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Writing
Resources and support
Additional help is available to help you further develop your writing skills.
- You can attend a Learning Hub (Academic Language and Learning) workshop.
- Look at the online resources of the Learning Hub (Academic Language and Learning).
- Ask Learning Hub (Academic Language and Learning) staff if you can do a short writing test for a ‘diagnosis’ of your writing. Alternatively, ask for an appointment to show Learning Hub (Academic Language and Learning) staff one of your essays, preferably with your marker’s feedback. Note that we can’t help you proofread or edit a draft.
- Ask your lecturer or tutor for feedback on your assignment draft. This allows you to make improvements before handing it in. Some markers will give feedback on a draft and some won’t.
- During consultation hours for your lecturer or tutor, ask them for more feedback on your marked essay.
- Ask your lecturer or department if there are any examples of good essays to see what you are aiming for.
- Discuss your essay ideas, markers’ feedback and your writing process with other students.
Learning Hub (Academic Language and Learning) resources
- Advanced analytical writing (pdf, 118.21 KB)
- Analysing an essay question (pdf, 374.34 KB)
- Avoiding plagiarism (pdf, 233.82 KB)
- Being critical (pdf, 207.1 KB)
- Being persuasive (pdf, 180.24 KB)
- Clearer writing (pdf, 145.69 KB)
- Developing an argument out of evidence (pdf, 222.85 KB)
- Developing an essay structure (pdf, 281.59 KB)
- Developing and supporting an argument (pdf, 231.66 KB)
- Guidelines for referencing (pdf, 92.69 KB)
- Language resources for argument writing (pdf, 106.89 KB)
- Planning and structuring an essay (pdf, 150.89 KB)
- Planning and writing an essay (pdf, 153.81 KB)
- Setting up a taxonomy (pdf, 191.61 KB)
- Structuring an argument (pdf, 109.29 KB)
- Successful essay writing (pdf, 160.45 KB)
- Supporting your argument with evidence (pdf, 268.27 KB)
- Using evidence (pdf, 138.26 KB)
- What is analysis (pdf, 216.55 KB)
- Writing an argument (pdf, 126.23 KB)
- Writing introductions and conclusions (pdf, 168.91 KB)
- Basic grammatical units (pdf, 417.54 KB)
- Grammar and punctuation (pdf, 289.74 KB)
- Interdependencies between clauses (pdf, 428.01 KB)
- Logical relationships between clauses (pdf, 282.07 KB)
- Noun group (pdf, 512.73 KB)
- Verbal group and tenses (pdf, 444.24 KB)
- Verbal group finites and non finites (pdf, 422.18 KB)
Online resources
- The University Library has online resources as well as face-to-face classes.
- Write site provides online support to help you develop your academic and professional writing skills. There are modules on grammar, using sources and structuring assignments.
- The Sydney Law School provides a legal writing resources in Canvas.
- WRiSE (Writing a Report in Science and Engineering) is an online learning environment designed to help you develop and improve your report writing skills in science and engineering.
- The School of Psychology provides a guide for writing research reports in psychology in Canvas.
- Clearer writing is an online interactive course to improve the clarity of your writing, with a particular focus on well-structured and coherent paragraphs.
- iWrite site contains interactive tutorials to help engineering students to improve their assignment writing across the undergraduate years. It is especially useful for students writing their third or fourth year thesis or project report.
- Reading in biology is a resource covering the general and critical reading skills needed in preparation for writing a report.
- Academic Phrasebook provides general phrases for academic writing and for writing sections or a research paper.
- Writing for a purpose provides information on writing in the disciplines.
Last updated: 09 July 2025
