An academic essay is a formal piece of writing that presents a well-researched and evidenced argument or analysis on a specific topic.
The process of writing an academic essay requires you to think deeply and critically about a topic in a structured way. It requires you to plan, research, organise, draft, and refine your thinking and argument in order to communicate it to others. It is a way of learning about what you and others think and know; and also a way of deepening your understanding and getting at truth. It is about engaging with the conversation around the topic and placing yourself within it. In terms of assessment, it is also a way to demonstrate and communicate your learning and understanding for others to evaluate and assess.
Writing an academic essay is a process. The assignment calculator breaks this process down into 5 steps: planning, researching, organising, drafting and reviewing.