Reviews of How to Write Better Essays

Reviews of Bryan Greetham’s How to Write Better Essays ‘As a teacher and journalist I am frequently asked by students to recommend a book on essay writing. This is the only book I recommend. Not only does Bryan Greetham take you through the steps of writing, he shows students how to think!! This is something I have not come across in any other book of this kind. His writing is clear, the structure of the book is helpful, and the language is accessible. Top marks from me and my students.’ - Student Reviewer, Amazon ‘This book is worth its weight in gold for anyone who needs to write essays and I have recommended it to many of my friends. I have always been able to write decent enough essays, getting A grade GCSEs and A/ B grade A levels, but my undergraduate essays never quite seemed to reach the top marks. I couldn't quite understand this though because I always got top marks for my scientific reports, literature reviews, and exams yet my essays never seemed to go above a 2:1. If I put in a huge amount of effort I would be able to reach a high 2:1, while hardly any effort would get me a low 2:1, I just couldn't seem to break out of it! That was until I read this book.

This book was an absolute delight to read. It is extremely well written, interesting and engaging. To be honest, I just couldn't put it down. It was as though everything clicked into place for me - I could see exactly where I'd been going wrong. The book breaks down the process of essay writing into steps starting from how to think about essay questions, how to make notes and read background material, right through to writing style and proof reading. It is broken down in a way which is easy to follow and apply. But more than just improving your essays, this book provides advise on how to think more creatively - so you can reach those 1st class grades. However good your essays currently are, Greetham’s book will undoubtedly improve them, and I would recommend it to every undergraduate!

Before I read this book I always found essay writing a laborious and painful process which I usually procrastinated about and spent many days dreading having to actually get down and do. This book actually made the whole process of essay writing much more enjoyable, and actually much quicker. My essays now take much less time (from background reading to final draft), get better marks, and are more enjoyable to write - what more could any student want. The first essay I wrote after finishing this book got a 1st, and I have never got anything less than a 1st for any essay since.

It is now nearly 2 years since I read this book and I have recently graduated (with a 1st). I decided to write this review because I feel so indebted to Greetham's book for transforming my academic experience.’ - Student Reviewer, Amazon