Struggling with writing essays? From analysing the prompt to proofreeding your work, improve your writing skills with these writing techniques and strategies for students!
The ability to write effective English essays is a valuable skill that can benefit you academically and professionally.
So, how do you excel in essay writing? You need to employ various strategies and techniques – ones that require strong language skills, critical thinking abilities, and a structured approach.
In any case, if you’re looking for a guide on how to improve your English writing skills, you’re on the right page. We'll give you tips to boost not just your techniques but also your confidence.
By implementing these writing strategies for students, you should improve your writing skills in no time!
This is crucial when you’re trying to improve your writing skills. You have to take your time to carefully read the prompt you’ve been given and try to understand it before you write anything.
Ask yourself questions like these:
The ability to write effective English essays is a valuable skill that can benefit you academically and professionally.
So, how do you excel in essay writing? You need to employ various strategies and techniques – ones that require strong language skills, critical thinking abilities, and a structured approach.
In any case, if you’re looking for a guide on how to improve your English writing skills, you’re on the right page. We'll give you tips to boost not just your techniques but also your confidence.
By implementing these writing strategies for students, you should improve your writing skills in no time!
This is crucial when you’re trying to improve your writing skills. You have to take your time to carefully read the prompt you’ve been given and try to understand it before you write anything.
Ask yourself questions like these:
Identifying these things ahead of time gives you a clear idea of how to orient your efforts once you do start writing.
Now that you have some key guidelines for your essay (goal, tone, requirements, etc.), you can craft an outline.
A good idea – and one of the classic tips to improve writing – is to divide your essay into 3 components: introduction, body and conclusion.
This allows you to organise your work by slotting points into each component or section as you think fit. For instance, you typically want to slot anything that establishes the foundations of your essay into the start, either at the introduction or at the beginning of your body.
Don’t forget to note the supporting evidence for each point when you do this, by the way. This will help you ensure that each point makes sense and is backed up by proof or logic when you start writing.
Your thesis statement should be a concise and focused statement that presents the main argument or idea of your essay. The rule is that it should be clear, specific, and debatable.
Since the thesis statement is the main point of the essay, you should ensure that everything is organised around it. Subordinate points and supporting evidence should all be related to the statement, whether to argue for or qualify it.
A better vocabulary can do a lot to make your writing read better. One way to expand your vocabulary is by reading extensively, so try to read as many high-quality sample essays as you can!
This will help you improve your vocabulary, grammar, sentence structure, and expose you to different writing styles, ideas, and arguments. Other writers’ pieces can be as edifying as they are inspiring.
Note that you can also make use of a dictionary and thesaurus to learn new words and understand their meaning. This can help you hone your diction and improve the quality of your writing.
Finally, don’t forget grammar and punctuation. Errors in these can make your essay harder to read and can even lead to misunderstanding. Try reviewing common grammatical errors to ensure you don’t commit them.
A rule that has held for ages is to use the paragraph as the unit of composition. This can help you maintain intelligent essay structure as you write.
Basically, compose each paragraph so that it focuses on one key idea or argument. Then, write the rest of the paragraph to be in support of that argument.
Another option is to compose each paragraph to have one of the core points of every discussion: intro, thesis, evidence. Hence, you’d have at least three paragraphs for each point you make.
Don’t forget to use transitions to ensure a smooth flow between paragraphs too, of course, because you’ll very likely need far more than three paragraphs for your essay!
Oh, and here’s an added tip: use a mix of sentence structures to make your writing more interesting and engaging.
For example, try varying sentence lengths and types (simple, compound, complex) to create rhythm and flow. For best results, ensure that your sentences are clear and concise, though, avoiding unnecessary jargon or complicated phrasing.
Try to engage in critical thinking to analyse and evaluate the information and arguments presented in your essay. You should be your own devil’s advocate!
Think critically by questioning assumptions, examining evidence, and considering alternative perspectives. Try to poke holes in your own arguments to see what you’re missing and what other evidence you should provide.
To convince your audience of your argument, you must always back up your claims and arguments with credible evidence and reasoning. That means using examples, facts, statistics, quotes, and even references from studies or research.
Be careful when selecting sources of evidence, data, or examples, by the way. Published books and research journals are among the best sources and are generally better than publications with less stringent standards, e.g. blogs.
Check for the age of the data you’re looking at and ask yourself if it’s still relevant too. For example, it wouldn’t be wise to argue about recent trends while referencing data that’s decades old.
Remember to practise writing regularly because you improve by doing so, especially if you seek feedback from others after each attempt. Not only do you get more comfortable with writing, but you also grow thanks to constructive critique!
Of course, you do have to be selective in choosing who gives you feedback. Look for people with writing experience or insight themselves – classmates who excel in essay writing, teachers, and even writing tutors.
These people can tell you about your strengths and areas for improvement. Ask them to explain what they think you can do to improve, then try to revise your work accordingly.
Note that you don’t even need to write ultra-long pieces. Just set aside dedicated time for writing practice each week and challenge yourself with different short essay topics and prompts.
Proofreading is a crucial step that many people forget. You shouldn’t because this can make all the difference between a polished paper with top marks and a just-passable one with a middling grade.
Proofreading allows you to catch mistakes before submission. Check grammar, punctuation, and the like.
Review your essay for more than style, of course: check the clarity, coherence, and logical progression of ideas too. Ensure that your essay is logically structured and effectively communicates your message.
This lets you revise, edit, and refine your essay to the best possible version before you turn it in.
The tips above should give you all you need to start polishing your essay-writing abilities. Just remember that it takes dedication, practice, and the intelligent implementation of effective strategies and techniques to really see results!
And if you need a little more help with your practice or even your studying, contact us. At Aspire Hub, we have small class sizes, dedicated tutors, and personalised learning plans that can take you to the next level. Reach out to us today!
