All students experience what is described as “student lockdown,” so they shouldn’t be unduly alarmed if they discover that they have an essay to write and don’t even dare to sit down and start it. The time will come, however, when the deadline will have to be met and if you left the preparation for the night before, you will hardly do justice to yourself or to the rehearsal.
“How to write an essay” is much easier than you think … if you choose the right question, interpret the terms correctly, and follow a few simple procedures. All trials follow the same procedures. It should:
1. Make sure you fully understand the essay question.
2. Gather information that is relevant to the topic of the essay and write introductory notes.
3. Make an essay plan by writing down the order in which you want to present your information and ideas.
4. Write a good essay draft, following the correct essay design and using formal, simple, clear and concise language.
5. Give references throughout the body of your essay, if you are referring to quotes or findings from other people.
6. Recheck the draft, making final corrections for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and paragraph layout.
7. Make sure the introduction and conclusion are interesting and help guide the reader in and out of your essay.
8. Write the final copy of the essay.
9. Include a bibliography of all sources of information used in your essay.
10. Finally, reread the entire essay to check for final errors.
The process of researching, planning, and writing an essay can and should be fun. If, at this point, the prospect of such an exercise seems depressing or scary, it is because you have not yet given enough thought to your own goals when writing an essay. Follow this three-step process:
• First, ask yourself what the question wants to know.
• Second, ask yourself what you know about it.
• Third, ask yourself how you put it into words.
The essence of your essay is the body. It is here that it does its job of showing “to what extent and in what way”, or of “evaluating validity”, or of “contrasting and comparing”, or of “explaining”, and so on. The introduction simply points out the direction your argument will take. The conclusion simply sums up your argument. What you have to do is write a clear and convincing argument in your essay. Note that an “argument” is anything you type to answer the question.