writing practices throughout the module. I learned to sieve through readings such as articles and journals and filter the important information needed for essay writing, and through these readings I see how good writers present their ideas in a logical and systematic way. Previous summary practices are also helpful in identifying crucial information and improving my paraphrasing skills, while reader response practices strengthen my evaluative writing ability. When equipped with abundant and analysed information, it is much easier to develop arguments gradually in an essay.

                However, there is still room for improvement for my writing, particularly grammar and sentence structure. Although I learned common mistakes in grammar in class and did online grammar exercises, it is a long cultivated habit to write in my usual way and commit the same mistakes. Therefore, it is not easy to change in a short period of time, but I should continue to do more grammar exercises and if possible, do peer review of essays and assignments in the future so that I can be aware of my mistakes and prevent making the same error.

                In conclusion, the essay writing process enhanced my essay organisation skills and the ability to demonstrate more insightful arguments. However my writing skills are still not mature enough and I should continue to improve and strive for excellence.