Writing essays is a crucial component of your education as a student. How can you therefore develop your essay writing abilities? Five of our best recommendations may be useful:
- To ensure that you grasp the assignment, analyze the essay question.
- To prepare your essay and arrange your thoughts, create an outline.
- Find sources and information to back up your claims by conducting research.
- Before submitting your essay, use the writing process to improve it.
- To ensure that your essay is clear and error-free, have it proofread.
- Continue reading to find out more about how to write better essays.
1. Examine the essay prompt.
The assignment’s comprehension is the most crucial step in the essay-writing process. Thus, as soon as you receive your essay question, look for the following important phrases:
Content words – Content words will inform you of the proper subject for your essay. For instance, the important content words in “Discuss the causes of World War II” are “causes” and “World War II.”
Instructional verbs – Instructional verbs will help you plan your paper writing websites. For instance, there is a significant distinction between explaining and analyzing an idea. Find out what you are supposed to do from the question, and use that information to help you write your essay.
Reducing your vocabulary will help you decide what to concentrate on. The word “for trade in the EU,” for instance, restricts the subject of the essay question: “In explore the ramifications of the Brexit for commerce in the EU” (i.e., while Brexit may have many consequences, the focus here should be trade in the EU).
In your essay question, try underlining or highlighting these kinds of words.
2. Create a Plan
Making an outline of your essay before you begin writing is another excellent essay-writing technique. Most essays have a standard format that you can use to organize your outline:
An introductory paragraph or section that gives the reader any necessary background information, your thesis statement, and the topic at hand.
The body paragraphs (or sections), where each one should focus on a certain topic, illustration, or notion that bolsters your main thesis.
a succinct statement of how your argument supports your thesis as your conclusion.
Hence, you can organize an essay in the manner illustrated above and write notes about what each section will say. If you are satisfied with your outline, you can use it as a roadmap as you write your essay.
3. Effectively Utilize Sources and Evidence
A excellent essay will employ evidence and sources to support the points it makes, while it is acceptable to have a point you want to argue for or a claim you want to make.
Once you’ve decided on a stance to defend, conduct some research to locate facts to back it up. These can include anecdotes, figures, and examples.
You must assess this evidence and demonstrate how it supports your claims in addition to incorporating it in your essay. Whichever method you choose, be sure there is a direct link between the evidence and the argument you are putting forth.
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And, don’t forget to properly credit your sources! You must cite the sources of your evidence. This typically entails using citations for your sources in the body of your essay as well as including a reference list or bibliography at the end of your work, where you should describe all the sources you consulted in detail. Check your style guide or see your lecturer if you’re unsure how to reference sources.
4. Use the drafting procedure
When writing essays, the largest error people make is only writing them once. Instead, you should always revise your first draft at least once.
Take a break from it when you’ve finished writing the first draft (ideally at least overnight). When you’re ready, review your essay again and consider how you can make it better. This could be a simple check to see if your communication is clear. Yet, you might also see opportunities to support your claims with more proof.
Your essay will be much stronger if you do this at least once. If you want to make sure your writing is flawless, there is always opportunity for more redrafting.
5. Proofread your essays
Okay, so in a strict sense, this doesn’t quite qualify as “essay writing skills” in the same manner as the other topics on this page. But, one of the best things you can do before turning in an essay is to have it professionally edited.
For instance, at Proofed, our academic proofreaders may look over your writing to ensure that it reads clearly and fluidly while also fixing any spelling, grammatical, and punctuation mistakes that may have occurred during the drafting process. We can even offer suggestions on how to make your academic writing stronger.
