Writing an essay is one of the key components to academic success at any level. It is the way people communicate with each other in the academic community. There are fundamental ways in which academics structure their work and the formal way people use to convey their message. This is not just restricted to students.Vast  majority of instructors and professors also write essays at the professional level.

This blog will guide you through the essential steps that can help you compose a well-structured essay. This will make the task easy, no matter if you are new. So let’s get started.

The writing process

You need to pass through three main stages when you are writing an effective essay. The time and effort you add to each step is dependent on the type, complexity, and the length of the essay. If you feel difficulty in the writing process, you can look for services offering low price essays writing services that can help you throughout the process.

Pre-writing stage:

Analyze the topic

Before you start with the writing process, make sure you have carefully analyzed the essay question. Highlight all the keywords in the question and try to decode them to know what the instructor is asking for. This can be more easy if you:

• Identify the main topic and the specific aspects of the question
• Break down the question into small parts for better understanding
• Look for information that can help in collecting some background knowledge.

Define your argument

When you have understood the question well, formulate a clear and concise thesis statement. This will outline your main argument or position. Remember! A thesis statement is the roadmap for your essay, and the reader will know what they might find in it. Therefore, look for these perspectives:

• Make sure there is one sentence.
• The thesis statement is specific, debatable, and directly related to the essay prompt.
• Look for the scope of the argument and see how you can develop it throughout the essay.

Collect evidence and reasoning

Support your argument with evidence, and reasoning, and add some scholarly sources. This is the point where the instructor will demonstrate your understanding of the topic and your ability to think critically. You can collect information from:

• Authentic sources such as academic journals, books, and reputed websites.
• Statistics, examples, quotations, and other forms of evidence that can support your point.
• Critical thinking and reasoning to support your argument.

Craft an outline

Structure the essay in a way that effectively communicates the argument that you are making and the readers can get your idea. A typical essay is divided into three parts, an introduction, the body paragraphs, and the conclusion.

Keep in mind that this is not the thumb of the rule. There are different narrative, expository, and persuasive essays that have five sections.

The writing stage:

Begin with the introduction

One of the best ways to start with the essay is to set a stage by telling your readers the roadmap of your essay. Provide them with some background knowledge related to the topic. You can add these things:

• Start with a hook sentence.
• Add some background knowledge
• End the essay with a clear thesis statement.

Develop body paragraphs

Within the body of the essay, you have a chance to expand on all the key points and arguments. Each body paragraph should include:

• Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence
• Provide all the supporting sentences that can help in elaborating the sentence.
• Add the research-based evidence.
• Analyze each of them critically.
• Summarize each paragraph with a concluding sentence.

For instance, if you are asked to write about climate change, your body paragraphs might include the causes of climate change, and each new point can be supported by graphs or data for further clarification.

Add a strong conclusion

When you have paid attention to every step of writing, maintain the same pace in conclusion. A well-concluded essay holds significant importance. It involves the writer summarizing all the critical points and reinforcing the thesis statement. Make sure that no new idea is introduced in this section. The role of this part is to leave the final impression on your readers and let them recall all the things that are covered.

Add sources and evidence

Most importantly, properly cite all the sources that you have discussed throughout the essay, acknowledging the ideas and work of others. This includes all the in-text citations and the bibliography. Refer to the citing style that the instructor finalizes to avoid any errors. Cross-check for the accuracy of your citations and make sure that they are formatted well.   

The proofreading and editing stage:

Review your writing

This stage is important to generate a well-refined final draft before submission. Make sure once you have written your rough draft, keep it aside for a few days. Return with a fresh pair of eyes to ensure clarity and quality. In this stage, you will:

• Work on the spelling, grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, and flow, and make sure there is a logical flow from the introduction to the conclusion.
• Check if there are smooth transitions between sentences and paragraphs.
• Look if all the arguments and supporting evidence are clear and check for the rephrasing of the sentences to better understand the essay.

FAQs

What is the structure of most of the essays?

The majority of the essays are divided into three parts: the introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The introduction presents the topic and thesis statement, followed by the body paragraph that contains an in-depth analysis and argument. Later, a conclusion is the wrap-up of the ideas.

How can a writer hook the readers to their essay?

It is important to keep your readers engaged in your writing. Present the thesis statement of the essay. The tone you will use at this spot will determine the overall tone of the complete essay. Add some background information to make ground and let the readers know what they are going to learn from the essay. Use language that is engaging and compelling so readers can enjoy the reading process.

What are some of the things that can make an essay worse?

If you wish to write an outstanding essay, avoid going off the topic. Use clear language and keep your sentences concise. This will help you stay on the topic. Never use someone else’s work without proper citation, and look for errors. When you are writing rough drafts, there are chances to make mistakes.

How should the essays be organized?

Writers use different ways to organize their essays. They either arrange their paragraphs in spatial, chronological, or logical order.

The final comment

After reading through the complete blog, we believe you have a solid grasp of an essay structure and might have a clear view of starting an essay.

Everyone’s strategy is different. Some use mind mapping strategy to write an outstanding essay, while others are so genius that they plan everything in their head and join all the dots to produce something out of the box.