A good essay must address the following:

• Does the essay sufficiently tackle the objective?
• Does it present a robust and well-supported stance?
• Does it sufficiently explore relevant sources?
• Does it use a clear and appropriate style?
• Is the essay logically and coherently organised, including an introduction, body and conclusion?

Here are five valuable tips.

 

1. Analyse essay objective

When writing student essays, students should provide specific responses to the essay question. The first step is critically analysing the essay question and fully comprehending its scope and requirements. Student must have a clear understanding of the question before they attempt to tackle it.

Typically, an essay question is comprised of three main elements:

Content terms: These are fundamental concepts regarding the essay question

Limiting terms: these terms define and limit the scope of the question. Students should specifically address only the issues asked in the question.

Directive terms: these terms define the specific actions the students are supposed to do when addressing the questions. These include discussing, analysing, defining, comparing or evaluating.

Example: Evaluate the effect of imprisonment as a form of criminal justice punishment.

 

2. Define your argument

During your essay’s planning and preparation stage, it is important to choose your argument for the essay. This involves adopting an informed position or perspective on the question and supporting it with a clear and precise argument.

Examples;

The criminal justice system has failed to reduce recidivism and reoffending among inmates in the United Kingdom.

or

Imprisonment as a form of criminal justice punishment has failed in deterring criminals and reducing reoffending.

These two examples present specific arguments. In addition, student must critically analyse the objective of the question and adopt an informed stance that will guide the entire essay.

 

3. Evidence Reasoning and References

In order to convince your readers of the validity of your essay, it is imperative to use evidence and reasoning. The essay should be supported by relevant references to pertinent scholarly works.

The main purpose of evidence is to substantiate claims made within the essay. Furthermore, evidence often includes specific examples, facts, quotes, statistics and illustrations.

Reasoning demonstrates the connection between the existing academic literature and your argument. Therefore student should sufficiently show that cited references support their essay argument.

By effectively incorporating relevant evidence, using sound reasoning and drawing upon relevant scholarship, you can present a compelling essay to support your argument and convince your readers.

 

4. Organise a coherent essay.

A logically coherent essay has three basic parts- an introduction, a body and a conclusion.

Introduction

The primary objective of an introduction is to provide an overview of the essay. It typically follows this structure:

• An introductory statement that provides background information and context for your argument.
• A clear and concise thesis statement that presents your argument. You can use explicit lead-ins such as “This essay will “
• An introduction also provides a preview of the essay’s structure, often referred to as a “roadmap,” which outlines how your argument will be presented and developed.

Body

The essay’s body section develops and elaborates on your argument. It accomplishes both objectives by presenting a logical case supported by evidence from relevant sources. Its structure should conform to the outline provided in the introduction.

To improve clarity, the body is organised into paragraphs. Each paragraph should be focused on a single idea that supports your argument. A paragraph should commence with a topic sentence followed by several supporting sentences. The supportive sentences provide an in-depth explanation backed by references. Finally, the paragraph concludes with a sentence that summarises the paragraph.

Conclusion

In the conclusion, you should avoid introducing any new ideas. At this point of the essay, all the necessary information and arguments should be presented in the body of the essay. The conclusion is used to briefly restate the main argumentative position and briefly summarise the discussed concepts. Additionally, there are a few factors to consider to improve your occlusion:

• The significance of your findings or the implications of your conclusion.
• Any additional factors may need examination but fall outside the essay’s scope.
• The connection between your topic and the broader context within your field of study.

You should avoid merely repeating other essay sections in your conclusion. A repetitive conclusion weakens the impact of your essay.

 

5. Write clearly

Achieving a high-quality essay which presents and strong evidence-supported argument depends on the clarity of its writing. A Cleary Written essay requires careful revision and editing, which elevates an average essay to an exceptional one.

When revising and editing an essay, you should approach it with an open mind and a fresh perspective, as if a different person authored it. Consider the following question when revising your essay.

Overall structure

• Is your argument clearly stated in the introduction?
• Does the essay structure conform to the outline in the introduction?
• Have you explicitly demonstrated how your main points support your argument?
• Have you effectively signalled the transitions between each main point for your readers?

Paragraphs

• Does each paragraph introduce a single main idea?
• Do all the sentences in the paragraph support the main idea introduced in the first sentence?
• Does each paragraph incorporate relevant evidence and reasoning?
• Is there a logical flow of paragraphs from one to the next?

Sentences

• Are all sentences grammatically complete
• Is the spelling accurate?
• Do your readers easily understand the connections between sentences?
• Have you avoided unnecessary repetition?

By meticulously addressing these considerations, you can enhance the clarity of your essay, refining it into an outstanding piece of writing that effectively communicates your arguments and impresses your readers.