Writing an essay is a task that is dreaded by a lot of students yet it is important for academic success. It doesn’t matter if the essay is for a scholarship, coursework, or an exam, there are students that will find the process to be overwhelming. Essay writing doesn’t have to be challenging provided you’re taking care of the basics. There are some tips that will come in handy if you’re looking to improve your writing skills and we’re going to highlight some of them.
Picking a Topic
You might be assigned a topic or given to choose of your own liking. If there is a topic, you’ll need to figure out the kind of paper that needs to be written. Do you need an overview of the subject or there is a need to focus on a particular area? Narrowing down the focus is going to be crucial for the success of the essay. You might have to do more research if the topic hasn’t been assigned. It will also be the perfect opportunity to work on a topic that you’re passionate about. The key is to identify the purpose for writing the article. Are you supposed to inform or persuade? The purpose of the essay will inform the direction you’re supposed to take.
Preparing the Outline
The outline will be like the base for the essay. For an essay to be written successfully, it is imperative that you’re organizing your thoughts. There should be a connection between all the thoughts you might be having about that particular topic. It is recommended to have an outline that will bring all the ideas together in a coherent structure.
Writing the Thesis Statement
Once you’ve chosen the topic, organized them into different categories, the next step would be to come up with a thesis statement. A good thesis statement should have two parts. The first part will state the topic while the second part brings out the point of the essay. This information should be clear from the onset so that your readers who what the essay is all about. That is why it is crucial that you’re going for persuasive essay topics if you’re given the chance to pick on your own topic.
Writing the Body
The body of the essay should clearly explain the topic. Every main idea that was included in the outline will have a different section in the body. Your main idea should be introduced in the introductory sentence. For your readers to be hooked right from the beginning, you will an introduction that is an attention-grabber. For an academic essay, facts always work magic as people will want to read more. It doesn’t matter the angle you chose, you just have to make sure that it is tied to the thesis statement so that you’re not going out of topic with the essay.
Writing the Introduction
You should only write the introduction once you’ve developed the body for the thesis. The introduction is all about drawing the reader’s attention. Don’t focus too much on information that is not relevant to the essay. It is easy to get carried away because of the passion you have for that particular topic.
Writing the Conclusion
The conclusion will be a summary of the essay topic. You’re also supposed to come up with a final perspective on the topic. Ideally, it should consist of three to five closing statements. Don’t repeat what you’d already mentioned in the body of the essay. You can review the main points of argument and provide reinforcing conclusions.
Final Touches
The completion of the essay doesn’t end when you write the conclusion. It is crucial to pay attention to the smaller details as they could ruin the credibility of your essay. You should be on the lookout for grammar and spelling mistakes. Make sure to proofread more than once just to be safe. The order of paragraphs will also need to be checked. There should be a flow of ideas with the essay so that the readers are hooked from the beginning to the end of the essay.
Final Thoughts
There are different types of essays and you might have a take different approach based on the instructions provided. Having cohesion with the arguments will go a long way in ensuring that your message is understood. For academic essays, they’ll need to be properly cited in order to provide credibility which is key. We hope you find this guide valuable.