How I went from struggling in my first semester to getting a distinction — my honest story

What went wrong in semester one:n

• I was writing descriptive essays with lots of facts and no argument
• I did not understand that every paragraph needs a claim, evidence AND critical analysis
• I was comparing my English writing to native speakers and feeling defeated

nnWhat changed everything:n

• My tutor explained the PEEL structure (Point, Evidence, Explanation, Link)
• I started going to the academic writing centre every week
• I used the UKBuddy Assignment Helper to structure my approach

nnThe result: My second semester average jumped 18 marks. The UK style is learnable — it just takes time and the right feedback.