How I Got a First Class in Every Essay at University Using This Paragraph Structure + Examples

Summary

Cette vidéo présente une méthode simple mais efficace pour améliorer l'écriture scientifique. L'oratrice propose une structure de paragraphe en quatre parties : la phrase de sujet, les preuves, l'analyse et la conclusion. Elle explique comment appliquer cette structure pour obtenir des dissertations bien organisées et fluides, tout en atteignant des notes élevées. Elle insiste sur l'importance d'une analyse critique et de la cohérence entre les idées. La vidéo recommande également des ressources gratuites, telles que la 'Manchester Academic Phrasebank', pour aider à améliorer le style d'écriture académique.

Takeaways

• 📝 L'écriture scientifique doit être structurée avec une introduction claire, des preuves, une analyse et une conclusion pour chaque paragraphe.
• 🏆 Pour obtenir de hauts scores, il est important que la structure, l'organisation, la connaissance, l'application de la connaissance, l'analyse critique et l'utilisation des sources soient de très haut niveau.
• 📖 La première phrase d'un paragraphe doit être une phrase-thème qui introduit une nouvelle idée ou relie le paragraphe précédent.
• 🔍 La preuve doit être appuyée par des références claires et montrer que le travail cité n'est pas de l'auteur.
• 🤔 L'analyse est la partie où vous pensez, comparez, évaluez et appliquez des théories pour approfondir la discussion.
• 📊 L'analyse peut inclure des données personnelles, des études de cas ou des méthodes utilisées pour soutenir ou contredire les données des autres chercheurs.
• 🔗 Il est important de lier les idées et de créer un flux cohérent tout au long du texte pour améliorer la compréhension.
• 🔗 La conclusion d'un paragraphe permet de résumer et de faire le lien avec les idées discutées, en préparant la transition vers le prochain paragraphe.
• 🔄 Bien que la structure soit importante, elle peut s'adapter en fonction du contexte et de la nécessité d'approfondir certaines parties de l'argumentation.
• 📚 L'utilisation de la banque de phrases académiques peut grandement améliorer la qualité du texte et la faciliter à comprendre pour le lecteur.

Q & A

Quelle est la principale difficulté que rencontrent les étudiants dans l'écriture scientifique selon l'orateur?

Les étudiants ont du mal à communiquer leurs idées, structurer leurs arguments et rendre leur écriture cohérente et fluide.

Quelle structure de paragraphe est recommandée pour l'écriture scientifique?

La structure recommandée comprend quatre parties : la phrase d'introduction, l'évidence, l'analyse et la conclusion.

Que doit inclure la phrase d'introduction d'un paragraphe?

La phrase d'introduction doit introduire une nouvelle idée ou faire la transition avec un paragraphe précédent, sans discussion ni références.

Quel rôle joue l'évidence dans un paragraphe scientifique?

L'évidence justifie l'affirmation de la phrase d'introduction en s'appuyant sur des sources fiables et citées correctement.

Pourquoi l'analyse est-elle cruciale dans un paragraphe?

L'analyse permet d'évaluer et de critiquer les preuves, de comparer avec d'autres études et d'appliquer des théories pour renforcer l'argumentation.

Comment se distingue la conclusion d'un paragraphe dans un essai ou une dissertation?

La conclusion résume les idées principales du paragraphe et peut servir de transition vers le paragraphe suivant pour assurer la cohérence de l'ensemble.

Quels types de connecteurs linguistiques peuvent être utilisés dans l'analyse pour montrer un raisonnement critique?

Des expressions comme 'il est probable que', 'il est concevable que' ou 'par exemple' peuvent être utilisées pour suggérer des idées et montrer une réflexion critique.

Est-il obligatoire de suivre exactement la structure recommandée pour chaque paragraphe?

Non, la structure peut être ajustée en fonction des besoins, avec la possibilité d'alternances entre preuves et analyses avant de conclure.

Comment le Manchester Academic Phrase Bank peut-il aider dans l'écriture scientifique?

Il offre des phrases prêtes à l'emploi pour différents segments du texte scientifique, aidant à formuler des introductions, des conclusions et d'autres parties de manière claire et précise.

Quel est l'impact de l'utilisation d'une bonne structure de paragraphe sur les notes des étudiants?

Une bonne structure de paragraphe, avec une analyse approfondie, peut améliorer significativement les notes, potentiellement jusqu'à 80-90 %.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Structure de la rédaction scientifique

Le paragraphe 1 souligne les défis de la communication dans l'écriture scientifique, en mettant l'accent sur la structure de la rédaction. Il est expliqué que pour obtenir de hauts scores, il est crucial de suivre une formule simple composée de quatre parties : la phrase d'introduction, les preuves, l'analyse et la conclusion. Ces éléments forment le squelette de tout paragraphe dans une dissertation, un essai ou tout autre type de rédaction scientifique. L'auteur mentionne également le critère de notation qui valorise la structure, la connaissance, l'application de la connaissance et l'utilisation des sources.

05:01

🔍 Présentation des preuves

Le paragraphe 2 se concentre sur la deuxième partie de la formule, à savoir les preuves. Il est expliqué que, après avoir présenté une déclaration ou une idée, l'auteur doit apporter des preuves pour la soutenir. Les preuves incluent des références à des études antérieures et doivent être clairement identifiées comme n'étant pas du travail original de l'auteur. L'exemple donné illustre comment les études par résonance magnétique (MR) et électroencéphalogramme (EEG) ont été utilisées pour soutenir les changements dans le cortex pariétal pendant l'adolescence. L'auteur insiste sur l'importance de la cohérence et de la fluidité dans la présentation des preuves.

10:01

🧠 Analyse critique et raisonnement

Le paragraphe 3 traite de l'analyse, qui est la troisième partie de la formule et où se trouve la clé du succès pour obtenir de hautes notes. L'analyse implique la réflexion critique, la comparaison avec d'autres études, l'évaluation et l'application de théories ou de cadres. L'auteur souligne l'importance de la langue et du vocabulaire utilisés pour montrer une compréhension profonde du texte scientifique. Un exemple est donné où l'auteur analyse comment les différences dans le cortex pariétal peuvent contribuer à l'amélioration de la mémoire de travail, en utilisant des termes comme 'il est concevable que' pour montrer une analyse approfondie.

15:03

📝 Conclusion et transition

Le paragraphe 4 aborde la conclusion des paragraphes, qui permet de résumer les idées et de faire la transition vers les prochaines sections. L'auteur explique que la conclusion peut être courte ou longue, selon le contexte, et doit inclure une transition pour fluidifier la lecture. Il est également mentionné que la structure de la phrase d'introduction, des preuves, de l'analyse et de la conclusion peut varier, mais doit toujours être cohérente et fluide. L'auteur conclut en recommandant l'utilisation de la banque de phrases académiques pour améliorer la qualité de l'écriture et souligne l'importance de cette ressource pour la rédaction scientifique.

Keywords

💡Communication

La communication est un thème central de la vidéo, soulignant l'importance de transmettre efficacement des idées et des arguments en écriture scientifique. L'auteur insiste sur le fait que les étudiants ont souvent du mal à structurer leurs pensées et à rendre leur message clair. L'exemple donné est la nécessité de présenter les idées de manière fluide et cohérente dans un essai ou une dissertation.

💡Structure de paragraphe

La structure de paragraphe proposée est une formule en quatre parties : phrase d’introduction, preuves, analyse, et conclusion. Cette structure permet de créer des paragraphes bien organisés et argumentés, indispensables pour une écriture scientifique efficace. L'exemple donné montre comment chaque partie contribue à la clarté et à la fluidité de l'argumentation.

💡Phrase d'introduction

La phrase d'introduction, ou phrase de thème, est la première phrase d'un paragraphe. Elle sert à introduire l'idée principale sans discussion ou source, préparant ainsi le lecteur au contenu à venir. Par exemple, dans la vidéo, l'auteur utilise cette technique pour indiquer le changement de sujet, comme passer de la description du cortex frontal à celle du cortex pariétal.

💡Preuve

La preuve fait référence aux données ou citations utilisées pour soutenir l'énoncé fait dans la phrase d'introduction. Ces preuves proviennent souvent de recherches précédentes et doivent être correctement référencées. Dans la vidéo, il est expliqué que l'utilisation d'études et de techniques comme l'IRM ou l'EEG pour illustrer les changements dans le cortex pariétal pendant l'adolescence est essentielle pour renforcer l'argumentation.

💡Analyse

L'analyse consiste à examiner en profondeur les preuves présentées, en les comparant, en les évaluant, ou en les appliquant à des théories. C'est une étape clé pour obtenir des notes élevées car elle démontre la capacité de l'étudiant à réfléchir de manière critique. Dans l'exemple fourni, l'analyse va au-delà de la simple présentation des faits pour suggérer des implications plus larges des changements observés dans le cortex pariétal.

💡Conclusion

La conclusion d'un paragraphe permet de résumer les idées principales et de faire la transition vers le prochain point. Elle peut également servir à souligner l'importance de ce qui a été discuté. Par exemple, dans la vidéo, l'auteur mentionne l'importance d'une phrase de conclusion bien structurée pour relier les paragraphes entre eux de manière cohérente.

💡Cohérence

La cohérence se réfère à la manière dont les idées sont organisées et liées les unes aux autres dans un texte. Elle est cruciale pour la fluidité et la compréhension du texte. Dans la vidéo, l'accent est mis sur l'importance d'une structure cohérente pour obtenir des notes élevées, comme le montre l'exemple des critères de notation des universités.

💡Réflexion critique

La réflexion critique implique l'examen et l'évaluation approfondis des preuves et des arguments. C'est ce qui distingue une analyse de qualité supérieure. L'auteur indique que l'intégration d'une réflexion critique dans l'analyse peut transformer une note moyenne en une note exceptionnelle, en apportant une compréhension plus profonde et nuancée du sujet.

💡Banque de phrases académiques

La banque de phrases académiques de Manchester est un outil utile mentionné pour améliorer l'écriture académique en fournissant des expressions et des formulations standardisées. Elle aide les étudiants à structurer leurs phrases de manière plus professionnelle. Par exemple, elle peut être utilisée pour formuler des phrases d'introduction ou des transitions de manière plus fluide.

💡Liens entre les paragraphes

Créer des liens entre les paragraphes est essentiel pour assurer une transition fluide et maintenir la cohérence du texte. L'auteur insiste sur l'importance d'utiliser des phrases de transition à la fin de chaque paragraphe pour introduire le sujet suivant, ce qui facilite la compréhension globale du texte.

Highlights

One of the biggest challenges in science writing is effective communication of ideas and logical arguments.

A simple formula for structuring paragraphs consists of four parts: topic sentence, evidence, analysis, and conclusion.

Following this structure ensures coherent, polished, and fluent writing, which is essential for top marks in academic work.

A topic sentence introduces the main idea of the paragraph without sources or comparisons; it frames the argument.

Evidence supports the topic sentence by citing previous work or literature with proper citations.

Analysis is critical for top marks, involving evaluation, comparison, and application of theory or data.

Using connectives and structured language like 'it is conceivable that' adds sophistication to the analysis.

The conclusion summarizes the paragraph and links it to the next idea, aiding the flow of the argument.

The paragraph structure can be flexible; more evidence and analysis can be introduced before concluding.

Topic sentences, evidence, analysis, and conclusions all need to be logically connected to create a coherent argument.

Strong analysis distinguishes higher-scoring work, turning descriptions into critical evaluations.

The academic phrase bank is a valuable tool for improving writing style and choosing appropriate language.

Applying the four-part structure can transform a student's writing, boosting clarity and coherence.

Concluding sentences should not only summarize but also provide a teaser for the following paragraph.

Using this structured approach consistently can help students achieve high grades (80-90%) in their essays.

Transcripts

okay so one of the biggest challenges

that i find when it comes to science

writing is communication communicating

ideas communicating thoughts

communicating what you've read from your

sources making logical arguments the

structure of writing these are all

things that i find that students

generally really struggle with and

there's a very simple formula that i've

picked up along the way and i thought

i'd share with you guys today so this

formula is made up of four parts and

that forms a typical paragraph so it's

just the topic sentence evidence

analysis and then the conclusion so

these are four parts of any paragraph

that you write within your essay

dissertation assignment whatever is that

you are writing within science

communication and science writing this

is the structure that you want to follow

when writing which will guarantee that

you hit those top marks now looking at a

mark scheme um let's just look at the

top grade so i'm looking at mark scheme

right now an undergraduate mark scheme

for a dissertation looking at 80 to 100

which is would be outstanding

distinction it says that structure and

organization is coherent polished and

fluent which means that those sentences

put together to make a paragraph need to

make sense and need to flow secondly

knowledge displayed is comprehensive

coherent polished and fluent so again

the sources that you use and the sources

that you want to present within your

writing needs to be

written in a way that makes sense and

that shows that you've actually done

that reading so again we'll look at that

structure and how you apply that the

third part the application of knowledge

and understanding is comprehensive

coherent polished and fluent so again

we're back to the whole coherent

polished and fluent thing and again

that's to do with your knowledge the

third analysis is comprehensive so not

you haven't just written down right i've

used this source and this is what it

means you're actually analyzing and

critiquing it in a way that makes sense

and then lastly use of source material

is comprehensive coherent polished and

fluent so as you can see i'm just

looking at a mark scheme from a top

university within the uk their structure

organization knowledge application so

critical reflection analysis so critical

evaluation and the use of source

material these are all things that need

to be really really high level in order

for you to kind of hit those top marks

and in order to do that using the

paragraph structure that i'm going to

talk about a bit more in this video will

ensure that you are able to keep that

kind of structure the coherent flow

correct within your writing to ensure

that you hit those top marks okay so the

first part is a topic sentence so the

first line the first sentence of any

paragraph needs to be a topic sentence

and i'm going to show you some examples

today of each of the sections and how

they flow all together so topic sentence

is the first sentence that introduces a

new idea right so you're bringing

together a new idea you're saying right

this is the idea there shouldn't be a

discussion there shouldn't be any

sources any references you are

introducing an idea or you are linking

in episode previous so let's say you had

a different paragraph first and then

you're now starting a second paragraph

you're now transitioning to a new idea

either way that first sentence should be

a statement right it shouldn't be a

comparison it should just be a statement

imagine the first sentence acting as a

frame right so you've started off that

first sentence framing what's to come

okay so you said you said that this is a

box the box is looks like this this is

the color and this is what i have right

so you're framing it so let's look at an

example so i'll put the example over

here so you can see this is an example

of a very very very beautifully written

paragraph quite a long one and i'll

break it down for you in a second but

the first sentence is a topic sentence

so you can see that it says in addition

to why it says that is because it's

linking it to a previous paragraph and

that's because it's communicating how

this paragraph relates to the previous

one so in addition to the frontal and

basal ganglia so i'm assuming that the

previous paragraphs are talking about

the frontal and basal ganglia the

parietal cortex also undergoes a great

deal of developmental change during

adolescence so

in the previous paragraphs they clearly

mentioned something to do the frontal

and basal ganglia so that was before

now in this paragraph we're going to be

speaking about how the parietal cortex

also undergoes this developmental change

during adolescence so even though i

haven't read what's coming up i have no

idea but this introductory sentence the

topic sentence tells me what this

paragraph is going to be about and it is

beautifully written it's given me all

the detail that i need without waffling

and i think when i'm editing work the

page doctor so i have an academic

consultancy called the pagedoctor.com

i'll leave a link for it down below

where i look at work and can support

students and structure their work better

essentially one of the biggest like

edits that i that i make and i see is

the first sentence and also the last

sentence because those are the sentences

where you're joining and you're linking

ideas you're introducing and when that's

not clear the rest of the sentence and

the rest of the paragraph just is is

very confusing okay the second part of

your paragraph now is the evidence so

you've given your statement you're now

going to give the evidence like how can

you justify what you've just said you've

just said that the priority of cortex is

also involved but how do you know this

where have you read this where is it in

literature that this has been stated and

this is where the evidence comes in so

assuming this is for something like your

dissertation you are going to be

summarizing the work of others right

it's not your own work it's the work of

others so this next section should have

references it should be very clear that

this work is not yours there should be

citations and it should be very clear

that the work that you've taken is from

previously published work essentially so

let's take a look at an example so you

can see that similar to what has been

described above there have been numerous

accounts of parietal gray matter

reduction during adolescence and there

are three references here that this

person has added and in order to support

that these changes in the parietal

cortex track closely with similar

reductions etc etc additionally and

they've said what they've used in order

to evidence it this paper has used mr

studies eeg studies and then finally so

they've given like three kind of points

right so evidence is not just using one

paper and going in depth it could be

using two or three papers but you want

to kind of tell a story about the

evidence that you have found right so

they've said that the first sentence

they said that they've compared to what

they've mentioned before which is really

good because you want to make sure that

you're telling a story so if compared to

what they've said before they've then

said that these changes are closely

trapped with another part of the brain

which again is really interesting

because again you're linking to what you

know before they then talked about

adolescence because don't forget in your

topic sentence this person mentioned

adolescence so it makes sense for there

to be some evidence that they're talking

about that has to do with adolescence

again they've they've shown that their

understanding of what they've read in

the sources is very mature and it's

quite strong because they've talked

about the techniques the actual like

methods that were used to identify these

results these results were found in you

know eeg studies and this that's been

correlated they've used words like you

know connectives like finally

additionally similar to all of this

language really

shows a certain maturity in your

understanding and it shows like a slight

analysis as well without the in-depth

analysis so you'll notice the analysis

coming up next but they haven't really

discussed it they've just presented the

information that they've read which is

really good you can also see further

down there's also a little bit more

evidence that has been given and further

down as well so every sentence in this

paragraph in this section of the

paragraph has been referenced because it

is not their work okay then the third

section of the paragraph is analysis now

this is where the top

marks come in so again when i'm looking

at work you know typically topic centers

will be there evidence will always be

there that's something that students

like are you know know to do evidence

will always be there then analysis is

where the weakness is and that is where

your grades can go from like 40

up to 80 if the analysis is done right

because this is where the critical

discussion comes in so the analysis and

again i'll talk a bit more about

analysis of what it is so analysis is

thinking about um comparison so

comparing to what you have read before

or what other studies are out there you

can also evaluate and that's another way

of analyzing you can apply theories of

different frameworks and that is also

analyzing so using your knowledge using

the theory that you've learned within

your lectures and within university and

your other reading you're bringing that

into the discussion into this topic

analysis is also mathematical so if you

are if you have got your own data that

you've used then you can add this data

into this section here so you can say

whilst these papers and whilst these

researchers and this data shows this

my data also shows this or my data

contradicts or doesn't show this

whatever it is you're analyzing it and

you're bringing the mathematical and the

theoretical aspects within your

discussion so that is where this

analysis part comes into it okay so

let's take a look at an example so if we

continue on the same paragraph it says

that in addition to working memory the

observed observed difference in the

priority quartiles are also like to

contribute to improvements they've gone

beyond just saying that this is what the

cortex this part of the cortex does they

say that it's likely that it does this

so can you see the language that's being

used it is likely that right it is

conceivable that

okay so we've gone from saying these

changes are additionally this happens

finally this happens to now we are being

a bit more suggestive because we're

putting in our own analysis so this is

where like the critical reasoning the

critical analysis evaluation this is

where that comes in and the wording and

the language that you use also has to

change so it is conceivable that the

role is allowing an individual to try on

so they put that in because it's like

you know they're trying to give an

example they're trying to make this put

everything together to make it make

sense and then it says for example this

has become a rather common practice and

they give an example with golfing right

so this analysis is again so strong

because they've been able to bring

together what they've read bring

together a link into what they've read

before like spoken about before and

given an example and said like you know

use language like it is conceivable that

and this is really powerful because it

does show it shows like i said a

maturity and it shows a really high

level thinking when it comes to

analyzing scientific texts and then last

but definitely not least is the

conclusion of a paragraph so conclusions

allow you to bring together ideas they

allow you to kind of like bring together

that discussion and sort of highlight or

sort of summarize the sources that

you've been speaking about now there's a

small conclusion and there's like an

actual conclusion so if this was a

dissertation

and you're writing a paragraph then you

might have a small concluding sentence

at the end of that paragraph but then

you obviously carry on if you have an

actual conclusion that's a whole

different thing but i'm speaking more on

like the paragraphs within your

dissertation within your like literature

review what that looks like the last

sentence should be concluding and

possibly transitioning so if you're if

you're going to continue to speak and

discuss this particular topic then you

want to conclude it and then give a

little like i like to call it a teaser

so a little something that then allows

the sentence to string on to the next

topic sentence of the next paragraph and

again when it's done well this looks

beautiful and it just helps the whole

dissertation and the whole like the text

flow beautifully now one thing to note

is that although i've just mentioned a

structure which is the topic sentence

and the evidence

analysis and then a conclusion it

doesn't have to be structured exactly

like that for every single paragraph so

what you may find is that you introduce

a topic um sentence so you bring that in

and then you give some evidence you

analyze it and then you might want to

give a bit more evidence and analyze

that so that might make sense but and

then you conclude at the end so

depending on like where in your essay

and your dissertation that you are you

might want to give like a bit of

evidence so one bit of evidence another

bit another bit and then you can you

analyze or one thing that i used to do

quite a bit is i'll give evidence and

then i'll analyze that bit of evidence

and then give some more evidence to like

continue to support or even not to

continue to support but to actually like

like develop that argument so you've

introduced it you've given some evidence

and you've discussed that evidence but

then you want to like develop that

argument you want to go a bit more in

depth you feel free to add some more

evidence there always making sure to

reference at all times and then of

course um then you analyze and then you

conclude it but the whole way through do

make sure that everything is being

linked and the flow is beautiful with

this

topic like with this structure honestly

like one thing i found is it just

transforms work it completely transforms

work when you think of it like that have

i got a topic sentence yes have i

presented my evidence yes have i

analyzed that evidence okay and have i

concluded it once you've done that it's

just a matter of sort of lightly editing

maybe taking some things out maybe

adding a little bit but the structure

itself isn't going to change actually

what i'll do in a future video is i'll

talk a bit more about what like the

evidence how do you pick like how do you

pick information from a paper right so

you have to read like a whole paper and

you're just writing two sentences from

that paper like how do you actually do

that that'll be a video for the future

and do let me know if you want to see

something like that but um that is

essentially the structure and if you do

that you can hit 80

90

in your essays it is as easy as that

literally as simple as that and before i

finish i want to just quickly mention

the academic manchester academic phrase

bank which i think is really helpful and

a really cool tool to be able to find

that terminology and find that language

to use within your paragraph structure

so just changing a few like phrases and

a few words that you use can have a huge

impact on the way that your paragraphs

sound so the academic phrase bank again

i'll show you over here the academic

phrase bank is a free like source which

i i think is just like completely

underrated and it's like we're so lucky

to have people that will develop these

things for us and put on the internet so

you can see here that for example for

the introduction you can say

something has been instrumental in our

understanding of something else and then

that can be your introductory sentence

or the issue of x has received

considerable critical attention and then

that's how you continue you can refer to

previous work several theories on the

origin of x have been proposed and that

can be like your introductory topic

sentence before you then go into the

other sections and they've got so many

phrases here that you can use and then

if you go up again you can see that

you've got a whole range of other

language functions that you can use for

the other sections as well so invaluable

oh my gosh i cannot believe we have this

just available on the internet for free

like we are so so lucky and i i just

wanted to share with you guys in case

you didn't know about it before but yeah

i hope you guys found this video helpful

let me know if you are going to use it

don't forget to save this video when you

do write an essay next come september

but let me know if you found this

helpful and i'll see you guys in my next

video bye

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