Tips on Writing Essays
A. Planning
1. Spend 5 minutes to plan your essay.
2. Jot down a plan of the points you want to make before you start writing.
B. Starting Your Essay
1. Introduce clearly the overall point that your essay is making.
2. The introduction gives a brief answer to the question. The rest of the essay expands on your answer and gives evidence for it.
3. Grab the reader’s attention at the start - use strong, emotive language to get your opinions across, especially in persuasive essays.
4. Start with a short, quirky statement for immediate impact.
5. Remember to back up your controversial viewpoints made in the introduction in the rest of the essay.
6. A good introduction will really impress the examiners.
C. Paragraphs
1. Paragraphs make your writing clearer.
2. Start a new paragraph every time something changes.
3. Each paragraph needs a clear topic.
4. Paragraphs need to be linked.
5. Paragraphs should follow a clear order.
D. Giving evidence
1. Give an example every time you make a point.
E. Concluding and Checking
1. Bring together the key points in your conclusion.
2. Check over your essay when you’ve finished.
3. Check your work, re-check it, then check it again!
