So, you’re currently in school or university and are having an existential crisis in the middle of the night trying to finish your essay. Don’t worry, we can help!
While you may not be the best essay writer right now, there is a wordsmith in you, we promise, with some careful consideration and a little bit of trial and error, you can produce a perfect essay capable of achieving an A*.
Writing essays isn’t anyone’s favourite task, but it has to be done, unfortunately. It is especially hard when you don’t understand the subject matter or just don’t like it. To get yourself through the mental torture of referencing, creating arguments and making the work-count, just think about the near future to a time when you won’t have to write an essay ever again.
Enough chit-chat, you’re for essay tips, so let’s discuss some. Follow these 5 simple tips to write the perfect essay and impress all your teachers.
Brainstorm
Before you start writing, take a deep breath and relax. Sometimes your best ideas and trains of thought come to you when you brainstorm and just think about the task at hand. Don’t try and force anything just think. Read the assignment or the questions and think about what it is really asking you. Sometimes it can be good to write the question out and highlight the key parts to make sure you understand it. It can be a nightmare finishing the essay and realising you haven’t answered the actual question or that you have missed out something significant.
Write a Plan
Many of us often think that writing a plan is overrated and would rather just get stuck in and get it over with. Spending time writing an in-depth essay plan could save you a lot of time in the long run and help you end up with a solid essay. One thing is for sure, the best essay writers dedicate time and resources to making an essay plan. Plan out your arguments with counterpoints so that you don’t miss any key things from the curriculum.
Depending on the type of essay you’re writing and the level you’re writing at, a standard essay plan will look something like this. Introduction, paragraph 1 (argument), paragraph 2 (counterargument), paragraph 3 (2nd argument) etc. conclusion.
Be Flexible
Don’t be afraid to jump around to different sections of your essay if you think of a good point or get stuck somewhere. There’s nothing worse than hitting a wall and spending hours staring at the ceiling because you can’t think of how to end a sentence or develop an argument. Similarly, be flexible in changing your ideas and points. If you start writing an argument and then discover that you want to go in a different direction to your plan, do it. Your essay will sound better if you let your thoughts flow, and you are confident in what you’re writing.
Proofread
When you have finally finished writing your essay, leave it for a couple of hours or a day and then come back and reread it. It can be very tempting to submit it as soon as you’ve finished it to get it off your mind, but proofreading can often drastically improve your grade by fixing easy grammar and punctuation mistakes. Read it slowly and pay attention to sentence structure and punctuation.
When you have finished proofreading you can confidently submit your work without the stress of waiting for your results when you’re not confident in your work.
Practice
You may not be the best essay writer after this first one, but you will be able to continually write perfect essays with practice. It takes time to internalise these tips and to be able to use them well to improve your writing. If you have the motivation and take the time to improve every time you write an essay, you will eventually be producing perfect essays with ease.
Now you have all the tips to go and write a perfect essay. It’s not everyone’s favourite thing to do, but there’s no escaping essay writing, and it’s a good idea to learn to love them rather than hate them. Take a step back, grab a pen and paper and just think without the need to write any coherent thoughts. Brainstorming will allow you to gather all your arguments and think about everything you’ve learned. Then, make a plan to follow. While it takes time at the start, it will save time in the long run. Don’t forget to proofread your essay and work out any errors. And if you tried all these tips and you’re still struggling, it may be time to think about hiring a professional essay writer.
