Reflection on writing WA2

Writing the Writing Assignment 2 (WA2) was an important learning process that helped me practice the various academic writing techniques that I learnt earlier on in the module. I was also able to identify and correct many mistakes that I usually make when writing essays.

The topic for my WA2 was to write an argumentative essay supporting the use of a particular generation IV reactor, the Very High Temperature Reactor(VHTR). The learning points included comparing the chosen reactor to other reactors, comparing using the various aspects of the reactors and using sources to support my arguments.

Firstly, I learnt that it is important to compare the VHTR to other reactors instead of only listing out the advantages and disadvantages of the VHTR. This will enable me to further illustrate why I chose the VHTR and show that other reactors were also examined before I came to a conclusion.

Secondly, I learnt that various aspects such as the security, performance and cost aspects of the reactor have to be examined instead of being limited to only examining the performance of the reactor. This will give a more comprehensive comparison on the different pros and cons of the VHTR.

Thirdly, I learnt how to find and use relevant sources to support my argument. This was an important point as many sources are available on the internet and I had to organise the information from these sources before using the information to support my arguments.

Overall, I learnt that it is important to select valid objects to compare to each other in an argumentative essay. I also learnt how to cite and select various sources in an organized manner so that the sources are able to support my arguments.