How to Get a First

Thomas Dixon has taught at the Universities of Cambridge and London, and is now a Lecturer in History at Lancaster University.

• 1. Introduction  2. Taking Aim: The Task and the Resources  3. Lectures, Classes and Seminars  4. Libraries and Reading Lists  5. Reading and Taking Notes from Books and Articles  6. Using the Internet  7. Planning Essays, Presentations and Dissertations  8. Giving a Presentation  9. Writing Essays and Dissertation I: The Basics  10. Writing Essays and Dissertations II: Arguing with Style  11. Revision and Exams  12. How to Get a First

'[How to Get a First] is the title of an excellent guide by Thomas Dixon ... it is a compilation of what he wishes he had known before he went to university.' - John Clare, The Daily Telegraph'Do you want to know how to write an essay, make the most of your lectures, take useful notes, use the library, manage your time?Indeed, would you like to know "how to get a first"? That is the title of an excellent guide by Thomas Dixon, who has supervised undergraduates at Cambridge and now teaches history at Lancaster. It is a compilation of what he wishes he had known before he went to university.The point of lectures, he says, is not to give students the answers but to alert them to the important questions. Essays should be well-informed, argumentative, written in plain English and backed up with evidence. Writing a good one, he says, is "the most underrated and underdeveloped, and yet the most important of academic skills.' - John Clare, The Daily Telegraph