Students in high school, college and university have to develop critical thinking and excellent writing skills. This is more easily said than done, however. It is natural for any student to want to learn how to write better essays. For this, you will need a number of important strategies and techniques. Find out what they are and how to apply them.
The Core Rules
How to get better at writing essays? There are two major things which you cannot go without. Firstly, you have to know the rules for academic writing in the particular subject and to follow them strictly. These will usually come in the form of a list of requirements presented by your teachers. They are often found in the curriculum for the course and in the student book as well. You must have full understanding of them and follow them precisely. Otherwise, even the best writing may not produce the required results.
The second thing to focus on is the essay topic which you are given. It tells you exactly what to write about. In most cases, the subject matter is quite narrow and this actually benefits you because you will have only one or two things to talk about. When the subject is broader, you should break it down into major components.
Effective Research
You have to conduct well organized research. You do not have to use numerous sources. In most cases, eight to twelve good ones will do. You do not have to look hard for good-quality sources. You can check the authors quoted in your text books. When you need to use statistical data, you can readily get it from the major databases. The information which you use must be relevant and up-to-date. Make sure that it is well organized.
The Writing Process
One of the secrets to writing better essays is to use a complete structural plan. You should prepare it carefully and ensure that it gives you the main guidelines to what you should write in each and every paragraph. You should write down your ideas and the evidence which you will use for supporting them.
It is best to write the thesis first. It must synthesize your opinion on the subject. It has to be clear and concise. Its size must correspond to the size of the whole essay. If you are asked to write three or four pages, you should use no more than four to five sentences for the thesis. Keep in mind that you should not explain why you think that way in the thesis. You have to do this in the following paragraphs.
You must have one paragraph for each point in the argument that you make. If the essay is longer you can use more than one, of course. The important thing is not to mix points, ideas and evidence. It is a good idea to follow a precise structure. You make a point and then support it with evidence.
Now you know how to write better essay. Remember to apply all of the things which you have just learned.