Now that you’ve experienced your first weeks at University, it’s now time to get your head stuck in those books for the daunting task of essays!
Whether it’s at University, college or school, there is no getting away from end of term essays. They are designed as a "written test" to see how much knowledge you have of your particular subject, and what better way than to test your skills in the format of an essay.
Don’t feel like you’re the only one in this boat; there are people all over the country doing various degrees that are still uncertain as to how to structure the perfect essay – remember, the better the essay, the higher marks you can obtain.
Below is a brief guide on how to structure the perfect essay.
Planning your essay
Selecting a topic – The first and most important aspect of essay prep is the topic. These are either assigned or left up to the individual to choose, but either way this is the thing that starts off all essay planning.
Brainstorm – When your topic is chosen, it’s a good idea to start brainstorming some key points you might add into your essay. Key words and phrases that connect to your essay is a great way to start, and it helps give you some direction when you start writing up.
The 5 W’s – Who? What? When? Why? Where? How? These are the simple questions to ask yourself when starting to collate all your ideas. By answering these, you can come up with a mini introduction on your essay stating what it’s about and what you intend to write.
Make a draft version – Rather than going straight in for the kill and writing your essay without any proper thought, why not make a draft? You don’t have to just stick to one – make as many as you like – the main thing is that you have all your ideas written down in a format so that it’s understandable. Once you're happy with it, don’t let anything stop you from writing it as your final version.
Creating the final version of your essay
Introduction – Once you’re happy with your rough draft now is the time to think about how to structure your intro. You want to be able to add in substantial information, but not too much so that it gives it away in the first paragraph. A good introduction would be something along the lines of explaining in brief what your aim is, and what topic you are writing on.
Main Text – The main text is where all the hard evidence of your research and own ideas are found. Here you want to be able to explain in great depth about your topic, adding in your own opinions/ideas.
Conclusion – Conclusion has the sole function of summarizing everything you have written about in your main text. Here you’re also allowed to add in your own opinions of what you think of the topic you’ve written about, making it a good way to end your essay.
Proofread for errors – This helps prevent poor marks for spelling and grammar, and it allows you to read back what you have written so you can make sure it makes perfect sense – put yourself in the shoes of the reader, and correct any minor errors you come across.
There you have it, a rough guide on how to write your essays. As soon as you get an idea, jot it down and before you know it, you’ll have the perfect essay to hand in.
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