Portfolio Task 4: Difficulties I have Writing in my Engineering Classes

The problems I have during the writing process occur during the planning stage. This problem is related to the content of my essay. In the planning stage, I tend to have problems generating ideas. I spend quite a considerable amount of time trying to list down the points that is relevant to the essay question. Even after I have listed down all the points, I need to spend some time linking and organising the points together to ensure that I do not stray away from the essay question. This pre-writing process worries me because in the examinations, I cannot afford to waste too much time in planning my essay. In order to overcome these problems, I will probably need to underline relevant keywords in the essay question. The underlining of the keywords allows me to understand better and keep in mind of what the essay question is asking. This would also allow me to generate ideas related to the topic of the essay question without being out of point. Perhaps during the planning process, I should change the method in which I plan my essay. The most preferred method for me is listing. However, I discovered that listing has a major disadvantage. It is not an effective method in helping me visualising the order or sequence of my essay. Listing is merely just writing down whatever ideas that I can think of at that point of time. As a result, after I have sufficient points for my essay, these points listed are all disorganised and extra time is needed to sort out the points in a logical sequence. Therefore, I should switch to mind mapping instead as it is a much more organised way of planning essays. Mind mapping is a more efficient method in helping me plan my essay in the shortest time possible.