essentials of essay writing

How to Write an Essay

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Essay Writing Fundamentals

How to prepare to write an essay, how to edit an essay, how to share and publish your essays, how to get essay writing help, how to find essay writing inspiration, resources for teaching essay writing.

Essays, short prose compositions on a particular theme or topic, are the bread and butter of academic life. You write them in class, for homework, and on standardized tests to show what you know. Unlike other kinds of academic writing (like the research paper) and creative writing (like short stories and poems), essays allow you to develop your original thoughts on a prompt or question. Essays come in many varieties: they can be expository (fleshing out an idea or claim), descriptive, (explaining a person, place, or thing), narrative (relating a personal experience), or persuasive (attempting to win over a reader). This guide is a collection of dozens of links about academic essay writing that we have researched, categorized, and annotated in order to help you improve your essay writing. 

Essays are different from other forms of writing; in turn, there are different kinds of essays. This section contains general resources for getting to know the essay and its variants. These resources introduce and define the essay as a genre, and will teach you what to expect from essay-based assessments.

Purdue OWL Online Writing Lab

One of the most trusted academic writing sites, Purdue OWL provides a concise introduction to the four most common types of academic essays.

"The Essay: History and Definition" (ThoughtCo)

This snappy article from ThoughtCo talks about the origins of the essay and different kinds of essays you might be asked to write. 

"What Is An Essay?" Video Lecture (Coursera)

The University of California at Irvine's free video lecture, available on Coursera, tells  you everything you need to know about the essay.

Wikipedia Article on the "Essay"

Wikipedia's article on the essay is comprehensive, providing both English-language and global perspectives on the essay form. Learn about the essay's history, forms, and styles.

"Understanding College and Academic Writing" (Aims Online Writing Lab)

This list of common academic writing assignments (including types of essay prompts) will help you know what to expect from essay-based assessments.

Before you start writing your essay, you need to figure out who you're writing for (audience), what you're writing about (topic/theme), and what you're going to say (argument and thesis). This section contains links to handouts, chapters, videos and more to help you prepare to write an essay.

How to Identify Your Audience

"Audience" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

This handout provides questions you can ask yourself to determine the audience for an academic writing assignment. It also suggests strategies for fitting your paper to your intended audience.

"Purpose, Audience, Tone, and Content" (Univ. of Minnesota Libraries)

This extensive book chapter from Writing for Success , available online through Minnesota Libraries Publishing, is followed by exercises to try out your new pre-writing skills.

"Determining Audience" (Aims Online Writing Lab)

This guide from a community college's writing center shows you how to know your audience, and how to incorporate that knowledge in your thesis statement.

"Know Your Audience" ( Paper Rater Blog)

This short blog post uses examples to show how implied audiences for essays differ. It reminds you to think of your instructor as an observer, who will know only the information you pass along.

How to Choose a Theme or Topic

"Research Tutorial: Developing Your Topic" (YouTube)

Take a look at this short video tutorial from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to understand the basics of developing a writing topic.

"How to Choose a Paper Topic" (WikiHow)

This simple, step-by-step guide (with pictures!) walks you through choosing a paper topic. It starts with a detailed description of brainstorming and ends with strategies to refine your broad topic.

"How to Read an Assignment: Moving From Assignment to Topic" (Harvard College Writing Center)

Did your teacher give you a prompt or other instructions? This guide helps you understand the relationship between an essay assignment and your essay's topic.

"Guidelines for Choosing a Topic" (CliffsNotes)

This study guide from CliffsNotes both discusses how to choose a topic and makes a useful distinction between "topic" and "thesis."

How to Come Up with an Argument

"Argument" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

Not sure what "argument" means in the context of academic writing? This page from the University of North Carolina is a good place to start.

"The Essay Guide: Finding an Argument" (Study Hub)

This handout explains why it's important to have an argument when beginning your essay, and provides tools to help you choose a viable argument.

"Writing a Thesis and Making an Argument" (University of Iowa)

This page from the University of Iowa's Writing Center contains exercises through which you can develop and refine your argument and thesis statement.

"Developing a Thesis" (Harvard College Writing Center)

This page from Harvard's Writing Center collates some helpful dos and don'ts of argumentative writing, from steps in constructing a thesis to avoiding vague and confrontational thesis statements.

"Suggestions for Developing Argumentative Essays" (Berkeley Student Learning Center)

This page offers concrete suggestions for each stage of the essay writing process, from topic selection to drafting and editing. 

How to Outline your Essay

"Outlines" (Univ. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill via YouTube)

This short video tutorial from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill shows how to group your ideas into paragraphs or sections to begin the outlining process.

"Essay Outline" (Univ. of Washington Tacoma)

This two-page handout by a university professor simply defines the parts of an essay and then organizes them into an example outline.

"Types of Outlines and Samples" (Purdue OWL Online Writing Lab)

Purdue OWL gives examples of diverse outline strategies on this page, including the alphanumeric, full sentence, and decimal styles. 

"Outlining" (Harvard College Writing Center)

Once you have an argument, according to this handout, there are only three steps in the outline process: generalizing, ordering, and putting it all together. Then you're ready to write!

"Writing Essays" (Plymouth Univ.)

This packet, part of Plymouth University's Learning Development series, contains descriptions and diagrams relating to the outlining process.

"How to Write A Good Argumentative Essay: Logical Structure" (Criticalthinkingtutorials.com via YouTube)

This longer video tutorial gives an overview of how to structure your essay in order to support your argument or thesis. It is part of a longer course on academic writing hosted on Udemy.

Now that you've chosen and refined your topic and created an outline, use these resources to complete the writing process. Most essays contain introductions (which articulate your thesis statement), body paragraphs, and conclusions. Transitions facilitate the flow from one paragraph to the next so that support for your thesis builds throughout the essay. Sources and citations show where you got the evidence to support your thesis, which ensures that you avoid plagiarism. 

How to Write an Introduction

"Introductions" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

This page identifies the role of the introduction in any successful paper, suggests strategies for writing introductions, and warns against less effective introductions.

"How to Write A Good Introduction" (Michigan State Writing Center)

Beginning with the most common missteps in writing introductions, this guide condenses the essentials of introduction composition into seven points.

"The Introductory Paragraph" (ThoughtCo)

This blog post from academic advisor and college enrollment counselor Grace Fleming focuses on ways to grab your reader's attention at the beginning of your essay.

"Introductions and Conclusions" (Univ. of Toronto)

This guide from the University of Toronto gives advice that applies to writing both introductions and conclusions, including dos and don'ts.

"How to Write Better Essays: No One Does Introductions Properly" ( The Guardian )

This news article interviews UK professors on student essay writing; they point to introductions as the area that needs the most improvement.

How to Write a Thesis Statement

"Writing an Effective Thesis Statement" (YouTube)

This short, simple video tutorial from a college composition instructor at Tulsa Community College explains what a thesis statement is and what it does. 

"Thesis Statement: Four Steps to a Great Essay" (YouTube)

This fantastic tutorial walks you through drafting a thesis, using an essay prompt on Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter as an example.

"How to Write a Thesis Statement" (WikiHow)

This step-by-step guide (with pictures!) walks you through coming up with, writing, and editing a thesis statement. It invites you think of your statement as a "working thesis" that can change.

"How to Write a Thesis Statement" (Univ. of Indiana Bloomington)

Ask yourself the questions on this page, part of Indiana Bloomington's Writing Tutorial Services, when you're writing and refining your thesis statement.

"Writing Tips: Thesis Statements" (Univ. of Illinois Center for Writing Studies)

This page gives plentiful examples of good to great thesis statements, and offers questions to ask yourself when formulating a thesis statement.

How to Write Body Paragraphs

"Body Paragraph" (Brightstorm)

This module of a free online course introduces you to the components of a body paragraph. These include the topic sentence, information, evidence, and analysis.

"Strong Body Paragraphs" (Washington Univ.)

This handout from Washington's Writing and Research Center offers in-depth descriptions of the parts of a successful body paragraph.

"Guide to Paragraph Structure" (Deakin Univ.)

This handout is notable for color-coding example body paragraphs to help you identify the functions various sentences perform.

"Writing Body Paragraphs" (Univ. of Minnesota Libraries)

The exercises in this section of Writing for Success  will help you practice writing good body paragraphs. It includes guidance on selecting primary support for your thesis.

"The Writing Process—Body Paragraphs" (Aims Online Writing Lab)

The information and exercises on this page will familiarize you with outlining and writing body paragraphs, and includes links to more information on topic sentences and transitions.

"The Five-Paragraph Essay" (ThoughtCo)

This blog post discusses body paragraphs in the context of one of the most common academic essay types in secondary schools.

How to Use Transitions

"Transitions" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

This page from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill explains what a transition is, and how to know if you need to improve your transitions.

"Using Transitions Effectively" (Washington Univ.)

This handout defines transitions, offers tips for using them, and contains a useful list of common transitional words and phrases grouped by function.

"Transitions" (Aims Online Writing Lab)

This page compares paragraphs without transitions to paragraphs with transitions, and in doing so shows how important these connective words and phrases are.

"Transitions in Academic Essays" (Scribbr)

This page lists four techniques that will help you make sure your reader follows your train of thought, including grouping similar information and using transition words.

"Transitions" (El Paso Community College)

This handout shows example transitions within paragraphs for context, and explains how transitions improve your essay's flow and voice.

"Make Your Paragraphs Flow to Improve Writing" (ThoughtCo)

This blog post, another from academic advisor and college enrollment counselor Grace Fleming, talks about transitions and other strategies to improve your essay's overall flow.

"Transition Words" (smartwords.org)

This handy word bank will help you find transition words when you're feeling stuck. It's grouped by the transition's function, whether that is to show agreement, opposition, condition, or consequence.

How to Write a Conclusion

"Parts of An Essay: Conclusions" (Brightstorm)

This module of a free online course explains how to conclude an academic essay. It suggests thinking about the "3Rs": return to hook, restate your thesis, and relate to the reader.

"Essay Conclusions" (Univ. of Maryland University College)

This overview of the academic essay conclusion contains helpful examples and links to further resources for writing good conclusions.

"How to End An Essay" (WikiHow)

This step-by-step guide (with pictures!) by an English Ph.D. walks you through writing a conclusion, from brainstorming to ending with a flourish.

"Ending the Essay: Conclusions" (Harvard College Writing Center)

This page collates useful strategies for writing an effective conclusion, and reminds you to "close the discussion without closing it off" to further conversation.

How to Include Sources and Citations

"Research and Citation Resources" (Purdue OWL Online Writing Lab)

Purdue OWL streamlines information about the three most common referencing styles (MLA, Chicago, and APA) and provides examples of how to cite different resources in each system.

EasyBib: Free Bibliography Generator

This online tool allows you to input information about your source and automatically generate citations in any style. Be sure to select your resource type before clicking the "cite it" button.

CitationMachine

Like EasyBib, this online tool allows you to input information about your source and automatically generate citations in any style. 

Modern Language Association Handbook (MLA)

Here, you'll find the definitive and up-to-date record of MLA referencing rules. Order through the link above, or check to see if your library has a copy.

Chicago Manual of Style

Here, you'll find the definitive and up-to-date record of Chicago referencing rules. You can take a look at the table of contents, then choose to subscribe or start a free trial.

How to Avoid Plagiarism

"What is Plagiarism?" (plagiarism.org)

This nonprofit website contains numerous resources for identifying and avoiding plagiarism, and reminds you that even common activities like copying images from another website to your own site may constitute plagiarism.

"Plagiarism" (University of Oxford)

This interactive page from the University of Oxford helps you check for plagiarism in your work, making it clear how to avoid citing another person's work without full acknowledgement.

"Avoiding Plagiarism" (MIT Comparative Media Studies)

This quick guide explains what plagiarism is, what its consequences are, and how to avoid it. It starts by defining three words—quotation, paraphrase, and summary—that all constitute citation.

"Harvard Guide to Using Sources" (Harvard Extension School)

This comprehensive website from Harvard brings together articles, videos, and handouts about referencing, citation, and plagiarism. 

Grammarly contains tons of helpful grammar and writing resources, including a free tool to automatically scan your essay to check for close affinities to published work. 

Noplag is another popular online tool that automatically scans your essay to check for signs of plagiarism. Simply copy and paste your essay into the box and click "start checking."

Once you've written your essay, you'll want to edit (improve content), proofread (check for spelling and grammar mistakes), and finalize your work until you're ready to hand it in. This section brings together tips and resources for navigating the editing process. 

"Writing a First Draft" (Academic Help)

This is an introduction to the drafting process from the site Academic Help, with tips for getting your ideas on paper before editing begins.

"Editing and Proofreading" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

This page provides general strategies for revising your writing. They've intentionally left seven errors in the handout, to give you practice in spotting them.

"How to Proofread Effectively" (ThoughtCo)

This article from ThoughtCo, along with those linked at the bottom, help describe common mistakes to check for when proofreading.

"7 Simple Edits That Make Your Writing 100% More Powerful" (SmartBlogger)

This blog post emphasizes the importance of powerful, concise language, and reminds you that even your personal writing heroes create clunky first drafts.

"Editing Tips for Effective Writing" (Univ. of Pennsylvania)

On this page from Penn's International Relations department, you'll find tips for effective prose, errors to watch out for, and reminders about formatting.

"Editing the Essay" (Harvard College Writing Center)

This article, the first of two parts, gives you applicable strategies for the editing process. It suggests reading your essay aloud, removing any jargon, and being unafraid to remove even "dazzling" sentences that don't belong.

"Guide to Editing and Proofreading" (Oxford Learning Institute)

This handout from Oxford covers the basics of editing and proofreading, and reminds you that neither task should be rushed. 

In addition to plagiarism-checkers, Grammarly has a plug-in for your web browser that checks your writing for common mistakes.

After you've prepared, written, and edited your essay, you might want to share it outside the classroom. This section alerts you to print and web opportunities to share your essays with the wider world, from online writing communities and blogs to published journals geared toward young writers.

Sharing Your Essays Online

Go Teen Writers

Go Teen Writers is an online community for writers aged 13 - 19. It was founded by Stephanie Morrill, an author of contemporary young adult novels. 

Tumblr is a blogging website where you can share your writing and interact with other writers online. It's easy to add photos, links, audio, and video components.

Writersky provides an online platform for publishing and reading other youth writers' work. Its current content is mostly devoted to fiction.

Publishing Your Essays Online

This teen literary journal publishes in print, on the web, and (more frequently), on a blog. It is committed to ensuring that "teens see their authentic experience reflected on its pages."

The Matador Review

This youth writing platform celebrates "alternative," unconventional writing. The link above will take you directly to the site's "submissions" page.

Teen Ink has a website, monthly newsprint magazine, and quarterly poetry magazine promoting the work of young writers.

The largest online reading platform, Wattpad enables you to publish your work and read others' work. Its inline commenting feature allows you to share thoughts as you read along.

Publishing Your Essays in Print

Canvas Teen Literary Journal

This quarterly literary magazine is published for young writers by young writers. They accept many kinds of writing, including essays.

The Claremont Review

This biannual international magazine, first published in 1992, publishes poetry, essays, and short stories from writers aged 13 - 19.

Skipping Stones

This young writers magazine, founded in 1988, celebrates themes relating to ecological and cultural diversity. It publishes poems, photos, articles, and stories.

The Telling Room

This nonprofit writing center based in Maine publishes children's work on their website and in book form. The link above directs you to the site's submissions page.

Essay Contests

Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards

This prestigious international writing contest for students in grades 7 - 12 has been committed to "supporting the future of creativity since 1923."

Society of Professional Journalists High School Essay Contest

An annual essay contest on the theme of journalism and media, the Society of Professional Journalists High School Essay Contest awards scholarships up to $1,000.

National YoungArts Foundation

Here, you'll find information on a government-sponsored writing competition for writers aged 15 - 18. The foundation welcomes submissions of creative nonfiction, novels, scripts, poetry, short story and spoken word.

Signet Classics Student Scholarship Essay Contest

With prompts on a different literary work each year, this competition from Signet Classics awards college scholarships up to $1,000.

"The Ultimate Guide to High School Essay Contests" (CollegeVine)

See this handy guide from CollegeVine for a list of more competitions you can enter with your academic essay, from the National Council of Teachers of English Achievement Awards to the National High School Essay Contest by the U.S. Institute of Peace.

Whether you're struggling to write academic essays or you think you're a pro, there are workshops and online tools that can help you become an even better writer. Even the most seasoned writers encounter writer's block, so be proactive and look through our curated list of resources to combat this common frustration.

Online Essay-writing Classes and Workshops

"Getting Started with Essay Writing" (Coursera)

Coursera offers lots of free, high-quality online classes taught by college professors. Here's one example, taught by instructors from the University of California Irvine.

"Writing and English" (Brightstorm)

Brightstorm's free video lectures are easy to navigate by topic. This unit on the parts of an essay features content on the essay hook, thesis, supporting evidence, and more.

"How to Write an Essay" (EdX)

EdX is another open online university course website with several two- to five-week courses on the essay. This one is geared toward English language learners.

Writer's Digest University

This renowned writers' website offers online workshops and interactive tutorials. The courses offered cover everything from how to get started through how to get published.

Writing.com

Signing up for this online writer's community gives you access to helpful resources as well as an international community of writers.

How to Overcome Writer's Block

"Symptoms and Cures for Writer's Block" (Purdue OWL)

Purdue OWL offers a list of signs you might have writer's block, along with ways to overcome it. Consider trying out some "invention strategies" or ways to curb writing anxiety.

"Overcoming Writer's Block: Three Tips" ( The Guardian )

These tips, geared toward academic writing specifically, are practical and effective. The authors advocate setting realistic goals, creating dedicated writing time, and participating in social writing.

"Writing Tips: Strategies for Overcoming Writer's Block" (Univ. of Illinois)

This page from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Center for Writing Studies acquaints you with strategies that do and do not work to overcome writer's block.

"Writer's Block" (Univ. of Toronto)

Ask yourself the questions on this page; if the answer is "yes," try out some of the article's strategies. Each question is accompanied by at least two possible solutions.

If you have essays to write but are short on ideas, this section's links to prompts, example student essays, and celebrated essays by professional writers might help. You'll find writing prompts from a variety of sources, student essays to inspire you, and a number of essay writing collections.

Essay Writing Prompts

"50 Argumentative Essay Topics" (ThoughtCo)

Take a look at this list and the others ThoughtCo has curated for different kinds of essays. As the author notes, "a number of these topics are controversial and that's the point."

"401 Prompts for Argumentative Writing" ( New York Times )

This list (and the linked lists to persuasive and narrative writing prompts), besides being impressive in length, is put together by actual high school English teachers.

"SAT Sample Essay Prompts" (College Board)

If you're a student in the U.S., your classroom essay prompts are likely modeled on the prompts in U.S. college entrance exams. Take a look at these official examples from the SAT.

"Popular College Application Essay Topics" (Princeton Review)

This page from the Princeton Review dissects recent Common Application essay topics and discusses strategies for answering them.

Example Student Essays

"501 Writing Prompts" (DePaul Univ.)

This nearly 200-page packet, compiled by the LearningExpress Skill Builder in Focus Writing Team, is stuffed with writing prompts, example essays, and commentary.

"Topics in English" (Kibin)

Kibin is a for-pay essay help website, but its example essays (organized by topic) are available for free. You'll find essays on everything from  A Christmas Carol  to perseverance.

"Student Writing Models" (Thoughtful Learning)

Thoughtful Learning, a website that offers a variety of teaching materials, provides sample student essays on various topics and organizes them by grade level.

"Five-Paragraph Essay" (ThoughtCo)

In this blog post by a former professor of English and rhetoric, ThoughtCo brings together examples of five-paragraph essays and commentary on the form.

The Best Essay Writing Collections

The Best American Essays of the Century by Joyce Carol Oates (Amazon)

This collection of American essays spanning the twentieth century was compiled by award winning author and Princeton professor Joyce Carol Oates.

The Best American Essays 2017 by Leslie Jamison (Amazon)

Leslie Jamison, the celebrated author of essay collection  The Empathy Exams , collects recent, high-profile essays into a single volume.

The Art of the Personal Essay by Phillip Lopate (Amazon)

Documentary writer Phillip Lopate curates this historical overview of the personal essay's development, from the classical era to the present.

The White Album by Joan Didion (Amazon)

This seminal essay collection was authored by one of the most acclaimed personal essayists of all time, American journalist Joan Didion.

Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace (Amazon)

Read this famous essay collection by David Foster Wallace, who is known for his experimentation with the essay form. He pushed the boundaries of personal essay, reportage, and political polemic.

"50 Successful Harvard Application Essays" (Staff of the The Harvard Crimson )

If you're looking for examples of exceptional college application essays, this volume from Harvard's daily student newspaper is one of the best collections on the market.

Are you an instructor looking for the best resources for teaching essay writing? This section contains resources for developing in-class activities and student homework assignments. You'll find content from both well-known university writing centers and online writing labs.

Essay Writing Classroom Activities for Students

"In-class Writing Exercises" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

This page lists exercises related to brainstorming, organizing, drafting, and revising. It also contains suggestions for how to implement the suggested exercises.

"Teaching with Writing" (Univ. of Minnesota Center for Writing)

Instructions and encouragement for using "freewriting," one-minute papers, logbooks, and other write-to-learn activities in the classroom can be found here.

"Writing Worksheets" (Berkeley Student Learning Center)

Berkeley offers this bank of writing worksheets to use in class. They are nested under headings for "Prewriting," "Revision," "Research Papers" and more.

"Using Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism" (DePaul University)

Use these activities and worksheets from DePaul's Teaching Commons when instructing students on proper academic citation practices.

Essay Writing Homework Activities for Students

"Grammar and Punctuation Exercises" (Aims Online Writing Lab)

These five interactive online activities allow students to practice editing and proofreading. They'll hone their skills in correcting comma splices and run-ons, identifying fragments, using correct pronoun agreement, and comma usage.

"Student Interactives" (Read Write Think)

Read Write Think hosts interactive tools, games, and videos for developing writing skills. They can practice organizing and summarizing, writing poetry, and developing lines of inquiry and analysis.

This free website offers writing and grammar activities for all grade levels. The lessons are designed to be used both for large classes and smaller groups.

"Writing Activities and Lessons for Every Grade" (Education World)

Education World's page on writing activities and lessons links you to more free, online resources for learning how to "W.R.I.T.E.": write, revise, inform, think, and edit.

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Essay Writing: A complete guide for students and teachers

P LANNING, PARAGRAPHING AND POLISHING: FINE-TUNING THE PERFECT ESSAY

Essay writing is an essential skill for every student. Whether writing a particular academic essay (such as persuasive, narrative, descriptive, or expository) or a timed exam essay, the key to getting good at writing is to write. Creating opportunities for our students to engage in extended writing activities will go a long way to helping them improve their skills as scribes.

But, putting the hours in alone will not be enough to attain the highest levels in essay writing. Practice must be meaningful. Once students have a broad overview of how to structure the various types of essays, they are ready to narrow in on the minor details that will enable them to fine-tune their work as a lean vehicle of their thoughts and ideas.

In this article, we will drill down to some aspects that will assist students in taking their essay writing skills up a notch. Many ideas and activities can be integrated into broader lesson plans based on essay writing. Often, though, they will work effectively in isolation – just as athletes isolate physical movements to drill that are relevant to their sport. When these movements become second nature, they can be repeated naturally in the context of the game or in our case, the writing of the essay.

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• Clear objectives  easy to match to the demands of your curriculum

Planning an essay

The Boys Scouts’ motto is famously ‘Be Prepared’. It’s a solid motto that can be applied to most aspects of life; essay writing is no different. Given the purpose of an essay is generally to present a logical and reasoned argument, investing time in organising arguments, ideas, and structure would seem to be time well spent.

Given that essays can take a wide range of forms and that we all have our own individual approaches to writing, it stands to reason that there will be no single best approach to the planning stage of essay writing. That said, there are several helpful hints and techniques we can share with our students to help them wrestle their ideas into a writable form. Let’s take a look at a few of the best of these:

BREAK THE QUESTION DOWN: UNDERSTAND YOUR ESSAY TOPIC.

Whether students are tackling an assignment that you have set for them in class or responding to an essay prompt in an exam situation, they should get into the habit of analyzing the nature of the task. To do this, they should unravel the question’s meaning or prompt. Students can practice this in class by responding to various essay titles, questions, and prompts, thereby gaining valuable experience breaking these down.

Have students work in groups to underline and dissect the keywords and phrases and discuss what exactly is being asked of them in the task. Are they being asked to discuss, describe, persuade, or explain? Understanding the exact nature of the task is crucial before going any further in the planning process, never mind the writing process .

BRAINSTORM AND MIND MAP WHAT YOU KNOW:

Once students have understood what the essay task asks them, they should consider what they know about the topic and, often, how they feel about it. When teaching essay writing, we so often emphasize that it is about expressing our opinions on things, but for our younger students what they think about something isn’t always obvious, even to themselves.

Brainstorming and mind-mapping what they know about a topic offers them an opportunity to uncover not just what they already know about a topic, but also gives them a chance to reveal to themselves what they think about the topic. This will help guide them in structuring their research and, later, the essay they will write . When writing an essay in an exam context, this may be the only ‘research’ the student can undertake before the writing, so practicing this will be even more important.

RESEARCH YOUR ESSAY

The previous step above should reveal to students the general direction their research will take. With the ubiquitousness of the internet, gone are the days of students relying on a single well-thumbed encyclopaedia from the school library as their sole authoritative source in their essay. If anything, the real problem for our students today is narrowing down their sources to a manageable number. Students should use the information from the previous step to help here. At this stage, it is important that they:

●      Ensure the research material is directly relevant to the essay task

●      Record in detail the sources of the information that they will use in their essay

●      Engage with the material personally by asking questions and challenging their own biases

●      Identify the key points that will be made in their essay

●      Group ideas, counterarguments, and opinions together

●      Identify the overarching argument they will make in their own essay.

Once these stages have been completed the student is ready to organise their points into a logical order.

WRITING YOUR ESSAY

There are a number of ways for students to organize their points in preparation for writing. They can use graphic organizers , post-it notes, or any number of available writing apps. The important thing for them to consider here is that their points should follow a logical progression. This progression of their argument will be expressed in the form of body paragraphs that will inform the structure of their finished essay.

The number of paragraphs contained in an essay will depend on a number of factors such as word limits, time limits, the complexity of the question etc. Regardless of the essay’s length, students should ensure their essay follows the Rule of Three in that every essay they write contains an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Generally speaking, essay paragraphs will focus on one main idea that is usually expressed in a topic sentence that is followed by a series of supporting sentences that bolster that main idea. The first and final sentences are of the most significance here with the first sentence of a paragraph making the point to the reader and the final sentence of the paragraph making the overall relevance to the essay’s argument crystal clear. 

Though students will most likely be familiar with the broad generic structure of essays, it is worth investing time to ensure they have a clear conception of how each part of the essay works, that is, of the exact nature of the task it performs. Let’s review:

Common Essay Structure

Introduction: Provides the reader with context for the essay. It states the broad argument that the essay will make and informs the reader of the writer’s general perspective and approach to the question.

Body Paragraphs: These are the ‘meat’ of the essay and lay out the argument stated in the introduction point by point with supporting evidence.

Conclusion: Usually, the conclusion will restate the central argument while summarising the essay’s main supporting reasons before linking everything back to the original question.

ESSAY WRITING PARAGRAPH WRITING TIPS

●      Each paragraph should focus on a single main idea

●      Paragraphs should follow a logical sequence; students should group similar ideas together to avoid incoherence

●      Paragraphs should be denoted consistently; students should choose either to indent or skip a line

●      Transition words and phrases such as alternatively , consequently , in contrast should be used to give flow and provide a bridge between paragraphs.

HOW TO EDIT AN ESSAY

Students shouldn’t expect their essays to emerge from the writing process perfectly formed. Except in exam situations and the like, thorough editing is an essential aspect in the writing process. 

Often, students struggle with this aspect of the process the most. After spending hours of effort on planning, research, and writing the first draft, students can be reluctant to go back over the same terrain they have so recently travelled. It is important at this point to give them some helpful guidelines to help them to know what to look out for. The following tips will provide just such help: 

One Piece at a Time: There is a lot to look out for in the editing process and often students overlook aspects as they try to juggle too many balls during the process. One effective strategy to combat this is for students to perform a number of rounds of editing with each focusing on a different aspect. For example, the first round could focus on content, the second round on looking out for word repetition (use a thesaurus to help here), with the third attending to spelling and grammar.

Sum It Up: When reviewing the paragraphs they have written, a good starting point is for students to read each paragraph and attempt to sum up its main point in a single line. If this is not possible, their readers will most likely have difficulty following their train of thought too and the paragraph needs to be overhauled.

Let It Breathe: When possible, encourage students to allow some time for their essay to ‘breathe’ before returning to it for editing purposes. This may require some skilful time management on the part of the student, for example, a student rush-writing the night before the deadline does not lend itself to effective editing. Fresh eyes are one of the sharpest tools in the writer’s toolbox.

Read It Aloud: This time-tested editing method is a great way for students to identify mistakes and typos in their work. We tend to read things more slowly when reading aloud giving us the time to spot errors. Also, when we read silently our minds can often fill in the gaps or gloss over the mistakes that will become apparent when we read out loud.

Phone a Friend: Peer editing is another great way to identify errors that our brains may miss when reading our own work. Encourage students to partner up for a little ‘you scratch my back, I scratch yours’.

Use Tech Tools: We need to ensure our students have the mental tools to edit their own work and for this they will need a good grasp of English grammar and punctuation. However, there are also a wealth of tech tools such as spellcheck and grammar checks that can offer a great once-over option to catch anything students may have missed in earlier editing rounds.

Putting the Jewels on Display: While some struggle to edit, others struggle to let go. There comes a point when it is time for students to release their work to the reader. They must learn to relinquish control after the creation is complete. This will be much easier to achieve if the student feels that they have done everything in their control to ensure their essay is representative of the best of their abilities and if they have followed the advice here, they should be confident they have done so.

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Essay Papers Writing Online

Tips and tricks for crafting engaging and effective essays.

Writing essays can be a challenging task, but with the right approach and strategies, you can create compelling and impactful pieces that captivate your audience. Whether you’re a student working on an academic paper or a professional honing your writing skills, these tips will help you craft essays that stand out.

Effective essays are not just about conveying information; they are about persuading, engaging, and inspiring readers. To achieve this, it’s essential to pay attention to various elements of the essay-writing process, from brainstorming ideas to polishing your final draft. By following these tips, you can elevate your writing and produce essays that leave a lasting impression.

Understanding the Essay Prompt

Before you start writing your essay, it is crucial to thoroughly understand the essay prompt or question provided by your instructor. The essay prompt serves as a roadmap for your essay and outlines the specific requirements or expectations.

Here are a few key things to consider when analyzing the essay prompt:

• Read the prompt carefully and identify the main topic or question being asked.
• Pay attention to any specific instructions or guidelines provided, such as word count, formatting requirements, or sources to be used.
• Identify key terms or phrases in the prompt that can help you determine the focus of your essay.

By understanding the essay prompt thoroughly, you can ensure that your essay addresses the topic effectively and meets the requirements set forth by your instructor.

Researching Your Topic Thoroughly

One of the key elements of writing an effective essay is conducting thorough research on your chosen topic. Research helps you gather the necessary information, facts, and examples to support your arguments and make your essay more convincing.

Here are some tips for researching your topic thoroughly:

By following these tips and conducting thorough research on your topic, you will be able to write a well-informed and persuasive essay that effectively communicates your ideas and arguments.

Creating a Strong Thesis Statement

A thesis statement is a crucial element of any well-crafted essay. It serves as the main point or idea that you will be discussing and supporting throughout your paper. A strong thesis statement should be clear, specific, and arguable.

To create a strong thesis statement, follow these tips:

• Be specific: Your thesis statement should clearly state the main idea of your essay. Avoid vague or general statements.
• Be concise: Keep your thesis statement concise and to the point. Avoid unnecessary details or lengthy explanations.
• Be argumentative: Your thesis statement should present an argument or perspective that can be debated or discussed in your essay.
• Be relevant: Make sure your thesis statement is relevant to the topic of your essay and reflects the main point you want to make.
• Revise as needed: Don’t be afraid to revise your thesis statement as you work on your essay. It may change as you develop your ideas.

Remember, a strong thesis statement sets the tone for your entire essay and provides a roadmap for your readers to follow. Put time and effort into crafting a clear and compelling thesis statement to ensure your essay is effective and persuasive.

Developing a Clear Essay Structure

One of the key elements of writing an effective essay is developing a clear and logical structure. A well-structured essay helps the reader follow your argument and enhances the overall readability of your work. Here are some tips to help you develop a clear essay structure:

1. Start with a strong introduction: Begin your essay with an engaging introduction that introduces the topic and clearly states your thesis or main argument.

2. Organize your ideas: Before you start writing, outline the main points you want to cover in your essay. This will help you organize your thoughts and ensure a logical flow of ideas.

3. Use topic sentences: Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence that introduces the main idea of the paragraph. This helps the reader understand the purpose of each paragraph.

4. Provide evidence and analysis: Support your arguments with evidence and analysis to back up your main points. Make sure your evidence is relevant and directly supports your thesis.

5. Transition between paragraphs: Use transitional words and phrases to create flow between paragraphs and help the reader move smoothly from one idea to the next.

6. Conclude effectively: End your essay with a strong conclusion that summarizes your main points and reinforces your thesis. Avoid introducing new ideas in the conclusion.

By following these tips, you can develop a clear essay structure that will help you effectively communicate your ideas and engage your reader from start to finish.

Using Relevant Examples and Evidence

When writing an essay, it’s crucial to support your arguments and assertions with relevant examples and evidence. This not only adds credibility to your writing but also helps your readers better understand your points. Here are some tips on how to effectively use examples and evidence in your essays:

• Choose examples that are specific and relevant to the topic you’re discussing. Avoid using generic examples that may not directly support your argument.
• Provide concrete evidence to back up your claims. This could include statistics, research findings, or quotes from reliable sources.
• Interpret the examples and evidence you provide, explaining how they support your thesis or main argument. Don’t assume that the connection is obvious to your readers.
• Use a variety of examples to make your points more persuasive. Mixing personal anecdotes with scholarly evidence can make your essay more engaging and convincing.
• Cite your sources properly to give credit to the original authors and avoid plagiarism. Follow the citation style required by your instructor or the publication you’re submitting to.

By integrating relevant examples and evidence into your essays, you can craft a more convincing and well-rounded piece of writing that resonates with your audience.

Editing and Proofreading Your Essay Carefully

Once you have finished writing your essay, the next crucial step is to edit and proofread it carefully. Editing and proofreading are essential parts of the writing process that help ensure your essay is polished and error-free. Here are some tips to help you effectively edit and proofread your essay:

1. Take a Break: Before you start editing, take a short break from your essay. This will help you approach the editing process with a fresh perspective.

2. Read Aloud: Reading your essay aloud can help you catch any awkward phrasing or grammatical errors that you may have missed while writing. It also helps you check the flow of your essay.

3. Check for Consistency: Make sure that your essay has a consistent style, tone, and voice throughout. Check for inconsistencies in formatting, punctuation, and language usage.

4. Remove Unnecessary Words: Look for any unnecessary words or phrases in your essay and remove them to make your writing more concise and clear.

5. Proofread for Errors: Carefully proofread your essay for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. Pay attention to commonly misused words and homophones.

6. Get Feedback: It’s always a good idea to get feedback from someone else. Ask a friend, classmate, or teacher to review your essay and provide constructive feedback.

By following these tips and taking the time to edit and proofread your essay carefully, you can improve the overall quality of your writing and make sure your ideas are effectively communicated to your readers.

Related Post

How to master the art of writing expository essays and captivate your audience, convenient and reliable source to purchase college essays online, step-by-step guide to crafting a powerful literary analysis essay, tips and techniques for crafting compelling narrative essays.

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English Program

Essay Writing Essentials

• FORMAT: Type papers with a 12 pt. font, double-space, number pages, and proofread carefully; correctness counts.
• While you are encouraged to use your natural voice, avoid highly colloquial usage , such as "The ending blew my mind" or "Her awesome sense of humorâ?¦" Avoid passive construction, such as "irony can be seen inâ?¦" or "a definite freedom was evidenced inâ?¦," which makes writing feel stiff and pompous. Instead, write, "the reference to her brother's saintliness is ironic" or "the seemingly random association of images suggests freedom."
• The convention in writing about literature is to discuss actions from a work in present tense, as if they were happening right now: "Joyce creates a melancholic mood with images of night and isolation." Or, "When Marlow first sees Kurtz, heâ?¦."
• Use transitional words or phrases to connect parts of your argument (e.g., therefore, furthermore, nevertheless, consequently, however, similarly, by contrast, rather, instead, as a result, on the other hand, for example, etc.). These are SIGNPOSTS that help the reader follow the thread of your argument. Remember, these words can begin a sentence or can connect two independent clauses using the following punctuation: "Woolf's writing can be highly sarcastic and playful; however, in To The Lighthouse , the tone is somber and elegiac." Instead of "So" or "Also," use more formal phrases: "It is clear, then, that Marlow lies to himself on at least one occasion"; "This passage confirms that Marlow isn't honest with himself."
• Introduce the text you're writing about in the beginning of your essay by mentioning the author's full name and the complete title of the work. Titles of books should be underlined or put in italics . (Titles of stories, essays and poems are in "quotation marks.") Refer to the text specifically as a novel, story, essay, memoir, or poem, depending on what it is.
• In subsequent references to the author, use his or her last name. If the title is very long and you are making numerous references to it, you can refer to it by a shortened version. i.e., "A Perfect Day For Banana Fish" can become "Banana Fish."
• Don't begin by quoting the assignment sheet or indicating which topic you're writing about. Your essay should stand alone, quite independent of the assignment sheet.
• Don't begin with vast generalizations like "Within every human being there are unique thoughts and feelings that no other person has ever experienced before." Or, "Color symbolism is found in all great pieces of literature." These "from the dawn of time" statements point to a lack of focus or (public enemy number one) a vague thesis.
• In most cases, it's best to state your main idea - your thesis - in the first or second paragraph, so that your reader knows right away what it is that you're going to argue.
• Don't evaluate the quality of the writing ("Faulkner's use of symbolism, narration, word choice, and characterization made this a powerful novel."); analyze and interpret instead. You're not writing a review, where evaluation is appropriate; you're writing criticism (which isn't necessarily critical, but analytic). Avoid comments such as "I likedâ?¦" or "I was confused byâ?¦." Don't refer to your own process of investigation. Instead of writing "I couldn't find a beginning, climax, end in â??The Mark On The Wall,'" (which tells your readers about you instead of the text), you might write "'The Mark On The Wall' dispenses with the traditional beginning-climax-end story structure."
• Avoid plot summary at all costs !! It's sometimes hard to resist the desire to rehash a novel's plot. However, remember, in academic writing it is assumed that your audience is familiar with the text. Make sure you're writing an argument, not simply a plot summary.
• Evidence. Evidence. Evidence . It's fine to make a point, such as "the first memoir seems rambling and aimless, while the second is tightly structured." But then you must provide examples that support your points. Continue on with, "For example, in â??Reminiscences', Woolf discusses her mother in several places, sometimes repeating herself, sometimes contradicting her previous statements. Twice Woolf tells us that her motherâ?¦.."
• Determine what the text says. Don't read your own assumptions into the text, as in: "The speaker must be a man because women wouldn't act so insensitively." Instead, you might say, "The speaker seems to be male because the cursing and the news of the war was more likely the province of men during the early 20 th Century." Instead of a statement such as, "The author shows the pride Americans feel in their freedom," you can more accurately say, "The author is writing about Americans who are proud of their freedom."
• style – is it formal? journalistic? colloquial, stream of consciousness, etc.?
• voice – written in first, second or third person (and why)
• imagery – what metaphors and similes are used?
• tone – humorous, intimate, sarcastic, conversational, etc.?
• mood – melancholic, ecstatic, hyper, suspenseful?
• language – poetic? lyrical? scientific? pseudo-scientific?
• structure – is it loose and rambling? Tightly structured? Is there a climax and denouement? How are the parts of the story connected?
• plot and character development – what do we know of the "story" and of the characters?
• symbolism – sometimes a cigar is only a cigar, and sometimes not.
• point of view – how do different characters see things? What's the author's view?
• setting – is place important? How is it described? What role does it play?
• Use quotations to support your argument or interpretation. (Note that writers make statements , not quotes ; something isn't a "quote" until you've copied it out, so you never say, "The author quotes." Instead you say, "The author says..." or "the author writesâ?¦"
• Don't expect quotations to make your point for you. Rather, use your own language to make your argument; use the quote as evidence that will support what you have to say. Before or after the quote, connect it to your argument using your own words: eg., As Gilbert and Gubar argue in The Madwoman in the Attic .
• Don't incorporate the page number of a quotation as part of your sentence: "On page 116 the author makes reference..." because you don't want the page number to be the emphasis of the sentence. Write, rather, "The author makes reference to..."
• If everyone is writing on the same text, cite the passage you want to quote by giving the page number in parentheses after it: "She told Christmas about the graves" (248). Note where the period is.
• If you use more than three exact words from your source, you must put them in quotation marks.
• If, within those quotation marks, you must use other quotation marks to indicate direct speech, the author's own quoting, or to refer to the title of the story, use single quotation marks: "For example, in â??Reminiscences', Woolf discusses her mother in several places."
• If you add words to a quotation, put brackets around them; if you omit words, use ellipses to indicate them. Example: Brunvand states: "some individuals [who retell urban legends] make a point of learning everyâ?¦tale" (78).
• Periods and commas go inside quotation marks; semicolons and colons go outside.

The faithful drudging child the child at the oak desk whose penmanship, hard work, style will win her prizes becomes a woman with a mission, not to win prizes but to change the laws of history. (23)

• If you're using several texts, then footnote the quotation, providing the name of the author, title of the book, publishing information, and page number.
• In APA style, provide the author's last name, the year of publication and page (line in case of verse) numbers in the text, parenthetically, and include a complete reference in the WORKS CITED list at the end. Punctuation comes after the citation. Example: "Is it possible that dreams may express "profound aspects of personality" (Foulkes, 1999, 184)?
• CONCLUSIONS: Conclusions should stress the importance of the thesis, give the essay a sense of completeness, and leave a final impression on the reader. An effective conclusion might answer the question "So what?" It might synthesize (not summarize) the points. Or it might echo the introduction, underscoring the larger significance of your thesis (now that we understand its complexity).

Most important: If you know all this, great. If it seems overwhelming, don't despair. You don't have to write papers alone. The Writing Center is open from morning to evening with tutors trained to help you compose and edit. (x-8409) Bell Tower 1512.

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• Essentials in Writing

Essentials in Writing is a complete language arts program for grades one through twelve with video lectures presented via streaming. While Essentials in Writing courses cover all requirements for writing and grammar, high school students should also study literature in order to earn one full credit for English. Essentials in Literature  courses (from the same publisher) were designed to complement Essentials in Writing courses, and the two courses together provide one credit for grades nine through eleven. (Essentials in Literature for grade twelve is not yet available.)

The courses are labeled for levels 1 through 12, and this corresponds to grade levels. The sequence of topics is somewhat similar from level to level. Lower levels begin with instruction on sentence structure and grammar then shift more toward composition work. A transition from the basics of grammar to the study of more complex sentence structures happens during grades seven and eight. High school level courses begin with sentence structure (e.g., clauses and proper construction), then progress through paragraphs, essays, and research papers. There is enough repetition that you might even be able to skip a year once or twice. The parts of speech (but not diagramming skills) are introduced gradually, beginning in first grade. The instruction on composition skills is more advanced than in many other programs.

Video instructor Matthew Stephens is energetic, interacting with an unseen classroom of students for each level. He works on a whiteboard while teaching. Video lessons vary in length depending upon the complexity of the topics. Each course includes access to streamed videos for 12 months, and a set of one to six DVDs per course is also available as an option.

A student worktext is required for each student, and you can purchase digital or print versions. (Purchase of printed books includes access to digital versions.) The pages in the printed books are spiral-bound and feature a large font and plenty of space to write.

There is often a significant amount of instructional material in the worktext, especially at higher levels. For each lesson, students watch a video lesson and then complete pages in the worktext—usually two or more pages per lesson. Sometimes students will watch a video lesson and then work on assignments for one, two, or three days.  

Even though there is repetition from year to year, much more time is spent developing writing skills rather than studying grammar. This means these courses are likely to appeal to students who might be bored with the excessive review of grammar that is typical of so many other language arts programs. The composition instruction is advanced, but Stephens teaches in increments that are manageable for students to handle, walking them through the steps of the writing process on most assignments. He always models the type of writing students are to do. So while the writing instruction might be more advanced, it is not more difficult. In addition, the use of graphic organizers makes it easy for students to organize their ideas before beginning to write, and checklist forms help students verify that they have met the requirements of an assignment.

The second editions of these courses—available for grades one through eight—have two additional resources: a teacher handbook and an assessment booklet. A teacher handbook is included with your purchase of the student worktext and videos. The handbook has brief instructions, a course syllabus, a suggested lesson plan, and an answer key for the lesson activities. The optional Assessment/Resource Booklet for each course runs about 100 pages, so it's more substantial than you would think for something called a booklet. There are assessments that cover one lesson or a group of lessons (depending upon the content of those lessons), and there are two comprehensive unit assessments. These booklets also have answer keys for the assessments. Other resources in the Assessment/Resource Booklets vary by grade level. These might include a spelling dictionary (with space for students to add words), lists of descriptive adjectives to improve student writing, writing checklists, and graphic organizers for compositions. Some full-color printing has been added to the second editions of the student texts and the Assessment/Resource Booklets, most noticeably in the course for seventh grade.

While most of the teaching is provided via the videos, some parental interaction will be necessary. Younger children might need a lot of assistance, and older students will probably need to discuss their ideas for their compositions and get feedback as they proceed. For ninth grade and above, brief instructions to parents are found in a "Letter to Parent" that is in the course books. Those instructions suggest helpful options, such as alternating essay writing with work on a research paper.

The high-school level courses do not require answer keys; instead, they have rubrics with scoring guides that assist parents in evaluating compositions. In addition, there are samples of student work within the worktexts so parents have something to which they can compare their own student's work. The samples also help students understand what is expected. For parents who want more help, Essentials in Writing offers their Scoring Services for $99 a year for students in grades seven through twelve. With this service, students can submit one composition for each Essential in Writing assignment. They will receive it back with a rubric that has a score and detailed comments and suggestions.

Essentials in Writing courses free up parents’ time by providing the instruction for students to watch. The courses require little to no preparation time and are very easy to use. For courses that include both video instruction and a worktext, the prices are very reasonable.

The publisher's website has samples from each course. You can read the course details below.

First grade begins with word and sentence formation, including capitalization and punctuation. It also introduces nouns, adjectives, and action verbs as parts of speech. Students learn to write lists, paragraphs, letters, and narratives.

The course for second grade teaches sentences, subjects, predicates, nouns (common, proper, singular, and plural), pronouns, verbs (action verbs and linking verbs), present and past verb tenses, adjectives, capitalization, and punctuation. For composition, it introduces the writing process, teaching students how to write paragraphs, personal letters, personal narratives, and imaginative narratives.

This course covers sentences, simple and complete subjects, simple and complete predicates, nouns (common, proper, singular, plural, and possessive), pronouns and antecedents, adjectives, verbs (action and linking), verb tenses (present, past, and future), capitalization, punctuation, and simple and compound sentences. Working through the writing process, children learn to write expository paragraphs and letters, persuasive paragraphs and letters, and descriptive paragraphs and narratives. The level ends with step-by-step instructions for creating a visual presentation for a research project.

Fourth graders review subjects and predicates, adding compound subjects and predicates. They expand their knowledge about sentences to include more-complex sentence forms as well as independent and dependent clauses. Nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and verbs are reviewed, and prepositional phrases are introduced. Students also cover the figurative language concepts of onomatopoeia, simile, and metaphor. Composition work includes writing paragraphs, a news article, a narrative, a persuasive letter, an expository essay, and a research project. Writing a bibliography is taught with a fill-in-the-blank method for sources.

Level 5 reviews sentences, subjects, predicates, clauses, nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. It adds work with prepositions and prepositional phrases. It teaches the use of both vivid language and figurative language. The composition instruction covers paragraphs, personal letters, personal narratives, summaries, compare/contrast writing, persuasive writing, and a research project.

This course covers most of the same topics from the fifth level again, adding the use of appositives, writing with a point of view, writing expository essays, writing persuasive letters, and completing a research project. It spends significantly more time on expository essays and the research project in comparison to other topics.

Level 7 is presented in two units. The first unit covers grammar in all 20 lessons, then concludes with two lessons on paraphrasing and writing summaries. The second unit is entirely devoted to composition work. Students learn to write various types of paragraphs, a personal narrative, a business letter, a personal letter, an expository essay, and a research paper. The lessons walk students through the writing process for each type of composition one step at a time over a number of lessons to keep it manageable. Fifteen lessons teach students how to do the research paper. Heavy cardstock pages are included in both the student text and the Assessment/Resource Booklet for creating source cards for various types of sources students might use. Students will also need a stack of 3" x 5" cards for notetaking from these sources. Checklists and grading rubrics showing possible points for each aspect of student compositions are in the student text. Students will use the checklists, and parents will use the other form to fill in points earned for each aspect and the total points for the composition. The composition lessons at this level are challenging enough that this course could also be used by older students who haven’t yet mastered the skills taught in these lessons. 

The first unit (24 lessons) teaches grammar at the level needed for writing in eighth grade. Students learn about the proper usage of verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositional phrases, pronouns (and their antecedents), and gerunds, as well as topics such as clauses, complex sentences, summaries, and paraphrasing. The first unit also emphasizes the use of vivid language to help students improve the quality of their compositions. The second unit is much larger with 69 lessons. This unit teaches students how to write paragraphs, essays, business letters, and research papers (with a bibliography). Students work through the writing process numerous times as they draft, edit, and rewrite their papers.

Levels 9-12

The high school courses are all very similar to one another, gradually increasing in the level of difficulty. They each review sentence structure and paragraphs. This allows students with weak backgrounds in these areas to be able to work at their grade level. Work on essays and research papers gradually increases in difficulty, and students tackle many different types of essays. Eleventh grade adds skills for writing about literature. Research papers are required to include the MLA (Modern Language Association) format for citations, including a list of works cited. Stephens teaches students how to write their own citations, and he also recommends internet sites that do much of the work of formatting citations for you. (It is not cheating to use these websites since the mechanics of creating citations are complex, varying by the type of reference work. Professional authors and academics often use them.) High school students should probably have an MLA Handbook for reference. While Stephens explains how to look up MLA guidelines on the internet, having the MLA Handbook is probably more efficient.

Pricing Information

When comparison prices appear, please keep in mind that they are subject to change. Click on links where available to verify price accuracy.

Grades 1-8: online access to videos plus printed textbook and teacher handbook - $107 per course (includes digital books too) online access to videos plus digital textbook and teacher handbook - $87 per course  Levels 8 through   12  - $69 per course  Grades 9-12: online access to videos plus printed textbook - $87 per course (includes digital books too) online access to videos plus digital textbook - $67 per course

digital Assessment/Resource Booklets (for Levels 1 - 7) - $10 each You can add DVDs for an extra $15.

You might want to check out deals from the Homeschool Buyers Club

You might want to check out the premade lesson plans from Homeschool Planet that are available for Essentials in Writing . You can sign up for a 30-day FREE trial .

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Instant Key

• Need For Parent or Teacher Instruction: varies
• Learning Environment: independent study
• Grade Level: grades 1-12
• Educational Methods: traditional activity pages or exercises, multisensory, interactive, highly structured, auditory
• Technology: video, online, DVD
• Educational Approaches: eclectic, traditional
• Religious Perspective: secular but Christian friendly

Publisher's Info

• (417) 256-4191
• http://essentialsinwriting.com/

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Essentials in Writing

Where learning to write well has never been so easy

Essentials in Writing Level 12

EIW™ Level 12 is a homeschool writing curriculum that provides high school students the writing skills needed for high school and university writing, the SAT, college prep, the college application process and beyond. Our online writing curriculum is designed for high school students preparing for college and uses a very easy and straightforward approach to writing. EIW lessons are clearly planned out and are relatively self-contained within the workbook and the online video lessons.

Order replacement textbooks & assessment resource books

• Writing Student Book
• Video Lessons

English Bundle

Writing and literature, coming date tbd, customize your package.

Includes: all online videos on DVD for offline remote viewing if needed

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Level 12 Scoring for 2024-2025

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Additional Writing Textbook

Our online writing curriculum is designed for high school students preparing for college and uses a very easy and straightforward approach to writing.

CORE FOCUSES

• SENTENCE STRUCTURE – Dependent and Independent Clause; Simple, Compound, complex, and Compound-Complex Sentences; Address Sentence Errors (Fragment, Run on, Comma Splice) and Appositives
• FORMAL PARAGRAPH – Structure; Expository, Persuasive, Compare/Contrast, Descriptive, and Cause/Effect Paragraphs
• THE WRITING PROCESS – In Depth Study of Each Part of the Writing Process; Practice the Writing Process with Each Multi-Paragraph Composition
• ESSAYS (Formal and Informal) – Detailed Instruction and Step by Step Process for Expository, Persuasive, Compare/Contrast, Literary Response Essays along with Timed Essay (College Prep)
• RESEARCH PAPER (Project) – Detailed Instruction and Step by Step Process to Conduct and Write a Research Paper (PERSUASIVE)

Sample Lesson Video – Level 12

Level 12 – Sample PDFs

• LEVEL 12 TEXTBOOK SAMPLE
• LEVEL 12 34-WEEK SAMPLE
• Alternative Instructional Strategies – PDF

Frequently Asked Questions About Level 12 Writing Curriculum

How old are 12th level students.

The general age for students completing Level 12 is 17 or 18 years old. The age can vary depending on if a child has started school early, on time, or is repeating a grade. The age of the student does not delegate if a child can complete this writing course. Instead, we recommend that students have a basic understanding of spelling, grammar, sentences, composition, and the skills taught in Level 11 before beginning.

What is taught in Level 12?

At Level 12, students are headed for college or the professional world and are well on their way to being skilled writers. Sentence structure is the most technical aspect of Level 12, but any remaining bad habits need to be ironed out before students move into the next stage of their lives. Formal paragraphs and essays (descriptive, expository, persuasive, compare/contrast, cause and effect) will have detailed instructions. Level 12 also includes literary response essays as well as a timed essay for college prep and a persuasive research paper as capstone assignments.

What is included in the Textbook and Scoring?

The Textbook helps the student follow along with the video lessons and complete lesson activities.

The Textbook includes:

* Lesson content that accompanies the video lesson

* Lesson activities that accompany the video lesson

* Writing graphic organizers that accompany the video lesson

* How to use the program

* Sample lesson planning

* Sample answers for each lesson (written as samples in the textbook)

The Essentials in Writing Scoring Service is an optional add-on service that takes the scoring burden off your mind! Our Scoring Team includes a variety of qualified individuals, including long-time educators, librarians, and professionals with Bachelor’s degrees in English, and they are ready to take the burden of grading compositions away from you.

Parents of students completing Levels 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12 of Essentials in Writing are eligible to purchase this service.

Offered from September 1 to June 15 of each school year, one composition for each EIW assignment may be submitted for scoring. If purchased after the September 1 start date, services still expire on June 15 of the following year.

The scoring system includes:

* One final composition from each composition lesson of Essentials in Writing may be presented for scoring.

* Students receive a rubric with a score as well as a one-paragraph write-up from their scorer complementing strengths and sharing areas to improve, plus, detailed comments and suggestions within the composition.

* Scoring Services will be conducted online through Canvas by Instructure.

Can I grade my student papers myself?

Yes. Essentials in Writing provides both scoring checklist and rubrics for your convenience as well as effective and ineffective composition samples for each composition.

What if I have multiple students?

Additional 12th level writing workbooks can be purchased to provide a workbook for another child/student. The workbook does not have additional information and is just another core workbook for another student so that each student has their own workbook to use.

Does each course come with worksheets and tests?

The textbook provides students and parents/teachers with effective and ineffective composition samples. There are no worksheets or tests.

How much time will students need to complete this course?

The time needed to complete the 11th level writing curriculum is a typical academic year (34 weeks). If students follow the 34-week plan included, they will complete individual lessons and activities during the week; however, because the lessons are broken up into small, daily mini-lessons, students can double up on some lessons and activities and complete the entire course sooner. Each day, students will spend 15-40 minutes on writing.

Does the workbook include a daily/weekly program planner?

Essentials in Writing Level 12 includes a 34-week suggested, yet optional, program planner geared for college prep level writing.

Is online help available for additional workbook questions?

Essentials in Writing offers 100% free curriculum support through texting, Facebook Messenger, online chat, email, and phone calls.

How can I assess their proficiency?

By purchasing the scoring service add-on, parents/teachers will receive the necessary feedback from scorers to determine proficiency in writing.

Can a different high school level of Essentials in Literature be used for level 12 since Level 12 has not been released yet?

Yes, a different level of Essentials in Literature can be used for the literary component of the English credit of 12th grade.

The Difference Between Digital and Print Textbook/Workbook

The online version of the curriculum includes all of the required materials for completing a level of Essentials in Writing or Essentials in Literature, but in a digital format. With the online version, all of your materials are in one spot within the member’s dashboard for you to view and print!

The required online materials include:

• Student Workbook/Textbook
• Lesson Videos
• Teacher Handbook (EIW Levels 1-8 and EIL 7-9)

For EIW Levels 1-8, you can get a digital Assessment/Resource Booklet as well!

How does this compare to the print version? The print version of the curriculum includes all the online access to the digital materials AND the printed, physical, tangible version of the textbooks. The printed books are great for students who prefer to complete their assignments directly within an organized, bound book.

It simply comes down to personal preference. Now, families have the added convenience of being able to access their materials in different formats.

Additional Student Level Textbook/Workbook

Additional Workbook is compatible only with second edition Essentials in Writing video instruction. This is only a Student Workbook for an ADDITIONAL student using the same level of video instruction. Please note that the Workbook is not functional without the related video instruction.

About The Scoring Service

Let Essentials in Writing take the scoring burden off your mind! Our Scoring Team includes a variety of qualified individuals, including long-time educators, librarians, and professionals with Bachelor’s degrees in English, and they are ready to take the burden of grading compositions away from you.

Parents of students completing levels 6*, 7*, 8*, 9, 10, 11, or 12 of Essentials in Writing are eligible to purchase this service. (*Second Editions only.) Offered from September 1 to June 15 of each school year, one composition for each EIW assignment may be submitted for scoring. If purchased after September 1 start date, services still expire on June 15 the following year.

How Do The Scoring Services Work?

• Available from September 1 to June 15 (one school year).
• One final composition from each composition lesson of Essentials in Writing may be presented for scoring.
• Students receive a rubric with a score as well as a one-paragraph write-up from their scorer complimenting strengths and sharing areas to improve, plus, detailed comments and suggestions within the composition.
• Scoring Services will be conducted online through Gradient, Essentials in Writing’s online grading platform.

PLEASE NOTE: Scoring services are for Essentials in Writing only and are not eligible for unconditional money back guarantee.

Read More About Our Scoring Service

Essentials in writing comes with online streaming video instruction.

• ONLINE STREAMING 12 month access to ONLINE lesson-by-lesson video instruction (Free renewals upon request)
• DVD DVD video lessons can be added for $25.00 plus shipping (This includes access to online streaming as well)

Try it Free!

Try it Now!

Not sure which level is right for your student? Use the level wizard .

Recommended ages 16-17

Writing Courses

• Level 1 (ages 6-7)
• Level 2 (ages 7-8)
• Level 3 (ages 8-9)
• Level 4 (ages 9-10)
• Level 5 (ages 10-11)
• Level 6 (ages 11-12)
• Level 7 (ages 12-13)
• Level 8 (ages 13-14)
• Level 9 (ages 14-15)
• Level 10 (ages 15-16)
• Level 11 (ages 16-17)
• Level 12 (ages 17-18)

Literature Courses

• Level 7 (ages 12–13)
• Level 8 (ages 13–14)
• Level 9 (ages 14–15)
• Level 10 (ages 15–16)

Other Services

• Scoring Services
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Home School Resource Center
• Supplemental Writing Program (18-week plan)
• Summer Writing Program (10-week plan)
• Charter Schools
• Homeschool Heroes
• Giving Back
• International Customers
• Terms of Use

(417) 256-4191

My Husband’s Ex by Rosie Walker

By Rosie Walker

Losing sight of a dream and finding it again . . . Rosie Walker on realising her dream of becoming an author.

Every writer bio I read seems to contain a variation of the line ‘he/she has written stories since the moment they were old enough to hold a pencil’. I am no different: my first ‘novel’ was called The Witch and I made it on stapled-together dot matrix printer paper from my dad’s office and illustrated it myself in pencil. My stories were dark and inspired by ghostly tales and adventure stories. There were often secret passageways and death. I continued writing stories throughout school and surrounded myself with books and writing for my entire adolescence. Being an author was my dream.

Until it wasn’t.

As I approached the age where you need to choose your academic specialism ­– school exams and then university subjects – I realised that becoming an author was nothing more than a pipe dream. It was childish, like dreaming of becoming a famous footballer, ballerina, actor or astronaut. It didn’t happen to real people. Writing books wasn’t a realistic career path, and I needed to choose something that was.

I’d always been interested in people and their minds, so I ended up studying psychology at university and then found myself in a solid administration role. My family were proud: I was using my degree, the job had a good pension scheme, and a tangible career progression into project management.

But WOW, I was so bored.

My job was facilitating other people doing interesting things: I booked the meeting rooms and took the minutes instead of taking part in the interesting discussions. I refreshed my emails and made to-do lists, daydreamed and read every blog post that appeared in my GoogleReader (it was 2008). I was probably quite an irritating employee, to be honest. (Sorry, boss).

And soon, I got so bored that I remembered who I once was, and what I had once wanted to do. Why wasn’t I writing? What did I need to do to become a writer? And what if I wasn’t any good? Finally, I’d tuned back in to my author dreams, and now I wanted to pursue them.

Unlike writers in the movies, I didn’t quit my job and immediately write a bestseller. I decided to pressure-test the ‘what if I wasn’t any good?’ concern: I joined a local writing group and enrolled on a writing course. When those felt positive, I did an Open University Creative Writing module, which I passed with distinction. Finally, I applied to do a Masters in Creative Writing, ostensibly buying myself a year of writing time and utter immersion in literature.

That’s when I quit my job.

I moved to Edinburgh to spend a year studying writing and books. Even then, I didn’t write a novel yet. I spent that year in the pub with my fellow writing students, talking about writing novels instead of actually doing it. But there was a difference now: I was finally engaged, my brain fizzing with excitement at the things I was learning every day, both on the course and from my classmates.

I’m ashamed to say it was another six years before I finally wrote ‘The End’ on a manuscript and began querying literary agents. There were other jobs where I daydreamed: I worked in a bookshop and a library, I temped, I got into copywriting. I plotted lots of book ideas that ended up on the scrapheap, and I even tried writing a book together with two of my friends – reasoning that three people can write three times as fast as one. But we got caught up in disagreements as to where the plot needed to go next and that so-called speedy progress ground to a halt.

The thing that finally cracked it for me? I got a job where I wasn’t bored and I didn’t have time to daydream. Turns out, daydreaming and procrastinating is exhausting. With the extra energy, I wrote on my lunchbreak and commute to and from work, on a tiny Chromebook that fit into my handbag. My target was 500 words a day, but I often managed more. And I logged it all in a spreadsheet so I could see my progress and feel proud of the words adding up, until they reached novel length.

Finally, my debut novel came out in the pandemic-laden year of 2020, into a world where bookshops were closed and everyone was afraid. With three novels out in the world – Secrets of a Serial Killer , The House Fire , and The Baby Monitor – I now have another: My Husband’s Ex , out now from Bookouture.

I’m a writer now and I’m so glad I re-discovered my long-lost writing dream. I have no regrets about how I got here (except I wish GoogleReader was still around).

Maybe I needed to lose sight of my dream in order to get here. And the key first step that got me here took place on the day I finally remembered who I was ­and always had been – a writer. After that, there was no looking back. 

(c) Rosie Walker

About My Husband’s Ex by Rosie Walker:

‘Hello, stranger,’ says the beautiful woman on the doorstep. Pushing past me, she throws herself into my husband’s arms while I stand frozen in shock. I’ve never seen this woman before in my life… but how does she know the man I married?

The colour drains from my husband’s face as she releases him. When Ted says her name – Alice – my blood runs cold. Because I’ve heard her name before. Alice is the woman who broke my kind husband’s heart. Ted told me she vanished from his life after their breakup, but has he been lying this whole time?

I stare at him in disbelief, but he swears he never invited her. Can I believe him? Whatever actually happened, I want her out of my house… but as thunder cracks and the sky turns dark, a huge storm sets in. We’re stuck here: is this my chance to discover the truth?

While everyone is distracted with my two young children in the next room, I search through her coat pockets. I thought she’d come to try and steal Ted back… but the sharp silver knife I find hidden away changes everything. Looking at the blade, I’m more scared than I’ve ever been in my life – why does Alice want to hurt us? How can I keep my beloved daughters safe?

My heart beats out of my chest, but I have to stay calm. Because I know something Alice doesn’t. She has no idea who she’s dealing with, who I really am. After all this time, I won’t let her take what’s mine…

This unbelievably gripping psychological thriller will keep you speeding through the pages, with your heart racing, until you reach the final jaw-dropping twist. If you absolutely loved Gone Girl, The Housemaid or The Perfect Marriage , you will be utterly hooked!

Order your copy of My Husband’s Ex by Rosie Walker here .

About the author

Rosie Walker writes psychological thrillers about mysteries, secrets, lies, and strange people. Rosie was born in North Yorkshire and has lived in Lincolnshire, Lancashire, Birmingham, Ohio and Texas, and has yet to live in a house with a secret passageway, hidden basement or a long-forgotten sealed-up room, but still holds out hope. She now lives in Edinburgh with her husband Kevin, their daughter Elsie and their Cypriot rescue dog, Bella. She has a Masters in Creative Writing and a degree in Psychology.

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