Writing an essay can be challenging, especially for freshers and students suffering from writer’s block. However, with professional guidance, you will discover that this task is doable and even engaging. All you need is to divide the writing process into a series of logical steps and follow them in due order.
From understanding the essay’s requirements to wrapping up the arguments, we’ll walk you through all the essential steps to writing an essay that hits the mark and share top tips from our best experts. However, before delving into details, it’s essential to understand what an essay is. So, let’s start with the basics first!
What’s an essay?
An essay is a piece of writing in which you express your point of view on a particular topic. It usually consists of three main parts: an introduction, body paragraphs supporting your main argument and a conclusion summarising the key points. Essays can be assigned to you in high school, college and even beyond, so knowing how to write a good essay is an important life skill that will pay off in the long run.
How many types of essays are there?
There are many different essay types, but they are often divided into four categories: expository, narrative, descriptive and argumentative.
Before planning and researching, you should know what type of essay the assignment falls into, as it will influence everything – from how you structure your writing to the evidence you will use. This is especially important at high school or university since a narrative essay won’t score high if it is meant to be persuasive.
How long should an essay be?
The traditional 5-paragraph essay structure is used in most high school and college essays. However, it may have more paragraphs depending on the subject matter, assignment brief and level. The length of an essay can range between 500 and 1500 words.
How long does it take to write an essay?
It all depends on your skills, knowledge of the topic, and the purpose and length of the essay. For example, it may take two different students between 30 minutes to 2+ hours to write a 500-word essay on the same topic. So, if you were given a word limit, follow it. If not, keep writing until you’re satisfied with the result. And make sure your beginning and ending parts are as good as they can be.
To gain a better understanding of how to write a proper essay, we recommend reviewing the stages and steps outlined below.
How to write an essay: the process
The entire essay writing process can be divided into three major stages:
- Planning: This stage includes everything from understanding the requirements and brainstorming ideas to researching and producing an outline. The goal here is to collect and organise the information and ideas you will use to compose the essay.
- Writing: Create a first draft based on the information and ideas obtained during planning. At this stage, you should concentrate on getting your ideas down on paper rather than worrying about grammar, spelling and other technical aspects.
- Polishing: You will largely revise and modify your draft throughout this stage to improve the essay’s coherence, clarity and effectiveness. This might even require you to reorganise your thoughts, clarify arguments, refine sentence structure and word choice and fix mistakes. Remember, your goal is to produce a flawless final version of the essay.
These three stages are the foundation of what makes a good essay and are simple to follow for anyone. Continue reading to find out more about the steps to take to craft an effective essay without the stress and hassle!
Step-by-step guide to writing a good essay
Here’s how to make an essay worthy of your professor’s praise in 8 simple steps:
1. Carefully study the assignment brief
The first step in writing a flawless essay of any type is to read the assignment brief and ensure you understand it. Many students skip this step and proceed directly to writing. As a result, they get papers that do not address the prompt and fail to meet professors’ expectations. You may avoid this error and set yourself up for success by taking the time to understand the task at hand.
Always pay attention to the following:
- Type of essay
- Topic
- Word count
- General organisation guidelines
- Formatting requirements
- Citation style
It’s also important to discuss any concerns with your instructor before getting down to work. This will save you hours of time and help you stay on the right track as you write your essay.
2. Brainstorm a unique topic
You are lucky if you weren’t given a specific topic for your essay. This allows you to investigate any subject matter that interests you. Choosing a topic you feel enthusiastic about will help you stay motivated. However, make sure that your topic is relevant. This will give your writing a unique perspective.
Once you have a general topic, narrow the focus to a specific aspect. Remember, your topic should entice readers and pique their interest rather than offer a solution.
3. Do research
Research is one of the most critical steps to write an essay. Choosing an intriguing topic that is a perfect match between your interests and your guidelines isn’t enough. You must delve deeper and analyse all facts and evidence on a particular subject.
Start your research with textbooks and online databases. Look for trustworthy sources and learn what scholars have to say about your topic. As you go through the sources, take notes on essential points and evidence that you can use to support your argument. Making a list of significant ideas will help you organise your thoughts more effectively. You can also come across some great quotes that you can use to create a compelling hook along the way.
4. Create your thesis statement
Developing a thesis statement is critical to defining the direction of any essay. It is the core assertion or argument that you present and then support with evidence.
A solid thesis statement should be concise and provide a synopsis of your key ideas. Are you advocating for a particular point of view or exploring a concept? Are you questioning commonly held assumptions or providing novel solutions? The goal is for your claim to be crystal clear and focused.
Keep in mind that you will need to draw attention to your thesis statement throughout the entire essay. After all, you must develop a strong claim that effectively communicates your main point.
5. Develop an outline
Excellent essays do not appear out of nowhere. Even skilled essay writers require a plan to keep their writing clean. This is where an outline can help. Outlining before writing any type of work is essential since it guarantees that your arguments flow logically.
An outline should not be too long or too detailed. At this point, all you need to do is come up with a rough plan to ensure that you aren’t heading in the wrong direction. If you need to submit it together with the paper, don’t worry about how it looks. The goal is to decide on the sequence of your ideas.
6. Write your paper
Once the outline is ready, you can begin your writing journey. When you start writing a rough draft, focus on putting your ideas down on paper rather than stressing about perfecting every sentence. It is the first draft of your essay, and it will very certainly be revised at a later time. Your primary task at this point is to begin shaping your argument following your outline.
- Write an appealing introduction, taking approximately 15% of your paper
To make your writing stand out, create an opening line (hook) that will pique the professor’s interest. This could include making a provocative statement, revealing an unexpected fact or statistic or sharing a personal insight linked to your topic. Then, provide some basic details about the topic, introduce the thesis statement and clarify the main argument.
- Develop body paragraphs
A well-structured body usually has three paragraphs. Each paragraph should start with a topic sentence that introduces the main point. Make sure to provide rock-solid evidence and examples after the topic sentence to support your argument further. Be sure your evidence is directly related to the central point, and always maintain consistency.
- Craft a powerful conclusion
Just as your first paragraph should be attention-grabbing, you should end strong. Your ending paragraph should summarise the important arguments mentioned in the body of your essay and concisely restate your argument. Your goal here is to avoid word-for-word repetitions and new details.
7. Insert citations as you write
You will almost certainly need to use multiple sources for the essay. Add important facts or arguments to your bookmarks, or take notes as soon as you find them. You may need to cite the source right away in some cases. Remember that your essay must follow formatting guidelines and include in-text citations and a reference list. Consistency is key here.
You can also create a document containing bibliographic information for each source as you conduct your research. It will help avoid plagiarism.
8. Proofread and edit your writing
Aside from a typical spell check, you should perform a grammar check to correct errors. Take extra care with word choice and readability. Nothing is more frustrating than having your arguments diluted by awkward sentences.
If not requested otherwise, use formal language and avoid cliches and passive voice. Editing entails more than just addressing grammatical and stylistic problems. You should be able to examine your complete text and remove individual phrases or entire sentences to improve cohesiveness. Lastly, read your essay aloud to ensure that it makes sense.
Now that you know the basics and steps to take in your creative process, let’s move on to essay writing tips from our best experts.
10 essential tips for essay writing every student should know
Essay writing is an art that requires practice. The more you write, the better your writing becomes. Here are the 10 top essay tips that will help you produce a masterpiece without putting in too much effort:
- Do not wait until the last minute. Instead, start early. The more time you have to prepare your essay, the better results you’ll get.
- Include diverse sources to back up your argument. This will add credibility to your writing.
- Avoid superfluous words, slang, jargon, overly casual language or repetition. Stay on point and communicate your thoughts clearly.
- Mix up the lengths and structures of your sentences to keep your writing interesting and avoid monotony.
- Use quotes sparingly and always ensure the accuracy of facts and examples.
- Read other people’s essays to get a reference for style, structure and content. However, don’t plagiarise.
- Showing knowledge of opposing viewpoints and adequately addressing them might help strengthen your argument.
- If you’re stuck, take a little break and then continue writing.
- Becoming a skilled essayist requires time and effort. Continue to be persistent and patient with yourself as you hone your skills.
- Don’t hesitate to ask your friends or relatives for constructive essay criticism. This might assist you in identifying areas for development and improving your writing skills.
Still wondering what’s the best way to write an essay? Contact our UK essay writing service today! Our professional essayists have years of expertise in crafting top-notch essays for students at all levels. They will gladly help you tailor a top-quality piece conforming to the specific guidelines of your institution, 24/7.
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