Academic Writing
The Writing Process, examines each of these stages in turn.
If students are concerned only with preparing for exam writing
they could miss out the reading and note-making stages, but if
they have enough time they should work through every unit,
preferably in the order given, since each stage builds on the
previous one.
AVOID SOME ASPECTS OF INFORMAL ENGLISH
don't (do not!) use contractions (eg it's, he'll, it'd etc): always use the full form (it is/has, he will, it would/had).
don't use colloquial language or slang (eg kid, a lot of/lots of, cool)
always write as concisely as you can, with no irrelevant material or “waffle”.
generally avoid "phrasal verbs" (e.g. get off, get away with, put in etc): instead, use one word equivalents.
avoid common but vague words and phrases such as get, nice, thing. Your writing needs to be more precise.
avoid overuse of brackets; don’t use exclamation marks or dashes; avoid direct questions; don’t use “etc”.
always use capital letters appropriately and never use the type of language used in texting!
STRUCTURE YOUR WRITING CAREFULLY
make sure you write in complete sentences.
divide your writing up into paragraphs.
use connecting words and phrases to make your writing explicit and easy to follow.
HEDGING/AVOIDING COMMITMENT
In order to put some distance between what you’re writing and yourself as writer, to be cautious rather than assertive, you should: