Writing an essay makes many students confused and puzzled. The main reason of anxiety is the lack of knowledge of what to start with and what to come to. Thus, the creation of the manageable plan, which will divide a huge task into several smaller parts, will help greatly to gain a high mark.
Kathy Livingston’s provides 7 main essay tips in Guide to Writing a Basic Essay. Let’s consider each of them.
Narrow your focus from the general knowledge of the subject to the particular topic you have for your essay. Gather specific information and research it thoroughly to present in your academic piece of work. No general information, just precise answers to the questions you have in your plan.
A plan is the foundation of your paper. As soon as you have read enough information on the topic you have chosen, you should organize the main ideas of it to make it complete, consequent and well-organized. Just write down all your ideas on the piece of paper and then organize their order.
The introduction of each essay includes a thesis statement at the end. It is the key point of every essay, which comprises two parts. The first one dwells on the topic in general and the second part focuses on the point of your particular essay. You may find a lot of thesis statement samples online.
The body of your essay will research, explain and discuss the ideas you have chosen in your plan. Each paragraph should contain no more than one idea. Start you paragraph with the presentation of your topic and continue with the supporting sentences, which will provide your readers with lots of facts and details to support your thesis statement.
When the body is ready, the introduction turn comes. Here you can summarize the information you represent or you may be more creative and try to attract the readers’ attention to your piece of work through a quote, a dialogue, or shocking information. It is up to you what method to choose, but do not forget to place your thesis statement at the end of it.
It is the easiest part. Just sum up the ideas described in your body. No new information allowed. Just strong sentences, which conclude everything mentioned before.
Among many steps to writing a successful essay, the final check is very important. Many students consider just proofreading and format check here, but forget to look at their creation with fresh eyes. Reassure yourself that you have followed all of your teacher’s requirements and reread them. Moreover, make sure that stronger ideas of your body go first and that the whole paper is structured well.
So, you have basics of writing an effective essay and all you should do now is to start working on it according to the previously mentioned plan. Good luck and no worries!
