Writing a good essay isn’t for the faint-hearted – it requires strong will and skill. As much as writing one is a tough ask, no student can run away from writing one during college.
That is why it’s extremely important that you know what to do when your professor asks you to write an essay. You need to learn the basics of writing an essay.
This article will look at some of the tips you need to know before you can write an essay that will get you excellent grades. Here are the 5 you should always know.
Tips to improve Your Essay Writing Skills
Tip 1: Research the Essay Question
The essay question is the most important bit of any essay. In it you can find what the moderator or professor is looking for. You cannot hope to write a great essay unless you understand the essay question.
There are several ways of researching the essay question that will give direction to your essay. The most direct way to research the essay question is to look at the keywords in the question. The keywords can be defined as follows;
- Content words: Content words carry the weight of the essay. These are the words that will tell you what the topic of your essay should be. For example, in “Describe the causes of Brexit,” the key content words are “causes” and Brexit.
- Instructional words/verbs: These words will tell you how you should approach your essay. They will tell you whether you should explain or analyze an idea. Find out whether the question wants you to do either of the two.
- Limiting words: limiting words will do the pointing for you and make it clear what you need to focus on. Pay attention to the specifics in the question. For example, there are many consequences of Brexit, but there are only a few that affect trade in the EU.
Once you have read the question, try to focus on these types of words. Figure out what is asked of you before you start writing your essay.
Tip 2: Have an outline
An outline will give you a roadmap on how to answer the question you just figured out above. An outline should make it easier for you to write an essay. Every essay has an outline which is often pretty straightforward. Your outline should include the following;
- An introduction: The introduction to an essay should state the topic and present your thesis statement. The statement alerts your reader about what you are going to discuss in your essay. It gives important background information to the reader.
- The body: The body of your essay includes paragraphs or sections that discuss your points or arguments to support your thesis statement. Each paragraph should discuss a different point.
- A conclusion: The conclusion summarizes how your arguments have answered your thesis statement. The conclusion consolidates your arguments into one statement that proves your thesis.
Before you can begin writing, make sure each part of your essay is well addressed. Make notes about what you will say under each section. Once you are happy with what you have scribbled for each section, you can then begin to write.
Tip 3: Support your arguments with strong evidence using good sources
You can understand the essay question, create an outline, and then start writing. However, unless you support your arguments (paragraphs), your essay will not be good enough.
Once you make a point, do some research and find some evidence to support that point. Evidence can be quotations, statistics, or illustrations. But don’t just include evidence and leave it at that, you will need to analyze it and relate it to your argument.
This is where most students find essay writing difficult. In fact, many choose to ask for help online from services that provide essay help.
There are many expert writers at Writix.co.uk and many other services online that can show students how to support their arguments with evidence. These services have played an important role in helping students get better at writing essays.
In addition to finding evidence, students need to show where they found their sources. This is called citing, and it should be done well.
You should cite your sources in the text and include them in a reference list or bibliography once you are done writing. If citing sources is an issue for you, online services can also help you with this.
tip 4: Tip The drafting process helps to improve your essay’s quality
If you ever want to improve the quality of your essay, then never just write it once and hand it in. take it through a drafting process. A drafting process just means having the same essay but in different versions.
How do you do it? Once you have written the conclusion, take a break – preferably overnight. Come back the next day and take another look at your essay and find ways to improve it.
You can check how you express yourself and make sure everything sounds well. You can also find other ways to make your arguments even stronger. You can do this by adding more evidence and sources.
You should have at least two versions of your essay if you want to make it stronger. You can keep doing this until you are sure your writing is perfect.
Tip 5: Ensure your essay is proofread
Proofreading is a skill that many writers do not have. It’s a skill only reserved for the best proofreaders. But where can a student access professional proofreaders?
Well, as we mentioned above, essay writing services can do a lot to help you write a perfect essay – they can do proofreading too.
What if I don’t have the money? You can give it to a friend who can read it loud and help you identify mistakes. Whatever you do, don’t forget to proofread your essay; it’s an underrated skill, but an important skill nonetheless.
Conclusion
Writing a good essay requires dedication and patience. Take advantage of your teachers and professors. Ask them to help you learn how to craft great essays. If you have some money to spare feel free to contract experts who do this for a living.
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