How to Write an Essay - A Step-by-Step Guide
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Essay writing is a significant part of academic assignments that students are assigned to draft. Especially for your language course, this assignment writing type will be frequently asked to submit by the instructors regardless of the academic level of the student.
An essay is written for almost every field in every discipline. No matter what the subject is, you will have to draft interesting essays to score well.
An essay is a short piece of writing which explains an idea or topic. Essays might be written for various purposes, but the basic structure is the same. The purpose of assigning this assignment is to make students improve their writing and analyzing skills.
These skills will not only help you survive the academic life but the practical life as well. So writing an essay can help you in so many ways and on so many levels.
Essay writing is always a challenge for school and college students. Proper guidance is required for beginners to write a good essay. Continue reading this easy step-by-step guide to help you write a flawless essay.
What is an Essay?
An essay is a short piece of writing on a particular subject. It is a form of academic writing in which a writer attempts to inform or persuade the reader.
In an essay, a writer chooses a theme to draft his essay and gather facts or experiences to persuade the audience. Depending on the type of essay, the writer uses various elements to deliver the message clearly.
Essay writing is a major part of academic writing. It is very common in high school, college, and universities. Essays, including a variety of college essays and research papers, are very common writings.
An essay can be of two types: formal and informal. Academic writing belongs to formal essays, so they have to be well structured. For this purpose, an essay outline is used to make sure that the content is formatted according to the guidelines and requirements.
How to Start an Essay?
If you are a student, regardless of school, college, or university, you must have been given an essay writing assignment. The essay is generally based on two processes; preparation and writing.
If you have a strong plan for your essay, the chances are that you will produce an effective essay. Do you need some guidance on how to start an essay? Follow the steps provided below to begin your essay.
- 1. Decide the Type of Essay
The first step in writing an essay is to decide what type of essay you or your instructor wants. There are various types of the essay, but the main four types are defined here:
- 1. Narrative Essay
In a narrative essay, a writer tells or narrates a story. A writer has a chance to think and write his thoughts in the form of a story. The story revolves around a particular point of view. That point is established at the start of the first paragraph or might be written in the last sentence of the first paragraph.
When writing a narrative essay, the body paragraphs present the precise details of the story. You might want to engage the reader by showing the interesting points of your story. Use can use vivid verbs and captivating dialogues.
At the college level, many students write a narrative essay, thinking that it's the easiest type of essay. They have to narrate a story, i.e., telling a friend about the incident with them at the mall or what happened when they offered a banana to the monkey in the zoo.
Here is an example of a Narrative essay.
- 2. Persuasive Essay
In a persuasive essay, a writer tries to convince the audience about some perspective. It is also known as an argumentative essay.
While writing a persuasive essay, you have to convince the reader with logic and authentic proofs to accept your idea or suggestion. Therefore, you need to present clear arguments and support them by logical reason and convincing facts.
Here is an example of a persuasive essay.
- 3. Descriptive Essay
A descriptive essay is a description of an event. It asks the student to describe their experience of a particular event or describe an object, place, emotion, or situation.
A descriptive essay gives you the freedom to paint an image that is flowing in your mind. You can describe your thoughts in your way; you don’t have any boundaries. But, use concise and clear language that leaves a reader with a clear understanding.
Here is an example of a descriptive essay.
- 4. Expository Essay
In an expository essay, the writer explores the idea and tries to explain it so that it becomes clear in a reader’s mind. It is an illustration or an explanation to clarify the idea.
The expository essay demands the students to investigate an idea, assess the data, and present evidence that makes the idea clear in the reader’s mind.
Here is an example of an expository essay.
- 1. Narrative Essay
- 2. Brainstorm Ideas
Once you have chosen the type of your essay, the next step is brainstorming. Brainstorming is a tricky part of essay writing; you need to sit and think of different ideas, the purpose of your writing, what you want to write? Why did you pick a particular type of essay?
- 3. Select the Essay Topic
After picking the type of essay, and brainstorming session, the next step is to choose the topic.
While choosing the topic, you can follow these steps:
- Think of different topics.
- Write down all the topics that come to your mind.
- Make a list of relevant topics and exclude the others
- Choose the best one among them that exactly refers to the purpose you have thought of before.
- You must choose a topic that is neither too broad nor too narrow.
- 4. Draft a Thesis Statement
Once you have an essay topic in hand, decide on a strong thesis statement. A thesis statement is the main argument of the writer on the topic. All the information that you gather for your essay proves and supports this argument.
Come up with a strong claim on the topic and gather information accordingly. Writing a strong thesis statement is essential. So spend time thinking and choosing the right stance for your paper.
- 5. Research
Research is a very crucial part of essay writing. Once you have chosen the topic, invest some time in research to get the information about the topic and the main thesis statement. Good research will help you write a good essay.
You can search for your topic on the internet or go to the library and find books related to your topic. However, it is important to keep in mind to consult only credible sources when researching.
Once you have completed your research and gathered reliable information, move on to the next process, writing.
How to Write an Essay?
The writing process of an essay becomes easier if you have a plan or a framework. Once you have successfully created a plan or prepared your essay, you will know exactly how to write.
The basic writing process of an essay is as follows:
- 1. Introduction
An introduction is the entry point or the first section of your essay. It is essential to draft this section according to the reader’s interest. You need to make a good impression on the reader. Grab the reader’s attention by providing authentic information.
An introductory paragraph is started using a hook or an opening statement. A hook is used as an attention-grabbing tool that can be a dialogue, fact, or some authentic information, etc. A hook is chosen according to the type and nature of the topic.
After writing the opening sentence, introduce your topic by providing relevant and important background information. Precisely state facts related to the topic in a way that motivates the readers to read further.
Your introduction should consist of only one paragraph. So you need to be very concise, use small sentences, and have clear language.
- 2. Write the Thesis Statement
When you start writing an essay, the main step is to develop a thesis statement. At the end of your introductory paragraph, present your thesis statement. It informs the reader about the topic and what you are going to write in your essay. It's the crux of the whole essay.
The thesis statement explains the whole essay in just one statement. The perfect thesis statement is all you need to write a perfect essay. If your thesis statement is on point, you are good to go. But, if your thesis statement is not correct, then you might have lost it.
- 3. Body Paragraph
The body paragraphs of an essay contain all the researched and gathered information that backs your main stance. You will be supporting your thesis statement in this section. The body part mainly has 3 parts:
- Topic sentence
- Supporting points
- Explanation
A topic sentence is the opening sentence of your body paragraph that presents an argument in support of your main thesis statement. This is written to let the readers know what that specific paragraph is about.
After writing the topic sentence, provide supporting information and explanation. Your body paragraphs should have transition words to bring a smooth flow and connection to the content.
- 4. Conclusion
The conclusion is the exit point of your essay. Sum up your essay and provide a final stance on your topic. Do not introduce a new idea, just summarize the major points written above and close the discussion.
You need to be very precise, do not include a new point or argument in the conclusion. It consists of only 3 or 4 sentences that revolve around the main idea of the essay. Moreover, restate the thesis statement and end on a high point by leaving the reader satisfied but wanting more.
What is an Essay Outline?
An essay outline is a plan through which you structure all your data. An outline organizes the gathered raw information to make it readable and understandable for the audience. Without the outline, there will be no sense or logic in your information.
There are several types of essays, but they all are written using the traditional essay outline. The traditional outline or the ‘5 paragraphs’ structure includes the following components:
- Introductory Paragraph
- Body Paragraph 1
- Body Paragraph 2
- Body Paragraph 3
- Conclusion
Structure your essay by arranging all the information in an introduction, body, and conclusion sections. An outline brings a smooth and logical flow to the essay content. It gradually takes the audience towards the point where the writer wants them to be.
Essay Examples
When writing an essay for academics, it is suggested by professionals to go through existing essay examples. This will help the writer to understand how the topic is discussed, and the essay is structured.
Below are some examples of the essays that will help you understand the purpose and format through which the authors have drafted their document.
Essay Writing Tips
Students always look for tips and tricks to make their essays stand out. Small details can add charm and strength to your essay. Mentioned below are the tips provided by expert essay writers of CollegeEssay.org.
Follow these tips to make your essays compelling.
- Proofread for Grammar and Spelling Mistakes
To make your essay spelling and grammatical-error-free, a student must follow these tips.
- Reread your essay 2 or 3 times.
- Check the order of the paragraph. Make sure they are making sense. You must start and end your body part with the strongest point.
- Check for spelling and grammatical mistakes.
- Check your writing. Is it making sense?
- Check for punctuation errors.
- Use spell check tools. There are a lot of spell-check tools freely available on the internet.
- Check for Formatting and Style
Style and formatting play a major role in making strong content. So your essay should be in proper formatting.
- Check the margin. Is it according to the format?
- Check if the font size and style is according to the format
- Check the line spacing. Did you double-space your lines?
- Check for the indentation. Make sure you have justified your content according to the format, i.e., your format needs to be left-justified.
- Avoid Common Mistakes
There are some common mistakes students make which should be avoided. For example,
- Avoid inappropriate language
- Do not copy-paste the content.
- Try to avoid passive voice
- Do not use slang language and inappropriate words
- Do not write in capital letters. It shows anger.
- Do not write long sentences in the introduction and conclusion.
- Do not go into depth to answer the question.
- Use Plagiarism Checker
Plagiarism is one thing students don't pay attention to. But it plays a major part in your grading. Professionals give several tips to avoid plagiarism to prevent the writer from committing this hideous crime.
If you plan to use someone's ideas or thoughts, you must cite the reference to avoid plagiarism. You need to cite your own sources or work as well. Also, consult the teacher for the citation style.
You might have to check the plagiarism before submitting your academic essay. It will save you from getting into an awkward situation. There are many free plagiarism checking tools available, which can help you save your essay and grade.
Drafting an essay can be challenging at times. Students fail to manage time for all their homework, and as a result, poor quality content is developed. Save the students from embarrassment; it is advised to get professional assistance.
Whether you lack writing skills or time, writing companies provide help and guidance in all your academic assignments. CollegeEssay.org is a professional essay writing company that helps students with all their writing needs.
Be it a college essay or a regular essay, expert writers at this company can assist and write them for you.
Start writing your essay by following this guide, creating a perfect draft, and impress your professor if you are still confused and need professional help. We are here to solve your problems.
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FAQs
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1. What are the 5 parts of an essay?
The five parts of an essay are:
- One introduction paragraph
- Three-body paragraphs
- One conclusion paragraph
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2. How many paragraphs is an essay?
An essay has three sections: an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. The five-paragraph structure is the basic format for writing essays but can have more paragraphs to elaborate on specific ideas or concepts in detail.
Barbara P.
Literature, Marketing
Barbara is a highly educated and qualified author with a Ph.D. in public health from an Ivy League university. She has spent a significant amount of time working in the medical field, conducting a thorough study on a variety of health issues. Her work has been published in several major publications.
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