Revising and writing a second draft

You've written a first draft. Then you've thought of ways to improve it. You've done the reading you needed to do to find out what you needed to know and to fill out your argument. Now you're ready to write the second draft. The second draft will be very near to the finished essay. How do you revise your first draft to turn it into the second draft?

Here are three key questions to ask.

1. Does the argument hold together?
   Does your essay move convincingly from one point to the next?
   Maybe you might decide to move your key points around and change the structure oif the essay.
   Do your paragraphs carry the argument clearly?
   You might want to look at the links between paragraphs to make them clearer.
2. Is your argument supported by evidence?
   Every point you make should have some evidence to support it. Maybe there's still some reading you need to do to find the evidence you need.
3. Does the essay have an effective introduction and conclusion?
   At this stage, you have a good idea of what the essay as a whole will look like. So now is the time to write your introduction and your conclusion. These are much easier to write at this second stage than straight off at the start of your work on the essay.

When you've worked on your second draft and you're satisfied with the three key questions - then you're nearly there. The difference between a second draft and the finished essay is Proofreading.