If you learn a few basic writing rules, you can easily produce an excellent academic essay. A great essay should be based on a solid and debatable thesis supported by incredible evidence and closed with a thorough and concise conclusion.
The foundation of every outstanding essay is the thesis statement. You are not limited on how to start your essay as long as you present your main ideas.
There are various ways you can improve your essay writing skills, and they include:
1. UNDERSTAND YOUR TOPIC FOR THE ESSAY CLEARLY
Most untrained writers sit down and start working on the essay without reading the title. On the other hand, experienced writers seek to understand the topic clearly. So, how do you ensure that you understand the topic clearly? There are many ways you can achieve this. When presented with the topic of the essay, take time and think about what the examiner is trying to test you.
In other words, you should know what to say before typing any single word. So, start with the basic outline of how you present your ideas. These could be short rough notes that sketch out the introduction, the body, and the conclusion. The points written down on the paper should be related to one another, with the conclusion tying and connecting everything.
Understanding the topic of your essay can help you improve your essay writing skills. Apart from understanding the topic clearly, you can also check out essay examples on EduBirdie and read through them to improve your essay writing skills. More than 10,000 free essays are meant for students who want to understand how to write great essays. Still, you can check out tips on how to get better at writing essays. If you master these essay writing strategies, college life will be easier, especially when dealing with essays.
2. IMPROVE YOUR GRAMMAR, PUNCTUATION, AND STYLE
Every refined essay you read is free from grammar and punctuation errors. That means before you get into more refined writing techniques, you have to have great grammar, style, and punctuation skills. Without these three fundamentals, it will be very challenging to communicate effectively.
When it comes to grammar, you have to be good at subject-verb agreement, pronoun use, and sentence structures. With a thorough understanding of the common forms of pronouns, you can communicate effectively if you observe the punctuation marks.
3. Use the right vocabulary
Assume you are the one reading the essay. Will you understand every word that has been used in the context? Writing perfect is not about using “heavy” words to prove your language understanding. It’s all about communicating precisely. Ensure that you use words that you know what they mean.
If you use the right words, you will sound smart, and you will get a good score for your essay paper. That’s because you can easily persuade the target audience that you are an expert who argues intelligently about the given topic. So, if you are unsure about the word you are about to use, you can avoid it. The use of obscure language often detracts from the clarity of your arguments.
4. Present your arguments well with evidence
To present your arguments clearly with evidence, you have to assume that whoever you are writing to doesn’t understand what you are trying to perpetuate. The main argument of the essay should always be at your fingertips. It’s tempting to veer off and write and include some details that you think are fascinating.
Doing so will make your writing less concise. In most cases, you will confuse the reader with different ideas, which will eventually lead to a poor score. When writing any argument with evidence, you need to ask yourself; Is this supporting my thesis? As a good writer, you must also explain why the evidence is relevant and supportive.
5. Perfect your proofreading and editing skills
Anyone can make mistakes when writing. That happens even more when writing from a pool of ideas. There, you can easily relate each point to the other. Things get so easy, and before you realize you will have made several mistakes. Handling a complex essay is different and surprising. The mistakes may be minimal at the end of the day.
That’s because you keep referring to the topic of the essay to avoid going off a tangent. What makes the difference at the end of it is the writer’s proofreading and editing skills. Most great writers will tell you that writing is rewriting. That means a great essay will go through several edits, which takes time.
Conclusion
Improving your writing skills is not a one-day process. You have to practice severally before perfecting your skills. In this case, you must ensure that you understand the topic of the essay, improve your grammar, work on the vocabulary and present your arguments correctly. Lastly, ensure that you proofread and edit your work to remove all the errors you may have committed when writing.
Mackenzie Xanthos
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- 5 Tips to Improve Your Essay Writing Skills - June 27, 2022