How to Write an Essay – Steps, 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 write 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 on how to write an essay. You will also find some tips and examples at the end for a better understanding.

What is an Essay?

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

It is beneficial for you to understand the writing process of an essay before you begin writing. It will help you to use the writing methodologies and approaches better.

Usually, essay writing begins with selecting a topic. After selecting the right topic, you have to begin the research to narrow down the central argument. Then you need to draft a well-structured outline to organize all your thoughts in one place.

The best way to write an essay is by following these simple steps.

1. Pick the Correct Essay Type and Format
2. Brainstorming
3. Do some Research
4. Write Thesis Statement
5. Create an Essay Outline
6. Start Writing the Essay
7. Proofreading

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1. Pick the Correct Essay Type and Format

The first step is to choose the type of essay you have to write on. As mentioned earlier, there are different essays, and you have to choose the best-suited option. Once the type of essay is decided, then you can decide your topic and structure your essay.

Most Popular Types of Essays

The common types of essays are:

• Argumentative Essay – A writer has to accept or negate the topic statement in this type of essay. Moreover, argumentative essay writing is used to present evidence to support the argument.
• Narrative Essay – It narrates a story or a personal experience and is usually written in the first-person view.
• Descriptive Essay – A descriptive essay writing is used to describe 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 – Persuasive essay writing persuades or convinces people by stating evidence, information, and examples.
• Expository Essay – Expository essay writing is used to explain, illustrate and clarify a particular thing. They involve the investigation and evaluation of a subject.
• Compare and Contrast Essay – A compare and contrast essay involves the similarities and differences between the two objects.
• Cause and Effect Essay – This essay discusses the results by looking into the reasons and causes.

Essay Format and Requirements

The structure of an academic essay can vary depending on the assignment, but there are some general guidelines that should be followed. These are;

• Use a readable font.
• All the text should be double spaced.
• Use single space at the beginning of the essay.

Citations come in many different styles and formats depending on your study subject. Thus, it is necessary that you understand them first and then use it in your essay.

The writing style to write an essay is usually instructed by the teacher. Following are the three styles of writing that you can choose to write an essay:

• MLA (Modern Language Association) is usually used to write arts or humanities essays. This format has no separate title page and has an author-page number style of citation. College and high school students mostly use MLA.
• APA (American Psychological Association) is usually used to write psychology and social sciences essays and research papers. It uses an author-date style of citation.
• Chicago Manual of Style is mostly used by professionals and college students. It uses notes-bibliography and author-date styles of citation.

Each of the above-mentioned writing styles has its own format for the reference list and in-text citations.

The average length for high school essays is 300-1000 words, but college admissions essays will vary depending on your assigned topic. Undergraduate assignments typically require 1500+ word maximums.

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2. Brainstorming

Brainstorming about your essay topic will help you in the overall process of essay writing. You have to think about the plethora of ideas that you could incorporate into the chosen topic:

• Jot down the points that are coming to your mind. Then, you can omit the unnecessary ones later.
• Use mind-mapping or clustering to develop an idea for an essay. You will write the main idea in the middle of the page and create relevant ideas in the form of bubbles surrounding the main idea.
• Brainstorming will help develop a deep understanding of the topic. In addition, you will make connections with the relevant ideas.
• Once the ideas have been brainstormed, you will choose the best topic and its ideas to begin writing an essay.

Mistakes When Choosing an Essay Topic

When choosing an essay topic, students often make these mistakes.

• Choosing too broad or narrow a subject matter.
• Topics that are too difficult can be a challenge to find enough information about them or convey the topic well.
• Don't create an inappropriate title that doesn’t match the content or topic.
• Pick a title that doesn’t match with the content.

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3. How to Start an Essay?: Research

Once the brainstorming is completed, you have to begin your research to write an essay. You can search the web, visit libraries, or interview subject specialists to get an insight into a topic. Organizing your research will help you refer back to it easily.

4. Write Thesis Statement

You have to develop a thesis statement as it will be the main point of your essay. It is usually a long sentence and is strong enough to write an entire essay.

For Example, “Cats are descended from Lions” is a thesis statement.

A thesis statement is usually mentioned in the introductory paragraph. Thesis statement examples can help you write a great thesis statement.

5. Create an Essay Outline

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

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

Without a well-written essay outline, you may get distracted and carried away during essay writing.

Introduction

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

Moreover, a good essay introduction should start with a hook statement. It is an essay’s opening sentence aimed at getting the audience’s attention.

People often ask, ‘How to write a hook for an essay?’

Following are the strategies to write essay hooks:

• Start with a thesis statement.
• Write a quote from a famous person.
• Use literary quotes.
• Surprise with an illusion.
• Use a short story
• Tell a personal story.
• Use numerical data.
• Share a fact or a definition.
• Ask a question.

Body Paragraphs

This section comes after the introduction. It contains a detailed explanation of your topic. These are almost three to five paragraphs depending on the length and topic of your essay.

Moreover, they include 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.

Conclusion

The last section of your essay is as important as the introduction. A similarity between the introduction and conclusion is that they both present the thesis statement. It is preferable to start the conclusion paragraph with a reiterated thesis statement.

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.

Since you have used facts, figures, examples, and other statistical data in your essay to prove your arguments, you need to cite them also. Select a citation style and cite your sources accordingly. This is similar to citing sources in a research paper.

Below-mentioned is an essay outline format for your guidance.

Essay Format Example

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

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6. How to Write an Essay?

Once you have created an outline, write your first rough draft. You have to put the content on the outline parts of your essay.

Every essay follows a basic structure and format that includes an introduction, thesis statement, body paragraphs, and conclusion.

How to Write an Essay Introduction?

The first impression you give your reader is important, and they will most likely follow up by reading the rest of what's on offer. Every introduction must contain;

• Hook statement: Hooks are often used as an attention-grabber, and they can be either anecdotal or informative. The type of hook will depend on the essay's genre.
• Background information: Provide some background information that allows the reader to understand your given topic.
• Thesis statement: This one to two-line statement comes at the end of your introduction. It presents the central argument of your essay. It mainly states your claim about the topic.

How to Write Essay Main Body Paragraphs?

The body of your paper is the longest part. It comes after an introduction and before the conclusion.

Start each paragraph with a topic sentence that speaks about what you're going to argue or describe, then provide supporting evidence (explanation)to back up this point - end it by elaborating further upon ideas introduced earlier.

The body paragraph structure consists of;

• A topic sentence
• Facts and evidence
• Concluding sentence

How to Write an Essay Conclusion?

The conclusion should summarize the essay, remind readers of your thesis statement and leave them with some final thoughts. You can include one or two points from each section to build up an argument.

7. Editing and Proofreading

It is important to reread what you have written after submitting an essay for proofreading. It may be best practice to avoid making any mistakes or errors and ensure that the tone of voice is appropriate to others who will read your work.

Follow the guidelines below to proofread your essay:

• Check for punctuation, grammar, and spelling errors. Look closely for the spelling errors that are not highlighted by spell check, such as spelling “then” as “the.”
• Check the sentence structures and re-write sentences if there is a need for improvement.
• Also, check for quotation marks, especially in the citations. Do not forget to cite your sources properly.
• Remove unnecessary, vague, and repetitive text from your essay.

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Different Essay Examples

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

Go through them to get a better understanding of producing your own essay.

How to Write an Argumentative Essay Example

How to Write an Essay About Yourself Example

Narrative Essay Example

Descriptive Essay Example

Cause and Effect Essay Example

How to Write an Informative Essay Example

How to Write an Analytical Essay Example

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Essay Writing Tips

“How do you write a good essay?”

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 people to read. Therefore, try to write short sentences. Also, avoid adding irrelevant details.
• Check Plagiarism – Always check 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. However, don’t worry if you still find it an uphill task!

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do you begin your essay?

You have to begin your essay by incorporating the following three main points in your introduction:

1. Grab the reader's attention with an opening hook.
2. Background information that the readers must know.
3. A thesis statement to give your arguments and main points.