Some students find it very difficult to plan and write an essay, and even a 1,500-word paper can cause them a lot of trouble.
Before embarking on a significant assignment such as a thesis, you should get used to writing an essay. Although these are usually around 10,000 words in length, remember that they are no different from shorter essays, they are just extended and therefore should contain more detail and evidence to answer the main questio.
Tips on Essay Writing
The most important thing for students to know when they start writing essays is that while there may be such a thing as a 'perfect' essay or a perfect argument, planning the perfect essay is almost impossible.
Although all essays should be structured in the same way, there is no standard number of sections or sections that should be outlined, nor is there a ready-made checklist of requirements that teachers use to evaluate all essays in all subjects. This is because no two essays are the same: essays are created to allow a free flow of ideas and should reflect the author's personality and opinions while relying on objective evidence and information.
If we were to ask a teacher if he or she could choose the perfect essay from all the ones he or she has seen, it would be completely impossible, because every student has a unique experience to draw from and their analysis of the question studied is different.
Furthermore, the emotions shown in essays are what teachers want to see, and obviously, we all don't feel the same when we read a book or write an essay.
Writing an essay can be a daunting task. There are many pitfalls, but don't despair! The following tips will help you avoid some common mistakes...
- Understanding the question. Highlight keywords. Are you being asked to discuss, compare, define or evaluate? Answer the question as it appears on the page, not the one you would like it to be.
- Do your research. Take detailed notes on your sources (books, articles, videos). Make sure you always write down all the details about the origin of particular quotes or ideas. Be careful with online sources: Wikipedia, although a great website, should not be quoted in academic papers.
- Plan your structure. Start by writing down your ideas in table or list form. Then start turning the material into a simpler structure, choose what to include in the introduction, determine the main points of each paragraph and find a way to tie it all together in the conclusion.
Above all, remember that your essay is a chance to express what you think and feel about a topic or a particular argument. If you follow these tips and put something of yourself alongside scientific evidence into your essay, you're in for quite a treat.
Draw up a Plan for your Essay
Most students have probably already heard that an essay begins with an introductory paragraph, followed by several sections divided into subsections, leading to a summary of the points made and a subsequent conclusion on the question.
Although some students are born writers and can write an essay with little planning, most need a plan or outline to work from. For example, you can use a spider chart, a flowchart or simply write down points. Your goal is to imagine the paragraphs on the page and how it will all fit together.
Our complete guide to writing will help you learn more useful tips!
It is at this point when you are coming up with ideas and theories to discuss, that you should determine the order in which you will present your thoughts. Good essays subtly link one paragraph to the other, so it's worth thinking in advance about which argument will flow into which.
When planning your essay, you are supposed to do the most research because you are writing an outline of what you talk about in the text. To do this, you can, for example, review chapters in your textbooks, skim through notes you have taken in class, explore resources offered by the exam board, such as NCEA past papers, or search for online reviews and articles that may interest you.
Having serious material and a plan for your essay can greatly increase your confidence. You will have a clear direction, so from now on, all you need is to develop your initial ideas on the question and make your argument structure more clear. Just think that you have already done most of the work. Now you simply need to write it all down.
Structuring your Work
If you try to strictly stick to the order you have set for your essay, you are likely to run into difficulties. In fact, even if you have a plan and an idea about what you are going to say, there must also be room for freedom in the writing process; otherwise, your essay may end up being pedantic and monotonous, so the reader may not like it even if the information you present is relevant.
What Structure should an Essay Have
You should start working on your assignment by writing the body of text, that is to say, going through the points in your plan and talking about them in detail, while using quotes and references to support your thoughts. If you come across any new ideas at this point, trust your instincts and you may make even more interesting conclusions step by step.
Your classmates may spend more time working on their writing assignments than you. That does not guarantee that their essays will be better than yours. Find out how writing every day can be a great way to become a skilled writer and make a consistent argument structure for the information in each paragraph!
As for beginners and those willing to improve their English, they can have a look at our guide for improving writing skills. Another option is to turn to the help of a private tutor in order to work on their general writing skills or an urgent academic paper with them.
What's the Introduction of an Essay about
The best advice when writing an essay is to always leave the introduction and conclusion to the end, even if you want to get them done before. Basically, the introduction to an essay tells the reader about your standpoint on the topic and gives them an idea of what kind of conclusion you might come to.
The introduction should better remain rather vague, as remember that at this stage, you have not yet stated your thesis and so, it is better to keep the intrigue for some time. The introduction does not have to strike the reader, as it is only the first of a series of steps towards a final conclusion.
There are different aspects of writing academic essays and argument presentation you can learn about them on our blog...
Concluding your Essay
The conclusion, by contrast, sums up the points made in the main body of the text, based on the various sources of information you have used to back them up. The conclusion section should ultimately answer the questions raised at the beginning of your paper and impress your readers. This is where you need to be clever and explain clearly and concisely how you came to your conclusions and why they seem important to you.
Remember that the introduction and conclusion of your essay are closely linked. You should be able to bring that connection out by matching the evidence-based findings in the latter with the assumptions made in the former. Clear presentation of each argument, reasoning and explanation are essential.
If the conclusion does not fit with the introduction, you may need to start again and rework the introduction to make the beginning and the end more consistent keeping in mind each argument you have used.
More Tips on Writing a Good Essay
Teachers and examiners will probably agree that a successful essay consists of various elements. These include a strong introduction, an interesting standpoint on the topic, evidence and an argument in each section, a concise summary and conclusion offering a new perspective on the topic and, of course, the use of irreproachable spelling, grammar, vocabulary and punctuation. Learn how to improve your spelling are deliver better paper!
Don't finish your work and forget about it. Although you may be impatient to tie it up, the last strokes you add to your work can play a very important role in how the whole text will be perceived by the reader. We recommend that you check and proofread it several times both to get rid of mistakes and typos, and to make sure it reads fluently. It can also be a good idea to ask a friend or parent to read the text and give their opinion.
If you don't have a rich vocabulary, use a dictionary to experiment with new words that suit your tone and writing style. That will gradually help you vary your writing paragraph by paragraph and make it more powerful so the reader will like reading it.
If your essay is written as an original work or you prepared it for school or university, be sure to include references, quotations and information about your bibliography to avoid plagiarism.
Do you have any thoughts about the future of the English language? And what about the current state of English spelling in New Zealand?
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