Well presented essay writing is a vital craft to help you win at school and university exams, however it is surprising how difficult it is to get guidance on how to write a winning essay. Students are often left feeling let down when they receive a marked essay back from their lecturer, with no clear indication as to how they are to improve. Here are some pointers to help you improve your essays.
Enthusiasm
One common issue for many students is that they dread writing the essay at all. The semester goes by and the work remains unwritten. You need to start working out coping routines as soon as you can. Throughout your working life there will be times when you are given tiring tasks that you feel bored by, so building up your self motivation now is an ability that will be useful for the rest of your life. Perhaps you feel more focused after a trip to the gym or maybe you need to reward yourself at the end of the time you ringfence for essays. Work out which tools are best for you.
Schedules
Once you are given the essay questions, set about planning your time. Consider the time you have until the assignment is due, get out your calendar and start making plans. You want to be done with the main writing of the essay weeks before it is due, so that you have plenty of time to type it up. Don't leave it so late that you're rushing.
Essay Plans
Spend time on an essay plan in order to save time later in the essay writing process.
Making a plan should be completed every time you begin a new essay. Start by making sure you understand the question. Then brainstorm the ideas that might be useful for the essay. After that, organize your thoughts in a logical order in an essay plan.
Hitting the library
Once you have an idea of the essay structure, you need to head to the library to find the recommended reading material or search for journal articles through an online journal archive like JSTOR. With a university essay, you want to have completed this stage (and the steps listed above) as quickly as you can. You are competing for research material with everyone else in the class, so get into the library as quickly as possible. If one of your classmates has already got to the materials you need, it is advisable that you put your name on the waiting list for those books to make sure you get them next.
Begin Writing
Begin fleshing out the body of your essay. Each paragraph should deliver a point in your argument. Write the introduction last. This is particularly important with university essays. You will have read a great amount of material and will have constructed a complex argument within the course of the term. Your argument about the essay subject may have changed during the course of the term and you need to express your final analysis in the introduction.