The Beginners Guide To Writing An Essay

The Beginner's Guide To Writing An Essay 'Some - those who work less consciously - may have a very sketchy plan. Planning your essay makes the writing process quicker and easier. You'll be able to focus on expressing your ideas while remaining within the word count, rather than having to organise your thoughts as you write, which often leads to waffling. We've asked two academic experts for their recommendations on how to plan and write a first-class essay. Mastering how to write an essay early on will help you prepare for writing your dissertation in your final year. If it’s a ‘define and explain’ kind of question, you’ll need to show that you have a deep understanding of the topic. If it has two parts, divide your essay into two parts to answer the question. Read widely around the topic before you even start and you’re halfway there. Essays need to have a beginning, a middle and an end. Some teachers advice their students to come up with three points for their thesis. What invariably ends up happening is that you end up writing three mini-essays that are only loosely connected. What’s important is that there is no set rule as to how many paragraphs you can use for any section of your essay. Taking the time to properly plan an essay can lead to higher grades, with lecturers welcoming a logical structure that clearly demonstrates your understanding of the subject. The trick with writing paragraphs is to remind your reader of the general argument. However, there’s no need to conclude every paragraph with a summary of what came before. Just make sure you paragraphs transition nicely from one to the next. Michael recommends that you begin writing your essay by expanding your plan. 'You may find it helpful to write the conclusion first, especially if you know exactly what it is you want to argue,' he adds. 'This can help you to clarify your ideas and also give you something to work towards. If you'll internalize the format presented above, you'll develop the ability to write clear and compelling essays. The body of your essay is where you explain, describe or argue the topic you've chosen. In a long essay, your introduction might take up two or three paragraphs. You can also have as many middle paragraphs as you like. Every essay obviously has an introduction and a conclusion. The introduction should outline the problem, explain why it’s important, and briefly outline the main arguments. Don’t start with a dictionary definition â€" this is clichéd and boring. It should sum up the main arguments in the middle and finish with a conclusions that finally answers the essay question. Having the ability to write effective essays will become increasingly important as you progress through high school and into college. Linear plans are useful for essays requiring a rigid structure. They provide a chronological breakdown of the key points you're going to address. This means that, when writing your essay, you can progress through these points. It's up to you to decide which essay writing strategy to adopt but pick the one that works best for you. 'Many successful essay writers plan consciously and deliberately, and commit to extensive notes, lists or mind maps,' he says. At this point in the essay writing unit we strongly recommend you follow the links from this page and explore the devices you can use to improve the effectiveness of your essay writing. If it’s a ‘compare and contrast’ kind of question, you’ll need to demonstrate both sides of the argument. Each of the main ideas you included in your outline or diagram will become of the body paragraphs. If you wrote down four main ideas in your outline or diagram, then you'll have four body paragraphs.