Through the process of essay writing, I have learnt
important skills to improve my content and language in my essay. Although there
is improvement, more can be done to enhance my learning in order to become a
more proficient writer.
Before the course, I found it difficult to express my
thoughts and ideas in the essay due to poor planning of content and structure
so the ideas could not flow logically. However, the various lessons on essay
planning have allowed me to understand the importance of writing a clear thesis
statement to emphasise my main point of argument, having a topic sentence in
each paragraph to support my thesis statement as well as using connectors to
link the ideas logically. Moreover, learning how to find resources and evidence
to support my thoughts and using citations and references in APA style to
credit the authors’ ideas have equipped me with the ability to evaluate
critically the credibility of sources and prevent plagiarism. All the valuable
knowledge has helped me to develop a more informative and cohesive essay.
However, due to my weak foundation in grammar and
vocabulary, it is still a challenge to vary my sentence structure and choice of
words. Although this course has provided me with many resources and practice
which allowed me to identify my weaknesses, more time is needed for me to
master the use of language as grammar and vocabulary can only be improved
through long term learning and practice. Therefore, I will continue to utilise
the resources and do more grammar practices even after the course in order to
progress further.
In conclusion, this course has definitely allowed me to
recognise my weaknesses in essay writing and has guided me towards improvement.
I believe that the skills and knowledge learnt will not be forgotten but will
be enhanced as I continue to utilise the knowledge in academic writing.
