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Mastering the art of essay writing – a comprehensive guide.
Essay writing is a fundamental skill that every student needs to master. Whether you’re in high school, college, or beyond, the ability to write a strong, coherent essay is essential for academic success. However, many students find the process of writing an essay daunting and overwhelming.
This comprehensive guide is here to help you navigate the intricate world of essay writing. From understanding the basics of essay structure to mastering the art of crafting a compelling thesis statement, we’ve got you covered. By the end of this guide, you’ll have the tools and knowledge you need to write an outstanding essay that will impress your teachers and classmates alike.
So, grab your pen and paper (or fire up your laptop) and let’s dive into the ultimate guide to writing an essay. Follow our tips and tricks, and you’ll be well on your way to becoming a skilled and confident essay writer!
The Art of Essay Writing: A Comprehensive Guide
Essay writing is a skill that requires practice, patience, and attention to detail. Whether you’re a student working on an assignment or a professional writing for publication, mastering the art of essay writing can help you communicate your ideas effectively and persuasively.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the key elements of a successful essay, including how to choose a topic, structure your essay, and craft a compelling thesis statement. We’ll also discuss the importance of research, editing, and proofreading, and provide tips for improving your writing style and grammar.
By following the advice in this guide, you can become a more confident and skilled essay writer, capable of producing high-quality, engaging essays that will impress your readers and achieve your goals.
Understanding the Essay Structure
When it comes to writing an essay, understanding the structure is key to producing a cohesive and well-organized piece of writing. An essay typically consists of three main parts: an introduction, the body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
Introduction: The introduction is where you introduce your topic and provide some background information. It should also include your thesis statement, which is the main idea or argument that you will be discussing in the essay.
Body paragraphs: The body of the essay is where you present your supporting evidence and arguments. Each paragraph should focus on a separate point and include evidence to back up your claims. Remember to use transition words to link your ideas together cohesively.
Conclusion: The conclusion is where you wrap up your essay by summarizing your main points and restating your thesis. It is also a good place to make any final thoughts or reflections on the topic.
Understanding the structure of an essay will help you write more effectively and communicate your ideas clearly to your readers.
Choosing the Right Topic for Your Essay
One of the most crucial steps in writing a successful essay is selecting the right topic. The topic you choose will determine the direction and focus of your writing, so it’s important to choose wisely. Here are some tips to help you select the perfect topic for your essay:
By following these tips and considering your interests, audience, and research, you can choose a topic that will inspire you to write an engaging and compelling essay.
Research and Gathering Information
When writing an essay, conducting thorough research and gathering relevant information is crucial. Here are some tips to help you with your research:
Crafting a Compelling Thesis Statement
When writing an essay, one of the most crucial elements is the thesis statement. This statement serves as the main point of your essay, summarizing the argument or position you will be taking. Crafting a compelling thesis statement is essential for a strong and cohesive essay. Here are some tips to help you create an effective thesis statement:
- Be specific: Your thesis statement should clearly state the main idea of your essay. Avoid vague or general statements.
- Make it arguable: A strong thesis statement is debatable and presents a clear position that can be supported with evidence.
- Avoid clichĂŠs: Stay away from overused phrases or clichĂŠs in your thesis statement. Instead, strive for originality and clarity.
- Keep it concise: Your thesis statement should be concise and to the point. Avoid unnecessary words or phrases.
- Take a stand: Your thesis statement should express a clear stance on the topic. Don’t be afraid to assert your position.
By following these guidelines, you can craft a compelling thesis statement that sets the tone for your essay and guides your reader through your argument.
Writing the Body of Your Essay
Once you have your introduction in place, it’s time to dive into the body of your essay. The body paragraphs are where you will present your main arguments or points to support your thesis statement.
Here are some tips for writing the body of your essay:
- Stick to One Main Idea: Each paragraph should focus on one main idea or argument. This will help keep your essay organized and easy to follow.
- Use Topic Sentences: Start each paragraph with a topic sentence that introduces the main idea of the paragraph.
- Provide Evidence: Support your main points with evidence such as facts, statistics, examples, or quotes from experts.
- Explain Your Points: Don’t just state your points; also explain how they support your thesis and why they are important.
- Use Transition Words: Use transition words and phrases to connect your ideas and create a smooth flow between paragraphs.
Remember to refer back to your thesis statement and make sure that each paragraph contributes to your overall argument. The body of your essay is where you can really showcase your critical thinking and analytical skills, so take the time to craft well-developed and coherent paragraphs.
Perfecting Your Essay with Editing and Proofreading
Editing and proofreading are essential steps in the essay writing process to ensure your work is polished and error-free. Here are some tips to help you perfect your essay:
- Take a Break: After writing your essay, take a break before starting the editing process. This will help you look at your work with fresh eyes.
- Focus on Structure: Check the overall structure of your essay, including the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Make sure your ideas flow logically and cohesively.
- Check for Clarity: Ensure that your arguments are clear and easy to follow. Eliminate any jargon or confusing language that might obscure your message.
- Grammar and Punctuation: Review your essay for grammar and punctuation errors. Pay attention to subject-verb agreement, verb tense consistency, and proper punctuation usage.
- Use a Spell Checker: Run a spell check on your essay to catch any spelling mistakes. However, don’t rely solely on spell checkers as they may miss certain errors.
- Read Aloud: Read your essay aloud to yourself or have someone else read it to you. This can help you identify awkward phrasing or unclear sentences.
- Get Feedback: Consider getting feedback from a peer, teacher, or writing tutor. They can offer valuable insights and suggestions for improving your essay.
By following these editing and proofreading tips, you can ensure that your essay is well-crafted, organized, and free of errors, helping you make a strong impression on your readers.
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Typical essay structure, 7 steps to writing a good essay, a step-by-step guide to writing a good essay.
Whether you are gearing up for your GCSE coursework submissions or looking to brush up on your A-level writing skills, we have the perfect essay-writing guide for you. đŻ
Staring at a blank page before writing an essay can feel a little daunting . Where do you start? What should your introduction say? And how should you structure your arguments? They are all fair questions and we have the answers! Take the stress out of essay writing with this step-by-step guide â youâll be typing away in no time. đŠâđť
What is an essay?
Generally speaking, an essay designates a literary work in which the author defends a point of view or a personal conviction, using logical arguments and literary devices in order to inform and convince the reader.
So â although essays can be broadly split into four categories: argumentative, expository, narrative, and descriptive â an essay can simply be described as a focused piece of writing designed to inform or persuade. đ¤
The purpose of an essay is to present a coherent argument in response to a stimulus or question and to persuade the reader that your position is credible, believable and reasonable. đ
So, a âgoodâ essay relies on a confident writing style â itâs clear, well-substantiated, focussed, explanatory and descriptive . The structure follows a logical progression and above all, the body of the essay clearly correlates to the tile â answering the question where one has been posed.
But, how do you go about making sure that you tick all these boxes and keep within a specified word count? Read on for the answer as well as an example essay structure to follow and a handy step-by-step guide to writing the perfect essay â hooray. đ
Sometimes, it is helpful to think about your essay like it is a well-balanced argument or a speech â it needs to have a logical structure, with all your points coming together to answer the question in a coherent manner. âď¸
Of course, essays can vary significantly in length but besides that, they all follow a fairly strict pattern or structure made up of three sections. Lean into this predictability because it will keep you on track and help you make your point clearly. Letâs take a look at the typical essay structure:
#1 Introduction
Start your introduction with the central claim of your essay. Let the reader know exactly what you intend to say with this essay. Communicate what youâre going to argue, and in what order. The final part of your introduction should also say what conclusions youâre going to draw â it sounds counter-intuitive but itâs not â more on that below. 1ď¸âŁ
Make your point, evidence it and explain it. This part of the essay â generally made up of three or more paragraphs depending on the length of your essay â is where you present your argument. The first sentence of each paragraph â much like an introduction to an essay â should summarise what your paragraph intends to explain in more detail. 2ď¸âŁ
#3 Conclusion
This is where you affirm your argument â remind the reader what you just proved in your essay and how you did it. This section will sound quite similar to your introduction but â having written the essay â youâll be summarising rather than setting out your stall. 3ď¸âŁ
No essay is the same but your approach to writing them can be. As well as some best practice tips, we have gathered our favourite advice from expert essay-writers and compiled the following 7-step guide to writing a good essay every time. đ
#1 Make sure you understand the question
#2 complete background reading.
#3 Make a detailed plan
#4 Write your opening sentences
#5 flesh out your essay in a rough draft, #6 evidence your opinion, #7 final proofread and edit.
Now that you have familiarised yourself with the 7 steps standing between you and the perfect essay, letâs take a closer look at each of those stages so that you can get on with crafting your written arguments with confidence .
This is the most crucial stage in essay writing â r ead the essay prompt carefully and understand the question. Highlight the keywords â like âcompare,â âcontrastâ âdiscuss,â âexplainâ or âevaluateâ â and let it sink in before your mind starts racing . There is nothing worse than writing 500 words before realising you have entirely missed the brief . đ§
Unless you are writing under exam conditions , you will most likely have been working towards this essay for some time, by doing thorough background reading. Re-read relevant chapters and sections, highlight pertinent material and maybe even stray outside the designated reading list, this shows genuine interest and extended knowledge. đ
#3 Make a detailed plan
Following the handy structure we shared with you above, now is the time to create the âskeleton structureâ or essay plan. Working from your essay title, plot out what you want your paragraphs to cover and how that information is going to flow. You donât need to start writing any full sentences yet but it might be useful to think about the various quotes you plan to use to substantiate each section. đ
Having mapped out the overall trajectory of your essay, you can start to drill down into the detail. First, write the opening sentence for each of the paragraphs in the body section of your essay. Remember â each paragraph is like a mini-essay â the opening sentence should summarise what the paragraph will then go on to explain in more detail. đď¸
Next, it's time to write the bulk of your words and flesh out your arguments. Follow the âpoint, evidence, explainâ method. The opening sentences â already written â should introduce your âpointsâ, so now you need to âevidenceâ them with corroborating research and âexplainâ how the evidence youâve presented proves the point youâre trying to make. âď¸
With a rough draft in front of you, you can take a moment to read what you have written so far. Are there any sections that require further substantiation? Have you managed to include the most relevant material you originally highlighted in your background reading? Now is the time to make sure you have evidenced all your opinions and claims with the strongest quotes, citations and material. đ
This is your final chance to re-read your essay and go over it with a fine-toothed comb before pressing âsubmitâ. We highly recommend leaving a day or two between finishing your essay and the final proofread if possible â youâll be amazed at the difference this makes, allowing you to return with a fresh pair of eyes and a more discerning judgment. đ¤
If you are looking for advice and support with your own essay-writing adventures, why not t ry a free trial lesson with GoStudent? Our tutors are experts at boosting academic success and having fun along the way. Get in touch and see how it can work for you today. đ
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You can keep adding to this plan, crossing bits out and linking the different bubbles when you spot connections between them. Even though you wonât have time to make a detailed plan under exam conditions, it can be helpful to draft a brief one, including a few key words, so that you donât panic and go off topic when writing your essay.
If you donât like the mind map format, there are plenty of others to choose from: you could make a table, a flowchart, or simply a list of bullet points.
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Thanks for signing up, step 2: have a clear structure.
Think about this while you’re planning: your essay is like an argument or a speech. It needs to have a logical structure, with all your points coming together to answer the question.
Start with the basics! It’s best to choose a few major points which will become your main paragraphs. Three main paragraphs is a good number for an exam essay, since you’ll be under time pressure.Â
If you agree with the question overall, it can be helpful to organise your points in the following pattern:
- YES (agreement with the question)
- AND (another YES point)
- BUT (disagreement or complication)
If you disagree with the question overall, try:
- AND (another BUT point)
For example, you could structure the Of Mice and Men sample question, “To what extent is Curleyâs wife portrayed as a victim in Of Mice and Men ?”, as follows:
- YES (descriptions of her appearance)
- AND (other people’s attitudes towards her)
- BUT (her position as the only woman on the ranch gives her power as she uses her femininity to her advantage)
If you wanted to write a longer essay, you could include additional paragraphs under the YES/AND categories, perhaps discussing the ways in which Curleyâs wife reveals her vulnerability and insecurities, and shares her dreams with the other characters. Alternatively, you could also lengthen your essay by including another BUT paragraph about her cruel and manipulative streak.
Of course, this is not necessarily the only right way to answer this essay question â as long as you back up your points with evidence from the text, you can take any standpoint that makes sense.
Step 3: Back up your points with well-analysed quotations
You wouldnât write a scientific report without including evidence to support your findings, so why should it be any different with an essay? Even though you arenât strictly required to substantiate every single point you make with a quotation, thereâs no harm in trying.
A close reading of your quotations can enrich your appreciation of the question and will be sure to impress examiners. When selecting the best quotations to use in your essay, keep an eye out for specific literary techniques. For example, you could highlight Curleyâs wifeâs use of a rhetorical question when she says, a”nâ what am I doinâ? Standinâ here talking to a bunch of bindle stiffs.” This might look like:
The rhetorical question âanâ what am I doinâ?â signifies that Curleyâs wife is very insecure; she seems to be questioning her own life choices. Moreover, she does not expect anyone to respond to her question, highlighting her loneliness and isolation on the ranch.
Other literary techniques to look out for include:
- Tricolon â a group of three words or phrases placed close together for emphasis
- Tautology â using different words that mean the same thing: e.g. “frightening” and “terrifying”
- Parallelism â ABAB structure, often signifying movement from one concept to another
- Chiasmus â ABBA structure, drawing attention to a phrase
- Polysyndeton â many conjunctions in a sentence
- Asyndeton â lack of conjunctions, which can speed up the pace of a sentence
- Polyptoton â using the same word in different forms for emphasis: e.g. “done” and “doing”
- Alliteration â repetition of the same sound, including assonance (similar vowel sounds), plosive alliteration (“b”, “d” and “p” sounds) and sibilance (“s” sounds)
- Anaphora â repetition of words, often used to emphasise a particular point
Donât worry if you canât locate all of these literary devices in the work youâre analysing. You can also discuss more obvious techniques, like metaphor, simile and onomatopoeia. Itâs not a problem if you canât remember all the long names; itâs far more important to be able to confidently explain the effects of each technique and highlight its relevance to the question.
Step 4: Be creative and original throughout
Anyone can write an essay using the tips above, but the thing that really makes it “perfect” is your own unique take on the topic. If youâve noticed something intriguing or unusual in your reading, point it out â if you find it interesting, chances are the examiner will too!
Creative writing and essay writing are more closely linked than you might imagine. Keep the idea that youâre writing a speech or argument in mind, and youâre guaranteed to grab your readerâs attention.
Itâs important to set out your line of argument in your introduction, introducing your main points and the general direction your essay will take, but donât forget to keep something back for the conclusion, too. Yes, you need to summarise your main points, but if youâre just repeating the things you said in your introduction, the body of the essay is rendered pointless.
Think of your conclusion as the climax of your speech, the bit everything else has been leading up to, rather than the boring plenary at the end of the interesting stuff.
To return to Of Mice and Men once more, here’s an example of the ideal difference between an introduction and a conclusion:
Introduction
In John Steinbeckâs Of Mice and Men , Curleyâs wife is portrayed as an ambiguous character. She could be viewed either as a cruel, seductive temptress or a lonely woman who is a victim of her societyâs attitudes. Though she does seem to wield a form of sexual power, it is clear that Curleyâs wife is largely a victim. This interpretation is supported by Steinbeckâs description of her appearance, other peopleâs attitudes, her dreams, and her evident loneliness and insecurity.
Overall, it is clear that Curleyâs wife is a victim and is portrayed as such throughout the novel in the descriptions of her appearance, her dreams, other peopleâs judgemental attitudes, and her loneliness and insecurities. However, a character who was a victim and nothing else would be one-dimensional and Curleyâs wife is not. Although she suffers in many ways, she is shown to assert herself through the manipulation of her femininity â a small rebellion against the victimisation she experiences.
Both refer back consistently to the question and summarise the essayâs main points. However, the conclusion adds something new which has been established in the main body of the essay and complicates the simple summary which is found in the introduction.
Hannah is an undergraduate English student at Somerville College, University of Oxford, and has a particular interest in postcolonial literature and the Gothic. She thinks literature is a crucial way of developing empathy and learning about the wider world. When she isn’t writing about 17th-century court masques, she enjoys acting, travelling and creative writing.Â
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12 Strategies to Writing the Perfect College Essay
College admission committees sift through thousands of college essays each year. Hereâs how to make yours stand out.
Pamela Reynolds
When it comes to deciding who they will admit into their programs, colleges consider many criteria, including high school grades, extracurricular activities, and ACT and SAT scores. But in recent years, more colleges are no longer considering test scores.
Instead, many (including Harvard through 2026) are opting for âtest-blindâ admission policies that give more weight to other elements in a college application. This policy change is seen as fairer to students who donât have the means or access to testing, or who suffer from test anxiety.
So, what does this mean for you?
Simply that your college essay, traditionally a requirement of any college application, is more important than ever.
A college essay is your unique opportunity to introduce yourself to admissions committees who must comb through thousands of applications each year. It is your chance to stand out as someone worthy of a seat in that classroom.
A well-written and thoughtful essayâreflecting who you are and what you believeâcan go a long way to separating your application from the slew of forgettable ones that admissions officers read. Indeed, officers may rely on them even more now that many colleges are not considering test scores.
Below weâll discuss a few strategies you can use to help your essay stand out from the pack. Weâll touch on how to start your essay, what you should write for your college essay, and elements that make for a great college essay.
Be Authentic
More than any other consideration, you should choose a topic or point of view that is consistent with who you truly are.
Readers can sense when writers are inauthentic.
Inauthenticity could mean the use of overly flowery language that no one would ever use in conversation, or it could mean choosing an inconsequential topic that reveals very little about who you are.
Use your own voice, sense of humor, and a natural way of speaking.
Whatever subject you choose, make sure itâs something thatâs genuinely important to you and not a subject youâve chosen just to impress. You can write about a specific experience, hobby, or personality quirk that illustrates your strengths, but also feel free to write about your weaknesses.
Honesty about traits, situations, or a childhood background that you are working to improve may resonate with the reader more strongly than a glib victory speech.
Grab the Reader From the Start
Youâll be competing with so many other applicants for an admission officerâs attention.
Therefore, start your essay with an opening sentence or paragraph that immediately seizes the imagination. This might be a bold statement, a thoughtful quote, a question you pose, or a descriptive scene.
Starting your essay in a powerful way with a clear thesis statement can often help you along in the writing process. If your task is to tell a good story, a bold beginning can be a natural prelude to getting there, serving as a roadmap, engaging the reader from the start, and presenting the purpose of your writing.
Focus on Deeper Themes
Some essay writers think they will impress committees by loading an essay with facts, figures, and descriptions of activities, like wins in sports or descriptions of volunteer work. But thatâs not the point.
College admissions officers are interested in learning more about who you are as a person and what makes you tick.
They want to know what has brought you to this stage in life. They want to read about realizations you may have come to through adversity as well as your successes, not just about how many games you won while on the soccer team or how many people you served at a soup kitchen.
Let the reader know how winning the soccer game helped you develop as a person, friend, family member, or leader. Make a connection with your soup kitchen volunteerism and how it may have inspired your educational journey and future aspirations. What did you discover about yourself?
Show Donât Tell
As you expand on whatever theme youâve decided to explore in your essay, remember to show, don’t tell.
The most engaging writing âshowsâ by setting scenes and providing anecdotes, rather than just providing a list of accomplishments and activities.
Reciting a list of activities is also boring. An admissions officer will want to know about the arc of your emotional journey too.
Try Doing Something Different
If you want your essay to stand out, think about approaching your subject from an entirely new perspective. While many students might choose to write about their wins, for instance, what if you wrote an essay about what you learned from all your losses?
If you are an especially talented writer, you might play with the element of surprise by crafting an essay that leaves the response to a question to the very last sentence.
You may want to stay away from well-worn themes entirely, like a sports-related obstacle or success, volunteer stories, immigration stories, moving, a summary of personal achievements or overcoming obstacles.
However, such themes are popular for a reason. They represent the totality of most peopleâs lives coming out of high school. Therefore, it may be less important to stay away from these topics than to take a fresh approach.
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Write With the Reader in Mind
Writing for the reader means building a clear and logical argument in which one thought flows naturally from another.
Use transitions between paragraphs.
Think about any information you may have left out that the reader may need to know. Are there ideas you have included that do not help illustrate your theme?
Be sure you can answer questions such as: Does what you have written make sense? Is the essay organized? Does the opening grab the reader? Is there a strong ending? Have you given enough background information? Is it wordy?
Write Several Drafts
Set your essay aside for a few days and come back to it after youâve had some time to forget what youâve written. Often, youâll discover you have a whole new perspective that enhances your ability to make revisions.
Start writing months before your essay is due to give yourself enough time to write multiple drafts. A good time to start could be as early as the summer before your senior year when homework and extracurricular activities take up less time.
Read It Aloud
Writerâs tip : Reading your essay aloud can instantly uncover passages that sound clumsy, long-winded, or false.
Donât Repeat
If youâve mentioned an activity, story, or anecdote in some other part of your application, donât repeat it again in your essay.
Your essay should tell college admissions officers something new. Whatever you write in your essay should be in philosophical alignment with the rest of your application.
Also, be sure youâve answered whatever question or prompt may have been posed to you at the outset.
Ask Others to Read Your Essay
Be sure the people you ask to read your essay represent different demographic groupsâa teacher, a parent, even a younger sister or brother.
Ask each reader what they took from the essay and listen closely to what they have to say. If anyone expresses confusion, revise until the confusion is cleared up.
Pay Attention to Form
Although there are often no strict word limits for college essays, most essays are shorter rather than longer. Common App, which students can use to submit to multiple colleges, suggests that essays stay at about 650 words.
“While we won’t as a rule stop reading after 650 words, we cannot promise that an overly wordy essay will hold our attention for as long as you’d hoped it would,” the Common App website states.
In reviewing other technical aspects of your essay, be sure that the font is readable, that the margins are properly spaced, that any dialogue is set off properly, and that there is enough spacing at the top. Your essay should look clean and inviting to readers.
End Your Essay With a âKickerâ
In journalism, a kicker is the last punchy line, paragraph, or section that brings everything together.
It provides a lasting impression that leaves the reader satisfied and impressed by the points you have artfully woven throughout your piece.
So, hereâs our kicker: Be concise and coherent, engage in honest self-reflection, and include vivid details and anecdotes that deftly illustrate your point.
While writing a fantastic essay may not guarantee you get selected, it can tip the balance in your favor if admissions officers are considering a candidate with a similar GPA and background.
Write, revise, revise again, and good luck!
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- Writing Tips
How to Write a Perfect Essay Plan
4-minute read
- 9th December 2019
Every good essay starts with a good essay plan. And planning your essay is important, as it will help you express each point you need to make clearly and in a logical order. But what goes into a good essay plan? And how can you write one? Join us for a quick look at how this works.
1. Read the Question Closely
The first step in any essay plan is to look at the question youâve been set. It should provide some clue as to the kind of essay required, such as whether it is an open or closed question . These differ as follows:
- An open question permits various answers. For instance, if you were set an English literature essay, you might be asked What are the main social themes in the writing of Charles Dickens? This would allow you to discuss a range of concepts in response. Writing you essay plan would then involve narrowing down your subject matter so you can focus on one issue.
- A closed question focuses on a specific issue, often asking you to agree or disagree with something. For instance, a closed question could be Is technology a destructive force in the writing of Charles Dickens? In this case, the question dictates the form of the essay, as you would need to look at arguments for and against the claim and, finally, come to a conclusion.
Keep in mind that both question types require an in-depth answer! Some closed questions could technically be answered by writing âYesâ or âNoâ on a piece of paper, but this wonât get you great marks. Instead, think of the question as a prompt for you to show off what you know on the topic.
And if youâre not sure about anything, such as how a question is worded, you will want to check this with whomever set the assignment.
2. Brainstorm Ideas and Organise Your Research
After studying the essay question, the next step is to brainstorm ideas for answering it. And the starting point for this is to organise your research.
In other words, itâs time to get out those lecture notes! In fact, you should make a mind map of everything you know on the essay topic.
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Look for anything that is relevant to the essay question. You can then narrow down the possible answers to the topics that interest you most. This should also help you identify any gaps in your knowledge, so you can make notes on what else you may need to research for your essay.
3. Draft an Essay Outline
The last step in writing an essay plan is to outline your essay. This means breaking it down section by section, paragraph by paragraph, so you know exactly what you need to write to answer the essay question.
The exact content will depend on the topic and word count . But, as a rule, most essays will have a basic structure along the following lines:
- Introduction â A paragraph or two that sets out your main argument.
- Main Body â This is the main chunk of your essay. To plan this, break down your argument into paragraphs or sections, sticking to one main idea per paragraph. Once you’ve done this, note down how each point supports your argument, plus any quotes or examples you will use.
- Conclusion â A brief summary of your arguments and evidence.
- References â A list of sources you plan to use in your essay.
This will then guide the writing process, making sure you always stay on topic.
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The writer of the academic essay aims to persuade readers of an idea based on evidence. The beginning of the essay is a crucial first step in this process. In order to engage readers and establish your authority, the beginning of your essay has to accomplish certain business. Your beginning should introduce the essay, focus it, and orient readers.
Introduce the Essay. The beginning lets your readers know what the essay is about, the topic . The essay's topic does not exist in a vacuum, however; part of letting readers know what your essay is about means establishing the essay's context , the frame within which you will approach your topic. For instance, in an essay about the First Amendment guarantee of freedom of speech, the context may be a particular legal theory about the speech right; it may be historical information concerning the writing of the amendment; it may be a contemporary dispute over flag burning; or it may be a question raised by the text itself. The point here is that, in establishing the essay's context, you are also limiting your topic. That is, you are framing an approach to your topic that necessarily eliminates other approaches. Thus, when you determine your context, you simultaneously narrow your topic and take a big step toward focusing your essay. Here's an example.
The paragraph goes on. But as you can see, Chopin's novel (the topic) is introduced in the context of the critical and moral controversy its publication engendered.
Focus the Essay. Beyond introducing your topic, your beginning must also let readers know what the central issue is. What question or problem will you be thinking about? You can pose a question that will lead to your idea (in which case, your idea will be the answer to your question), or you can make a thesis statement. Or you can do both: you can ask a question and immediately suggest the answer that your essay will argue. Here's an example from an essay about Memorial Hall.
The fullness of your idea will not emerge until your conclusion, but your beginning must clearly indicate the direction your idea will take, must set your essay on that road. And whether you focus your essay by posing a question, stating a thesis, or combining these approaches, by the end of your beginning, readers should know what you're writing about, and why âand why they might want to read on.
Orient Readers. Orienting readers, locating them in your discussion, means providing information and explanations wherever necessary for your readers' understanding. Orienting is important throughout your essay, but it is crucial in the beginning. Readers who don't have the information they need to follow your discussion will get lost and quit reading. (Your teachers, of course, will trudge on.) Supplying the necessary information to orient your readers may be as simple as answering the journalist's questions of who, what, where, when, how, and why. It may mean providing a brief overview of events or a summary of the text you'll be analyzing. If the source text is brief, such as the First Amendment, you might just quote it. If the text is well known, your summary, for most audiences, won't need to be more than an identifying phrase or two:
Often, however, you will want to summarize your source more fully so that readers can follow your analysis of it.
Questions of Length and Order. How long should the beginning be? The length should be proportionate to the length and complexity of the whole essay. For instance, if you're writing a five-page essay analyzing a single text, your beginning should be brief, no more than one or two paragraphs. On the other hand, it may take a couple of pages to set up a ten-page essay.
Does the business of the beginning have to be addressed in a particular order? No, but the order should be logical. Usually, for instance, the question or statement that focuses the essay comes at the end of the beginning, where it serves as the jumping-off point for the middle, or main body, of the essay. Topic and context are often intertwined, but the context may be established before the particular topic is introduced. In other words, the order in which you accomplish the business of the beginning is flexible and should be determined by your purpose.
Opening Strategies. There is still the further question of how to start. What makes a good opening? You can start with specific facts and information, a keynote quotation, a question, an anecdote, or an image. But whatever sort of opening you choose, it should be directly related to your focus. A snappy quotation that doesn't help establish the context for your essay or that later plays no part in your thinking will only mislead readers and blur your focus. Be as direct and specific as you can be. This means you should avoid two types of openings:
- The history-of-the-world (or long-distance) opening, which aims to establish a context for the essay by getting a long running start: "Ever since the dawn of civilized life, societies have struggled to reconcile the need for change with the need for order." What are we talking about here, political revolution or a new brand of soft drink? Get to it.
- The funnel opening (a variation on the same theme), which starts with something broad and general and "funnels" its way down to a specific topic. If your essay is an argument about state-mandated prayer in public schools, don't start by generalizing about religion; start with the specific topic at hand.
Remember. After working your way through the whole draft, testing your thinking against the evidence, perhaps changing direction or modifying the idea you started with, go back to your beginning and make sure it still provides a clear focus for the essay. Then clarify and sharpen your focus as needed. Clear, direct beginnings rarely present themselves ready-made; they must be written, and rewritten, into the sort of sharp-eyed clarity that engages readers and establishes your authority.
Copyright 1999, Patricia Kain, for the Writing Center at Harvard University
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- How to Write Dazzlingly Brilliant Essays: Sharp Advice for Ambitious Students
Rachel McCombie, a graduate of St John’s College, Oxford, shares actionable tips on taking your essays from “Good” to “Outstanding.”
For ambitious students, essays are a chance to showcase academic flair, demonstrate original thinking and impress with advanced written English skills.
The best students relish the challenge of writing essays because theyâre a chance to exercise academic research skills and construct interesting arguments. Essays allow you to demonstrate your knowledge, understanding and intelligence in a creative and relatively unrestricted way – provided you keep within the word count! But when lots of other people are answering the same essay question as you, how do you make yours stand out from the crowd? In this article, weâre going to show you the secret of writing a truly brilliant essay.
What are essays actually for?
Before we get into the nitty gritty of how to write an outstanding essay, we need to go right back to basics and think about what essays are actually designed to test. Only by understanding the purpose of an essay can you really begin to understand what it is that tutors are looking for when they read your work. No matter what the academic level of the student is, essays are designed to test many things: – Knowledge – fundamentally, essays test and help consolidate what youâve read and learned, making them an important part of the learning process, particularly for humanities subjects. –Â Comprehension – they test your ability to make sense of and clearly explain complex concepts and issues. – They test your ability to understand the question and produce a considered response to it. – They evaluate your ability to absorb and condense information from a variety of sources , which will probably mean covering a lot of material in a short space of time; this necessitates appraisal of which bits of material are relevant and which are not. – They test your ability to write a balanced and coherent argument that considers a number of points of view. – They showcase your level of written English skills. – They even put your time management to the test – essays are a part of your workload that must be planned, prioritised and delivered to a high standard, to deadline.
Characteristics of the perfect essay
Now that we know why weâre asked to write essays, what are the characteristics that define the essays that impress? The tutors marking your essays may have their own preferences and things they look for in outstanding essays, but letâs take a look at a few of the irrefutable traits of the best.
Original thinking
The hallmark of the truly brilliant essay is original thinking. That doesnât have to mean coming up with an entirely new theory; most of, if not all, the topics youâll be studying at GCSE , A-level or even undergraduate level have been thought about in so much depth and by so many people that virtually every possible angle will have been thought of already. But what it does mean is that the essay stands out from those of other students in that it goes beyond the obvious and takes an original approach – perhaps approaching the topic from a different angle, coming up with a different hypothesis from what youâve been discussing in class, or introducing new evidence and intelligent insights from material not included on the reading list.
Solid, in-depth knowledge and understanding
It goes without saying that the brilliant essay should demonstrate a strong knowledge of the facts, and not just knowledge but sound comprehension of the concepts or issues being discussed and why they matter. The perfect essay demonstrates an ability to deploy relevant facts and use them to form the basis of an argument or hypothesis. It covers a wide range of material and considers every point of view, confidently making use of and quoting from a variety of sources.
Clear structure with intelligent debate
The perfect essay provides a coherent discussion of both sides of the story, developing a balanced argument throughout, and with a conclusion that weighs up the evidence youâve covered and perhaps provides your own intelligent opinion on how the topic should be interpreted based on the evidence covered.
No superfluous information
Everything written in the perfect essay serves a purpose – to inform and persuade. Thereâs no rambling or going off at tangents – it sticks to the point and doesnât waste the readerâs time. This goes back to our earlier point about sorting the relevant facts from the irrelevant material; including material that isnât relevant shows that youâve not quite grasped the real heart of the matter.
Exceptional English
The words in the perfect essay flow effortlessly, and the reader feels in safe hands. Sentences need never be read more than once to be understood, and each follows logically on from the next, with no random jumping about from topic to topic from one paragraph to the next. Spelling and grammar are flawless, with no careless typos. So how do you go about writing this mythical Perfect Essay? Read on to find out!
Put in extra background work
Committed students always read beyond what the reading list tells them to read. Guaranteed to impress, wide reading gives you deeper knowledge than your peers and gives you the extra knowledge and insights you need to make your essay stand out. If youâre studying English, for example, donât just read the set text! Here are some ideas to widen your reading and give you a good range of impressive quotes to include in your essay: – Other works by the same author – how do they compare with your set text? – Works by contemporary authors – does your set text fit into a wider movement, or is it very different from what was being written at the time? – Works by the authorâs predecessors – what works inspired the author of your set text? How do you see them shining through in the text youâre studying, and how have they been developed? – Literary criticism – gauge the range of opinions about your set text by reading what the literary critics have to say. Whose opinion do you most agree with, and why? – Background history – so that you can appreciate and refer to the context in which the author was writing (weâll come back to this last point a little later). It sounds like a lot of extra work, but you donât necessarily have to read everything in full. Itâs fine to dip into these other resources providing you donât inadvertently take points out of context.
Know what you want to say before you start writing
Youâre probably sick of hearing this particular piece of advice, but itâs important to start out with a clear idea in your mind of what you want to say in your essay and how you will structure your arguments. The easiest way to do this is to write an essay plan. This neednât be a big deal, or time-consuming; all you need to do is to open a new document on your computer, type out the ideas you want to cover and drag and drop them into a logical order. From there, you simply start typing your essay directly into the plan itself. Your essay should include an introduction, a series of paragraphs that develop an argument rather than just jumping from topic to topic, and a conclusion that weighs up the evidence.
Answer the question youâve been set, not the question you want to answer
A common problem with studentsâ responses to essays is that rather than answering the question theyâve been set , they try to mould the question to what theyâd prefer to write about, because thatâs what they feel most comfortable with. Be very careful not to do this! You could end up writing a brilliant essay, but if didnât actually answer the question then itâs not going to be well received by the person marking it.
Give a balanced argumentâŚ
Good essays give both sides of an argument, presenting information impartially and considering multiple points of view. One-sided arguments wonât impress, as you need to show that youâve thought about the evidence comprehensively.
…but your opinion and interpretation matter too
Show that youâve made your own mind up based on your weighing up of the evidence. This shows that youâre not just hiding behind what other people say about the topic, but that youâve had the independence of mind to form your own intelligent opinion about it.
Quote liberally
Use quotations from academic works and sources to back up points you want to make. Doing so strengthens your argument by providing evidence for your statements, as well as demonstrating that youâve read widely around your subject. However, donât go too far and write an essay thatâs essentially just a list of what other people say about the subject. Quoting too much suggests that you donât have the confidence or knowledge to explain things in your own words, so have to hide behind those of other people. Make your own mind up about what youâre writing about – as already mentioned, itâs fine to state your own opinion if youâve considered the arguments and presented the evidence.
Context matters
As weâve already touched on, if you can demonstrate knowledge of the context of the subject youâre writing about, this will show that youâve considered possible historical influences that may have shaped a work or issue. This shows that you havenât simply taken the essay question at face value and demonstrates your ability to think beyond the obvious. An ability to look at the wider picture marks you out as an exceptional student, as many people canât see the wood for the trees and have a very narrow focus when it comes to writing essays. If youâre an English student, for instance, an authorâs work should be considered not in isolation but in the context of the historical events and thinking that helped define the period in which the author was writing. You canât write about Blakeâs poetry without some knowledge and discussion of background events such as the Industrial Revolution, and the development of the Romantic movement as a whole.
Include images and diagrams
You know what they say – a picture speaks a thousand words. What matters in an essay is effective and persuasive communication, and if a picture or diagram will help support a point youâre making, include it. As well as helping to communicate, visuals also make your essay more enjoyable to read for the person marking it – and if they enjoy reading it, the chances are youâll get better marks! Donât forget to ensure that you include credits for any images and diagrams you include.
Use full academic citations and a bibliography
Show you mean business by including a full set of academic citations, with a bibliography at the end, even if you havenât been told to. The great thing about this is that it not only makes you look organised and scholarly, but it also gives you the opportunity to show off just how many extra texts youâve studied to produce your masterpiece of an essay! Make use of the footnote feature in your word processor and include citations at the bottom of each page, with a main bibliography at the end of the essay. There are different accepted forms for citing an academic reference, but the main thing to remember is to pick one format and be consistent. Typically the citation will include the title and author of the work, the date of publication and the page number(s) of the point or quotation youâre referring to. Hereâs an example: 1. Curta, F. (2007) â âSome remarks on ethnicity in medieval archaeologyâ in Early Medieval Europe 15 (2), pp. 159-185
Before you ask, no, a spell check isnât good enough! How many times have you typed âformâ instead of âfromâ? Thatâs just one of a huge number of errors that spell check would simply miss. Your English should be impeccable if you want to be taken seriously, and that means clear and intelligent sentence structures, no misplaced apostrophes, no typos and no grammar crimes. Include your name at the top of each page of your essay, and number the pages. Also, make sure you use a font thatâs easy to read, such as Times New Roman or Arial. The person marking your essay wonât appreciate having to struggle through reading a fancy Gothic font, even if it does happen to match the Gothic literature youâre studying!
Meet the deadline
You donât need us to tell you that, but for the sake of being comprehensive, weâre including it anyway. You could write the best essay ever, but if you deliver it late, it wonât be looked upon favourably! Donât leave writing your essay until the last minute – start writing with plenty of time to spare, and ideally leave time to sleep on it before you submit it. Allowing time for it to sink in may result in you having a sudden brilliant revelation that you want to include. So there we have it – everything you need to know in order to write an essay to impress. If you want to get ahead, you might also want to think about attending an English summer school .
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How to Write an Essay
Last Updated: April 2, 2024 Fact Checked
This article was co-authored by Christopher Taylor, PhD and by wikiHow staff writer, Megaera Lorenz, PhD . Christopher Taylor is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of English at Austin Community College in Texas. He received his PhD in English Literature and Medieval Studies from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014. There are 18 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 7,942,949 times.
An essay is a common type of academic writing that you'll likely be asked to do in multiple classes. Before you start writing your essay, make sure you understand the details of the assignment so that you know how to approach the essay and what your focus should be. Once you've chosen a topic, do some research and narrow down the main argument(s) you'd like to make. From there, you'll need to write an outline and flesh out your essay, which should consist of an introduction, body, and conclusion. After your essay is drafted, spend some time revising it to ensure your writing is as strong as possible.
Understanding Your Assignment
- The compare/contrast essay , which focuses on analyzing the similarities and differences between 2 things, such as ideas, people, events, places, or works of art.
- The narrative essay , which tells a story.
- The argumentative essay , in which the writer uses evidence and examples to convince the reader of their point of view.
- The critical or analytical essay, which examines something (such as a text or work of art) in detail. This type of essay may attempt to answer specific questions about the subject or focus more generally on its meaning.
- The informative essay , that educates the reader about a topic.
- How long your essay should be
- Which citation style to use
- Formatting requirements, such as margin size , line spacing, and font size and type
Christopher Taylor, PhD
Christopher Taylor, Professor of English, tells us: "Most essays will contain an introduction, a body or discussion portion, and a conclusion. When assigned a college essay, make sure to check the specific structural conventions related to your essay genre , your field of study, and your professor's expectations."
- If you're doing a research-based essay , you might find some inspiration from reading through some of the major sources on the subject.
- For a critical essay, you might choose to focus on a particular theme in the work you're discussing, or analyze the meaning of a specific passage.
- If you're having trouble narrowing down your topic, your instructor might be able to provide guidance or inspiration.
Planning and Organizing Your Essay
- Academic books and journals tend to be good sources of information. In addition to print sources, you may be able to find reliable information in scholarly databases such as JSTOR and Google Scholar.
- You can also look for primary source documents, such as letters, eyewitness accounts, and photographs.
- Always evaluate your sources critically. Even research papers by reputable academics can contain hidden biases, outdated information, and simple errors or faulty logic.
Tip: In general, Wikipedia articles are not considered appropriate sources for academic writing. However, you may be able to find useful sources in the âReferencesâ section at the end of the article.
- You might find it helpful to write your notes down on individual note cards or enter them into a text document on your computer so you can easily copy, paste , and rearrange them however you like.
- Try organizing your notes into different categories so you can identify specific ideas you'd like to focus on. For example, if you're analyzing a short story , you might put all your notes on a particular theme or character together.
- For example, if your essay is about the factors that led to the end of the Bronze Age in the ancient Middle East, you might focus on the question, âWhat role did natural disasters play in the collapse of Late Bronze Age society?â
- One easy way to come up with a thesis statement is to briefly answer the main question you would like to address.
- For example, if the question is âWhat role did natural disasters play in the collapse of Late Bronze Age society?â then your thesis might be, âNatural disasters during the Late Bronze Age destabilized local economies across the region. This set in motion a series of mass migrations of different peoples, creating widespread conflict that contributed to the collapse of several major Bronze Age political centers.â
- When you write the outline, think about how you would like to organize your essay. For example, you might start with your strongest arguments and then move to the weakest ones. Or, you could begin with a general overview of the source you're analyzing and then move on to addressing the major themes, tone, and style of the work.
- Introduction
- Point 1, with supporting examples
- Point 2, with supporting examples
- Point 3, with supporting examples
- Major counter-argument(s) to your thesis
- Your rebuttals to the counter-argument(s)
Drafting the Essay
- For example, if you're writing a critical essay about a work of art, your introduction might start with some basic information about the work, such as who created it, when and where it was created, and a brief description of the work itself. From there, introduce the question(s) about the work you'd like to address and present your thesis.
- A strong introduction should also contain a brief transitional sentence that creates a link to the first point or argument you would like to make. For example, if you're discussing the use of color in a work of art, lead-in by saying you'd like to start with an overview of symbolic color use in contemporary works by other artists.
Tip: Some writers find it helpful to write the introduction after they've written the rest of the essay. Once you've written out your main points, it's easier to summarize the gist of your essay in a few introductory sentences.
- For example, your topic sentence might be something like, âArthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories are among the many literary influences apparent in P. G. Wodehouse's Jeeves novels.â You could then back this up by quoting a passage that contains a reference to Sherlock Holmes.
- Try to show how the arguments in each paragraph link back to the main thesis of your essay.
- When creating transitions, transitional phrases can be helpful. For example, use words and phrases such as âIn addition,â âTherefore,â âSimilarly,â âSubsequently,â or âAs a result.â
- For example, if you've just discussed the use of color to create contrast in a work of art, you might start the next paragraph with, âIn addition to color, the artist also uses different line weights to distinguish between the more static and dynamic figures in the scene.â
- For example, if you're arguing that a particular kind of shrimp decorates its shell with red algae to attract a mate, you'll need to address the counterargument that the shell decoration is a warning to predators. You might do this by presenting evidence that the red shrimp are, in fact, more likely to get eaten than shrimp with undecorated shells.
- The way you cite your sources will vary depending on the citation style you're using. Typically, you'll need to include the name of the author, the title and publication date of the source, and location information such as the page number on which the information appears.
- In general, you don't need to cite common knowledge. For example, if you say, âA zebra is a type of mammal,â you probably won't need to cite a source.
- If you've cited any sources in the essay, you'll need to include a list of works cited (or a bibliography ) at the end.
- Keep your conclusion brief. While the appropriate length will vary based on the length of the essay, it should typically be no longer than 1-2 paragraphs.
- For example, if you're writing a 1,000-word essay, your conclusion should be about 4-5 sentences long. [16] X Research source
Revising the Essay
- If you don't have time to spend a couple of days away from your essay, at least take a few hours to relax or work on something else.
- Excessive wordiness
- Points that aren't explained enough
- Tangents or unnecessary information
- Unclear transitions or illogical organization
- Spelling , grammar , style, and formatting problems
- Inappropriate language or tone (e.g., slang or informal language in an academic essay)
- You might have to cut material from your essay in some places and add new material to others.
- You might also end up reordering some of the content of the essay if you think that helps it flow better.
- Read over each line slowly and carefully. It may be helpful to read each sentence out loud to yourself.
Tip: If possible, have someone else check your work. When you've been looking at your writing for too long, your brain begins to fill in what it expects to see rather than what's there, making it harder for you to spot mistakes.
Expert Q&A
You Might Also Like
- â https://www.yourdictionary.com/articles/essay-types
- â https://students.unimelb.edu.au/academic-skills/resources/essay-writing/six-top-tips-for-writing-a-great-essay
- â https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/common_writing_assignments/research_papers/choosing_a_topic.html
- â https://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/tips-reading-assignment-prompt
- â https://library.unr.edu/help/quick-how-tos/writing/integrating-sources-into-your-paper
- â https://advice.writing.utoronto.ca/researching/notes-from-research/
- â https://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/pages/developing-thesis
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- â https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/conclusions/
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- â https://open.lib.umn.edu/writingforsuccess/chapter/8-4-revising-and-editing/
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About This Article
If you need to write an essay, start by gathering information from reputable sources, like books from the library or scholarly journals online. Take detailed notes and keep track of which facts come from which sources. As you're taking notes, look for a central theme that you're interested in writing about to create your thesis statement. Then, organize your notes into an outline that supports and explains your thesis statement. Working from your outline, write an introduction and subsequent paragraphs to address each major point. Start every paragraph with a topic sentence that briefly explains the main point of that paragraph. Finally, finish your paper with a strong conclusion that sums up the most important points. For tips from our English Professor co-author on helpful revision techniques, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No
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How to write a perfect essay
Need to write an essay? Does the assignment feel as big as climbing Mount Everest? Fear not. Youâre up to the challenge! The following step-by step tips from the Nat Geo Kids Almanac will help you with this monumental task.
Sometimes the subject matter of your essay is assigned to you, sometimes itâs not. Either way, you have to decide what you want to say. Start by brainstorming some ideas, writing down any thoughts you have about the subject. Then read over everything youâve come up with and consider which idea you think is the strongest. Ask yourself what you want to write about the most. Keep in mind the goal of your essay. Can you achieve the goal of the assignment with this topic? If so, youâre good to go.
WRITE A TOPIC SENTENCE
This is the main idea of your essay, a statement of your thoughts on the subject. Again, consider the goal of your essay. Think of the topic sentence as an introduction that tells your reader what the rest of your essay will be about.
OUTLINE YOUR IDEAS
Once you have a good topic sentence, you then need to support that main idea with more detailed information, facts, thoughts, and examples. These supporting points answer one question about your topic sentenceââWhy?â This is where research and perhaps more brainstorming come in. Then organize these points in the way you think makes the most sense, probably in order of importance. Now you have an outline for your essay.
ON YOUR MARK, GET SET, WRITE!
Follow your outline, using each of your supporting points as the topic sentence of its own paragraph. Use descriptive words to get your ideas across to the reader. Go into detail, using specific information to tell your story or make your point. Stay on track, making sure that everything you include is somehow related to the main idea of your essay. Use transitions to make your writing flow.
Finish your essay with a conclusion that summarizes your entire essay and 5 restates your main idea.
PROOFREAD AND REVISE
Check for errors in spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar. Look for ways to make your writing clear, understandable, and interesting. Use descriptive verbs, adjectives, or adverbs when possible. It also helps to have someone else read your work to point out things you might have missed. Then make the necessary corrections and changes in a second draft. Repeat this revision process once more to make your final draft as good as you can.
Download the pdf .
Homework help
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How to Write a Perfect Essay
An expert in essay writing goes beyond inspiration to the convention of formulaic techniques and adherence to criteria in laying out the format besides having a good command of English. The correct structure helps in navigating the plethora of ideas and also makes readers identify accurate relevant information. Thus, a student when writing a perfect essay  should ensure that it has a proper structure and relevant information.
What to consider before writing an essay
Choose a topic : Writers should make sure that they select relevant topics that answer questions in the correct form of argument that interests the reader. The topic does not only gives the subject of the essay but, it goes to the extent of elaborating the position that a student takes on the issue through an expression of the views about the subject in discussion.
Presentation of the relevant questions to answer : Perfect essays should present the issues that the essay answers. In most cases, essay questions come in the form of instructions that come in directive words. For example, âcompare and contrast,â âoutlineâ and âdiscussâ among others.
Right format : Thirdly, authors should provide a well-thought presentation format that an essay should have. Students who aspire to present best essays should think and draft the best formats and presentations for their essays. Essays might have brilliant contents and logical structures. However, the general appearance welcomes the reader or gives the reader a wrong impression. Goods essays should have the same format throughout with same spacing, neatness, and organization among others.
Content : Student should plan well on the relevant content to include. Thus, it is important to cling on the reliable sources, quotes, and evidence to be used in organizing the whole essay to ensure that all the information is available to provide the essay is flawless.
Depth : The writers focus on depth in through initiation of thought provoking ideas or informative ideas that give new information to the readers.
How to start an essay: Tips on how to start an essay
The beginning of an essay should have an introductory paragraph that motivates and informs the reader on what the essay is about as well as hooking the reader to it.
Use of hook: the introduction of essays normally has a hook that attracts a reader. For example, âShould the state legalize marijuana?âÂ
Writers should also use statistic to attract the reader. For example, an essay about obesity in college can have a research-based statement such as âAbout three in seven college students suffer from obesity.â
Students use an anecdote to draw the attention of readers. For example, an essay on experience as a single parent would have, âIrrespective of her unemployment status, James was striving to make ends meet while taking care of his children after divorcing his wife, Jenifer.âÂ
Authors sometimes directly use a short thesis to start off an essay or use the argument as a revelation of a topic. For example, âThe time has come to deliver the verdict on truth. Justice is not about favors but telling the truth.â Or âI have discovered the difference between real people and ill mannered people. The difference is moral. Real people are morally upright.â
A writer invites a reader through the use of the description of a setup or a place. For example, The soaking morning in Guantanamo Bay Cuba with minimal sun rays along the high walls in the âtenementâ yard was not a good day. The condemned cells cold beyond my imagination could not attract any numb. Every cell only allowed a distant faint light as the grill doors opened. The green saloon car appeared at the parking yard. Well, it was a goodbye for some inmates. You could read on each personâs face on the parade glued at the presence of the head cop who was reading the red file of condemned men ready to be hanged in the next day. It was the judgment day Colin my inmate friend.
How to write a perfect essay outline
Introduction : the introductory part of an essay has a hook sentence that attracts the reader followed by a thesis statement that comes at the end of the opening paragraph.
Body : The body of an essay should have at least three points on the topic expressed in different sections. The main point forms the first paragraph with three supporting pieces of evidence written in three sentences. Lastly, the paragraph ends with a transition sentence or a summary of the point. The second point forms the second paragraph of the body with three shreds of evidence supporting the second point. A transition sentence then follows to connect it with the third paragraph. Lastly, the third main point becomes the third paragraph with three pieces of evidence supporting the point in different sentences.
Conclusion : the conclusion is usually the restatement of the thesis statement and summary of the most important points within the body. However, at the very end, the student gives an insightful sentence that marks the end of the essay.
How to write a perfect thesis
When writing a thesis statement, students should consider whether an essay is analytical, expository, or argumentative among others. Therefore, a thesis should be specific. Secondly, the thesis statement should appear at the end of the first paragraph of the essay and should reflect on the ideas discussed in the body of the essay. Therefore, stronger thesis answers the question or argument and takes the position that is a challenge or opposes. Also, the thesis should be specific and passes the so what, how and why questions as well as supported by the essay.
How to write an introduction
Writing an introduction requires attention grabber especially a hook. The hook is then followed by a sentence or two that helps the reader connect to the thesis statement and at the end of the introduction, the author should write a thesis statement.
How to write body paragraph: Tips on body writing
- Students should write down the main points in sentence form.
- Next, the student should note down all the supporting evidence to the central point in separate sentences.
- Provide more notes on the point elaborating specifically or explaining the main arguments or discussion.
- Include a summary for each paragraph.
- Write down transition sentences for each paragraph to ensure coherency.
How to finish an essay: Tips on conclusion writing
- When concluding an essay, students should provide a brief synthesize but not summarize the main points and ideas of the essay
- The student should answer the âSo what?â question and elaborate the importance of the essay.
- The author should provide direction or redirect the reader especially becoming distinct from general if the essay was specific to general.
- The author should challenge the reader by providing an informed conclusion or posing a question.
- The writer can as well suggest results or consequence at the conclusion.
Tips on revision
Perfect essays need to go through review before handing it over to the instructor.
- The best way to revise an essay is to read the draft aloud twice and correct the mistakes.
- Secondly, give a friend to go through it and identify specific errors and provide clarity on the content, error and any other comments regarding the essay.
- Also, it would be useful to use a spell-check, grammar check and editing techniques before presenting the work.
- Besides, it is important to keep a simple format with recommended spacing, the correct fonts and any other instructions regarding formatting that are elaborated in the instruction.
Perfect essay example: National Honor Society
The NHS aims to honor exceptional performance among the high school students as well as distinguishing various students who have greater achievement in the fields of character, scholarship, leadership, and service. Currently, the NHS has more than 1000 chapters aimed at stimulating the need for offering services. Also, the develop enthusiasm for scholarship and establishment of good leadership characters among high school students. The head of NHS is Dr. Edward Rynearson. I am grateful to be among the students who are considered for the NHS and has contributed immensely to the development of my career. Thus, I feel obliged to be part of the greater society and ready to play a role in leadership and change in all my endeavors that bring about positivity at large.
Joining NHS has not been a walk in the park. NHS has well-established rules and standards for selecting candidates who wish to join it. The NHS normally has an informal meeting where all the qualified candidates complete all the Student Activity Information Form from the National Organization. A student has to score A grade of 93 on weighted average apart from giving information regarding the need for scholarship, character, service, and leadership. Besides, the selected students should demonstrate high levels of discipline, service, ability to lead, talents to be used for improvement in the society and honor.
First and foremost, I am ready to use my powers to help others improve their abilities. Currently, I am striving to prove myself worth and become a good example as well mentor to students who need help, especially in high school. My leadership in school has played a bigger role in my family and my life. Specifically, my siblings are looking into all my daily undertaking and borrow a leaf from every aspect of life a get involved. At the moment I chair numerous youth groups including lock-ins, variety shows, church choirs and debating clubs. I have a firm belief that such leadership aspects mold my skills of inclusivity as well as making me developing the best ways of dealing with different people in the society.
Secondly, my colleagues enjoy my company because I am a good role model. I continue to engage in various activities that NHS offers have been of great importance especially in developing my intuition, communication skills as well as counseling. Consequently, I hold numerous discussions with my colleagues on skill development, career choices as well as best ways of spending leisure times.
In a nutshell, NHS is essential for the development of an individual and the society as a whole. Also, the various activities that students engage in shape the mind of a person to face the life in the form of leadership, assisting people as well as in the making right decisions hence it is a way of ensuring that student develops in all aspects besides their career.
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- Writing an effective essay: Cambridge B2 First
- Posted on 28/02/2018
- Categories: Blog
- Tags: B2 First , C1 Advanced , C2 Proficiency , Cambridge CAE Certificate of Advanced English , Cambridge CPE Certificate of Proficiency in English , Cambridge Exams , Cambridge FCE First Certificate of English , Learn English
Students take language certifications like the Cambridge B2 First qualification for lots of different reasons. You might do it to motivate yourself to improve your language abilities, to prove your level of English to an employer, or even to achieve an ambition like travelling around the world and going to live in an English-speaking country.
The Cambridge B2 First exam includes a two-part writing section, which can be daunting for some people. So if youâre thinking about taking an exam like this, we have some top tips to help you write an excellent exam essay.
Most of the advice in this article can also be applied to any exam where you have to write an essay, such as the C1 Advanced, C2 Proficiency or IELTS .
Writing test structure
Before we get into the details, letâs take a look at the structure of the writing paper. You have 80 minutes to write two texts – and it will go quickly!
The first part is the essay; the second part is an article, email, letter, report, or review.
You will be given the essay title and two ideas or prompts . Itâs essential that you include both of these ideas in your essay, as well as another relevant idea that you have to come up with yourself .
You have to write 140-190 words in each part and it shouldnât take you more than 40 minutes per answer .
Writing an essay in three steps
Take a look at this example from a sample paper and then think about how you would answer it in an exam:
Essay title:
Some parents teach their children at home rather than sending them to school. Is this a good or a bad thing for the children?
- 1. having a parent as a teacher
- 2. making friends
- 3. …..
Question taken from http://www.cambridgeenglish.org/exams-and-tests/first/exam-format/ (Cambridge Assessment English, Feb 2018).
What could the third idea be? Stop reading, grab a pen and write down some ideas! Keep them general, but relevant. When youâve finished, scroll down to the bottom of the page to see some of our ideas * .
Step One: plan it (10 minutes)
Thatâs what my old history teacher used to tell me. I hate to admit it, but he was right! If you donât usually plan before you start writing, you really need to get into the habit . Ten minutes may seem a lot, but the more time you spend planning, the clearer your ideas will be and the quicker the writing process will be.
A good place to start is to brainstorm keywords and phrases related to the topic.
Next, you should think about how youâre going to begin ( the introduction ), how youâre going to connect the three main ideas ( the body ) and how youâre going to finish ( the conclusion ). If you know where youâre headed , youâre much less likely to get lost along the way!
Step Two: write it (25 minutes)
OK, youâve got our plan – youâre good to go ! Itâs important to know what the examiners are looking for. The mark you get for the essay is based on the following four aspects :
Content: Have you included all three ideas? Remember, all content should be 100% relevant to the topic, so donât go off on a tangent !
Communicative achievement: Is the style or tone of your essay appropriate? It should be neutral and quite formal, so avoid contractions (e.g. itâs, donât, theyâll) and first person pronouns (e.g. I, me, my, we, us, our).
Organisation: Does your essay follow a logical order? To help your writing flow , try to include linking words. Hereâs a website with some examples.
Language: Have you used a variety of vocabulary and grammatical structures? Donât always write the first word that comes to mind – look for synonyms . Using some complex structures (e.g. different verb tenses, passives, inversion) will boost your marks, but be sure to use them correctly!
Step Three: check it (5 minutes)
This final step is essential. Itâs your chance to read (and re-read) your essay to identify any mistakes. No matter how careful youâve been, there are probably a few things that you can improve. Check for spellings. Check for plurals. Check for verb agreement . Basically, check everything!
5 quick tips to improve your proofreading
- Keep a list of (your) frequent mistakes, so you know what to look out for
- Read it slowly
- Use your finger to guide your eyes
- Correct one thing at a time (e.g. only punctuation, then only spelling)
- Focus on the little words (pronouns, articles, prepositions, etc.)
Still not sure if this is the right exam for you?
There are many benefits of earning an English certification, but before you decide to do so, itâs very important to check your English level . This will help you select the right exam course and make sure you donât waste time completing one thatâs too hard or too easy for you.
If you decide to do an exam preparation course with us, one of our trained level testers will work with you to assess your level. But, if you canât wait until then, hereâs a multiple-choice test for you to complete to give you some idea.
This article also outlines the differences between the Cambridge and IELTS exams to help you decide which exam is for you.
Glossary for Language Learners
Find the following words in the article and then write down any new ones you didnât know.
Daunting (adj): something that worries you because it might seem difficult to do.
Prompts (n): something serving to suggest or remind.
To come up with (pv): to think of something such as an idea or a plan.
To get into the habit (exp): to begin to do something regularly or often.
Headed (adj): destined for.
Youâre good to go! (exp): youâre ready!
To go off on a tangent (exp): to start doing, discussing, or thinking about something completely different.
To flow (v): to proceed smoothly and continuously.
adj = adjective
pv = phrasal verb
exp = expression
*Example ideas: âgroup workâ, âbullyingâ, âclass sizesâ, âworking parentsâ, âfree curriculumâ
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5 Powerful Tools to Perfect Your Pronunciation
- By: oxfordadmin
- Posted on 22/02/2018
4 Ways English Words are Born
- Posted on 07/03/2018
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Here are some tips to help you select the perfect topic for your essay: 1. Consider Your Interests. Choose a topic that you are passionate about or interested in. Writing about something you enjoy will make the process more enjoyable and your enthusiasm will come through in your writing. 2.
As well as some best practice tips, we have gathered our favourite advice from expert essay-writers and compiled the following 7-step guide to writing a good essay every time. đ. #1 Make sure you understand the question. #2 Complete background reading. #3 Make a detailed plan. #4 Write your opening sentences.
Step 2: Have a clear structure. Think about this while you're planning: your essay is like an argument or a speech. It needs to have a logical structure, with all your points coming together to answer the question. Start with the basics! It's best to choose a few major points which will become your main paragraphs.
The essay writing process consists of three main stages: Preparation: Decide on your topic, do your research, and create an essay outline. Writing: Set out your argument in the introduction, develop it with evidence in the main body, and wrap it up with a conclusion. Revision: Check your essay on the content, organization, grammar, spelling ...
When you write an essay for a course you are taking, you are being asked not only to create a product (the essay) but, more importantly, to go through a process of thinking more deeply about a question or problem related to the course. By writing about a source or collection of sources, you will have the chance to wrestle with some of the
This essay begins by discussing the situation of blind people in nineteenth-century Europe. It then describes the invention of Braille and the gradual process of its acceptance within blind education. Subsequently, it explores the wide-ranging effects of this invention on blind people's social and cultural lives.
The basic structure of an essay always consists of an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. But for many students, the most difficult part of structuring an essay is deciding how to organize information within the body. This article provides useful templates and tips to help you outline your essay, make decisions about your structure, and ...
There are three main stages to writing an essay: preparation, writing and revision. In just 4 minutes, this video will walk you through each stage of an acad...
Don't Repeat. If you've mentioned an activity, story, or anecdote in some other part of your application, don't repeat it again in your essay. Your essay should tell college admissions officers something new. Whatever you write in your essay should be in philosophical alignment with the rest of your application.
Introduction - A paragraph or two that sets out your main argument. Main Body - This is the main chunk of your essay. To plan this, break down your argument into paragraphs or sections, sticking to one main idea per paragraph. Once you've done this, note down how each point supports your argument, plus any quotes or examples you will use.
The writer of the academic essay aims to persuade readers of an idea based on evidence. The beginning of the essay is a crucial first step in this process. In order to engage readers and establish your authority, the beginning of your essay has to accomplish certain business. Your beginning should introduce the essay, focus it, and orient ...
The words in the perfect essay flow effortlessly, and the reader feels in safe hands. Sentences need never be read more than once to be understood, and each follows logically on from the next, with no random jumping about from topic to topic from one paragraph to the next. Spelling and grammar are flawless, with no careless typos.
4. Create a thesis statement that summarizes your main argument. Once you've hit on a specific question or idea you'd like to address in your essay, look at your research and think about the major point or argument you'd like to make. Try to summarize your main point, in 1-2 sentences.
Making an all-state team â outstanding achievement. Making an all-state team â counting the cost of saying "no" to other interests. Making a friend out of an enemy â finding common ground, forgiveness. Making a friend out of an enemy â confront toxic thinking and behavior in yourself.
Here are the eight steps to write an essay: Stage 1: Planning. 1. Pick an appropriate research topic. In certain cases, your teacher or professor may assign you a topic. However, in many cases, students have the freedom to select a topic of their choice.
Follow your outline, using each of your supporting points as the topic sentence of its own paragraph. Use descriptive words to get your ideas across to the reader. Go into detail, using specific information to tell your story or make your point. Stay on track, making sure that everything you include is somehow related to the main idea of your ...
Step One - Picture Perfect Summary. First, create a Picture Perfect Summary. Put your title/main idea in the center of the page, make a circle around it, and write down all the ideas and keywords about your topic that you can think of. Use one branch off the circle for each main idea. You're brainstorming at this point, so just write down ...
Presentation of the relevant questions to answer: Perfect essays should present the issues that the essay answers. In most cases, essay questions come in the form of instructions that come in directive words. For example, 'compare and contrast,' 'outline' and 'discuss' among others. Right format: Thirdly, authors should provide a ...
Step 1: Hook your reader. Step 2: Give background information. Step 3: Present your thesis statement. Step 4: Map your essay's structure. Step 5: Check and revise. More examples of essay introductions. Other interesting articles. Frequently asked questions about the essay introduction.
Before we get into the details, let's take a look at the structure of the writing paper. You have 80 minutes to write two texts - and it will go quickly! The first part is the essay; the second part is an article, email, letter, report, or review. You will be given the essay title and two ideas or prompts. It's essential that you include ...
Revised on July 23, 2023. An essay outline is a way of planning the structure of your essay before you start writing. It involves writing quick summary sentences or phrases for every point you will cover in each paragraph, giving you a picture of how your argument will unfold. You'll sometimes be asked to submit an essay outline as a separate ...
1,072 likes, 9 comments - academicstudying on May 5, 2024: "The DUE DATES for your final papers are closing in and this hack will make sure your essay is PERFECT! I ...
Step 1: Start with a question. You should come up with an initial thesis, sometimes called a working thesis, early in the writing process. As soon as you've decided on your essay topic, you need to work out what you want to say about itâa clear thesis will give your essay direction and structure.