A Beginner’s Guide To Writing High School Essays

Essay writing can be very overwhelming and difficult for high school students, as they are unaware of most of the basic requirements and necessities to write a complete essay. Writing essay is an important task every student has to do, especially if they are aiming to meet their academic expectations.

Mastering essay writing is not required to be successful in high school; it also requires foundational skills that will support them in their future academic and professional endeavours. Now there are various kinds of essays, ranging from narrative, descriptive, and argumentative. They all need a 5-step strategy that we are about to discuss. Following it can make your submission stand out.

What Exactly Is Essay Writing?

An essay is a piece of paper that is written on a certain topic to notify the reader about it or to argue and present your point either in favour or against that topic. Essays can be anything from official academic work to casual blogs. Essays typically follow a simple structure that starts with an introduction, leads to the body, and ends with a conclusion. The most effective way to write an essay is to make sure to follow a framework that allows writers to transition their research into detailed observations in the paper.

5 Major Steps Strategy Every Student Needs to Know Before Writing Their Essays

• UNDERSTANDING AND READING THE PROMPT CAREFULLY

The first and most crucial step towards writing an essay is to know exactly what the essay is about. Many students lose their grades because they fail to understand what the question is asking of them and what the topic is about. The essay questions contain words such as “analyse, “discuss”, “compare”, or “evaluate”. You should depict what the question is asking from you by catching on to these words, as it makes it easier to understand whether the essay is descriptive, narrative, or argumentative.

You should take some time to read the question carefully, highlight the key terms, define unfamiliar vocabulary, and consider what the teacher expects from you in this paper. For instance, you should be aware that the assignment is an argumentative essay and that you must find the similarities and differences of the specified topic if the question asks you to “compare & contrast.” Many students seek help from high school essay writing services, which is morally wrong, as they won’t learn how to write academic papers and can hurt their overall academic progress in the future.

• PLANNING AND ORGANISING BEFORE WRITING

Now you have understood the question, the first step to writing an essay is proper planning. Students rush straight into writing their essay without planning what to write and how to present specific supporting evidence in their essay. This results in a poor overall structure and a lack of flow of ideas. You should develop a well-thought-out plan that acts as a roadmap for your essay and helps structure your essay clearly and effectively.

Moreover, you should start planning your paper by brainstorming all the important points for the essay. You can use mind mapping or simply jot down all the points on a piece of paper. The next step is to organise your ideas into a rough outline: introduction, body, and conclusion. Moving on, you have to include a clear topic sentence and provide supporting evidence. Planning allows you to research the topic accordingly and collect concrete data, quotes, and facts to support your paper and ensure you get the grade you want.

• WRITING A STRONG THESIS STATEMENT

A thesis statement is a brief statement that summarises the primary argument or viewpoint on the subject and is necessary for any successful essay. The topic of the essay is explained to the reader in this sentence. Usually stated in the opening paragraph, this is necessary to establish the tone for the entire essay. A vague or weak thesis can make the essay unfocused, while a clear and specific one will easily guide the readers through all the points. For example, in your essay, don’t just simply state that “Shakespeare was a good writer”; instead, you should write “Shakespeare’s use of complicated characters and beautiful language in Hamlet demonstrates his deep comprehension of human nature.” Finally, a good thesis should be debatable, specific, and relevant to the question.

• USE OF CLEAR, CONSISTENT, AND FORMAL LANGUAGE

In any academic paper, language plays the most important role as it helps to explain your ideas to your reader. Essays are formal pieces of writing, so try to avoid slang or any other casual expressions that are used in daily life. Make sure that you use clear and concise words in every sentence. Avoid overly complicated sentences, as they might confuse the readers or convey the wrong message. Also, students should use transition words such as “however”, “moreover”, etc. This helps to ensure a logical flow of ideas and ties each paragraph to the other. You should also emphasise the vocabulary by making sure you use simple words to explain things instead of any complex jargon. Even though they might sound impressive, they could undermine your credibility.

• REVISE AND EDIT THOROUGHLY

The last and final step to make sure you follow is something many students neglect, and just submit their work once they are done with it. This is the wrong approach as there might be some mistakes that you couldn’t identify and could cause you to lose your marks. Once you have completed your first draft, make sure to proofread it thoroughly. It is easy to find the best website to write my essay. They can edit and refine your draft if the time is running out, but try to double-check the paper yourself if there is time. Pay attention to your words, read them aloud to catch awkward phrasing, grammar errors, or unclear sentences. Also, make sure that you evaluate your tone and fluency effectively.

Moreover, pay attention to grammatical errors and punctuation mistakes in your sentences. Edit it and refine your content, making sure its clarity is improved and it meets the criteria of your essay. You can use tools like grammar checkers and academic style guides to help you out.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is the minimum word limit of an essay?

This depends on the type of essay you are writing, but on average, an essay word limit ranges from 800-1000.

Q. Should students write an essay or type it?

In an academic setting, it is preferred that the essay is typed, but in some high schools, essays are asked to be written by hand.

Q. Is peer reviewing helpful before submitting an essay?

Having a peer review of your paper can be helpful, as a new set of eyes could identify mistakes you overlooked and offer suggestions for improvement.

The Daunting Task of Writing an Essay

Essays are not necessarily supposed to be daunting or very stressful, once you understand how to approach them. Students should understand the prompt, plan the content, using clear language, and thoroughly edit their work. These five essential tips will help you write proper essays in the future. Additionally, you should know that practice will improve your writing skills and get you the grade you want for your paper.