DO's and DON'Ts for Religion Essays

✅ Do’s

1. Define key terms.

  • Example: If asked about Eudaimonia, write: “Aristotle defined Eudaimonia as human flourishing, achieved through living a virtuous life.”

2. Name specific thinkers and explain their view.

  • Example: “The Sophists argued that morality was relative and based on social convention, not nature.”

3. Link back to the question in every paragraph.

  • Example: “This shows that for Aristotle, morality was seen as natural, since it arose from human reason rather than imposed law.”

4. Compare and contrast views.

  • Example: “Socrates disagreed with the Sophists, insisting that morality was objective and could be discovered through reason.”

5. Keep structure clear.

  • Intro → 2–3 focused paragraphs → conclusion.


❌ Don’ts

1. Don’t use vague language.

  • Wrong: “Eudaimonia understood morality as man-made.”

  • Better: “Aristotle taught that morality arises from human nature and reason, not from man-made rules.”

2. Don’t lump thinkers together incorrectly.

  • Wrong: “The Sophists, Socrates, and Aristotle all believed morality was man-made.”

  • Better: “The Sophists saw morality as relative, Socrates saw it as objective, and Aristotle saw it as rooted in human flourishing.”

3. Don’t repeat the same point.

  • Wrong: Saying three times that morality is “not a law but man-made.”

  • Better: Each paragraph should add a new angle.

4. Don’t leave key terms unexplained.

  • Wrong: “They believed in justice and temperance.”

  • Better: “Justice and temperance were virtues that guided human behaviour, showing morality as part of human development.”

5. Don’t wander off the question.

  • Stick to “morality as a natural phenomenon.” Avoid unnecessary biography or side stories.