How to Write an Essay – Format and Examples

Are you worried about writing the most basic type of essay? Don’t be. We are here to help you.

Essays are a kind of academic writing that includes general information along with the writer’s personal opinion.

It is the primary part of formal education. Most of the students are assigned to a college essay in high school and college. Some find it interesting while others just want to get over it.

This blog will offer you a complete format guide about how to write an essay.

1. What is an Essay?

An essay is a good writing piece that introduces or supports an argument. It is originated from the Latin word “exagium” which means to present a case. Therefore, the essays include a case to validate from a different point of view and analysis. Moreover, they also involve critical evaluation, organization, and presentation of facts and figures.

The common types of essays are:

Argumentative Essay – A writer has to explain the main ideas to the audience in this type of essay. Moreover, it is used to make an argument and provide strong evidence to support it.

Narrative Essay – It narrates a story or a personal experience and is usually written in the first-person view.

Descriptive Essay – They used to describe something that can be an object, person, place or experience.

Analytical Essay – A writer needs to analyze an argument, claim or a writing piece in this type of essay.

Persuasive Essay – These essays are written to persuade or convince the people by stating the emotions.

Expository Essay – Expository essays are used to explain, illustrate and clarify a particular thing. They involve the investigation and evaluation of an argument.

Compare and Contrast Essay – Such essays involve the similarities and differences between the two objects.

Cause and Effect Essay – This essay discusses the results by looking into the reasons and causes.

It is beneficial for the writer to understand the details of the essay before start writing. It will help him to focus on the methodology and approaches. After selecting the right topic, commence with the research part to narrow down the central argument.

It is the time when you need to draft a well-structured outline to organize all your thoughts in one place.

Let us discuss each of the steps of writing an essay in detail.

2. How to Start an Essay?

Are you confused about where to start writing? As discussed above, the first and foremost step is to know what to write. For this, you should know the topic and the subject area you are going to write about.

Therefore, the selection of the right topic is from where you began your essay.

2.1 Defining the Topic

The topic is the soul of your essay as it is the first thing that the reader has to see. Therefore, it should be precise and to the point.

Sometimes, professors assign the topics of assignments. Nevertheless, if you got the opportunity to choose yourself, decide something that you are passionate about.

Similarly, you can also select something regarding which you have more knowledge. This can be a simple and tricky task at the same time.

Conduct thorough research after deciding an essay topic as it will help it choosing a unique perspective.

3. How to Write an Essay?

Start writing your academic essay after selecting an impressive topic. Every essay follows a basic structure and format that includes an introduction, thesis statement, body paragraphs, and conclusion.

However, the first essential element is to draft an essay outline to organize these elements in one place.

3.1 Essay Outline

An outline is considered as a road map that lays the foundation of your essay. It provides an idea of what your paper is all about.

Many professional writers draft an outline to plan their essays in advance. It also offers an idea about the future headings and subheadings of the essay.

Without planning your research work, it is possible that you will get distracted and carried away.

3.2 Introduction

The introductory paragraph is the first section of your essay that tells the reader about your central argument. It should be written clearly and perfectly to motivate the readers to read more.

Moreover, a good introduction should start with a hook statement. It is an opening sentence of the essay aimed to get the attention of the audience. There are different types of hooks that decide whether a reader will go through the entire essay or not. These are:

• A Question – It is the most commonly used to ask a question from the reader so that they show interest in the writing piece.
• Quotations – Began your essay with a quotation or a famous saying.
• Facts and Figures – State the facts in the statistical form to grab the attention.
• Personal Experience – Sharing a writer’s personal experience is a good idea to make it interesting.

3.3 Thesis Statement

This one to two-line statement comes at the end of your introduction that discusses the central argument of your essay. It mainly states your thesis and claims about the topic.

3.4 Body Paragraphs

The section comes after the introduction that contains an explanation of your topic. These are almost three to five paragraphs depending on the length and topic of your essay.

Moreover, they include the information in the form of facts, logic, and research that answers your question. Furthermore, each body paragraph should start with a topic sentence and discuss no more than a single idea to support your thesis statement.

3.5 Conclusion

It is the last section of your essay that is as important as the introduction. A reader reads the entire story to find the results and findings. Therefore, avoid making an abrupt ending that may leave your readers in suspense and confusion. Instead, make it compelling enough to persuade and convince them.

Moreover, introducing any new information is also a bad idea. Only summarize the entire essay by restating the central argument.

4. Essay Format

All school and college essays should follow a proper format and structure. It is equally important as the central argument of the essay. Therefore, it is vital to keep all the components in mind while writing an essay.

Similarly, every essay has the same format. Below-mentioned is an essay outline format for your guidance.

Essay Format Example (PDF)

This format guide will help you plan your essays more easily.

5. Essay Examples

Writing is a skill that needs to be practiced more and more to get better with it. Moreover, it also helps to improve the writing style and techniques. Language experts and essay professionals have provided some examples of different types of essays.

Go through them to get a better understanding of producing your own essay. Similarly, you can also take help from people around you and make changes according to their feedback.

Read the examples given below.

5.1 Argumentative Essay Example

Argumentative Essay Example (PDF)

5.2 Narrative Essay Example

Narrative Essay Example (PDF)

5.3 Descriptive Essay Example

Descriptive Essay Example (PDF)

5.4 Cause and Effect Essay Example

Cause and Effect Essay Example (PDF)

6. Essay Writing Tips

The following are some essential writing tips to make your essay even better.

• Read A Lot – Reading different materials gives you the knowledge and expands your vocabulary.
• Try to Be Creative – Always choose a unique angle to grab the audience’s attention.
• Grammar and Spellings - Make sure that you have used proper grammar and spelling in your essays.
• Correct Vocabulary – Proper vocabulary and the use of good words add meaning to your writing piece.
• Punctuation – Remember to use proper punctuation.
• Write Precise but Powerful Information – Long sentences are often boring for the people to read. Therefore, try to write short sentences. Also, avoid adding irrelevant details.
• Check Plagiarism – Always check your plagiarism before submitting a writing assignment because it adds authenticity to your work.

This blog offers a complete guideline on how to write an essay. Instead of risking your grades and academic performance, you can always start writing your essays with professional essay writers.

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