essay writing : overcoming a student's nightmare

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Essay Writing: Overcoming aStudent'sNightmare

By :

ABIDAH BT SARAJUL HAQ

ENGLISH LANGUAGE MASTER TEACHER

The most common form of writing in the English Language exam

paper is obviously essay writing . Knowing how to write an essay effectively is afundamental skill for students of all levels. The different types of essays follow the

same pattern as you write . It has namely an introduction, body and a conclusion.Unfortunately, many students find writing essays at PMR level is a tedious task. But

DO NOT FEAR ! essay writing may seem an obstacle to you , but once you learn the"tricks of the trade," writing them becomes easier and eventually, even enjoyable. The

method used is almost identical for journalists. So if you are an aspiring writer,

learning the essay format can put you ahead of the others in your class.

Now let us look at the types of essay that you need to write at PMR level.

ANALYSIS OF PMR ENGLISH LANGUAGE PAPER 2 :

GUIDED WRITING SECTION 2005 -2007

YEAR TYPE OF ESSAY

2005 Descriptive essay : writing an event

based on given pictures

2006 Informal letter : invitation to a

campsite

2007 Writing a story based on given pictures

Most of the essay that you have studied requires you to either narrate , describe

and elaborate on the given notes in the exam question paper.



Writing a 5 - paragraph essay ……..

Writing a good five-paragraph essay requires that one to master the format. What is

required for writing a good five-paragraph essay is the same as for any good writing, but thatthe five-paragraph format needs to be exact. Through practice, proficiency is achieved.

Through practice using a good planning pattern, the process becomes a second nature

thinking skill. Remember that the practice is not drill as the product is ever changing.Mistakes will be made, but good evaluation, especially self-evaluation will see that the

mistakes are not repeated. Since writing is communication, always remember that the goal is

to become clear, concise, and unified so that the reader can follow along and appreciate thewriter's point of view and train of thought. The five-paragraph essay is a great tool for

learning and communicating at all levels.

As you've probably noticed, essay writing assignments can pop up in any class.

An essay is a literary composition that expresses a certain idea, claim, or conceptand backs it up with supporting statements. It will follow a logical pattern, to includean introductory paragraph (make the claim), a body (support), and a conclusion(summary of statements and support).

English and Literature teachers use them on a regular basis, but essays are also atest tool used commonly in the social sciences, and even in math and science class.

Of course, essays play a big role in the college application process, as well. In short,there's just no avoiding essays, as long as you're in school!

Luckily, you can learn to craft a great essay if you can follow the standard patternand write in a clear and organized manner.

Introduction

The introduction is the first paragraph in your essay, and it should accomplish a fewspecific goals.

1. Capture the reader's interest

It's a good idea to start your essay with a really interesting statement, in order topique the reader's interest.



Avoid starting out with a boring line like

"In this essay I will explain why Rosa Parks was an important figure."

Instead, try something like

"A Michigan museum recently paid $492,000 for an old, dilapidated bus fromMontgomery, Alabama."

The second sentence sounds much more interesting, doesn't it? It would encouragemost people to keep on reading.

2. Introduce the topic

The next few sentences should explain your first statement, and prepare the reader for your thesis statement.

"The old yellow bus was reported to be the very one that sparked the civil rightsmovement, when a young woman named Rosa Parks..."

3. Make a claim or express your opinion in a thesis sentence.

Your thesis sentence should provide your specific assertion and convey clearly your point of view.

"In refusing to surrender her seat to a white man, Rosa Parks inspired a courageousfreedom movement that lives on, even today."

Body

The body of the essay will include three paragraphs, each limited to one main ideathat supports your thesis. You should state your idea, then back it up with two or three sentences of evidence or examples.

Example of a main idea:

"It took incredible courage for an African American woman to make such a bold stance in 1955 Alabama."

Offer evidence to support this statement:

"This act took place in an era when African Americans could be arrested and facesevere retribution for comitting the most trivial acts of defiance."

Include a few more supporting statements with further evidence, then use transitionwords to lead to the following paragraph.



Sample transition words:

moreover

in fact

on the whole

furthermore

as a result

simply put

for this reason

similarly

likewise

it follows that

naturally

by comparison

surely

yet

The fifth paragraph will be your conclusion.

Conclusion

The final paragraph will summarize your main points and re-assert your main claim.It should point out your main points, but should not repeat specific examples.

Once you complete the first draft of your essay, it's a good idea to re-visit the thesisstatement in your first paragraph. Read your essay to see if it flows well.

You might find that the supporting paragraphs are strong, but they don't address theexact focus of your thesis. Simply re-write your thesis sentence to fit your body andsummary more exactly.

By doing this, you will ensure that every sentence in your essay supports, proves, or reflects your thesis.

How to Write an Essay

There are many ways to write an essay. However, the standard essay form follows the same basic patterns asdiscussed in this "how to".

Difficulty Level: Average Time Required: 30 minutes

Here's How: 1. Select the topic of your essay.2. Choose the central idea, or thesis, of your essay. For example: Information technology has revolutionized the

way we work.3. Outline your essay into introductory, body and summary paragraphs.4. The introductory paragraph begins with an interesting sentence. For example: Home workers have grown

from 150,000 to over 12 million in the past 5 years thanks to the wonders of the computer.5. After this first sentence, add your thesis statement from above.6. Use one sentence to introduce every body paragraph to follow. For example: The Internet has made this

possible by extending the office into the home.



7. Finish the introductory paragraph with a short summary or goal statement. For example: Technologicalinnovation has thus made the traditional workplace obsolete.

8. In each of the body paragraphs (usually two or three) the ideas first presented in the introductory paragraphare developed.

9. Develop your body paragraphs by giving detailed information and examples. For example: When the Internetwas first introduced it was used primarily by scientists, now it is common in every classroom.

10. Body paragraphs should develop the central idea and finish with a summary of that idea. There should be atleast two examples or facts in each body paragraph to support the central idea.

11. The summary paragraph summarizes your essay and is often a reverse of the introductory paragrah.

12. Begin the summary paragrah by quickly restating the principal ideas of your body paragraphs. For example: The Internet in the home, benefits and ease of use of modern computer systems...

13. The penultimate sentence should restate your basic thesis of the essay. For example: We have now passedfrom the industrial revolution to the information revolution.

14. Your final statement can be a future prediction based on what you have shown in the essay. For example: The next step: The complete disappearance of the workplace.

Tips: 1. Use strong verbs and avoid modals to state your opinion. It is better to write: The workplace has evolved

than THe workplace seems to have evolved 2. Do not apologize for what you are saying. An essay is about your opinion.3. Do not translate from your mother tongue, it will quickly get you into trouble!

From Kenneth Beare,

How To Write an EssayFrom Kenneth Beare,

Your Guide to English as 2nd Language.

FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!There are many ways to write an essay. However, the standard essay form followsthe same basic patterns as discussed in this 'how to'.Difficulty: AverageTime Required: 30 minutes

Here's How:1. Select the topic of your essay.2. Choose the central idea, or thesis, of your essay. For example: Information

technology has revolutionized the way we work.3. Outline your essay into introductory, body and summary paragraphs.4. The introductory paragraph begins with an interesting sentence. For example:

Home workers have grown from 150,000 to over 12 million in the past 5 yearsthanks to the wonders of the computer.

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5. After this first sentence, add your thesis statement from above.

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6. Use one sentence to introduce every body paragraph to follow. For example:The Internet has made this possible by extending the office into the home.

7. Finish the introductory paragraph with a short summary or goal statement.For example: Technological innovation has thus made the traditional workplaceobsolete.

8. In each of the body paragraphs (usually two or three) the ideas first presentedin the introductory paragraph are developed.9. Develop your body paragraphs by giving detailed information and examples.

For example: When the Internet was first introduced it was used primarily byscientists, now it is common in every classroom.

10. Body paragraphs should develop the central idea and finish with a summaryof that idea. There should be at least two examples or facts in each body paragraphto support the central idea.

11. The summary paragraph summarizes your essay and is often a reverse of theintroductory paragrah.

12. Begin the summary paragrah by quickly restating the principal ideas of your

body paragraphs. For example: The Internet in the home, benefits and ease of useof modern computer systems...13. The penultimate sentence should restate your basic thesis of the essay. For

example: We have now passed from the industrial revolution to the informationrevolution.

14. Your final statement can be a future prediction based on what you haveshown in the essay. For example: The next step: The complete disappearance of theworkplace.

Tips:

1. Use strong verbs and avoid modals to state your opinion. It is better to write:

The workplace has evolved than The workplace seems to have evolved2. Do not apologize for what you are saying. An essay is about your opinion.3. Do not translate from your mother tongue. It will quickly get you into trouble!

What You Need:

• Computer or Typewriter

• Dictionary

• Thesaurus

Young Learner's Writing Workshop 1

Many young learners are required to write essays in English. While most of thesestudents also write essays for other courses in their native language, they often feelhesitant when writing essays in English. This series of four lessons is designed tohelp students become familiar with writing an essay in English. The first lesson isdesigned to give students an overview of basic essay writing style. The final threelessons focus on developing skills that are used when analyzing texts as the basis of their essays.



Aim: Learning basic essay structure for young learners to use for text analysis

Activity: Overview of basic essay structure presentation with students workingtogether to develop an essay outline

Level: Young Learners - upper intermediate

Outline:

• Choose a short story that your class is very familiar with, and about which

they will surely have strong opinions.• In a brainstorming session, ask students the following questions (you may

want to have the students work on these questions in small groups and thenreview their answers as a class):

o Who are the main characters of the story?

o What are the main events of the story?

o What roles do the main characters play in the main events of thestory?

o Is there a moral to the story? If yes, what do you think it is?

o What did you learn from the story?

• Make a list of the most commonly held opinions and answers relating to the

story.• Give students the short outline to writing an essay. Have them read through

the outline and answer any questions they may have.• Ask students to break up into small groups and, using the information from

the brainstorming session, fill in the outline questionnaire.• Circulate around the class helping the groups come up with appropriate

answers to the outline.• Make sure that each student has a copy of the work they produce as this

outline will be used as the base of an essay in a future lesson.

An Introduction to Writing an Essay

1. Select the topic of your essay.2. Choose the central idea, or thesis, of your essay. For example:

George Orwell's Animal Farm provides a fascinating allegory of life in atotalitarian society.

3. Outline your essay into introductory, body and summary paragraphs.4. The introductory paragraph begins with an interesting sentence. For example:

The idyllic setting of life on the farm provides little clue of the harsh realitiesGeorge Orwell portrays in Animal Farm.




6. Use one sentence to introduce every body paragraph to follow. For example:

Orwell's choice of pigs as the leaders of the farm can hardly be incidental.

7. Finish the introductory paragraph with a short summary or goal statement.

For example:

George Orwell's Animal Farm fascinates the reader through its extremecontrast between the idyllic and brutally realistic.

8. In each of the body paragraphs (usually two or three) the ideas first presentedin the introductory paragraph are developed.

9. Develop your body paragraphs by giving detailed information and examples.For example:

The struggle between the two leading pigs, Napoleon and Snowball, with its

consequences felt by the population of the farm clearly illustrates how totalitarian leaders will put their own confrontations ahead of the populationthey are supposedly leading.

10.Body paragraphs should develop the central idea and finish with a summaryof that idea. There should be at least two examples or facts in each bodyparagraph to support the central idea.

11.The summary paragraph summarizes your essay and is often a reverse of theof the introductory paragraph.

12.Begin the summary paragraph by quickly restating the principal ideas of your body paragraphs. For example:

Through the use of symbolism in the portrayal of characters, setting and style, George Orwell's Animal Farm delivers a harsh criticism of totalitariansociety.

13.The penultimate sentence should restate your basic thesis of the essay. For example:

Animal Farm is a deceivingly simple allegory presenting totalitarian society inall its grimmest aspects.

14.Your final statement can be a future prediction based on what you haveshown in the essay. For example:

Considering the vast changes in the global political structure of the last twenty years, one can only hope that mankind has learned the lessons soelegantly told in George Orwell's Animal Farm.

Outline Questionnaire



• This essay is about:

__________________________________________

• The essay is introduced by the following interesting statement:

__________________________________________

• This essay is introduced with the following idea:

__________________________________________

• The essay will illustrate the above idea by showing that:o (main point of paragraph 1)

__________________________________________

This is shown by:1. __________________________________________

2. __________________________________________

3. __________________________________________

o (main point of paragraph 2)

__________________________________________

This is shown by:1. __________________________________________

2. __________________________________________

3. __________________________________________

o (main point of paragraph 3)

__________________________________________

This is shown by:1. __________________________________________

2. __________________________________________

3. __________________________________________



• To summarize, this essay has shown that:

__________________________________________

• The lessons that can be learned are:

1. __________________________________________

2. __________________________________________

Printing Page

Writers' Workshop - Lesson 1 - Basic Essay Structure

Writers' Workshop - Lesson 2 - Developing a Character Analysis

Writers' Workshop - Lesson 3 - Using Themes to Relate to a Story

Writers' Workshop - Lesson 4 - Getting Ideas Organized

Back to lessons resource page

How To Write an EssayFrom Kenneth Beare,

Your Guide to English as 2nd Language.

FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!

There are many ways to write an essay. However, the standard essay form followsthe same basic patterns as discussed in this 'how to'.Difficulty: AverageTime Required: 30 minutes

Here's How:

1. Select the topic of your essay.2. Choose the central idea, or thesis, of your essay. For example: Information

technology has revolutionized the way we work.3. Outline your essay into introductory, body and summary paragraphs.4. The introductory paragraph begins with an interesting sentence. For example:

Home workers have grown from 150,000 to over 12 million in the past 5 yearsthanks to the wonders of the computer.

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6. Use one sentence to introduce every body paragraph to follow. For example:The Internet has made this possible by extending the office into the home.

7. Finish the introductory paragraph with a short summary or goal statement.For example: Technological innovation has thus made the traditional workplaceobsolete.

8. In each of the body paragraphs (usually two or three) the ideas first presentedin the introductory paragraph are developed.

9. Develop your body paragraphs by giving detailed information and examples.For example: When the Internet was first introduced it was used primarily byscientists, now it is common in every classroom.

10. Body paragraphs should develop the central idea and finish with a summary

of that idea. There should be at least two examples or facts in each body paragraphto support the central idea.

11. The summary paragraph summarizes your essay and is often a reverse of theintroductory paragrah.

12. Begin the summary paragrah by quickly restating the principal ideas of your body paragraphs. For example: The Internet in the home, benefits and ease of useof modern computer systems...

13. The penultimate sentence should restate your basic thesis of the essay. For example: We have now passed from the industrial revolution to the informationrevolution.

14. Your final statement can be a future prediction based on what you have

shown in the essay. For example: The next step: The complete disappearance of theworkplace.

Tips:

1. Use strong verbs and avoid modals to state your opinion. It is better to write:The workplace has evolved than The workplace seems to have evolved

2. Do not apologize for what you are saying. An essay is about your opinion.3. Do not translate from your mother tongue. It will quickly get you into trouble!

What You Need:

• Computer or Typewriter

• Dictionary• Thesaurus

More How To's from your Guide To English as 2nd LanguageSuggested ReadingBasic Essay Writing StyleWriting Lesson PlansWriting ResourcesRelated Articles

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How To Write an EssayThe Structure and Organization of a PersonalStatementHow to Write a Five-Paragraph EssayLesson Plan for ESL TESOLEFL TEFL TESL English Young L...Writing an Essay: Example 4

Writing a good five-paragraph essay requires that one master the format. What is

required for writing a good five-paragraph essay is the same as for any good writing,

but that the five-paragraph format needs to be exact. Through practice, proficiency is

achieved. Through practice using a good planning pattern, the process becomes a

second nature thinking skill. Remember that the practice is not drill as the product is

ever changing. Mistakes will be made, but good evaluation, especially self-evaluation

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will see that the mistakes are not repeated. Since writing is communication, always

remember that the goal is to become clear, concise, and unified so that the reader can

follow along and appreciate the writer's point of view and train of thought. The five-

paragraph essay is a great tool for learning and communicating at all levels.

What follows are merely ideas that I found to be personally useful. Use what youthink will work, and forget the others. There is no sure fire way to teach or learn

writing. There are some things that might make it easier, and that is what I am

presenting.

Give your class lots of opportunities to write throughout the year. Teach them the

format. Let them learn one paragraph at a time. When they are ready, use this format

or writing in every subject that you can. It stretches the kids and makes them see that

this is not just state test writing. Show them that this is a bridge to letter writing,

making oral presentations, and all of the areas that will that will be used in the future

world of work. Let them see that they are getting ready to be successful.

If you are a teacher, peer editing is a good technique to use here also. To aid in that,

sometimes it is good to have the beginning student write on every other line or on wide

line notebook paper so that there is room to make suggestions and revisions.

Another technique is the use of an overhead projector. A poorly constructed

paragraph can make for a great modeling experience as the class makes suggestions

and chooses what they collectively consider to be the best revisions. Doing it with one

paragraph is easy since the whole thing fits well on a transparency. Do remember that

the whole class must read it, so use a large and simple font, perhaps in boldface, for the

transparency.

As the students get better and better, it is interesting to write better and better

"poor" paragraphs. It is rewarding to see and point out to them the growth of the

reasoning process as well as the writing.

As a teacher, I hesitated to use any student essays for this purpose. I never wanted to

embarrass a student in front of the class. Peer editing and small group conferences for

revision can aid effectively individual students. Having students volunteer to read

essays about which they feel some pride is also a good way to share. If they did any of

these, I had a rule that good things had to be said before any suggestions were given.

Examples or reasons had to be included. A student could not simply say that they liked

it. They had to tell why. That way, each student would have a success experience andsome suggestions for possible growth.

Use written practice prompts whenever possible. This is especially true if you are

using five paragraph essays for tests whether teacher given or state mandated. The

written prompt has the advantage of aiding the writer in identifying all that is

important in the assignment as well as being an effective place to go to double check

that the assignment has been met when the writing is over and revision time is at hand.



For the teacher, it can be a good way to see and check that the student understands the

assignment. Oral instructions are open to wide interpretation for a variety of reasons.

Look Around for Examples and Develop a Program

Having great examples to use is important. Sometimes one can find great examplesof good essay writing by collecting and using good editorials or editorial columns with

students. Occasional, one can find an exceptional letter to the editor. "Reader's Digest"

or a similar publications often have some good examples of good writing. There are

numerous student publications that may well come to your class or be in the resource

center that can be an aid in letting the students see real world examples of fine writing.

Knowing what is expected is important in goal setting.

Using those same publications can be a great source of ideas for writing. Students

can write essays in support or opposition to editorials or letters to the editor. Perhaps,

they might be inspired to enter essay contests. Often the prize can be most worthwhile.

They can use newspapers and magazines as sources of background information for

their own essay about a particular topic. They can write articles about topics of

importance to the school and submit them to the school paper or perhaps be included in

your newsletter to parents. Providing background information for the writer is

essential.



All essays follow the same pattern of production: choosing a topic and focus, preparing an

outline, researching, drafting, and producing a final version.

Choosing a Topic



You will develop more passionate, well argued essays if you write about asubject that sincerely interests you. Developing your own ideas is also agood exercise as it is the freelancer's job to sell an idea to an editor. If specific topics are assigned, however, look for these key words that can

narrow the type of essay you must write:

Define:Give a concise meaning of the topic.

Compare/Contrast: Examine the similarities/differences between topics orideas.

Analyze: Show the nature and relationship of the topic.

Explain: State the how and why, where possible, state causes.

The most common error students make is choosing a topic which is far toobroad to explore in a standard essay. For example, writing aboutpropaganda in World War II could not be adequately discussed in a tenpage paper, but it could be narrowed to discuss the propaganda efforts of British print media.

Once you've chosen a topic, a thinking or "incubation" period gives youtime to get used to the subject. Professors may touch on essay topicsduring lectures, so listen for clues.

Focus

You must develop a thesis statement. A thesis statement is one sentencewhich states the central idea of your essay - it is your point of view, not astatement of fact - and it 1) tells the reader exactly what you intend toaccomplish in your paper, and 2) keeps you on track. Write your workingthesis statement on an index card and keep it on hand as you researchand write your paper. You may not finalize your thesis until you havewritten the first draft, so feel free to amend it if you develop new ideasduring your research.

Outline

Brainstorm a list of questions about the topic. Group those ideas thatseem to relate to each other, give them subheadings, and prepare anoutline. Try to list your questions in a logical flow that builds information.

Research

Prepare a working bibliography - this is a list of the types of resources you



will need and the places you expect to find them. A working bibliographycuts your research time substantially by making only one trip to eachresource centre. Resources include: texts, magazines, newspapers, films,experts, computer databases. Places include: libraries, resource centres,charitable or volunteer organizations.

Take your working thesis and bibliography, questions, outline, and a packof index cards with you and begin locating your sources. As you find eachone (in a database or other indexing system), write down all thebibliographical information on a separate index card and number eachone. Use a style guide and cite the bibliographical information correctly asyou go - it saves time when compiling your bibliography. The ModernLanguage Association (MLA) is the authority on correct citations, andalthough it is handy to have a print copy of this invaluable guide, it is alsoavailable on the Web (http://falcon.eku.edu/honors/beyond-mla/#citing_sites).

Once you retrieve your sources, quickly double check the bibliographicalinformation. Many students prefer to research at home, but by developinga working bibliography, and conducting your research at the source, yousave time and energy by not lugging a dozen books home!

Always skim the table of contents, headings, subheadings, appendices,index, and glossary of a textbook FIRST to determine its relevance. If current data is required, always check the publication dates. Write yournotes on the back of the relevant bibliography card - this forces you totake very precise notes that focus only on the most important

information. If you copy a lengthy quote, use a separate index card, notethe page number, and staple it to its matching bibliography card.

Once your research is complete, review your questions. Does the materialgathered answer them? did you add or delete questions? Review yourthesis statement - does it still make sense? does it still express the viewyou wish to take? Write the number of each bibliography card beside therelevant subheadings on your outline. You may want to rewrite youroutline to include new information or ideas.

The First Draft

Use triple spacing when writing your first draft so that you have plenty of room for revisions. The introductory paragraph includes backgroundinformation that sets up your thesis statement. Unless otherwise specifiedby your professor or course department, the thesis statement is the lastsentence of your introductory paragraph.

Write the body, or argument, of your essay in the same order as your



outline. Concentrate on getting the key points down, and always back upyour opinions or conclusions with facts or examples. Document any ideasthat are not your own by referring to your bibliography cards (footnote,endnote or MLA style). MLA style citations are made within the body of the paragraph. At the end of paraphrased material or quotes, write the

author's last name and the page reference in brackets; if you havealready used the author's name or the title in the paragraph, bracket onlythe page number. Refer to a style guide while you write and list yourcitations correctly the first time.

Any direct quotes of less than four lines can be included within theparagraph; for longer ones, indent ten spaces from both left and rightmargins and use single spacing. Quotation marks are not required forindented quotes.

An English professor once advised me that, while revising the first draft,

ask "So what?" after each paragraph. If you can't answer this questionafter each one, the information probably doesn't support your thesis. Nomatter how wonderfully you write, if the information does not supportyour focus, it does not belong. Before you revise the first draft, ALWAYSread your essay out loud - even if your formal grammar skills are weak,you can often pick up errors by ear much easier than by eye.

Now check for the following: Are there grammar, spelling or punctuationerrors? Do the paragraphs flow naturally and build information? Is thereonly one idea per paragraph? Have you written in the 3rd person? Haveyou avoided using contractions (e.g., don't, won't, etc.)? Have you used

the correct words for what you want to say? Are there better ones? Neveruse colloquial speech or jargon. The concluding paragraph summarizeshow you proved your thesis statement in your essay. Rework your thesisstatement into a concluding paragraph.

The Final Cut

Continue to revise until you have a version you are satisfied with. Prepareyour bibliography page from your index cards, listing only those sourcesyou used in your essay. All you need to do now is type up a final copy.Check for the following: If there was a style sheet provided by the

department, have you followed their guidelines? Is it double spaced,typed on only one side of the page? Have you used 1" margins? Have younumbered the pages at the top right hand corner? Do not number thetitle, first, or bibliography pages of your essay. Your bibliography page islast.

Finally, read your essay out loud again to check for spelling, grammar andpunctuation, and to ensure that it flows logically. Keep a complete copy



for yourself - professors, like the rest of us, sometimes misplace things!Writing an essay may seem like the hardest task in the world, but tosucceed as a student, and as a writer, it is a format that should be learnedthoroughly and well. A tried and true method of researching and writingany type of assignment helps you organize your thoughts, your time, and

alleviates that anxious "How do I begin?" phase. Writing essays well is avaluable skill for both school and business. And who knows? All that timeyou spend writing your A+ essays just might get you a job as a writer. Itworked for me.

How to Write a Basic Essay

By baw0412

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Thousands of high school and college students stress each year about thosepesky essays English teachers assign to students. Many students don’t seeany use for them because they plan to be a mechanic or construction worker

where not a lot of writing is required. But being able to convey your thoughtsand ideas in a clear and concise way can be beneficial no matter what fieldyou may enter. So for those who simply want to get a good enough grade soyou won’t have to take that English class again, here are some steps thatshould get you by.

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InstructionsDifficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Open mind• Pencil or pen• Paper/word processing program

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Step 1:In most cases your teacher/instructor will tell you to pick any topic to writeabout. Therefore, pick a topic that interests you or a memorable moment. If you’re a sports fan then write a paper on the history of your favorite sport, whya particular sport is your favorite, how to play a sport, rules to the game, or a

memorable moment you had playing that sport. You can’t do a good job if youdon’t have any interest in the subject.

Step 2:Write an introduction paragraph explaining to the audience what your paper will be about. Seems simple enough, but many times this can be one of themost difficult parts to writing an essay. Basically look at your openingparagraph as a sneak preview to a movie. Think to yourself that you’re aboutto tell your audience what they are going to read without giving away whatyou’ve written. If you are about to explain your love for something, open your

essay by saying why you love that sport, book or song, and then tell your audience how you are about to go into detail about how you fell in love for thatspecial thing.

Step 3:Write your thesis statement, which is the last sentence of your first paragraph.The thesis statement brings closure to your opening paragraph andspecifically states what your paper will be about. You might have started your paragraph by stating how everyone has hobbies and why each individualchooses their own specific hobby, and then state your favorite hobby. Well

once you get to that last sentence in your first paragraph just simply tell your readers something along the lines of, “ I will tell you how I got started incollecting stamps and why this hobby has brought me great joy and a traditionI hope to pass on to my children.”

Step 4:Write an outline of your three to five main points. The paragraphs that arestuck between your opening and closing paragraphs should each have oneidea that takes center stage. For example, you may have three paragraphsdescribing your fondness for collecting stamps. The first point discusses howyou got in the hobby, the second paragraph discusses the first steps you tookin getting into the hobby, and the third paragraph explains the joy you get outof collecting stamps. The easiest and most basic way of writing an essay is tothink chronologically where you begin with the first step and end with the finalone.



Step 5:Write each individual paragraph that follows your opening one using theinformation from your outline.

Step 6:

Write your conclusion paragraph. There are two ways to end an essay. Theeasiest one is to simply restate your main points. The second way is to tellyour readers what you got out of writing your thoughts down or what you hopeyour audience got out of reading your paper.

essay writing : overcoming a student's nightmare

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