Writing essays is something you have to get used to doing if you want
to make it through college. You also have to learn how to write and structure
the perfect essay if you do not want to score poorly. Essays are used to show
teachers that you are learning, and understand underlying concepts. The content
of the essay is all up to you, but how you write it and how well you do on your
essay must be learnt. Here are a few tips to help you create better essays.
Read and re-read the instructions numerous times
You need to do this in order to memorize the questions and
instructions. If you commit them to memory straight away then they will remain
in your head as you read and work. This will start to steer your thoughts and
essay direction in the right way.
Start by brain storming thoughts and ideas
You have no doubt learnt a lot about your essay topic in the last few
weeks or months. So a good place to start is with your own mind. Spend at least
half an hour racking your brain for potential pointers and ideas. In many cases
you will find subjects and thoughts to research into.
Judge your word count by how many points each question has
Your essay instructions may be broken down into pointers and sub
questions. In many cases these sub headers, sub questions, etc. will have
points designated to them. Add up all the points to get the total e.g. 30, and
divide the word count e.g. 2000 by that point amount e.g. 2000/30 and then
times that amount by the points for each question, and you will know how much
to write for each question.
Plan your essay
Plan the research, the structure, the different elements and how many
words you plan to put in each element. You must plan all of your essay down to
the last paragraph. Create a structure tree from beginning to end and make it
your plans starting point.
Add to your plan as you write
As you research and write, you will see things that you need to add or
rework. Instead of stopping and starting, you need to add a note to your plan and
come back to it as you work your way down your plan.
Create a clear structure with modules
When you are planning you should set your plan into modules. You need
to be able to move pieces around, and edit pieces without disrupting the rest
of your essay. Try adding a few notes and headings in your essay, but put them
in red because they are all just notes and headings to help you. Delete them
when you have finished the essay.
Proofread your essay at least twice
You need to check it for the usual grammar and spelling, but you also
need to check it for flow and accuracy. The flow should be simple, since you
will find yourself skim reading the bits that do not flow correctly. Accuracy
is up to you, but if you read it a few times you are more likely to pick up on
your errors and inaccuracies within the text.
Conclusion
Planning is the key to a good essay. It sets the stage for you to do
your work. It helps you to structure your essay and will help to stop you from
rambling on about the same topic at the expense of other topics. Re-read the
instructions multiple times and start planning and structuring your essay from
the very beginning.
About the author. Meghan is a writer for Scholar Advisor, an educational portal for
students that provides useful education
tips and writing guides.
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