by The Open University
Available in 34 free installments
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Think for a moment about your reasons for studying this unit. Is it perhaps because you don't understand what is expected of you in your assignments, or that you aren't clear about how to improve? What are your feelings about your writing skills? What previous experience have you had (if any) of essay or report writing?
You might find it helpful to write down your thoughts at this stage in your Learning Journal and keep them for future reference. You can look back on them at another time and see if they have changed in any way.
Don't be despondent if some of your responses are negative. It's the aim of this unit to turn those negatives into positives. In a few months? time, you should be able to look back on these initial responses and feel that you have made progress.
Do any of the following relate to your own circumstances?
It's a very long time since I've done anything like this. I've forgotten how to do it.
I'm not familiar with the British educational system. What I was taught seems to be quite different from what is expected here.
I feel I'm putting myself up just to be shot down. I'm really exposing my weaknesses.
I enjoy writing, but there seems to be a mystique to this kind of ?academic? writing that I can't fathom.
I love writing essays but this course requires reports, and I feel frustrated because they constrain my style.
I find that I write in one way for one tutor, and that's acceptable to her, but then the next tutor says I should do it differently. What is right?
If any of the statements on the previous page rings true, let us reassure you: many other students are feeling the same as you. Writing skills can be learned. We want to emphasise straightaway that this is a process that can be continually developed.
There is no single ?correct? way of writing: different academic disciplines demand different styles. This can be confusing if you feel that you've mastered what is required for one course, only to find that something different is expected on another. You might feel more comfortable with one particular style of writing or presentation rather than another. You will also have your own individual way of writing, which reflects your personality or your culture: think of this as a strength that can be built on.
