Although I have been in the university for just barely a year, I have already written more than five academic assignments. Therefore, it is evident that the ability to write well is an important skill for me to excel in my university studies. In my opinion, one of the difficulties in completing a writing assignment would be to work out the content for my assignment. Selecting good and reliable sources of information is not as easy as I had perceived to be in the past. Since the content of my writing reflects my knowledge as well as my understanding regarding a particular topic, it is crucial for me to ensure that the content of my writing is accurate, genuine and hopefully without bias. Fortunately, nowadays there are sufficient resources available for me to refer to, thus research on a topic can be performed easily and diligently.
Next, organizing the content is also a challenging issue that I have to deal with. Organizing the content involves choosing the main points and linking the sub-points logically to make the essay meaningful as well as to make it flows smoothly. This is important because a well organized essay will enable my readers to follow what I intended to convey besides making it more compelling to read. Citation of sources is also a vital element in university writing as plagiarism is a serious offence that will lead to expulsion from the university. As a consequence, citing the sources correctly according to a particular citation style has to be taken into account seriously.
Finally, language would be another difficulty that I have when I am writing an article. Accurate usage of words is important since this will alter the meaning of a sentence substantially. Yet, looking for the right word to express my opinion can be tough sometimes. On top of that, I am prone to making grammatical mistakes without actually realizing them, thereby I am likely to make the same errors repeatedly. Sadly, my grammatical skill cannot be sharpened overnight. Consequently, the only thing I can do is to look through my writing over and over again to ensure, to the best of my ability, there are no grammatical mistakes in it. In addition, reading can also help me to be familiarized with the language, thus exposes me to the correct sentence structures.
In conclusion, there are still many aspects for me to improve on and EG1471 has definitely equipped me with the fundamental skills such as writing an argumentative essay as well as the APA citation style. These skills have already benefited me in completing other modules’ assignments.
I have the same sentiments too! Your portfolio is very well elaborated and show clearly the various obstacles you will face when writing an essay. I think these problems have been faced by many of us and I usually ended up with a writer's block due to these reasons.
ReplyDeleteYou have made very good progress, Jee Hann; I think your WA2 shows that you did indeed benefit from better planning and revision. Even this portfolio posting is very well organized and clear. Do continue to practise writing, and remember to constantly read good English materials.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, in paragraph 3, you wrote the following: On top of that, I am prone to making grammatical mistakes without actually realizing them, thereby I am likely to make the same errors repeatedly. A better version is as follows: In addition, I am prone to making grammatical mistakes without actually realizing them; therefore, I am likely to repeatedly make the same errors.
a) “In addition” is more formal than “On top of that,” which is rather casual
b) You are writing a run-on again; use a semi-colon after the first independent clause
c) “Therefore” shows consequence, which is what you mean.
d) “repeatedly” modifies “make”, so it is better to place “repeatedly” as close to “make” as possible; typically, adverbs are before verbs.
All the best for the exam, Jee Hann! =)