Essay writing is an important part of high school and college education. In fact, knowing how to write a good essay is essential to get admission into a good university. An essay helps the reader assess the writer’s critical thinking and logical reasoning skills. Additionally, it’ll help readers understand the writer’s ability to convert their thoughts into academic writing form.
An essay should be creative, yet logical, which is why it is a challenging skill to master. The essay should directly address the set task or topic. It should be clear, coherent and present a strong, supported position. Additionally, it should make use of and quote relevant sources of information appropriately. Learning how to write a good essay is a challenging skill but it can be learnt.
Essay writing also comes in handy when you have to apply for scholarships, present research papers, college admission, etc. This is why children need to be taught how to write essays for kids from an early age. Here are 5 steps, which will help you learn how to write the perfect essay:
- Analyse the topic: A student’s essay should be written in such a way that it answers specific questions. It should address the topic directly, so you’ll need to analyse and understand the topic. Then, write about it without straying too far from the main points. If you don’t analyse the question, you wouldn’t know where the answer is headed. So, understand what you should answer, jot down your ideas and limit the content to focus on the main topic.
- A clear structure: A clear structure is an essential part of writing a good essay. A good essay should have an introduction, the main body and a conclusion. An essay is like an argument or a speech, starting with a thesis statement to grab the reader’s attention. Then, define your argument by taking an informed point of view on the topic and provide specific arguments. All the points you’ve written down, should answer the main question. Organise the points in a proper pattern starting with your agreements on the question, then disagreement or complication and finally, your opinion – whether you agree or disagree with the topic.
- Quoting relevant sources of information: Always backup your arguments with relevant sources of information. For example, if you’re writing an air pollution essay, you’ll need to provide evidence to support your scientific arguments for the causes of air pollution. Backing up your points or arguments with well-analysed quotations shows your appreciation and understanding of the topic. It also shows that you’re a keen researcher, who’s studied the topic in depth, before presenting your arguments.
- Write clearly and creatively: One thing that makes an essay stand apart from others is creative writing. Your essay should have clear and coherent language but should show your creativity and originality as well. Steer clear of plagiarising, this is sure to lose you some crucial points or marks. Additionally, it shows that you haven’t done enough research on the subject and just used another person’s work. Carefully revise and proofread your essay, and make edits where necessary. Pay close attention to the details and don’t fluff it, which could also give the impression that you did not understand the topic. Check for any grammatical or punctuation errors and ensure that the essay reads easily.
- A proper conclusion: Like with a speech, an essay should also end on a right note. The climax should be the pinnacle, every point in the essay has been leading up to. It should be creative and interesting rather than boring and plenary, without any redundancy or repetition. A good conclusion should tie all the main points together and prove the opening thesis statement in a succinct way.
Like everything else, essay writing also takes practice. So, practise as often as you can and follow these steps. You’ll be writing great essays in no time.
