Essay writing tips - part one

What better way to start my blog than to write about the topic that excites me most about teaching English - essay writing. From time to time, I will blog some helpful hints that will guide you toward better (and easier) essay writing techniques. And this is the first set.

TIP #1

In a writing exam, leave a space at the top of your essay to write your introduction paragraph, then write you body paragraphs. Then AFTER you finish the body paragraphs, write the introduction.

When you are panicking in an exam, you need to gain more confidence, which often comes after writing many sentences.

When you have written a paragraph or two, you may feel more relaxed and happier. However, when you see an empty page in front of you and you only have 60 minutes or less to fill it, this can fill you with fear. I have seen many students scratching their heads at the start of an exam. I know what they are thinking. They are thinking, "Oh no! What can I write? What can I write? Ahhhhh!!" Writing your body paragraphs first can help you calm down.

Also, writing an introduction isn't easy. However, while you are writing the body paragraphs, some ideas for your introduction may come to mind. Then you can make a note and continue to write. At the end of writing your body paragraphs, you will have lots of ideas for a good introduction.

TIP #2

Don't count your words.

I see students doing this all the time. When I see them do this in an exam, I stop them, point at their essay and say, "That's about 180 words. Write another idea."

It takes half a second to count a word (longer with longer numbers). If you need to write 300 words for an exam essay, that means it will take you 2.5 minutes to count the words. Just think how many more ideas you can write in 2.5 minutes! Alternatively, you could carefully check the grammar in 4-5 sentences instead of counting words.

So, as a result of NOT counting your words but doing something more useful with those 2.5 minutes, you will get more points. That could be the difference between passing your exam and failing.

Furthermore, if you need to count words, it means you don't have enough ideas. This is due to not doing a complete brainstorm before you start writing -- which will be the topic of a future blog post (and it is a topic in my essay writing course on Udemy.com)

TIP #3

Include conjunctions (linking words) in your writing.

Examples of linking words/phrases are: first of all, moreover, due to, nevertheless, etc. Why is it important to have these words in an academic essay? Firstly (you see what I did there?!), having linking words helps the reader follow the thought processes of the writer.

If you write "moreover", the reader will understand that the writer believes he/she is adding a very important point which does not contrast with the point before (in other words: a positive point after another positive point, or a negative point after another negative point).

Similarly (I did it again!), a reader will know that you are stating the cause of something when you write "due to" after that something.

If you don't write these words, then the reader (e.g. a teacher giving points for your exam essay) may not understand what you want to explain. As a result, you could get lower points.

Each sentence that you write must logically lead to the next sentence and therefore lead the reader to an understanding of your viewpoint. Using linking words is the best way to join these sentences together in a way that shows the reader your logical thought process.

signal words

.pdf

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Here is a sheet with linking words for you to download.

TIP #4

Leave a bribe for the teacher in your exam paper. As I tell my Turkish students, if you want a good grade, give me a blue picture of Atatürk.

Happy writing!