Ballymena Today Youth Team member Elizabeth says – To be honest with you I really don’t like writing essays; but they do help me to organise my thoughts, learn all the facts that I need to pass the exams and show me how well I know or don’t know the topic! Therefore I have decided to give you some advice on how you could write an essay.
Photo Credit: Caleb Roenigk; Creative Commons
Step 1
Introduction – drop the reader straight into the action. Essays should always start with a good introduction, especially the first sentence as that will determine whether the reader finds it interesting enough to read the rest of the essay. The introduction shouldn’t be too long but should get straight to the point or issue as quickly as possible. It should indicate what the essay is about, the reason for writing it and any personal opinions that will interest the reader. In the introduction you do not need to give too much information away – save that for the main part of essay.
Step 2
Paragraph – this is the main body of your essay. You should pack this with most of the information. If you don’t understand something look it up, but make sure that you don’t copy and paste – that is a really bad habit that you could get sucked into, and believe it or not, the teachers know what is your own words and what you have copied. Make sure you include your own opinion/ideas, the reasons for them and examples that back up what you have said.
Step 3
Conclusion – this too, like the introduction, should not be too long. Your conclusion should be anywhere from 5 to 7 sentences long. Any less, and you probably haven’t summarised your points enough; any more, and you’re probably going on too much. The conclusion is as important as the introduction so make sure you do it well. This only has to be a short summary of what you have already written about and described to the reader. Tell the reader what you think and don’t end the essay too suddenly but finish with a statement that’s to the point.
Once you have finished your essay read over it a few times, to check for grammar, spelling and punctuation errors. Make sure to take your time and NEVER use text language; that is a mistake made by many. I hope that this article will help you in your essay writing. Remember to always listen and do what the teacher has asked you of you and try your best. Now if you have an essay due, you had better get started!
Thanks Elizabeth for your essay advice. Not sure about who the Ballymena Today Youth Team are?Click here for all the information that you need.
