Writing at Level 4
Level 4 is the first year of undergraduate courses in the UK. At this level, you are introduced to the basics of academic writing and you will start to build up the skills that will be essential later in your course. Here’s what is typically expected at Level 4:
Key Expectations
- Understanding Basic Concepts: The basic ideas of academic writing, including structure, argument, and referencing.
- Developing Writing Skills: Focus on developing clear and coherent writing. This includes making well-organised paragraphs, using appropriate vocabulary, and writing in a grammatically correct way.
- Engaging with Sources: Learn to bring sources into your writing in an effective way. This involves quoting, paraphrasing, summarising, and proper referencing to avoid plagiarism.
- Critical Thinking: Begin to demonstrate basic critical thinking skills. This includes questioning assumptions, evaluating evidence, and presenting simple arguments.
Practical Tips
- Start with a Clear Structure: Use a clear essay structure with an introduction, body, and conclusion. Each paragraph should have a clear main idea which you support with evidence.
- Focus on Clarity: Keep it simple; write clearly and concisely. You don't need to use complex sentences and posh words. Aim for clear, but precise language.
- Practise Referencing: Familiarise yourself with the referencing style for your subject (e.g. Harvard, APA, OSCOLA) and practise using it consistently. Proper referencing is crucial for academic integrity.
- Develop Research Skills: Learn how to find and evaluate academic sources. Use library resources, academic databases, and credible online sources to gather information. Our Information Skills Librarians will help you.
- Seek Feedback: Find and use feedback from instructors and peers. Understand and use this feedback to improve your writing.
- Use Writing Resources: Use the support resources that LSBU offers: the Skills for Success website, drop-ins, one-to-ones, workshops and you can also make appropriate use of AI (we recommend Copilot).
Links
Academic Writing: An Introduction. This is a course of six workshops we run. The link goes to the resources page for our six-week course about academic writing. You'll find lots of very useful links there. Check our calendar for the next session.
