Today, most working students find essay writing a daunting affair. The workload is huge, and the study hours keep increasing to ensure full coverage of the syllabus.
Most of the students with adequate time don’t know how to write an effective essay. They lack the necessary skills for writing essays. These students, at times, claim that they find writing boring and don’t even know where to start.
With the following essay writing tips, you can write your essay with confidence, so you avoid embarrassing grades, late submission, and unhealthy sleepless nights.
Read The Essay Prompt Keenly To Understand The Question
Start by reading the question from your instructor carefully. It’s an essential phase of essay writing. Once you understand the prompt, you will know the essay type you are supposed to write.
While reading the essay prompt, be sure to highlight keywords such as:
Discuss
Compare
Contrast
Evaluate
Explain
Analyze
Critique
Furthermore, identify limiting words such as, in the 21st century, in America, within the health sector, and more.
Choose A Topic
Once you get an overview of the essay, the next step is to select a more relevant topic. Sit down in a calm environment and start brainstorming ideas as you write them down.
You may start by writing broad topics first, then narrow down to specific ones. The essay topic depends on the essay type and purpose.
There are several ways to help you come up with the best essay topic. These include:
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Researching the internet for similar topics
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Going through your class notes to find something more relevant
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Talking to your teacher on the possible topical ideas for your essay
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Finding out what your friends have chosen, so you pick something related but focus on a different angle.
Create An Essay Outline
Before you start writing, you should create an essay outline. Write the topic at the top of the paper and then create the introduction, essay body, and conclusion.
If you would like to write a five-paragraph essay, then your outline should consist of an introduction, at least three major points, and lastly, a conclusion. Ensure there’s spacing under each idea where you can jot down smaller ideas that support the major idea.
The outline will guide you into writing a great essay.
Sample outline:
Introduction
First sentence
Thesis statement
Essay Body
Provide statistics
Relevant information on the subject
Research on the essay topic
Relevant data if available
Conclusion
Thesis restatement
Support major arguments
Call to action
Create A Thesis Statement
By now, you already have an essay outline and the topic. So, it’s time to get into writing. Begin by creating a comprehensive thesis statement, which tells your audience the purpose of the paper. Go through the outline so you can come up with a suitable thesis.
The thesis statement should state the essay topic and the primary argument. The thesis should contain an overall response to the essay’s question or problem.
Include the thesis statement in the first paragraph and be sure to refer to it many times in the essay. You will need to restate the thesis statement in your conclusion.
Remember, a thesis statement has two major parts; the first part of a thesis states the essay topic, and the other part states the essay point.
For example, if you were to write about Barrack Obama and his impact on the United States, you may write: “Barack Obama impacted the future of the United States through his two terms as the American President.”
Write The Body Paragraphs
The essay body explains, argues, and describes the essay topic. Each of the main ideas in your outline becomes a separate section in your essay body.
Every paragraph of your essay body should have a similar basic structure. The introductory sentence should contain the main idea. After that, include your supporting ideas in sentences that follow, but you can leave three to four lines between each point so you can come back to provide more elaborate examples in a way that backs up your position.
Remember to quote relevant sources using the appropriate citation style. If you use direct quotes, then you should cite them in accordance with the required format.
Write The Introduction Paragraph
After writing your essay thesis and the body paragraphs, it’s time to write the introduction. Your introduction should grab the attention of your reader and provide the essay’s focus.
Start the introductory paragraph with a hook. This can be a:
Story
Shocking revelation
Dialogue
Topic summary
Quote
Whichever approach you go for, ensure it connects well with the thesis statement, which you should capture in your introduction’s last sentence.
Write The Concluding Paragraph
The conclusion should be given a lot of importance, just like the introduction. This section gives you an opportunity to sum up your thoughts and close up on the essay topic.
Keep the conclusion short by writing only three to five sentences. Avoid introducing a new idea in your conclusion. Instead, provide a summary of the previous arguments.
You should restate the thesis statement and also support your stance one more time.
Proofread And Edit The First Draft
After completing the conclusion, don’t stop and think you have finished the essay. Before turning your essay in, you should go through it once again to polish on some details.
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Check the paragraph order of your essay
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Ensure your strongest points appear in the essay body’s first and last paragraphs. The other points should fall in the middle.
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Besides, ensure the paragraph order of your essay makes sense. For example, if the essay describes a process, such as how to choose a career, ensure the paragraphs fall in the right order.
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Review the essay instructions to ensure you haven’t left anything out.
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Reread the essay to ensure all your sentences are sensible and that paragraphs flow smoothly.
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Check the essay for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors and correct where necessary
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Delete irrelevant sections from the paper; you can change the vocabulary to improve expressions.
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Ensure your paper meets the required word count.
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Give the essay to your friend to read through before you write the final draft
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Write the final draft and hand it in before the deadline.
Those are the essay guidelines you should follow whenever you are assigned an essay in college. If, for any reason, you have a lot of assignments and feel you can’t beat the deadlines, consider hiring online writing help.