In todays symposium Adrian stressed the importance of editing and how this can distinguish a High Distinction essay from, for example, a Credit essay. He then went on to talk about the structure of a good essay:
A good essay is not an opinion, it is an informed, evidence based argument. It is not reflective so much as critical and analytical.
To truly write well and employ a high level of critical thinking is tricky, and requires engagement with ideas. True engagement means deep analysis and evidence or research. It also requires a specific focus or point that one can flesh out thoroughly rather than 1000 things briefly mentioned; that is as Betty mentioned “thinking deeply rather than broadly”. Furthermore, direction in any essay is crucial. Driving an argument towards a final conclusion or climax can be more difficult than it seems as it’s rather easy to get sidetracked. This is why knowing your point is so important.