Academic Writing and Critical Thinking

3 lessons · 52 min

What you will learn

• Structure paragraphs around claims
• Use a precise, cautious academic tone
• Evaluate arguments critically

Lessons

• 1. Claim, evidence, analysis
• 2. Thinking critically
• 3. Flow and signposting

Claim, evidence, analysis

A strong paragraph opens with a claim, supports it with cited evidence, then explains what the evidence means for your argument. The analysis is your contribution — do not leave it out.

Hedge where evidence is limited (“suggests”, “may”), and be direct where it is strong.

Example

Claim: Feedback timing matters. Evidence: students receiving feedback within 48 hours improved more (ref). Analysis: this suggests the learning value of feedback decays quickly, which supports scheduling…

Exercise

Choose one paragraph in your draft and label its claim, evidence and analysis.