Writing an essay can be compared to a nightmare in case you are not ready. At the same time, it helps to develop a range of important skills such as:
- Content Writing
- Research
- Analytical
- Communication
It also helps to pick the most important thing out of all. In other words, it links you to your real goals and helps to set priorities.
From time to time, students are encouraged to prepare personal statements and scholarship essays with the purpose to obtain a scholarship. Another purpose is to get to the dream school like Harvard, Yale, or Oxford. Who knows how far your writing skills can get you.
Thus, you should know the basic principles of academic writing. An essay cannot be called a large project - there are just three main steps in the writing process. The entire structure looks this way:
- Introduction with the strong thesis
- Body paragraphs (3-5)
- Conclusion with re-stated thesis
Follow the tips provided below in this article to make it through. A good example of essay writing may also serve as a great piece of information for your ideas. An example of the paper may be found on one of the online writing services.
Whatever your purpose is, use these effective writing tips.
- Thinking about a topic.
Students may find their topic assigned by their teachers. In case your tutor does not give you one, he may be interested in your own thought. When you are given the main idea, all you have to do is to come up with the type of essay, action plan, and start searching for the corresponding sources. If you don’t have a topic, look through all relevant course information to pick one (here you can find a few topics for your compare and contrast essay).
List your ideas related to the studied material. What point is worth writing about it? Is there something crucial for the society you’re living in? You are encouraged to provide both an overview and specific analysis of the topic. Try to narrow your focus to avoid using too many words and long phrases.
- Making an outline to serve as a writing plan.
Writing a winning essay always involves building some plan which is known as an outline. You can make a draft of the table of contents as well. This is done to keep your ideas organized. Try to see the links between different thoughts on your topic when writing them down. Start with the draft. Another way to see the links and tie the main points together is through building a diagram. Still, an outline should not be included in the final paper unless you’re asked to by your teacher.
Writing a topic name in the middle of the blank page is a clue. Include 3-5 lines branching off from the main idea. Put down arguments that will later become the center of your body paragraphs. As far as college and university essays are limited in words, avoid wordiness by leaving only the strongest points. Those are the supporting points that have most of the information on them.
- Writing thesis statement.
Although thesis sentence usually comes at the end of the introduction, it is better to come up with it at the beginning of your writing process.
Once you have prepared a common structure based on your topic arguments, it would be easier to address the main question of your paper. Thesis statement figures as the point of your essay. Turn to your outline for help.
This last sentence of the introduction is usually made of two parts. The first part shows the topic while the second one claims the point. For example, if students were told to compose an essay about Michael Jackson and his impact on the world’s pop culture, an appropriate thesis statement would sound this way, “Michael Jackson has influenced the entire pop culture through his life as the best-sold pop singer.”
- Writing the body.
The purpose of your essay body is either to:
- Argue
- Explain
- Describe
You may include each of the purposes when working on these 3-5 paragraphs. The main point is to include appropriate transition words and phrases to build links between the last and first sentences. To know where each new section should start, turn to your outline.
Understand that the whole essay must be written in a single structure, so keep to the point. Make your paper flow logically by recalling the main idea in each body paragraph. It is time to use the information you found on the web and in the library as your sources. Include in-text citations to sound more persuasive. Provide detailed examples found in literature and taken from your own life. Mind that each example should be relevant.
- Writing the introduction.
After following those tips associated with creating thesis and body section, writing an essay introduction (or its first paragraph) would be much easier. The very first sentence should sound intriguing, so take some fact or statistics from the discovered relevant information. You may want to start with the joke or famous proverb to catch an eye of your reader. They have to be related to your topic somehow. Otherwise, such hooks won’t make any sense.
Show the focus of your essay. Remember that any introduction should end up with the thesis statement.
- Writing the conclusion.
We are moving to the last section of any essay so far. It is time to give the answer to the main question of your essay. Restate the topic/thesis statement in the first sentence of your conclusion, and provide a final perspective on your topic. University essays conclusion usually has 3-5 strong sentences based on the thesis and body arguments. The links between arguments should become obvious.
- Making the finishing efforts.
An academic essay has to be scanned for plagiarism and mistakes before submitting. The best way to make sure everything’s fine is by ordering proofreading and editing from the writing experts. Another effective idea is to check every page with your glossary or special software, but it may take more time. Besides, no machine can detect and fix every single error.
Ask your peers or relatives to share their feedback after reading your essay. Their critique may also help. Check the order of your essay once again. By the way, have you included all references on the last additional page? Hurry up to find out!
