5 Practical Tips To Write Better Essays

5 Practical Tips To Write Better Essays However, there’s no need to conclude every paragraph with a summary of what came before. Just make sure you paragraphs transition nicely from one to the next. Don’t start with a dictionary definition â€" this is clichéd and boring. It should sum up the main arguments in the middle and finish with a conclusions that finally answers the essay question. Having the ability to write effective essays will become increasingly important as you progress through high school and into college. If you'll internalize the format presented above, you'll develop the ability to write clear and compelling essays. Most students make the mistake of writing too much knowledge and not enough evaluation . If it’s a ‘compare and contrast’ kind of question, you’ll need to demonstrate both sides of the argument. If it’s a ‘define and explain’ kind of question, you’ll need to show that you have a deep understanding of the topic. If it has two parts, divide your essay into two parts to answer the question. In a long essay, your introduction might take up two or three paragraphs. You can also have as many middle paragraphs as you like. Every essay obviously has an introduction and a conclusion. To improve the flow of your essay make sure the last sentence of one paragraph links to first sentence of the next paragraph. So many students either forget to write a conclusion or fail to give it the attention it deserves. If there is a word count for your essay try to devote 10% of this to your conclusion. Click on any one of these and you will see that it’s divided into shorter sections or subsections. So you can either read it straight through from start to finish or you can go straight to the area that’s most relevant to you. Welcome to Writing Essays, the RLF’s online guide to everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask about writing undergraduate essays. The trick with writing paragraphs is to remind your reader of the general argument. This will help the essay flow and make it easier to read. This means that the paragraphs follow a logical order . Have a global structure with themes arranged in a way that allows for a logical sequence of ideas. You might want to rearrange paragraphs to a different position in your essay if they don't appear to fit in with the essay structure. If you are unsure of what to write read the essay question and answer it in one paragraph. Some teachers advice their students to come up with three points for their thesis. What invariably ends up happening is that you end up writing three mini-essays that are only loosely connected. What’s important is that there is no set rule as to how many paragraphs you can use for any section of your essay. You need to be concise, and clearly articulate your argument. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences. There should also be an appropriate balance between these two essay components. Writing essays is structured progressively and I recommend that you use it in this way. However, you will see from the sidebar that the guide is divided into a number of main sections. Read widely around the topic before you even start and you’re halfway there. Essays need to have a beginning, a middle and an end. The introduction should outline the problem, explain why it’s important, and briefly outline the main arguments.