You should spend about 4 minutes planning and jotting down a few quick notes. Consider the position you are taking, determine a few good reasons for making your choice, some evidence or explanation that support the choice, some effective details you might include, and what order you should use to effectively present your points.
You should spend about 17 minutes writing your essay. Refer back to your plan, remembering that the topic requires you to make a choice or take a position, and explain your reasoning in some detail. You should also consider the criterion specified so that your essay is convincing to the addressed audience. Make sure that the language you choose communicates your ideas clearly and appropriately.
You should spend about 4 minutes reviewing your writing, adding or removing as necessary and making any changes needed to enhance clarity. You should make clear the answer and angle you will choose for your essay, offering a few good reasons for your choice and explaining your reasoning in some detail. As you explain the reasons for your choice, you should develop explanations for each, including such things as evidence, examples, or observations.
Brainstorming is a process of directing your mind toward idea generation. Every book on essays will advise you to brainstorm. It’s a method proven to be successful for several reasons. This is the point at which different writers will begin to disagree about how to brainstorm. The method of brainstorming that is recommended here is two-tier. First you have to brainstorm about what you are going to write about. You want to determine what is going to be the focus of your essay.
Example:
Sample topic: “If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? Discuss why.”
Example Brainstorming Level 1: What should I write about?
Intelligence, looks, personality, wealth, family, friends, time, fame, etc.
Your first impulse, and honest reaction, might be to respond with something such as making yourself more beautiful, more intelligent, or more popular. But remember that you want to be able to write at length about this topic. If you choose an answer that while truthful, may sound shallow to an essay reader, such as to become more beautiful and better looking, then you probably won’t win any points with the reader.
Don’t automatically go with your first impulse. The scorer is not giving points for essays that are the most honest, but for essays that are the best written. A well-written essay needs substantial support to explain the reasoning behind your choice.
A choice such as more intelligence could sound shallow, but with a little creativity, you can turn this into an excellent essay. Instead of stating that you want to be more intelligent in order to get better grades, use deeper reasoning. Explain what you would do with that added intelligence. Give examples of how your side research into molecular biology and genetics would be greatly improved with added intelligence and enable you to have a greater chance at your goal of contributing to finding a cure for cancer or diabetes.
If you choose “more popularity” as your topic, you could discuss how you would use your popularity in order to persuade more people to support your humanitarian causes and to be a positive role model for others.
After you’ve decided which topic you are going to write about, then you should begin the second wave of brainstorming, which will be about what you want to discuss about your chosen topic, which examples you want to use and which observations you hope to present.
Example Brainstorming Level 2: You’ve chosen to write about having more free time. Now you brainstorm about what you should say to support that choice.
spend more time with friends and family, work at a local homeless shelter, write a novel, open a new business, adopt some children, enjoy your hobbies, etc.
You have to have a proper balance at each level. If you spent too much time at brainstorming level 1, then you won’t have time to decide on what you want to use as examples in level 2. But if you spend too little time at brainstorming level 1, then you may not come up with a really good topic to use for your essay. A good strategy is to practice using this two level brainstorming process until you get comfortable with using it and quickly generating lots of ideas.
Once you’ve finished the brainstorming level 2 process, you should look over the supporting ideas you hope to use and the examples you’ve written down from the brainstorming process. Look back over the ideas and see which ones look the best. Which ones could you write the most about and would give you the most sound reasoning and logic to back up your initial decision of what to write about?
Make mental notes about which supporting ideas from brainstorming level 2 you hope to use, because those will be the ones that will comprise your successive body paragraphs.
Your goal is to hit the high notes. Pick the best ideas you’ve developed and write about those. You only need 3-5 good ideas to write about and may have a loss of focus if you try to write about more than a few important supporting topics.
Many essay writers will start off by writing their introductory paragraph, along with the main ideas and supporting ideas that will be used, and then force fit the essay into the guidelines that they have predetermined for their essay.
The problem with this is that many of the best ideas will occur to a writer while writing the essay. Rather than immediately jumping into writing your introductory paragraph, take the brainstorming ideas that you’ve developed and begin writing your essay, by expanding on each of the supporting ideas that you’ve chosen and writing your body paragraphs first.
As you write your body paragraphs, new ideas may occur to you that you would prefer to use. Rather than having to go back and make changes to your introductory paragraph, since you haven’t written it yet, you can just adopt the new ideas as you write and incorporate them into your body paragraphs.
When you’re finished writing your body paragraphs, which should each include at least one primary supporting idea, then you can go back and write your introductory paragraph and make sure that it matches up with each of your body paragraphs and covers the overall topic you are discussing.
Additionally, don’t make the mistake of writing too much in your introductory paragraph. The introduction is not where you explain your reasoning. Save your logic for the body paragraphs, and only use the introductory paragraph in order to briefly outline what you are going to discuss. Brevity is better than wordiness in an introduction.
A lot of writers write their introductory paragraph, then their body paragraphs, and then their conclusion at the end. The problem with this is that often the whole focus of the essay may have morphed as the writer wrote the essay and the conclusion seems to have a completely different focus than the introduction and the body paragraphs seem to lead take the reader through a tortuous path that changes course with every sentence.
It is vitally important that the introductory and concluding paragraphs are consistent with each other and that the body paragraphs match the introduction and conclusion. You want your paper to be consistent throughout.
Writing your introduction at the end, after you’ve written your body paragraphs, and then following it with your conclusion will be a huge help in maintaining the consistency, but always look back over your essay when you’re finished and make sure that the essay keeps the same focus all the way through.
Part of maintaining consistency in your essay is the proper use of transition words while you’re writing. Use transition words to maintain the essay’s flow. Transition words such as first, second, third, finally, also, additionally, in conclusion, in summary, and furthermore all give the reader an understanding of how the paragraphs flow together.
Example:
Paragraph 1: Introduction
Paragraph 2: First of all, …
Paragraph 3: Secondly, …
Paragraph 4: Finally, …
Paragraph 5: In summary, …
If you make a point or statement in your essay, make sure that you back it up with clear examples from your personal experience or observation. Don’t let your points remain unsupported, but ensure that they are provided with some back up substance.
Example: You make the statement, “Renovating older downtowns can be expensive, but is definitely a worthwhile endeavor.”
While many readers may agree with this statement, it shouldn’t be made without backup support:
Consider the following as backup for that example statement: My own hometown created a ten year plan to renovate their downtown area. A higher sales tax was passed in order to pay for the renovation, which ultimately cost $1 million dollars. But once it was finished, the sales tax was removed and the antique shops, which now fill much of the downtown, attract tourists and collectors from hundreds of miles away. The downtown is now completely self-supporting and is a constant source of both pride and new tax revenue to the town’s residents.
Remember that this essay is your chance to write and make yourself look good and well educated. It is not a test of your knowledge of grammar rules. You don’t have to demonstrate knowledge of every nuance of grammar. Therefore, if you find yourself wondering whether a given phrase should have commas around it or not, rewrite the phrase such that you’re confident it doesn’t need commas or does need commas. There is no need to have any punctuation in your essay that you are only 50% confident of being correct and conforming to the rules of grammar.
Example: You write, “Each of us must choose which path to take in life, whether to strive for improvement, or to settle in to their surroundings.”
You aren’t sure whether you need a comma or a colon after the phrase “to take in life” in the preceding sentence.
Simply rewrite the sentence until you are confident in how it is phrased. Change it to something such as:
“There are two paths: strive for improvement, or settle into surroundings.”
At this point you know you are using the colon properly, and so you can feel free to move on in your essay without fear of having made a grammar mistake.
Many essay writers feel that they have to impress the reader with the vocabulary that they have at their disposal. While a good vocabulary can be impressive, and the right word used at the right time can make an essay appear much more professional, they should only be used with caution.
Often a big vocabulary word will be used out of context and it will have the reverse effect. Rather than looking impressive, a vocabulary word used improperly will detract from the essay. So, if you think of a word that you don’t commonly use, only use it if you are absolutely positive of its meaning and are sure that you are using it at the right place. Most of the time, you will be safer by sticking with words you are familiar with and accustomed to using.
Remember that the goal of your essay is to properly cover a topic and write an essay that is somewhat exhaustive in showing every angle and perspective. A lot of writers get tunnel vision. One particular angle occurs to them as the most important and they hammer away at that angle of the topic throughout the entire essay.
Discussing the same angle of a topic at length is considered essay depth. Discussing different angles of the same topic is considered essay breadth. Your goal is to have greater breadth than depth. This isn’t a 20-page thesis written on a specific, obscure topic. Your topics will be fairly generic and broad-based and should have lots of different angles to consider and write about. You want to touch on as many different angles as you can, while still providing supporting backup for each statement you make.
Don’t get stuck in a rut with tunnel vision. Be sure you are spending proper amounts of time on each angle you intend to discuss and not spend the entire essay writing about the same angle.
Example: The topic is whether or not athletics represents too much a part of today’s academic institutions, and you intend to take the side that athletics is not too much of a part.
Your main angle is that an education is far more than simply academics and that athletics programs foster a richer, more diverse education. However, don’t get stuck talking about that one angle. Consider writing about how athletic programs create ties to the community that academics does not. Discuss how athletic programs also encourage donations that benefit academics, as well as athletics.
Always try to consider multiple angles and avoid getting tunnel vision.
Some writers will begin their essay by rephrasing the question and talking about the different possibilities. Rather than stating what you’re going to do: just do it.
Don’t use the introduction as a chance to expose your mental ramblings. The introduction should be concise and to the point.
Example – Bad introduction: In this essay, I am going to discuss the thing that I consider to be the most important quality in an individual. It was a difficult decision to make, because there were so many qualities to choose from. Good looks is only skin deep, but intelligence, character, and personality run much deeper. I think the one that is most important is character. Character is the most important because it defines a person, exposes their true nature, and provides strength to overcome any obstacle.
Example – Good introduction: While every characteristic in an individual is important, one stands alone: character. Character defines individuals, and exposes their true nature. When obstacles arise, character provides the strength to overcome them.
Notice how this second example is clear, concise, and does not ramble on about the decision or ideas that are occurring to the writer.
A conclusion is just that: a conclusion. It wraps everything that you’ve written thus far up into a neat summary paragraph. This is not the time to begin introducing new arguments and new reasoning. You want to make sure that you are quickly and concisely reviewing what you’ve written and have a solid ending in which you come across as having proved your point, and made your case effectively.
o, when you’re ready to begin your conclusion, make sure that you’ve flushed out all the new angles you want to cover. Then go back over what you’re written and tie it all together at the end, hitting briefly on all the angles that you’ve discussed.
Additionally, a conclusion is not an apology. You should never apologize for not knowing more or writing more. End your essay with purpose and definitively summarize what you have stated.
The readers that read and score your essay are not looking for passionate essays that are full of hot air and lacking in reason. They are interested in well thought out essays that communicate reasonable All rights reserved. arguments and logic, backed up by sound examples and observations. If the topic you choose is one that you are passionate about, make sure that you present more than just heated emotion, but also cool logic.
Example: The topic is about school uniforms, and you are passionately opposed.
Rather than writing, “School uniforms is a stupid idea, and will never work,” try writing, “School uniforms have been an admitted failure by their original sponsors in all three implementation efforts during the last decade.”
The first statement may be full of passion, but clearly lacks reason, while the second statement contains solid facts as examples.
While it’s important that you communicate reason, misguided reason is ineffective. Always make sure that the examples you are providing and the reasoning you are using is being directed at answering the topic question.
Flawless logic that doesn’t answer the question and doesn’t contribute to the point you’re trying to make is completely useless. As you think of main ideas and supporting ideas to use, take a few seconds and confirm that they will adequately answer the topic and veer off down a tangent that is not directly related.
Example: The topic is about what was the most important thing you have ever learned in school and asks you to discuss why. Your answer is a quest for knowledge. Your supporting ideas include having been forced to work on large projects and do exhaustive research into topics that you normally wouldn’t read about, which expanded your mind.
A tangent that you would not want to pursue might be to provide statistics on how many hours you worked on a research paper in elementary school. While factual, those facts do not help answer why a quest for knowledge is the most important thing you have ever learned in school.
Make sure that the facts and reasons you are stating directly help you in your goal of answering the topic question.