An essay is a special kind of student work that has its own rules. Preparing a text in English is even more complicated: the teacher will check both the disclosure of the topic and the knowledge of the language. There are several tricks on how to write an essay in English: they concern the construction of the text, the variety of vocabulary, and quality checking.
How to write an essay in English: options, structure, features
Professionals from EssayAssistant define an essay as a brief written work on a certain topic. In it, you reveal your own opinion rather than talking about someone else’s research. In addition, the essay is usually written in a fluent language. The style of writing is even more important than the argumentativeness of your point of view: the story should interest and intrigue the listeners.
Structure of an essay
An essay is a short work, the maximum length of which is only 300-320 words. This is one and a half to two pages of a notebook, or one sheet of A4 format. In this volume it is necessary to include:
- Title, which reflects the topic;
- Introduction: 3-4 sentences describing the topic;
- The main part: a few paragraphs describing the essence of the work. Traditionally, each paragraph begins with an introductory short thought that develops in the next few sentences;
- A conclusion: 3-4 sentences summarizing the entire essay. Depending on the chosen type of essay and style of presentation, this can be formulated conclusions, a summary of the essay, a famous quote, or questions on the topic.
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Types of essays
There are 3 main types of essays in English: essay-argument, essay-opinion, and essay-proposal. How they differ from each other:
- In an argument essay, you talk about a topic, followed by an argument for or against a related phenomenon. You don’t have to give your view of the problem here, but you should add in the conclusion about your attitude toward the subject matter.
- The opinion essay assumes that you will evaluate the topic on your own and from different angles. Explain why you hold one opinion and do not support another.
- The purpose of the solution essay is to consider all possible solutions to a given problem, suggesting long-term consequences and outcomes. Conclude with an argument for your choice.
You won’t have to think for yourself which of these options to choose. This is usually evident from the assignment and the title of the topic. In addition, the instructor himself can also give wishes on the type of essay.
Rules for writing an essay in English
Preparing an essay at home is not difficult at all. It’s another matter if this task is to be done in exams period. A student can be hindered by everything: time constraints, strict assignments, lack of vocabulary. You should start preparing for the future exam beforehand so that you know how to write an essay in English and successfully present it to the committee:
- Increase your horizons. Any topic can come up on the exam. For you to be able to argue your opinion, suggest options of events and beautifully conclude the essay with a quote from a classic writer, you need to read as much as possible. In addition, you can learn new vocabulary and interesting turns of phrases from texts.
- Save time on the exam. Don’t try to write the whole essay in a draft: it will be enough just to outline the main theses. In this way, you may save time for the examination. For small corrections, the grade is usually not lowered, because it is quite difficult to write and format an English essay correctly on the first try and in the conditions of the exam.
- Follow the structure. Remember about the conjunction “introduction – main part – conclusion”, and write a plan based on these sections.
- Take care of the beauty of language. Use cohesive words, forget about slang and abbreviations, try to diversify the vocabulary used. Don’t use rigid constructions (“I know that…”, “everyone knows”, “many are sure”, and others). If your topic is about something provocative, try to write as mildly and correctly as possible.
- Keep a balance. On the one hand, the essay should be as brief and concise as possible. On the other hand, each thought expressed should be argued, or at least supported by an example.
However, it is unlikely that the exam will be your first experience of writing an essay. During the academic year, you will have plenty of similar assignments (both at home and during class time). During the preparation for exams, the instructor will give you a plan and a sample of how to write an essay in English and will sort out the most frequent mistakes. By the way, you can decide to do it by yourself or to ask someone to write papers for money for you. Preparation of essays on other subjects will also help this way you will practice writing texts on any given topic, find arguments and justify your opinion.
So, to summarize – to successfully prepare an essay in English requires:
- be well versed in the topic on which you should write a text;
- be able to argue your opinion, make assumptions, express arguments for and against;
- have a good vocabulary, be familiar with a variety of vocabulary and grammar;
- be succinct yet witty;
- and, of course, have good literacy.
An essay is considered the easiest option for student writing. Even if you have never been given the assignment to write an essay during the school year, you can practice writing it yourself. It is the lack of checking and strict teacher supervision that can help you discover your abilities and not be afraid to write essays.
Another great option would be to get together with your classmates, write an essay on a certain topic, and have a follow-up discussion. This will help you get a better grasp of the subject and develop your speaking skills in English, which of course will also be a plus on the future exam.
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