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By: Daniel Millions

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Writing an essay can be frustrating and difficult. However, if planned properly and chosen wisely, your essay can stand out from the crowd because of its quality and richness in content.

The first thing your essay should have is an introductory paragraph. This paragraph has to be able to show exactly what your essay is about in only a couple of sentences. A great opening paragraph of an essay will show the reader exactly what they are going to read about and capture their interest straight away. This paragraph is also known as a thesis statement.

The next parts of your essay are the supporting paragraphs. These particular paragraphs make up the formation and the body of your written essay, and should be able to link together the different points you are making. A good tip here is to make a simple list of the points you are making in your essay. You can then develop your essay from this list by creating a supporting paragraph for every point made.

The final part of your essay should be the summary. This summary will conclude everything you have just written about in a few sentences. It differs from the introductory paragraph as that tells you what you are going to read; the summary paragraph tells the reader what they have already read.

You may already have your topic assigned to you for your essay or you may have to choose yourself. If you choose yourself, it is very important to be able to write fluently and confidently about your subject. Don't pick a subject you know nothing about or are not very confident of. So, brainstorm a few ideas and pick your topic for your essay.

Then, prepare an outline or a diagram of your topic and any ideas you have for your specific essay. This structures your ideas and your essay by giving it a clear and well defined path to follow. If you feel that the structure you have prepared doesn't work, don't be afraid to tweak it here and there to make it work for you and your topic.

Write your thesis statement/opening paragraph and tell the readers what you as the writer are going to be showing them throughout your essay. What they will learn from it and the point you are trying to make within your essay.

Then you write your supporting paragraphs that make up your points list that you made earlier. Make a paragraph for each point and show your findings clearly and with solid facts, and possibly quotations or interviews.

Write the conclusion at the end, not during or at the beginning. Many people make the mistake of writing the conclusion before they have even finished and read through the final draft of the essay. Never do this as you may have written something else or become aware of other facts and figures later on in the essay writing process.

Once you have done all of this, you can go on to proofread what you have written. If you have the ability to do so, leave the essay overnight or for a couple of days and back to it with fresh eyes. This makes it easier to spot any spelling, grammatical or any other errors you may have made. If you can, let someone else go through it and proof it for you.

Throughout your education you will have to write many essays, and while the subjects and the occasions may vary, the basic formulae shown here will help you write a strong essay under a time limit.

Know the material. The first step in preparing to write an essay is to read all the material you need to know about the topic. Take notes and read over these notes regularly until you have knowledge of the topic, or print off prewritten notes. Make sure you have enough information available to you to know what you are writing about before you start to write.

Relax. Especially if you are writing an important essay, or an essay in an exam, it’s vital that you relax before you start to write. Breathe in and out a few times and take a few minutes to read and think about the exam. If you start straight away, you will be feeling the stress and are more likely to write a bad essay than if you are composed and focused on the task in hand.

Read the question. Know from the start how long your essay is supposed to take you, the expected word count and any other instructions. Make sure that if a specific font or word size is specified that you use it, and keep the word count in mind as you write.

Analyse the question. Look for words that tell you what you are expected to do, such as ‘state’, which means to present the main points in a logical order. Other words to watch out for include list, enumerate, trace, summarise, review, discuss, criticise, evaluate, justify, show and explain.

Work out how long you have to write the essay in, and set up a schedule. If it’s due in a week, prepare to write the plan tomorrow, write the essay over the next two days, leave a day free and then proofread and edit. That way you are sure to have it done and to a high standard by the time it’s due in.

Jot down some ideas. Spend a few minutes figuring out exactly what you want to say and make these into a plan, complete with structuring a plan. This helps to make sure you don’t repeat yourself and anything you do say is relevant and precise.

Start with a strong first sentence. Don’t waste time composing a long introduction, simply state your main points clearly within your first sentence and use the rest of your essay to back yourself up.

As you’re writing the essay, periodically check the question to make sure you aren’t rambling. Don’t pad your essay with unrelated information, and make sure you aren’t repeating yourself.

Don’t panic. If you are running out of time or things to say, remember that you can list the points you want to say and this will show that you did have the knowledge to answer the question. Don’t rush, or try to ramble or cram, as this could undermine the rest of your essay. A simple one sentence conclusion emphasizing your main point should be a sufficient to sum up if you become too stuck.

Edit and proofread. Re-read over the essay, the next day if possible, and revise and edit. Check for spelling mistakes, grammatical errors and inconsistencies. As you read you may realise you’ve left out important information, or that you need to move a sentence. Make sure you re-read after you’ve done your editing, to check the essay still makes sense and that it still answers the question.