Writing an essay is easy with the right background research. Without enough relevant research, it is tempting to fill out to the word limit using 'fluff'. 

"Keep pulling words out until it stops making sense."

Once you analysed the criteria sheet and identified the key paragraph topics, it is time to start your timeline

"Like a good wine, quality essays require time to mature."

So it is best to work from the end back. Identify the primary milestones i.e. Planning Phase, Research/Note taking, First Draft, Second Draft, Final Proofreading.

When reading through research material ensure your child remains on point by asking the question, "is this relevant to the topics"?  

Research papers are seen as having high authority, as they are often peer reviewed and well researched. While sites such as Wikipedia are frowned upon as a reference. That being said, often a Wikipedia article will reference authoritative white papers or reports that are quality resources.

Once they have identified a suitable resource they should print it out. Highlight relevant paragraphs or quotes that could be used in your essay.

It is useful to rule a couple of columns up on an A4 page, one column titled resource, the other column for notes. Using one page per topic will keep your notes organised.

Suggest your child keeps their timeline, original research and topic notes in a folder to stay organised.