The following tips for writing essays are intended to help students remember the structure of an essay and the key parts of each paragraph. A handout of Tips for Writing Essays is available solely for educational use in the classroom.
Follow the correct structure of the Essay:
- Introduction Paragraph
- Body Paragraphs
- Conclusion Paragraph
Introduction Paragraph:
- Interesting hook
- Background information
- Thesis Statement
Body Paragraphs:
- Each paragraph has a topic sentence
- Each topic sentence relates to the thesis statement
- No two paragraphs cover the same information
- Each paragraph contains details to support the topic sentence
- Each paragraph contains a concluding sentence
- Each paragraph transitions either from the previous paragraph or into the next paragraph
Conclusion Paragraph:
- Restates the thesis statement
- Contains a summary of the key point from each paragraph
- Has a final statement that ends the essay
Thesis Statement:
- has a strong opinion that is supportable with details
- provides organization for the body paragraphs
Details:
- can be facts, experiences, commonly accepted truths
- must be relevant to the topic sentence and support the thesis statement
- use a variety of types of details for maximum persuasion power
When writing an essay, it’s important to follow the writing process. Gather ideas and then organize them before beginning to write the essay. Then follow these tips for writing essays: Start with the thesis statement to provide organization to the body paragraphs. Then write each paragraph using transitions to relate each point to the thesis statement and each paragraph to the one before it and the one after it.
Revise and edit the essay before submitting it. Look for continuity or flow in the thought process from the thesis statement to the conclusion. Eliminate punctuation, grammar and spelling mistakes!
Don’t forget to grab the handout of Tips for Writing Essays.
Return to Writing an Essay page