how to write a quick essay

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How to Write an Essay in Under 30 Minutes

Last Updated: June 28, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Arash Fayz . Arash Fayz is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of LA Tutors 123, an academic consulting and private tutoring company based in Los Angeles, California. Arash has over 10 years of educational consulting experience, managing the tutoring of students of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds to score higher on standardized tests and gain admission to their target schools. He has a BA in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of California, Los Angeles. There are 12 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 604,651 times.

If you’re taking your SATs this year, you may be preparing to write a solid essay within the 30 minute time limit. Or you might be trying to improve your writing speed to complete essay exams faster and more efficiently. Writing a five paragraph essay in under 30 minutes can seem daunting, but with the right planning and time management, it is certainly achievable.

Sample Essays

Planning the Essay

• For example, you may get a prompt in the form of quotation: “Time has a doomsday book, on whose pages he is continually recording illustrious names. But as often as a new name is written there, an old one disappears. Only a few stand in illuminated characters never to be effaced.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow [3] X Research source
• You may then receive a question attached to the prompt: “Are there some heroes who will be remembered forever? Or are all heroes doomed to be forgotten one day?" Plan your response, and then write an essay to explain your views on this issue. Be sure to support your position with specific points and examples. You may use personal examples or examples from your reading, observations, or, knowledge of subjects such as history, literature, science. [4] X Research source

• For example, you may brainstorm the Longfellow quote/question by thinking of personal examples of heroes who are remembered or forgotten, such as family members, friends, teachers, or peers who have acted as heroes to you or to others. Or you may focus on a historical figure who seems to be a forgotten hero or a decorated hero.
• This essay question is asking for two sides of the discussion, the forgotten hero and the remembered hero. Your thesis should discuss both sides and choose one side to argue for or against.
• You may choose to spotlight a historical figure who encountered opposition and challenges in her life, such as the suffragette Susan B. Anthony. Anthony worked tirelessly for decades to get the government to recognize women’s right to vote, and was often derided by the government and by individuals within her own organization. She is a good example of a hero who was not recognized as a trailblazer until late in her life, though she is now remembered as a heroine in history. Try to refer back to the quotation in the essay prompt in your thesis, if possible, to show you have read the entire question.
• A possible thesis statement could be: “Though Longfellow argues that names, or heroes, may be forgotten over time, one historical figure, Susan B. Anthony, was derided in her lifetime for her beliefs but is now remembered as a heroine of her time.”

• Introduction: Your beginning paragraph should contain an engaging first sentence and your thesis statement. Some writers find it easier to write create a temporary introduction and revise it once they are finished with the essay. This will ensure the introduction is cohesive with the rest of the essay.
• Conclusion: This paragraph should summarize your main argument and restate your thesis. You may also want to include last thoughts around the essay question.

Writing the Essay

• An interesting or surprising example: This could be a personal experience or a key moment in the life of the historical figure you are discussing in your essay. For example, you may discuss Anthony’s childhood as a Quaker and her later adoption of more casual dress and growing interest in social reform at the age of 26. [9] X Trustworthy Source University of North Carolina Writing Center UNC's on-campus and online instructional service that provides assistance to students, faculty, and others during the writing process Go to source
• A provocative quotation: This could be from a source you used for your essay or one that feels relevant to your topic. For example, you may use a well known quote from Anthony, such as: “Cautious, careful people, always casting about to preserve their reputation and social standing, never can bring about a reform. Those who are really in earnest must be willing to be anything or nothing in the world's estimation, and publicly and privately, in season and out, avow their sympathy with despised and persecuted ideas and their advocates, and bear the consequences.” [10] X Research source
• A vivid anecdote: An anecdote is a very short story that carries moral or symbolic weight. Think of an anecdote that might be a poetic or powerful way to start your essay.
• A thought provoking question: create a question that will get your reader thinking and engaged in your topic. For example: “Did you ever wonder how women received the right to vote in the United States?”

• Body paragraph 1: You may start by discussing Anthony’s early successes. Look at the establishment of the Women’s Loyal National League in 1863 by Anthony and Stanton. As the first national women’s political organization in the United States, it had a membership of 5000 and provided a platform for women to speak out on issues like slavery and women’s right to vote. [11] X Research source
• Body paragraph 2: You may discuss Anthony’s mid career struggles. Look at the split in the women’s movement in May 1869, with the establishment of the National Woman’s Suffrage Association (NWSA) by Anthony and Stanton, and the rival American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA). Note how after the Civil War, Anthony devoted her time and life to the suffrage movement, assuming leadership of the NWSA in 1890 and continuing to advocate for women’s rights. Anthony also remained unmarried, which gave her an advantage under the law, as married women at the time were not permitted to sign official documents and had to defer to their husbands. [12] X Research source
• Body paragraph 3: You may discuss Anthony’s later life, including her many speaking engagements throughout the United States on the need for women’s suffrage and equal rights. Though Anthony died in 1906, and did not live to see the passing of the Nineteenth Amendment of the Constitution, affording women the right to vote in the United States in 1920, her forty years of tireless work paved the way for the legal precedent and gave women a strong sense of empowerment and equality. [13] X Research source

• For example, you may restate your thesis: “Throughout her life, Susan B. Anthony’s sacrificed her time, energy, and personal livelihood to advocate for women’s rights, proving that though many heroes may be forgotten, their actions will live on in history.”

Editing the Essay

• For example, an essay on Susan B. Anthony could have the title: “An Unsung Heroine” or “Susan B. Anthony: An Advocate for Change”.

Community Q&A

• If you're writing an essay in 15 minutes, try to spend two to three minutes on each body paragraph. Then, take three minutes on your conclusion paragraph and go back to your introduction. Spend the last three minutes revising your introduction so it matches the tone and perspective of the rest of your essay. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

Tips from our Readers

• If you need to write the essay in one day, focus on writing a paragraph at a time and taking small breaks in between by relaxing and browsing the internet. A 10-minute break should be enough time to relax before it's back to crunch time.
• Writing the body paragraphs first can sometimes make it easier to write the introduction and conclusion later on.

You Might Also Like

• ↑ Arash Fayz. Test Prep Tutor. Expert Interview. 1 November 2019.
• ↑ https://libguides.newcastle.edu.au/essay_planning/essay-planning
• ↑ https://resources.warburg.sas.ac.uk/pdf/emh823b2778298.pdf
• ↑ https://www.hunter.cuny.edu/rwc/handouts/the-writing-process-1/invention/Writing-a-Response-or-Reaction-Paper
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/thesis-statements/
• ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/test-terror.html
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/introductions/
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/should-i-use-i/
• ↑ https://www.rochester.edu/sba/
• ↑ https://repository.library.georgetown.edu/bitstream/handle/10822/553350/laCossJoanHarkin.pdf
• ↑ https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/susan-b-anthony
• ↑ https://www.britannica.com/biography/Susan-B-Anthony

About This Article

In order to successfully write an essay in under 30 minutes, you need to plan it out and work efficiently. Take a good 10 minutes to plan out the essay and come up with a thesis statement that will convey your argument and help guide your essay. It may seem like a large chunk of your time, but it will save you from having to rewrite or restructure your essay later on. Then, take 15 minutes to write your introductory paragraph, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Use the last 5 minutes to proofread your essay and look for spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors. Don’t worry about coming up with a title until you’re finished. It will be much easier then. For tips about how to edit an essay you write in under 30 minutes, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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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.

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How to Write an Essay Quickly: 7 Speedy Steps to Success

Chris Drew (PhD)

Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

Learn about our Editorial Process

Do you think you could write a 2000 word essay in 2 hours? How about a 20 page paper overnight? What if it’s getting into the small hours of the last night before due date and you’re starting with … 3 hastily written paragraphs? A title? A blank page? There’s hope. Let’s take a close look at how to write an essay quickly with 7 easy steps.

I’m going to save the lecture about how you should not have gotten yourself into this situation for another day. Right now, there’s more pressing matters. The essay itself.

It’s time to get started. There’s no time to waste.

Below, I have outlined 7 straightforward steps on how to write an essay quickly. Be warned: this list is full of shortcuts and emergency measures. It’s not the best way to do things, but it’s the best way to do it in your situation.

So here goes. Buckle in and get going on these 7 speedy steps to getting that paper written. I hope you’ve poured yourself a coffee:

1. Hack your teacher’s lecture slides

If I had 2 hours to write a 2000-word essay, this is exactly where I’d start – every time.

The lecture slides are your cheat sheet. They’re a summary of your teacher’s (yes – the one who will be marking your piece) thoughts on the issues. It’s literally a teacher’s translation of the content. They’ve read it, taught it to themselves, then put together slides translating the content into a way that they – your marker – thinks is relevant .

That’s the closest to a cheat sheet you’ll ever get off these people. So use it to write your essay quickly.

Go onto your course’s webpage (Canvas? Blackboard? Moodle?) and download the lecture slides for every week that seems slightly relevant. You know? The weeks where:

• Your teacher introduced the key theorist, scientist or scholar behind an idea;
• Your teacher explained the ideas you need to write about;
• Your teacher analysed different perspectives on that ideas.

It might be one week’s slides, it might be ten week’s slides. But you need to download them and start reviewing them.

Each time you find a point that you think is relevant to your assessment outline or question, quickly make a note of what key point is being made.

Also write down any ideas that come to mind that might fit into the essay. I find when I review lecture slides more ideas come to mind to add in.

If your lecture hasn’t provided lecture slides, some other places to look for ideas on what to write in your paper include:

• Your own lecture notes ;
• Readings your teacher set for you;
• Any online videos, websites or other content your teacher provided.

2. Write down ten to fifteen key points to discuss

Hopefully your research in step 1 got you a lot of key points written down so you’re off to a hasty start to writing your essay quickly.

Now’s your time to brainstorm – are there any other interesting points you can make about the topic that come to mind after reviewing the course materials?

Aim to gather between ten and fifteen key points. Anywhere less than 10, you’re not likely to have enough to say unless you’ve got a paper that’s less than 2000 words. Anywhere over 15, your teacher’s mind is going to wander while they go through all your ideas!

These points can be scrawled all over a piece of paper or listed on a word document, but make sure they’re written down!

Once you’ve got 10 to 15 key points, it’s time to list them in order of relevance. What’s the most relevant or useful or informative thing you want to say? Put that first. Then go down the list, so your best ideas are at the top.

3. Turn each point into a 4 to 6 sentence paragraph

Starting from the top of your list of 10 to 15 points to discuss, start turning each point into a 4 to 6 sentence paragraph. This is the ideal paragraph length to obtain depth without losing your reader’s attention.

In each paragraph make sure you mention:

• A topic sentence that explains exactly what your key point is.
• An explanation sentence (or two) that adds detail to your first point.
• An example sentence showing how the idea or point would link to the real-life.

You can keep expanding on that key idea if you want – but limit it to about 6 sentences max. Otherwise you’ll put your marker to sleep – who ever wants to read a super long paragraph!?

Make sure each key point is given one 4 – 6 sentence paragraph at least. You might find each key point needs two or three paragraphs to explain everything in enough detail.

4. Use readings while writing your paragraphs.

When providing explanations of your key points, go back to where you found these key points. What is the source? Did your teacher note on the lecture slides where this information comes from? If so, you’ll need to reference those sources in your paragraphs.

Then, add in more references from:

• The Assigned Readings. Start referencing the set readings that your teacher provided. Go to the course’s webpage and download all the set readings for weeks relevant to your assessment topic. If you download your assigned readings and open them with Adobe Acrobat, you’ll be able to use the search function to find the exact key ideas you’re looking for. For example, if your topic is on “Issues of doctor-patient confidentiality in modern medicine”, you might search through your set readings for “confidentiality” in order to find the right sections of your readings where you could find explanations that you can use and reference in the piece. Aim to cite each relevant reading that was provided by your teacher at least once in the piece.
• Google Scholar. You’ll also need to cite some other scholarly readings . I recommend going to google scholar and type in the keywords from your key idea. For example, if your key idea is “Climate change causes sea temperatures to rise”, you would want to type into the google scholar search bar: “Climate change” and “sea temperatures”. Find sources that have direct links to the pdf or html document of the text – these are sources that aren’t hidden behind paywalls. Make sure you get a good number of additional readings from google scholar (I usually aim for 50% assigned readings, 50% additional readings).

You might also want to make sure you have least one – preferably two –references per paragraph. If you have included two references, aim to reference two different sources rather than the one source twice.

5. Write a compelling Introduction and Conclusion

Keep an eye on that word count.

Hopefully for each paragraph you write you see that wordcount jumping by about 150 to 200 words. Before long you’ll be at 500, 800, 1400 words!

Make sure you stop writing when you get within 300 words of the word limit (about one page if you’ve been given a page limit). You’re going to want to use the last 300 words or so for creating an amazing introduction and conclusion.

If you hit the desired word count but don’t get around to some key points, that’s okay. We sorted the points from most to least relevant in Step 2 for just this reason: the ones you miss will be the least relevant, anyway.

Now, write your introduction.

A compelling introduction should:

• Identify the key focus or argument of the essay in the first sentence
• Explain the topic’s relevance. Why is it worth discussing at this particular time? What value does it have for your future profession?
• Let your reader know what you plan on saying in the piece.

Then write your conclusion .

A compelling conclusion should:

• Summarize your key points
• Explain how your key points support your argument and/or address the essay question
• Identify any contradictions , limitations or questions that remain unanswered within the topic area. What is the future direction of research into this topic in the next 5, 10 or 20 years?

Use the above bullet points to formulate your introduction and conclusion . Again, aim for 4 to 6 sentences (150 words or so) for the introduction and about 4 to 6 sentences for the conclusion. Make sure in the introduction and conclusion that you show your reader you have a good bird’s eye understanding of the topic you are covering and its relevance to real life.

6. Fix up that Reference List

Your reference list is probably a mess. It’s not likely to be in the correct referencing format that you need it to be in.

Thanks to Google Scholar, this part is a heck of a lot easier than it was ten years ago.

Here’s what you do:

• Type the name of each source that you reference into the Google Scholar search bar
• Find the source in the list that Google Scholar generates (it should be in the first few spots on the list.
• Press the cite button underneath the source. A pop-up should appear showing how to cite the source in each referencing style.
• Copy the citation and paste it into your paper’s reference list
• Check to see if the citation is correct: are there any missing details?

Once you’ve listed all the sources you used in your reference list, you’ll need to sort them alphabetically. Highlight the whole reference list then sort it using:

• Microsoft Word: The A>Z button under the ‘home’ menu

7. Edit it in the Morning

Once you’ve written a full draft, you’ve got a decision to make:

• If the piece is due in the next few hours, you’ve got to crack on and start editing immediately;
• If the piece is due tomorrow morning, give yourself permission to go to sleep. Having a break between writing and editing lets you look at your work with fresh eyes tomorrow. But, be prepared. In the morning you’ve still got some work to do.

Editing your work – even just once the morning before you submit – will earn you a big bump in your marks.

You probably will only have time to edit the work once, so I recommend this:

• Print the work. Editing work on paper is far more effective than editing it on the screen. Errors jump out at you more if you’re reading it on paper.
• Read through the work and cross out sentences that don’t make sense. Underline sentences that need rewording for clarity. Circle words that need to be changed or spell-checked.
• The name of the game while editing is increasing clarity. If a sentence is too long, complicated or confusing when you’re editing it, you need to find a way to say it more clearly. Sometimes that means turning one sentence into two shorter sentences. That’s okay. A good way to find sentences that need shortening is to use the ProWritingAid app which produces a special report identifying sentences that are too long.
• Once you’ve done scrawling your edits on the paper copy, jump onto the computer and go from the start: insert all the edits you wrote down on the paper copy into the computer copy.

This print-and-edit strategy is by far the most effective editing strategy. It dramatically increases the quality of any student’s work and bumps up their grades.

Editing your work is worthwhile, no matter how tight the deadline. It could be the difference between a C and a B or – even more importantly – a fail and a pass.

Read Also: 39 Better Ways to Write ‘In Conclusion’ in an Essay

Look, let’s face it. You should have written it earlier.

But, there’s always still hope. Now’s the time for action – get those top ten points you want to say on the issue done, then keep following the steps to the end. You can do it!

Let’s sum up those seven key steps one more time:

• Hack your teacher’s lecture slides
• Write down ten to fifteen key points to discuss
• Turn each point into a 4 to 6 sentence paragraph
• Use readings while writing your paragraphs.
• Write a compelling Introduction and Conclusion
• Fix up that Reference List
• Edit it in the Morning

If you’ve finished all the steps – Congratulations. You got through! Now make sure you don’t do it again with these strategies that can help you get started early on even the toughest paper. You might recognise some of them?

• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 25 Number Games for Kids (Free and Easy)
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 25 Word Games for Kids (Free and Easy)
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 25 Outdoor Games for Kids
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 50 Incentives to Give to Students

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How to Write an Essay

Use the links below to jump directly to any section of this guide:

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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• Tags: Academic Writing , Essay , Essay Writing

Knowing how to write an essay can help you out significantly in both, your academic and professional life. An essay is a highly versatile nonfiction piece of writing that not only tests your knowledge of a topic but also your literary and argumentative skills.     

Each essay requires the same basic process of planning, writing, and editing. Naturally, we’ve used these stages to group our steps on how to write an essay. So w ithout further ado, let’s get into it! Here are the eight steps to write an essay:

Stage 1: Planning

1. Pick an appropriate research topic

In certain cases, your teacher or professor may assign you a topic. However, in many cases, students have the freedom to select a topic of their choice. Make sure you choose a topic that you’re well versed in and have significant knowledge of. 

Having prior knowledge of the topic will help you determine the subsequent steps to write an essay. It will also make your research process considerably easier.

2. Form an appropriate thesis statement

A thesis statement is the central idea or premise your essay is based on. It is usually a sentence or two long and is included in the introduction of the essay. The scope of your thesis statement depends on the type of your essay and its length.

For instance, the scope of the thesis statement for a 500–1000 word school essay will be narrower than a 1000–5000 word college essay. A rule of thumb is that your essay topic should be broad enough to gather enough information, but narrow enough to address specific points and not be vague. Here’s an example: 

The invention of the airplane by the Wright Brothers in 1903 revolutionized transportation and paved the way for modern aviation. It represents a monumental achievement in human history that forever changed the course of human civilization.

3. Create an essay outline

Creating a well-organized essay outline not only gives structure and flow to your essay but also makes it more impactful and easy to understand. The idea is to collect the main points of information that support or elaborate on your thesis statement. You can also include references or examples under these main points. 

For example, if your thesis statement revolves around the invention of the airplane, your main points will include travel before the invention of the airplane, how it was invented, and its effects on modern-day travel. Take a look:

The Wright Brothers’ invention had a massive impact on modern-day travel. The subsequent growth of the aviation industry led to increased accessibility of air travel to the general public.

Stage 2: Writing

4. Write a comprehensive introduction

After creating the basic outline, it is important to know how to write an essay. Begin your essay by introducing your voice and point of view to the reader. An introduction is usually a paragraph or two long and consists of three main parts:

• Background information
• Thesis statement

Let’s better understand this with the help of an example:

The Wright Brothers’ invention of the airplane in 1903 revolutionized the way humans travel and explore the world. Prior to this invention, transportation relied on trains, boats, and cars, which limited the distance and speed of travel. However, the airplane made air travel a reality, allowing people to reach far-off destinations in mere hours. This breakthrough paved the way for modern-day air travel, transforming the world into a smaller, more connected place. In this essay, we will explore the impact of the Wright Brothers’ invention on modern-day travel, including the growth of the aviation industry, increased accessibility of air travel to the general public, and the economic and cultural benefits of air travel.

Let’s understand how to construct each of these sections in more detail.

A. Construct an attractive hook

The opening sentence of an essay, also known as the hook, should include a powerful or startling statement that captures the reader’s attention. Depending on the type of your essay, it can be an interesting fact, a surprising statistic, or an engaging anecdote. 

B. Provide relevant background information

While writing the introduction, it’s important to provide context or background information before including the thesis statement. The background information may include the time before a groundbreaking invention, the pros and cons of a significant discovery, or the short- and long-term effects of an event.

C. Edit the thesis statement

If you’ve constructed your thesis statement during the outlining stage, it’s time to edit it based on the background information you’ve provided. Observe the slight changes we’ve made to the scope of the thesis statement in the example above. This accommodates the bits of information we’ve provided in the background history.

5. Form relevant body paragraphs

Body paragraphs play a crucial role in supporting and expanding the central argument presented in the thesis statement. The number of body paragraphs depends on the type of essay as well as the scope of the thesis statement.

Most school-level essays contain three body paragraphs while college-level essays can vary in length depending on the assignment.

A well-crafted body paragraph consists of the following parts:

• A topic sentence
• Supporting information
• An analysis of the information
• A smooth transition to the next paragraph

Let’s understand this with the help of an example. 

The Wright Brothers’ invention of the airplane revolutionized air travel. They achieved the first-ever successful powered flight with the Wright Flyer in 1903, after years of conducting experiments and studying flight principles. Despite their first flight lasting only 12 seconds, it was a significant milestone that paved the way for modern aviation. The Wright Brothers’ success can be attributed to their systematic approach to problem-solving, which included numerous experiments with gliders, the development of a wind tunnel to test their designs, and meticulous analysis and recording of their results. Their dedication and ingenuity forever changed the way we travel, making modern aviation possible.

Here’s a detailed overview of how to construct each of these sections.

A. Construct appropriate topic sentences

A topic sentence is the title of the body paragraph that elaborates on the thesis statement. It is the main idea on which the body paragraph is developed. Ensure that each topic sentence is relevant to the thesis statement and makes the essay flow seamlessly. 

The order of topic sentences is key in creating an impactful essay. This order varies depending on the type of essay you choose to write. These sentences may be arranged chronologically, in the order of importance, or in a cause-and-effect format.

B. Provide supporting information

It is necessary to provide relevant supporting information and evidence to validate your topic statement. This may include examples, relevant statistics, history, or even personal anecdotes.

You should also remember to cite your sources wherever you use them to substantiate your arguments. Always give researchers and authors credit for their work!

C. Analyze the supporting information

After presenting the appropriate evidence, the next step is to conduct an in-depth analysis. Establish connections and provide additional details to strengthen the link between your topic sentence and the supporting information. 

Depending on the type of essay, this step may also involve sharing your subjective opinions and key takeaways.

D. Create a smooth transition

In case you plan to create multiple body paragraphs, it is crucial to create a seamless transition between them. Transitional statements not only make the essay less jarring to read but also guide the reader in the right direction.

However, these statements need not be too lengthy and complicated. Use words such as “however”, “in addition to”, and “therefore” to convey transitions.

6. Construct an impactful conclusion

An impactful conclusion creates a lasting impression on the mind of the reader. Although it varies in length depending on the specific essay, the conclusion is typically a paragraph long.

It consists of

• A restated thesis statement
• Summary of the main points
• The broader implications of the thesis statement

Here’s an example of a well-structured conclusion:

The Wright Brothers’ invention of the airplane forever changed history by paving the way for modern aviation and countless aerospace advancements. Their persistence, innovation, and dedication to problem-solving led to the first successful powered flight in 1903, sparking a revolution in transportation that transformed the world. Today, air travel remains an integral part of our globalized society, highlighting the undeniable impact of the Wright Brothers’ contribution to human civilization.  

Let’s take a closer look at how to construct each of these sections.

A. Restate the thesis statement

Your conclusion should call back to your original argument or thesis statement.

However, this does not mean repeating the thesis statement as is. The essence of your argument should remain the same, but it should also be modified and evolved as per the information presented in your essay.

B. Summarize important points

A powerful conclusion not only lingers in the reader’s mind but also provokes thought. You can create a strong impression on the reader by highlighting the most impactful points of your essay.

C. State the greater implications

End your essay with the most powerful and impactful part: the larger perspective. This can‌ include a question you’d like to leave the reader with, the broader implications and impact of your thesis statement, or the long-term, lingering effects of your experience. 

Make sure to include no new evidence or arguments, or to undermine your findings in any way. 

Stage 3: Editing

7. Review your essay

Knowing how to write an essay is just one part of essay writing. Properly reviewing and editing your essay is just as important. Make sure to spend enough time going over your essay and adding any bits of information that you’ve missed. 

This is also a good time to make minor structural changes in your essay.

8. Thoroughly proofread your essay

After making the necessary structural changes, recheck your essay word by word. It is important to not only correct major grammatical and spelling errors but also minor errors regarding the phrasing or tone of voice.

You can either choose to do this by yourself, ask a friend for assistance, or hire an essay proofreading service to go over your writing. To construct a fool-proof, error-free essay, it is helpful to have a trained pair of eyes go over it. Professional proofreaders can spot errors that are not visible to most people and set the right tone for your essay. 

Now that you know the basics of how to write an essay, it’s time to learn about the specifics. Feel free to dig into the articles below and keep reading!

• How to Write an Essay Header in 4 Steps
• How to Write an Essay Outline
• What is an Expository Essay?
• How to Start an Essay

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the steps to write an essay, what is the best essay writing style, how do i start an essay introduction, what are the tips for effective essay writing, what makes a good essay.

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How to Write Your College Essay: The Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide

Getting ready to start your college essay? Your essay is very important to your application — especially if you’re applying to selective colleges.

Become a stronger writer by reviewing your peers’ essays and get your essay reviewed as well for free.

We have regular livestreams during which we walk you through how to write your college essay and review essays live.

College Essay Basics

Just getting started on college essays? This section will guide you through how you should think about your college essays before you start.

• Why do essays matter in the college application process?
• What is a college application theme and how do you come up with one?
• How to format and structure your college essay

Before you move to the next section, make sure you understand:

How a college essay fits into your application

What a strong essay does for your chances

How to create an application theme

Learn the Types of College Essays

Next, let’s make sure you understand the different types of college essays. You’ll most likely be writing a Common App or Coalition App essay, and you can also be asked to write supplemental essays for each school. Each essay has a prompt asking a specific question. Each of these prompts falls into one of a few different types. Understanding the types will help you better answer the prompt and structure your essay.

• How to Write a Personal Statement That Wows Colleges
• Personal Statement Essay Examples
• How to Write a Stellar Extracurricular Activity Essay
• Extracurricular Essay Examples
• Tips for Writing a Diversity College Essay
• Diversity Essay Examples
• Tips for Writing a Standout Community Service Essay
• How to Write the “Why This Major” Essay
• How to Write a “Why This Major” Essay if You’re Undecided
• How to write the “Why This College” Essay
• How to Research a College to Write the “Why This College” Essay
• Why This College Essay Examples
• How to Write The Overcoming Challenges Essay
• Overcoming Challenges Essay Examples

Identify how each prompt fits into an essay type

What each type of essay is really asking of you

How to write each essay effectively

The Common App essay

Almost every student will write a Common App essay, which is why it’s important you get this right.

• How to Write the Common App Essay
• Successful Common App Essay Examples
• 5 Awesome College Essay Topics + Sample Essays
• 11 Cliché College Essay Topics + How to Fix Them

How to choose which Common App prompts to answer

How to write a successful Common App essay

What to avoid to stand out to admissions officers

Supplemental Essay Guides

Many schools, especially competitive ones, will ask you to write one or more supplemental essays. This allows a school to learn more about you and how you might fit into their culture.

These essays are extremely important in standing out. We’ve written guides for all the top schools. Follow the link below to find your school and read last year’s essay guides to give you a sense of the essay prompts. We’ll update these in August when schools release their prompts.

See last year’s supplemental essay guides to get a sense of the prompts for your schools.

Essay brainstorming and composition

Now that you’re starting to write your essay, let’s dive into the writing process. Below you’ll find our top articles on the craft of writing an amazing college essay.

• Where to Begin? 3 Personal Essay Brainstorming Exercises
• Creating the First Draft of Your College Application Essay
• How to Get the Perfect Hook for Your College Essay
• What If I Don’t Have Anything Interesting To Write About In My College Essay?
• 8 Do’s and Don’t for Crafting Your College Essay
• Stuck on Your College Essay? 8 Tips for Overcoming Writer’s Block

Understand how to write a great hook for your essay

Complete the first drafts of your essay

Editing and polishing your essay

Have a first draft ready? See our top editing tips below. Also, you may want to submit your essay to our free Essay Peer Review to get quick feedback and join a community of other students working on their essays.

• 11 Tips for Proofreading and Editing Your College Essay
• Getting Help with Your College Essay
• 5 DIY Tips for Editing Your College Essay
• How Long Should Your College Essay Be?
• Essential Grammar Rules for Your College Apps
• College Essay Checklist: Are You Ready to Submit?

Proofread and edited your essay.

Had someone else look through your essay — we recommend submitting it for a peer review.

Make sure your essay meets all requirements — consider signing up for a free account to view our per-prompt checklists to help you understand when you’re really ready to submit.

Advanced College Essay Techniques

Let’s take it one step further and see how we can make your college essay really stand out! We recommend reading through these posts when you have a draft to work with.

• 10 Guidelines for Highly Readable College Essays
• How to Use Literary Devices to Enhance Your Essay
• How to Develop a Personalized Metaphor for Your College Applications

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How to Write an Essay Fast: Tips and Examples

Almost every student has experienced a circumstance where they had just a few hours before the essay deadline. So, what is the best course of action in this case? We suggest that you should either begin writing right away or seek professional assistance. Hiring a pro to write your essay is an easy way out. You can just order essay from our research paper writing services , and in a blink of an eye, your piece is ready to be sent out on time. But, if you want to write it yourself, then you need to know how to write an essay quickly.

Step-by-Step Guide on How to Write an Essay Fast

The essay writing process isn't simple. Especially when you want to do it quickly under the pressure of upcoming deadlines, but don't panic! Whether you’re wondering how to write an essay in a day or just an hour, you can still write an engaging and good essay fast. Here are some tips to help you write a paper faster:

How Can You Write an Essay as Fast as Possible

We discussed a few tips to write an essay fast, but they may still not be enough for everyone to do their essay quickly. There are many reasons why it can get difficult: you struggle to understand the essay topic and the main idea of it, you lack motivation, you overthink an essay prompt, you get constantly distracted, etc. Sometimes we all feel that way, and it's normal, but to make writing your last-minute essay easier, we should overcome those feelings.

So, let's dive deeper into how to write an essay fast to help you with the paper you completely overlooked.

Step 1. Get Rid of Distractions and Plan Your Time

Taming the writing beast can be challenging, especially with distractions lurking around every corner. So, let’s equip you with strategies to eliminate distractions and craft a time management plan to turn you into a focused, productive writing machine. 

Step 2. Write First Ideas Which Spring up in Your Mind

While reading an essay question carefully, start making a note of the very first ideas that pop up in your mind. This way, you'll have a view of what to write about. Then start analyzing the thesis statement, highlight the major points of the key sentences you want to discuss and then choose which ideas fit best to them.

Don't overthink the statement. To write essays faster, you need to have a concise view of what you are writing about from the very beginning. You don't have much time, so do not spend any of it on overthinking.

Step 3. Elaborate a Plan to Write an Essay Fast

If you have ever had only an hour left to write your essay or are now in that situation, you're lucky to be here reading this. It's entirely possible to do your paper in an hour, and we'll show you an essential step-by-step plan on how to write an essay fast.

But before planning the whole essay, you have to choose your topic. This is a no-brainer, but people are often stuck at this point. If you have the freedom to choose your own topic, determine the kind of theme you are familiar with and can discuss without having to spend much time on research. But if you have several topics, choose the one on which you can deliver a more in-depth analysis.

Now let's move to the next steps on how to plan the process to write an essay fast.

Step 4. Conduct a Research

Conducting research may seem difficult when you have an hour for the whole essay, but don't worry. You can manage that too! You already have the topic and the thoughts around it, and now you need a little research. So be brief and concise, look for the specific information that you're definitely using in your paper, and don't waste time on general concepts. To write an essay fast, you have to conduct research faster.

While searching on the internet, save bookmarks of your needed pages. This will serve not to start looking for the information all over.

Do these tips to write an essay fast make enough sense for you yet?! Anyways, don't pressure yourself! If it's manageable for others to write essay fast, then it is for you too. So read through carefully, act according to this plan, and you'll make it.

Step 5. Make an Outline

Before you start writing:

• Create an outline of your ideas, and organize your thoughts around the theme.
• Write down your words on paper and determine how they are logically connected.
• List your ideas and relate them to the larger concepts.

This way, you can have a general structure for your paper and step forward to write an essay fast. Regardless of how much effort and time you put into the work, it's useless if you can't organize your thoughts.

Now that you have an essay topic and the main idea around it, you can think of creating the thesis statement. Refer to the outlines you noted and try to express the major points of your essay with them. The statement will have two parts - outlining the topic and outlining the objective of your essay.

Now you are one step closer to mastering how to write essays quickly. Several steps to go, and you're all done!

Step 6. Write a Draft with Key Sentences for Each Paragraph

You should develop your arguments in the body and turn every idea you outlined before into separate paragraphs. Remember that each of the sections should have the same format. Start to incorporate your primary ideas into the opening sentence. After that, add your secondary supporting ideas to it. Also, do not forget to use proper sentence format.

You should clearly explain your topic in key sentences to strengthen the arguments. Every paragraph should contain supporting evidence, main points, and summarizing sentences.

Does it seem easier now to write an essay fast? Then, let us make it completely manageable for you with further steps.

Want to research how Steve Jobs revolutionized the world?

Discussing how Steve Jobs shaped modern technology makes a perfect research paper. Our writers are ready to make it even more perfect!

Step 7. Intro: Start with a Hook

After finishing the previous steps, then it is time to write an introduction. But how will you introduce something that hasn't been created yet? It may be unusual to write the beginning after you've already got the middle part, but it makes sense. Now that you have your thesis and arguments on paper, you can take the interesting elements and turn them into an attention-grabbing intro. Write a hook preceding it - it can be statistical information, a dialogue, a relevant anecdote, a quote, or just some fact, but it has to tie in with your thesis.

Also, if it's more comfortable to think of the hook first and then about the other parts, you're free to do so. Starting with the hook can help your creative process, but don't think too much about it. This way is more adjustable when you don't need to search for ‘how to write an essay quickly’ and have enough time to spend on it.

Step 8. Make a Strong Conclusion

Writing the conclusion paragraph is an important part of making a clear expression of everything you wrote above that. It is your opportunity to reinforce the thesis. Restate the arguments to leave the reader with something interesting to think about. It should be 3-5 strong conclusive sentences that place the whole information into a broader context. Don't forget to avoid introducing new points or ideas in your conclusion,

The introduction and conclusion is often the hardest part to write. So, you should save both for last, especially when you want to write an essay fast. It will take all of your time if you start thinking about them in the beginning when you haven't discussed any arguments yet. When you have the body paragraphs of your essay, it should be much easier to write a summarized conclusion and introduction.

Step 9. Check Everything

If you just typed ‘how to write an essay quickly’ and now reading this, then you already know you have to review your paper besides how much time you have before the deadline. So you always have to keep extra minutes to revise your work.

Check if there are any grammatical errors, if the paragraphs are in order - the main argument should be the first and last paragraph in your body, or if your work makes sense at all. These little elements affect the quality of your essay, especially the one you're writing in an hour.

This is the ultimate guide and your last step in learning to write an essay fast. Just don't panic and set your mind on doing it properly.

How to Write 500 Word Essay Fast

The essay writing process isn't so easy, especially when you want it done quickly. But it doesn't mean it's impossible. For example, have you ever wondered how to write a 500 word essay fast? If you are reading this article, you already have the answer. The previous examples we examined about writing papers faster are also adjustable to 500-word essays.

Let's do a small recap! First, decide on an interesting topic you want to write about, but don't overthink it. Instead, choose the one you know more about. Secondly, make a quick, basic outline of your thoughts and thesis statements. Then start working on your body paragraph, and lastly, do your introduction and conclusion. You can read above how to do each of these steps very easily.

In addition, you might be writing an SAT paper. In this case, you can apply these tips to the writing process with specific needs.

How to Write a Research Essay Fast

If you ever looked up 'how to write a research essay fast' and couldn't manage to find the solution through research, then we're here to help you out.

While writing a research paper requires a lot of effort—from developing a compelling thesis to locating relevant literature—doing so may be more fun if you select a topic you are passionate about. In addition, you have an opportunity to consider other people's discoveries and draw your own conclusions about what they signify.

Most essays have specifics that should be considered to be worth a good grade. If you don't know these needs, it can be difficult for you to complete the task properly. So then, what's your answer to it? Are you just sitting there wondering, 'how can I get research paper writing help ?' If you still haven't found the way, click on it, and there is your solution.

Pros and Cons of Writing an Essay Fast

As with everything else, writing your paper fast has its positive and negative sides too.

Let's start with the cons:

• When writing fast, you may not leave yourself the time for proofreading and editing the work, which will lead to not a very good essay and a satisfactory grade.
• Knowing that the deadline is coming closer can pressure you while preventing the creative process which can be destructive for your essay.
• Time spent on each part of the paper may not be enough or correctly distributed, which can mess with essay structure.

Pros of writing essay fast:

• The positive side of writing an argumentative essay fast is that now you know how to do it and don't need much time to waste.
• You are always on time for deadlines when you know how to write a good essay fast.
• Improves your time management skills.

So, It's entirely possible to write a good essay fast. For example, if you need to know how to write a process analysis essay, consider what we have already discussed above, and just like that, you are left with a great piece in a very short period!

Sometimes, writing an essay fast is impossible because of writer’s block, fatigue, or a lack of free time. You’re not alone in this, as thousands of students feel the same way and experience the same difficulties every semester. How do they manage such hurdles? The best way to put the finger on urgent writing assignments is to use a professional service where real human writers commit to original, captivating papers for students. 

Need urgent writing assistance?

Contact our experts to get a perfect paper tailored to your requirements!

Can I Write an Essay in 2 Hours?

Can i write a 1000-word essay in 1 hour.

Daniel Parker

is a seasoned educational writer focusing on scholarship guidance, research papers, and various forms of academic essays including reflective and narrative essays. His expertise also extends to detailed case studies. A scholar with a background in English Literature and Education, Daniel’s work on EssayPro blog aims to support students in achieving academic excellence and securing scholarships. His hobbies include reading classic literature and participating in academic forums.

is an expert in nursing and healthcare, with a strong background in history, law, and literature. Holding advanced degrees in nursing and public health, his analytical approach and comprehensive knowledge help students navigate complex topics. On EssayPro blog, Adam provides insightful articles on everything from historical analysis to the intricacies of healthcare policies. In his downtime, he enjoys historical documentaries and volunteering at local clinics.

• Updated writing tips.
• Added informative tables.
• How to write faster essays? (n.d.). The Student Room. https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=7338694
• https://www.wizeprep.com/blog/writinga500wordessayin40minutes
• Buffet, A. (2021, June 14). How To Write An Essay Fast In An Exam - Youth Incorporated Magazine. Youth Incorporated Magazine. https://youthincmag.com/how-to-write-an-essay-fast-in-an-exam

Frequently Asked Questions about LSAT Argumentative Writing

LSAC strives to ensure LSAT ®  takers have the information and resources they need to succeed on test day, including up-to-date information about LSAT Argumentative Writing SM . The FAQs below have been compiled based on common questions we receive about LSAT Argumentative Writing and have been divided into subjects to help you find the information you’re looking for.

Additional FAQ collections address specific aspects of the test, such as  The LSAT ,  Testing Accommodations , and  LSAT Score Preview .

If you can’t find an answer to your question, please contact our Candidate Services team:

Chat:  You can start a conversation with an LSAC customer service representative via chat by using the icon at the bottom-right corner of your screen. Our chat feature is available during business hours.

Email:   [email protected]

Phone:   1.800.336.3982

Hours:  Monday-Friday: 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET Saturday and Sunday: 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET Please note that  holiday hours  may differ.

Quick Links:

Registering for lsat argumentative writing, preparing for lsat argumentative writing, disability-related test accommodations, test and test-taker security, taking lsat argumentative writing, lsat scores and law school admission, how do i register for lsat argumentative writing.

One administration of LSAT Argumentative Writing is included in your LSAT registration. By registering for the LSAT, you will be automatically eligible to complete the writing section as early as eight (8) days prior to taking the multiple-choice portion of the LSAT. You can access LSAT Argumentative Writing from your LSAC JD Account.

What does LSAT Argumentative Writing cost?

The LSAT registration fee includes both the multiple-choice portion of the LSAT and LSAT Argumentative Writing. There are no additional fees associated with LSAT Argumentative Writing.

Do I have to take LSAT Argumentative Writing if I have already completed a writing sample during a previous LSAT administration?

No. Test takers are only required to have one writing sample on file for their LSAT to be considered complete. Writing samples may be from either a previous LSAT administration, an administration of LSAT Writing, or an administration of LSAT Argumentative Writing.

Can I register to take LSAT Argumentative Writing as a standalone?

No, we are not offering standalone LSAT Argumentative Writing. For questions, please contact LSAC’s Customer Relationships team via chat or at [email protected] or 1.800.336.3982 .

Is LSAT Argumentative Writing available outside of North America?

Yes. LSAT Argumentative Writing is available in all locations with access to the internet.

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What kind of computer do I need in order to take LSAT Argumentative Writing?

LSAT Argumentative Writing requires a desktop or laptop computer running Windows or Mac OS that has a webcam, a microphone, only one connected monitor, and an internet connection.

Important Notes

• LSAT Argumentative Writing is not compatible with mobile devices, Chrome OS, or Linux. 
• Be sure that you have administrative rights to the computer on which you’ll take the test. (This is so you can download the required proctoring software.)
• Before you launch LSAT Argumentative Writing, be sure to shut down all non-essential applications. This includes disabling any grammar-checking extensions (e.g., Grammarly, Microsoft Editor, etc.).

How will I log in to take LSAT Argumentative Writing?

Test takers will launch LSAT Argumentative Writing using the link provided on the LSAT Argumentative Writing page of their LSAC JD Account. The link will be made available at 12 a.m. (ET) eight (8) days prior to the start of the test taker’s LSAT administration. LSAT Argumentative Writing can only be launched from the individualized link provided in the test taker’s account.

Do I need any identification to take LSAT Argumentative Writing?

Every test taker is required to present a physical, valid international passport or a physical, valid government-issued photo ID issued by the United States of America, U.S. Territories, or Canada. The ID must be current (or have expired within 3 months of your test date) and must contain:

• A recent and recognizable photo of you
• Your first name
• Your last name
• Your date of birth

The first and last name listed on your ID  must exactly match  the legal first and last name associated with your LSAC JD Account. You can make changes to your legal name on the “Profile” page in your account. For more information, please visit  Biographical Information Changes . 

This is important. By law, U.S. military IDs cannot be photographed and thus cannot be used for this purpose.

Learn more about ID accepted for LSAT admission

What features are included in the LSAT Argumentative Writing interface?

LSAT Argumentative Writing’s interface offers:

• Built-in, user-adjustable tools such as a feature to increase text size incrementally and a line-spacing function.
• Highlighting and underlining tools , which can be used to mark key points in the prompt.
• Digital “Scratch Paper,” which enables test takers to type notes, instead of writing them on a physical piece of scratch paper. Physical scratch paper is not permitted for LSAT Argumentative Writing.

Additionally, misspellings in the LSAT Argumentative Writing essay are underlined in accordance with the web browser’s spell-check feature. However, alternate spelling suggestions are not available within the test environment. 

To get familiar with the LSAT Argumentative  Writing interface and experience, we encourage test takers to explore the LSAT Argumentative Writing Prep #1 practice prompt available for free through LawHub™.

Does LSAT Argumentative Writing impose a word or space limit for the writing sample?

There is no word or space limit for LSAT Argumentative  Writing. You are advised not to worry about the length of your writing sample, but instead to concentrate on crafting a response to the prompt that is well-written, cogent, and well-argued.

Will I be able to request accommodations for LSAT Argumentative Writing?

Yes. Test takers can submit requests for accommodations for LSAT Argumentative  Writing at the same time they request accommodations for the multiple-choice portion of the LSAT, using the same online form.

What accommodations are available on LSAT Argumentative Writing?

For information regarding available testing accommodations, visit  Accommodations that May Be Available on the LSAT .

Some accommodations that are available on the LSAT will not be needed for LSAT Argumentative  Writing (e.g., extra breaks between sections, a non-Scantron answer sheet).

How is test security managed for LSAT Argumentative Writing?

The secure proctoring platform uses input from the webcam, microphone, and screen of the test taker’s computer to ensure that the writing sample is the test taker’s own work, and that the test taker is not receiving any inappropriate assistance.

Prior to the test, test takers will complete a video check-in process. As part of the check-in process, test takers will be required to clearly display a physical, valid government-issued photo ID issued by the United States of America, U.S. Territories, or Canada, or a physical, valid international passport for the camera to capture. This image must not be blurry or out of focus. Test takers will also be required to show their workspace using their webcam, to ensure that only permissible items are in that space. The room will be scanned to make sure no other people or prohibited items are present. Test takers who require additional items in their workspace due to a disability may seek appropriate accommodations through the standard procedures for   requesting testing accommodations .  

Audio and video from every testing session will be reviewed by trained proctors.

What steps is LSAC taking to protect my privacy?

Initial reviews of LSAT Argumentative  Writing videos will be conducted by trained proctors in a secure, supervised environment. If a video is flagged for suspicious behavior or test conduct violations, LSAC trained staff will review it for the limited purpose of investigating and handling any such misconduct or violations .  Please see the LSAC Privacy Policy for how LSAC collects, uses, discloses, and otherwise processes information.

What will be recorded during the test, and what will you do with the videos after the test?

Input from the test taker’s webcam and microphone will be recorded, as well as everything happening on the test taker’s screen during the test. No videos or images from LSAT Argumentative  Writing will be shared with any law schools. However, audio and video data will be retained in a secure location for later review in the event of a test security investigation and/or misconduct and irregularities investigation.  See Misconduct & Irregularities and the  LSAC Candidate Agreement for more information.

What electronic devices are prohibited?

Devices that cannot be in the room during LSAT Argumentative  Writing include timers of any kind, watches of any kind, electronic cigarettes, fitness-tracking devices, mobile phones, beepers, pagers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), calculators, cameras, recording devices, listening devices (including, but not limited to headphones, ear buds, Air Pods, and other electronic listening devices and/or noise-canceling devices other than generic foam ear plugs), headsets, and iPods and other media players. Please note that tablets, laptops, and personal computers not being used to take LSAT Argumentative  Writing are prohibited.

Prohibited electronic devices may not be in the room during the test because they cannot be monitored via your webcam feed. Please be aware that your testing session will be flagged, and your writing sample canceled, if any prohibited electronics are noted during the room scan portion of your check-in. This includes any monitors or desktop computers that happen to be on the desk you may be resting your laptop on during the writing session. If your session is flagged, your audio and video data may be referred for an investigation by the Misconduct and Irregularities Subcommittee. More information can be found at   Misconduct & Irregularities and in the  LSAC Candidate Agreement .

What other items are prohibited?

Test takers may not use briefcases, handbags, or backpacks of any kind. Head coverings of any kind (e.g., hats, hoods, bonnets, durags, scarves, etc.) may not be worn, unless the head covering is a religious requirement. Sunglasses or other eyewear with tinted lenses may not be worn. Books, printed materials, scratch paper, writing implements (regular or mechanical pencils, and/or ink pens), erasers, highlighters, and any reference materials (including, but not limited to, sticky notes, whiteboards, calendars, notebooks, guides, flyers, or other outside materials) prepared prior to the start of your session may not be used.

Non-electronic prohibited items can remain in the room, but they must be put away and not used, accessed, or referenced during the test.

What can I use to write notes since scratch paper is prohibited?

Unlike the multiple-choice portion of the LSAT, physical scratch paper and writing utensils are not permitted during the standard administration of LSAT Argumentative  Writing. Instead, the LSAT Argumentative  Writing interface includes a built-in, digital “Scratch Paper” section where you’ll be able to type notes, instead of writing them on a physical piece of scratch paper.

What if I need headphones, ear plugs, or earbuds to take the test?

Test takers may use soft, non-electronic, non-corded/banded, generic foam ear plugs. They must be individually shown to the camera during the security check-in procedure.  

Please note: Unless a specified accommodation has been granted, test takers cannot wear headphones, earbuds, or anything similar that is not a soft, non-electronic, non-corded/banded, generic foam ear plug. Additionally, e lectronic noise-canceling devices and/or other noise-canceling devices other than generic foam ear plugs approved by LSAC and/or LSAT Argumentative  Writing personnel are expressly prohibited.  These types of items are unable to be monitored and inhibit LSAC’s ability to ensure a fair and equal testing environment. LSAC’s goal is to safeguard your test and score by putting this policy in place to mitigate testing irregularities that could result in the cancellation of your LSAT Argumentative  Writing sample.

What if someone else enters the room while I am taking the test?

If someone else enters the room, you must ask them to leave immediately. You may continue testing once the person leaves the room. It is not necessary to restart LSAT Argumentative  Writing if a brief interruption occurs.

What if my pet enters the room while I’m taking the test?

If a pet wanders into the room while you are testing, you may continue testing. Your face must be clearly visible throughout the test, and once you begin, you cannot move out of view of the webcam until the test is over.

When can I take LSAT Argumentative Writing?

Test takers are eligible to take LSAT Argumentative  Writing starting eight (8) days prior to their LSAT administration. For your LSAT to be considered complete, you will need to take the LSAT Argumentative  Writing section of the test if you do not already have a writing sample on file from a previous LSAT administration. Most law schools require a writing sample as an integral part of their admission decision, and therefore, you should take the writing sample immediately to meet schools’ application deadlines. Once completed, reviewed, and approved, your writing sample will be shared with the law schools to which you have applied. Test takers will be required to have an approved writing sample in their file in order to see their test score or have their score released to law schools.

How long do I have to complete LSAT Argumentative Writing?

Most test takers will have a total of 50 minutes — 15 minutes for prewriting analysis and 35 minutes for essay writing.

If you do not have a writing sample on file, we encourage you to complete LSAT Argumentative Writing as soon as you can. LSAT Argumentative Writing opens eight (8) days prior to every test administration. Test takers must have a complete writing sample in their file in order to see their score or have their score released to schools. Most law schools require a writing sample as an integral part of their admission decision, and therefore, you should complete your writing sample to meet schools’ application deadlines.

In case you are not applying in the current cycle, please note you have a maximum of one year to complete your LSAT Argumentative Writing sample. For questions, please contact LSAC’s Candidate Services team at [email protected] or 1.800.336.3982 .

Does it matter which web browser I use to launch LSAT Argumentative Writing?

Yes. LSAT Argumentative Writing can only be launched from Chrome or Firefox. The three most recent versions of these browsers are supported. Safari and Edge are not supported at this time.

What items can I use during LSAT Argumentative Writing?

You are allowed to use the following items while taking LSAT Argumentative Writing:

• Soft foam earplugs (non-electronic, non-corded/banded, and generic foam earplugs)
• Water in a clear or transparent container with a lid or cap. All labels must be removed from the container.
• Medication/medical supplies (including eyeglasses)
• Diabetic testing or treatment supplies (Bluetooth-enabled medical devices must be pre-approved)

Each of these items must be shown to the camera during the security check-in procedure.

This is important.  Use of scratch paper is not permitted during LSAT Argumentative Writing, unless requested and approved as a testing accommodation. (The LSAT Argumentative Writing interface includes a digital “Scratch Paper” section where test takers can type notes, instead of writing them on a physical piece of scratch paper.)

What behaviors are prohibited?

Adhering to the highest moral and ethical standards is essential for those in the legal profession. Every test taker is required to sign a  Candidate Agreement  each time they take the LSAT. Please make sure you read the entire Agreement; rushing through it or ignoring any of it could have serious adverse consequences.

Generally, during the test you may not:

• Communicate with anyone other than your proctor
• Read aloud (unless the test taker has an approved accommodation)
• Allow your face to leave the webcam’s view
• Leave your seat
• Run any prohibited software applications
• Access any prohibited materials
• Connect or disconnect any external storage devices
• Behave in a noncompliant or abusive manner 
• Disable your camera or audio capabilities

After the test you may not:

• Share details of the writing sample in an oral or written form, which includes sharing content on the internet or through any means or media
• Copy, save, duplicate, or distribute any of the writing sample material on your computer or any written notes you may have used during the writing sample

How is LSAT Argumentative Writing proctored?

LSAT Argumentative Writing sessions are recorded and reviewed by a proctor after submission. The proctor will audit the recording for any testing irregularities or violations that may have occurred during the session, such as an illegible ID or possession of a prohibited item. If such an irregularity is discovered, the session will be flagged for LSAC to conduct an additional review and/or investigation.

Will a proctor be available to assist me?

Generally, a live proctor will not be available to guide you through the onscreen instructions. We strongly encourage you to carefully read all of the onscreen prompts and to familiarize yourself with the FAQs on this page. Skipping any steps may result in additional reviews and could cause your LSAT Argumentative Writing sample to be canceled and reset.

If you experience technical difficulties while taking LSAT Argumentative Writing, please contact the 24/7 technical support line at 1.855.772.8678 .  Technical support is available through your entire LSAT Argumentative Writing session.

How do I identify myself before the test?

When prompted, you must clearly display a physical, valid international passport or a physical, valid government-issued photo ID issued by the United States of America, U.S. Territories, or Canada to be photographed by the system. The first and last name on your ID must exactly match the legal first and last name associated with your LSAC JD Account.

Please ensure that the photo of your ID is clear and recognizable before capturing it. If the image of your ID is blurry, out of focus, or unrecognizable, a proctor will flag your ID as invalid when they review your session, your writing sample will be canceled, and you will need to submit a new writing sample. This may delay the release of your LSAT score to you and to law schools.

What if I don’t have my physical ID? Can I use a picture of it?

No. LSAC will only accept physical identification. Digital images, photocopies, etc., are  not  acceptable under any circumstances.

Can I use Grammarly or other browser extensions while taking LSAT Argumentative Writing?

No. Before launching LSAT Argumentative Writing, be sure to shut down all non-essential applications and disable any grammar-checking extensions, including Grammarly, Microsoft Editor, etc.  LSAT Argumentative Writing is designed to showcase an individual’s persuasive writing skills, and any program that adjust s  the essay wording or structure can modify the response into something that is no longer the test taker’s own work.

A spellcheck feature is built into the LawHub interface, but external  AI-assistive extensions and aids, such as Grammarly, MS Editor, Writefull, Wordtune, Reverso, etc., are not permitted.

Can I use assistive technology programs while I take LSAT Argumentative Writing?

Upon request, all LSAT Argumentative Writing test takers (with or without test accommodations) are permitted to use external computer programs to make web content accessible, such as screen magnification or keyboard-controlled screen reader software. To protect the security of test content, selectable text functionality (i.e., the ability to select text or place the cursor on the screen) is not available on any of LSAC’s products. Therefore, the computer-based LSAT Argumentative Writing is accessible with screen reader software programs that can be controlled and navigated using keystrokes and keyboard commands rather than text-to-speech software controlled and navigated using the mouse and cursor.

If you plan to use assistive technology programs while taking LSAT Argumentative Writing, you must inform LSAC by completing the Assistive Technology Form during registration. Test takers who require the use of special equipment to access the test are encouraged to use your programs and equipment to explore the LSAT Argumentative Writing Prep #1 practice prompt available through LawHub. This practice prompt is designed to enable test takers to become familiar with the LSAT Argumentative Writing interface and experience.

Contact LSAC for Questions and Support

If you have any questions about the accessibility of LSAC’s products, please contact  [email protected] .

If you require additional accommodation to access LSAT Argumentative Writing due to a disability, we encourage you to contact an LSAC Disability Customer Service Representative at  [email protected]  or  855.384.2253 for assistance. Any request for testing accommodations must be submitted by the applicable registration deadline. LSAC is committed to working with test takers to facilitate accessibility to LSAT Argumentative Writing.

Where should I take LSAT Argumentative Writing?

Choose a quiet, well-lit, fully enclosed, and private work area, where you can complete the test without interruption. You may not take the test in a location with transparent/glass walls, in a cubicle, or in a hotel lobby. Please ensure that your workspace is clean and clear of any prohibited items. You must be clearly visible from chin to forehead and from shoulder to shoulder throughout the test; once you begin, you cannot move out of view of the webcam until the test is over.

Will every test taker receive the same writing prompt?

No. Test takers will be presented with a randomly selected prompt that they have not seen during a previous administration of the LSAT or LSAT Argumentative  Writing.

I’m ready to take LSAT Argumentative Writing, but the link to launch the test isn’t on the LSAT Argumentative Writing page in my account. What do I do?

The link to launch LSAT Argumentative  Writing will not be available in your account until eight (8) days prior to the start of your LSAT administration. You can find the date that LSAT Argumentative  Writing will open for each administration at Upcoming LSAT Dates .

If you’re checking after your available date and you still don’t see the link, please call LSAC at 1.800.336.3982  and press 0 or send an email to [email protected] for assistance.

I accidentally closed my browser before submitting my writing sample. What should I do?

If you accidentally close out of LSAT Argumentative Writing during testing, you should immediately attempt to relaunch the test. To do this, return to your LSAC JD Account and select the “Launch LSAT Argumentative Writing” link.

If you are unable to relaunch LSAT Argumentative Writing, you will need to contact LSAC to reset your eligibility. This will allow you to restart LSAT Argumentative Writing with a new writing prompt. Please call LSAC at 1.800.336.3982 and press 0  or send an email to [email protected] for assistance.

What if I have technical difficulties during LSAT Argumentative Writing?

If you experience technical difficulties, please contact the 24/7 technical support line at 1.855.772.8678 . Please note that test takers who experience technical problems that prevent them from completing their writing sample will be given the opportunity to test again with a different writing prompt.

Is LSAT Argumentative Writing required for applying to law schools?

For your LSAT to be considered complete, you must have at least one writing sample on file — either from an earlier administration of the LSAT or from LSAT Argumentative  Writing.

If you do not have a writing sample on file, we encourage you to complete LSAT Argumentative  Writing as soon as you can. Test takers are required to have a completed writing sample in their file in order to see their test score or have their score released to law schools. Most law schools require a writing sample as an integral part of their admission decision, and therefore, you should take the writing sample immediately to meet schools’ application deadlines. Once completed, reviewed, and approved, your writing sample will be shared with the law schools to which you have applied.

To help test takers complete their writing sample, LSAT Argumentative  Writing opens eight (8) days prior to each test administration and can be completed at any time.   

If you already have a reportable writing sample on file, you do not need to complete LSAT Argumentative  Writing.

When will my LSAT Argumentative Writing sample be available for inclusion in my CAS Report?

Once completed, reviewed, and approved, your writing sample will be shared with the law schools to which you have applied. In many cases, LSAT Argumentative Writing samples will be processed within a week of completion. However, test takers are advised to allow up to three weeks for processing before their writing sample can be included in a CAS Report. 

Are the writing samples from LSAT Argumentative Writing scored?

No. LSAT Argumentative Writing samples are not scored . However, you must complete LSAT Argumentative Writing to receive your LSAT score .

Do schools read my writing sample?

Most law schools require an LSAT Argumentative Writing sample as an integral part of their admission decision, and many admission professionals have reported that LSAT Argumentative Writing is useful in their candidate evaluation processes. However, each school follows its own policies on the use of writing samples for admission decisions.

Do all writing samples get reported to the law schools?

No. LSAC will include up to the three most recent reportable writing samples with your law school report. Writing samples are only reportable for five testing years. Writing samples that are more than five years old will not get reported to law schools.

Note that candidates only need to have one reportable writing sample on file for their LSAT to be considered complete.

Once completed, reviewed, and approved, your LSAT Argumentative Writing sample will be shared with you and the law schools to which you have applied.

Can I review my writing sample after I have completed LSAT Argumentative Writing?

Yes. Each test taker will have an opportunity to read their writing sample immediately after completing the test. It is strictly prohibited to take any pictures or screenshots of your completed writing sample, including the “Test Completion” screen. Violation of this policy may result in an LSAT Argumentative Writing cancellation and a referral to the Subcommittee on Misconduct and Irregularities in the Admission Process, as it is strictly prohibited, and you are still in the testing session.

My LSAT Argumentative Writing sample was canceled for a security violation. Does that cancellation get reported to law schools, and what happens next?

In most cases, a canceled writing sample is not reported to law schools. When your LSAT Argumentative Writing is canceled for certain rules violations (such as an unacceptable ID or an incomplete room scan), your eligibility will be reset, and you will have the opportunity to retake LSAT Argumentative Writing.  However, if the cancellation is due to a violation of test security policies (e.g., use of a prohibited electronic device), you may be referred to the Misconduct and Irregularities Subcommittee for further investigation. If the subcommittee representative determines that a preponderance of the evidence shows misconduct or irregularity, then a report of the determination is sent to all law schools to which the individual has applied, subsequently applies, or has matriculated. See Misconduct & Irregularities for further information.

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Equity and AI

Article by Jessica Henderson Photos by Evan Krape and Lane McLaughlin August 02, 2024

UD professor investigates how English learners interact with and benefit from automated essay evaluation technology

When ChatGPT burst onto the scene in November 2022, many educators and parents worried that new writing tools powered by artificial intelligence (AI) would help their students bypass important learning opportunities. Instead, as University of Delaware associate professor Joshua Wilson has shown, AI-powered writing and evaluation tools have actually helped students develop their writing skills and have supported teachers in providing meaningful feedback. 

Now, in a recent study published in Learning and Instruction , Wilson and his co-authors turn their attention to elementary English learners (EL), investigating how this growing population of students interacts with and benefits from automated writing evaluation (AWE) software. They found that AWE technologies are equally beneficial for ELs as they are for non-ELs. Study participants accessed writing feedback to a similar extent, achieved equal gains in writing quality, focused on consistent dimensions of writing when revising and endorsed the AWE system to similar degrees, regardless of their language status. 

“As AI-based feedback applications become increasingly prevalent, it’s critical that researchers examine the consequences of implementing those tools in authentic educational settings, with a particular focus on equity,” said Wilson, who specializes in literacy in UD’s College of Education and Human Development (CEHD). “This study represents a novel step forward in the field of AWE by focusing on students’ multifaceted engagement and by ensuring that there were not systematic differences in engagement that might disadvantage vulnerable subgroups. This approach sets a precedent for other investigations into AI-based feedback applications, ensuring that these technologies support equitable learning outcomes for all students.”

Automated essay evaluation software 

AWE refers to a class of educational technology tools that use natural language processing and AI to provide students with automated formative feedback that supports improvements in writing quality. Wilson’s study focuses on MI Write , an AWE system designed to improve the teaching and learning of writing by providing students with automated feedback and writing scores. 

When a student drafts an essay and submits it within MI Write, their essay is instantly analyzed by its scoring and feedback algorithms, which then deliver immediate automated feedback directly to the student. In addition to providing the student with a holistic writing score, it also provides a specific writing score and feedback on idea development, organization, style, sentence fluency, word choice and conventions. MI Write also includes peer review capabilities, offers multimedia lessons for skill-building and allows teachers to communicate with students through commenting features.

“[The students] seem more determined and [MI Write is] so catered to them,” said a fourth grade teacher in Wilson’s study. “It's almost like there's a person, like somebody [teaching] them, conferencing with them, telling them how they can improve, and it's all of them at once. Whereas before, I wouldn't be physically able to accomplish that quickly."

Benefits for English learners 

To assess how ELs interacted with and benefited from AWE technology, Wilson and his co-authors collected data from nearly 3,500 students in grades 3–5 within a Mid-Atlantic district that implemented MI Write in all 14 of its elementary schools during the 2017-18 school year. They collected data from ELs — students whose home language is not English and who qualify for English language services — and from non-ELs. 

To investigate interaction with the AWE software, Wilson and his co-authors looked at three dimensions of engagement: behavioral, or the actions students take in response to feedback; cognitive, or the thinking and revision strategies that students use in response to feedback; and affective, or how students feel about and perceive feedback. 

Across all three dimensions, Wilson and his co-authors found similar levels of engagement across all students. For example, some students chose not to access the feedback that AWE provided, while others accessed it several times. But these differences in behavioral engagement were not associated with language status. Similarly, ELs made productive revisions to their texts to the same extent as non-ELs and they often focused on the same set of textual features when revising.

In addition, student perceptions of the AWE software were generally positive. And, interestingly, EL survey responses indicated an even higher positive perception of the automated feedback. 

“Elementary-aged ELs may be more motivated to master the mechanics of writing, given that their proficiency in writing is both a barrier and a gateway to their academic success across various subjects,” Wilson said. “But, the automated nature of AWE also offers a unique and invaluable advantage for ELs: it enables them to request unlimited feedback without the fear of burdening their teacher or exposing their mistakes. AWE offers ELs autonomy in seeking feedback, which may feel empowering, allowing ELs to refine their writing skills at their own pace.”

Finally, Wilson and his co-authors found that the overall improvements in student writing over the course of the school year was not related to language status. Using MI Write’s essay-scoring system, they found that the average gain scores for ELs and non-ELs were similar after accounting for the number of drafts completed, initial draft quality, demographics and baseline literacy skills. 

But, even in light of these positive findings, Wilson emphasizes that it’s important to view AWE as a teaching tool rather than as a replacement for classroom teaching. 

“Our study underscores the importance of integrating AWE and AI-based systems within the context of effective teacher-led instruction,” Wilson said. “While there was no evidence that AWE uniquely disadvantaged elementary ELs, it also did not uniquely advantage them or close existing performance gaps. While AI and AWE can significantly enhance personalization and provide valuable support, they should be seen as tools, not solutions. Ensuring equitable outcomes requires a holistic approach that combines technology with skilled teaching.”

This research represents one aspect of Wilson’s larger research program in automated writing evaluation and related technologies. With Mark D. Shermis, Wilson has released a new edited collection, the Routledge International Handbook of Automated Essay Evaluation , which includes articles on large-scale and classroom-based applications of this technology to support teaching and learning. 

To learn more about the reliability of automated writing evaluation, read CEHD’s spotlight on Wilson’s work . To learn more about CEHD research in language and literacy, visit its research page .

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Infographic Copy 101: How to Write an Infographic That’s Easy to Understand 

Written by: Masooma Memon

Do you know what can prevent your infographic from becoming a success other than poor design? Wordy infographic copy.

In such a case, design might do a stellar first job of catching your reader’s attention. But long copy that clutters your design is going to do the exact opposite: repel readers.

Why? Because it threatens the infographic’s readability.

So, it makes sense to ask how to write an infographic that not only grips readers, but also gets your message across easily and effectively.

And to answer that for you, we have put together this guide that shares six simple steps to writing infographic copy that’s easy to understand and helps you create a winning infographic design .

Let's dig in.

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Here’s a short selection of 8 easy-to-edit infographic templates you can edit, share and download with Visme. View more templates below:

But First: Know Why You Need Infographic Copy

Before you dive into writing an infographic, it’s essential you understand the purpose of the copy. This helps you inform your writing, refining it to its best.

Mainly, infographic copy is responsible for:

• Providing the narrative arc to the story you’re trying to tell with your infographic design
• Sharing adequate context to explain the data you present

Since the infographic copy’s job is chiefly a supplementary one, it’s crucial to bear in mind that you don’t need long, wordy sentences.

You’ll also want to make sure your copy is easy to understand. Simple words and short sentences will help with that.

How to Write an Infographic in 6 Easy Steps

With that, let’s walk you through the steps you need to take:

Step 1: Set Clear Objectives

The objectives of your infographic copy depend on two things:

• The infographic type
• The infographic's design

Let's look at each one in more detail.

The infographic type.

Essentially, there are several types of infographics — each with a different objective.

For example, a how-to infographic tends to dive into explaining steps on the topic it covers. Similarly, a timeline infographic highlights the different timestamps in a process or subject history.

Since these infographic types serve different objectives, their designs also tend to be different. By extension, each infographic’s copy requirements are also different.

Take this template from Visme’s pool of infographic templates , for instance. It’s focused on very little copy.

On the other hand, this infographic template contains a little more copy than the other example:

This infographic, however, packs in a lot of written content:

So, you need to be aware of your infographic type and what you’re trying to achieve with your infographic before you work on its copy.

The infographic’s design.

You also need to consider the infographic’s design .

Remember: The answer to whether the infographic design comes first or the copy depends on your workflow and preference. Whatever the case may be, it’s always helpful to have a rough design sketch ready so you can write copy to complement the design.

The design plays a critical role in informing your infographic copy. For example, the copy you need for a flowchart infographic is always going to be different than one for a comparison infographic.

Several infographic designs also have enough space to share content in bullet points such as this one:

So, keep all of this in mind before starting to pen your infographic copy.

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Step 2: Determine Your Infographic’s Voice

Another thing to do before you sit to draft your infographic copy: get your brand voice guidelines.

This is essential so that your writing is consistent with your brand voice. After all, you don’t want to be humorous in your infographic if your brand voice is a friendly professional one.

You’ll also want to figure out the infographic content’s font size. This will help you understand if you need to cut your copy short and where you need to plan line breaks.

Ideally, you can do this best by adding your copy to the infographic when it’s ready. Then, edit it on the spot if needed to accommodate for line breaks and whitespace.

Step 3: Draft the headline

Every infographic starts with a headline so that’s where you should start when addressing how to write an infographic.

The best infographic headlines are:

• Compelling and
• Lift the veil on the content’s value proposition

The goal? To entice readers to read by answering the classic question they have in mind: what’s in it for me.

Use your headline to throw light on what the infographic content is going to cover and what’s unique about it.

For example, you could be sharing remote work tips (the subject) that can boost productivity in minutes (the unique value proposition). Together, the subject and value proposition, tell the reader why they should read.

So how do you write an attention-grabbing infographic headline? You write a handful of them so you can pick the best option.

As you do so, keep the following tips in mind:

• Incite curiosity. Give a peek behind the curtain — don’t pull it back altogether.
• Use action verbs or verbs that encourage action. For example: ‘learn,’ ‘dig in,’ and ‘jump.’
• Instill a sense of urgency. Use words like ‘don’t miss out,’ ‘now,’ and ‘X minutes.’

Still unsure how to write your infographic’s headline? Use this template:

Number + Adjective + Noun + Keyword + Promise.

Example: 10 Ways You Can Save Money On Your Bills.

Step 4: Write Your Subheading

Most headlines in infographics are accompanied by a subheading or subtext.

This subheading is responsible for hooking readers further in. How? By setting their expectations and sharing a bit on the topic.

You can do this by asking a relevant question that exploits the reader’s pain point before giving them the solution. Or you can get creative and share an expert’s quote on the topic.

This infographic template, for example, does this best:

Some infographics don’t have a subheading at all. Case in point: this template that dives straight into the steps.

If you’re using this template or creating a similar infographic, you’ll need to work on descriptive, to-the-point subheadings for each step included in the process.

In short, go back to your infographic design to see whether you need one leading subheading or multiple, steps-introducing subheadings or both.

Step 5: Work On the Infographic Body Copy

Exact copy requirements depend on the type of infographic you’re creating.

Here’s a brief rundown of each type and how to write infographic copy for it:

• Mixed chart infographics. You’ll need supplementary copy to explain the charts and graphs in this infographic type. Keep such copy concise — best if it’s a few words for each data visualization. Depending on your design, you may also need to write some context-sharing subtext that comes under the heading.
• List or informational infographics. Highlight the key pointers about your topic you want to discuss then write copy explaining them.
• Timeline infographics. Jot down the chronological details about your subject. Then, share them with some context.
• How-to infographics. Outline the steps in the process you’re covering in the infographic. Then share as much essential detail in as few words as possible.
• Flowchart infographics. Write direct subheadings to introduce the next choice in the flowchart. Depending on your design, you’ll also need explanatory text to explain the choice.
• Comparison infographics. Like how-to infographics, these are also text-heavy. Write comparative copy to highlight the differences and/or similarities between two or more subjects.
• Location-based infographics. These infographics use maps to visualize geographical data so you mostly need short, descriptive text.
• Photo-graphic infographics. Write subtext to reveal data source and supplementary content to explain the data.
• ​​Hierarchical infographics. This infographic type stacks information on a subject. As you write them, be sure to organize information accordingly.
• Single chart infographics. These infographics visualize data on a subject. So, again, you’ll need explanatory copy to elaborate on the visualized data.
• Visualized numbers infographics. Since these infographics only visualize numbers, your copy will do the rest of the explaining so make sure it’s clear and concise.
• Anatomical infographics. It’s essential you get to grips with the subject broken down in such an infographic before you write its copy. In your copy, explain what the subject is made of but without digging too deeply into the details.
• Visual resume. You don’t need too much copy here — just enough to add needed context. For some areas in this infographic such as the experience section though, you need readable copy that details information. So consider breaking it down using bullet points.

Step 6: Gather All the Correct Sources

Finally, it’s important you gather all sources you’ve sourced your content from.

For example, if it’s a number-based, statistical infographic, you should share all the original sources for the stats in the infographic’s footer.

Ideally, it’s best you save these sources with yourself as you use them. This way, you can save your time and wouldn’t need to go hunting for the sources again.

Bonus: Quick Infographic Copywriting Tips

Now before we wrap this guide on how to write an infographic, let’s leave you with some expert copywriting tips to take your infographics to the next level:

Use power words to evoke action.

These are emotion-triggering words that encourage people to read, download or whatever action you want them to take. Use them in your headlines to push people to read.

Example: ‘5 ridiculously simple tips to write better blog posts’ where ‘ridiculously simple’ are power words that make readers want to read the tips.

Eliminate crutch words.

These are words you rely on so nobody can tell you what words these are but yourself.

So how do you identify them? As you edit your infographic copy, look for words that repeat a lot in the text. These could be anything from ‘because’ to ‘literally.’

Your crutch words show up in all content you write. Infographics are no exception so make sure you sweep them clean of these words.

Sharpen your infographic copy.

Two things help here.

One: Get rid of anything that’s repetitive. If you can’t identify redundancy yourself, run your copy through Grammarly and let the tool highlight repetition for you.

Two: Review each sentence individually. See if there’s a word or two that you can remove from it without changing the sentence’s overall meaning.

Write simply and succinctly.

This is easier said than done. But there’s one surefire way to do this: rewrite your infographic copy.

You might not need to rewrite the entire copy. Fixing some particularly long sentences by rewriting them can work wonders for your overall copy.

Keep in mind: rewriting helps you frame your ideas/content in fewer words. Aim to prune sentences down to their absolute must — no extra words or adverbs.

Replace weak verbs with strong ones.

Weak words don’t convey meaning as powerfully (and succinctly) as strong verbs do. They also don’t trigger readers’ imagination as best as strong verbs can.

By choosing strong verbs, you can also get rid of adverbs or words that end with ‘-ly’ such as ‘quickly.’

Example: Instead of ‘looking forward’ write ‘anticipated’ — see how the latter uses one word.

Get rid of fluff words.

Removing these words would make no difference to a sentence’s meaning. You can either completely get rid of them or shorten them.

For example, get rid of filler words like ‘really,’ and ‘a lot.’ Similarly, replace words such as ‘in order to’ with ‘to’ for a tighter infographic copy.

Proofread everything.

Since infographics feature short-form copy, typos and grammar mistakes can stand out easily.

So, it’s best to proofread at least twice — once when you’ve completed your infographic and again when you’ve pasted the copy in your infographic.

Write Stellar Copy for Your Infographic

Now that you have the answer to how to write an infographic, we’re sure you’re feeling pumped up to write your copy and create an engaging infographic that your audience loves.

Remember: be clear about your infographic’s objectives and the design you’ve chosen to meet those objectives before you draft your copy.

Stuck with creating your infographic design? Sign up for Visme's infographic maker for free and create visually engaging infographics in minutes using ready-made templates, drag-and-drop tools, built-in icons and graphics, branding features and more.

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About the Author

Masooma Memon is a pizza-loving freelance writer by day and a novel nerd by night. She crafts research-backed, actionable blog posts for SaaS and marketing brands who aim to employ quality content to educate and engage with their audience.

Announcement of IvyPanda’s $1,500 Essay Writing Contest Scholarship 2024 Winners

Hello and welcome to the announcement of our Essay Writing Contest Scholarship winners!

As usual, we’re super excited to cut straight to the chase, but we can’t do so without a quick recap.

And there are things worth mentioning, to be honest. Last year, we stated that we received a lot more submissions than anticipated, with 773 works in total and 578 evaluated papers. Well, this year, the record was broken again, as we received 783 essays and accepted 659 of them. Unfortunately, we had to reject 124 works for various reasons: contest requirements not being fulfilled, wrong topic, plagiarism, or work format issues.

We are thankful to all the participants for filling this contest with creativity and bright ideas!

Here’s a short reminder of the evaluation criteria that we used:

• Grammar, Punctuation, and Spelling – 20 points;
• Content and Ideas – 20 points;
• Use of Language and Style – 30 points;
• Organization – 20 points;
• MLA Referencing – 10 points.

On average, all 659 that we evaluated got 68.4 points. Good job!

With all the statistics out of the way, let’s name this year’s winners!

1st place and the $1,000 prize goes to Isabella Barricklow with the essay “The Pen is Mightier than the Keyboard: School as Protective and Preventive Factor Against Cyberbullying,” which got 90 points. Congratulations!

The Pen is Mightier than the Keyboard: School as Protective and Preventive Factor Against Cyberbullying The internet’s vastness makes the issue of cyberbullying seem as evasive as water slipping through one’s fingers. However, to effectively understand and work towards eliminating the complex phenomenon, an institution must take responsibility for the issue, mainly, comprehending its intricate causes and functions across communities and establishing systems and programs towards its prevention. This responsibility should fall to schools; while not always the location where cyberbullying takes place, schools control its progress and develop solutions with consideration for intersectionality in a way that parents and other organizations may lack the resources to do and are the most adequately regulated, pedagogically-equipped, and consistent resource for education acquisition and distribution on cyberbullying. Teacher training and professional skill are factors in successfully addressing intersectional elements of cyberbullying and ensuring homologous, pedagogical awareness and prevention education. The experience of cyberbullying will be different for students based on their diverse backgrounds as well as their developmental stages. For example, Emily Vogels finds that low household income increases the likelihood of cyberbullying and race influences student cynicism of law enforcement efforts to reduce cyberbullying (1). Additionally, students in higher and further education continue to experience cyberbullying but are less likely to seek help, expressing moral disengagement and less empathy (Myers and Cowie). Acknowledging these intersections in the issue of cyberbullying must fall to professionals who are continually trained to do so. Research suggests teachers and administrators who undergo district professional development and training sessions gain the cultural competency required to do this and can even improve student academic outcomes and increase educator “professional efficacy” in doing so (Hamdan and Coloma 110 Furthermore, districts and teachers have the resources and pedagogical structures, or can acquire them, to carry out best practices in cyberbullying prevention. Tozzo et al. find that the most effective cyberbullying interventions were education-based and interactive, whereas “prescriptive and juridical” interventions were much less effective. However, to implement these educational programs, both “complex knowledge of cyberbullying” and “expertise and competencies in the field of media education” are needed (Tomczyk and Wloch 14). Districts and educational environments can provide teachers with this expertise in a relatively homologous way, monitored and assessed by professional development requirements and district standards. In contrast, parents are capable of educating their children on these issues, but there is no way of enforcing this, knowing if resources are accessible for all parents, assessing their understanding and progress, or ensuring that all parents implement research-based, intersectional, best practices. Yosep et al. find that a vast majority of parents both felt and demonstrated they lacked knowledge regarding cyberbullying and resources to address it, and the strategies and resources they do use are varied (Yosep et al.). Teaching, however, is a regulated profession where trained professionals undergo constant observation, assessment, and development where cyberbullying education and prevention strategies can be pedagogically informed and monitored, leading to better results. Finally, education laws give schools the advantage of state-required, mandatory attendance for twelve years, making them a setting where information can be consistently shared across students’ educational lifespans. Tozzo et al. find that, across studies, longer versions of intervention programs targeting cyberbullying had more positive outcomes when compared with shorter versions. Tomczyk and Wloch’s research supports this, stating a weakness in programs is their occasional use when they should be administered more frequently (20). Additionally, students outside the K-12 educational system have less avenues for help and resources, especially those who transition out of the obligatory educational system (Myers and Cowie). While some students may not have consistent parental messaging, life experiences, or access to resources in their home lives or when they leave school, it can generally be assumed that school will be a consistent, actively controlled, and regulated setting in their lives for at least twelve years where the issue of cyberbullying can be addressed continually and empower them to address issues autonomously once out of school. School, as an institution whose pedagogy and practices are constantly evolving and undergoing assessment and a consistent setting for students, must be entrusted with reducing cyberbullying. If knowledge is both a weapon against cyberbullying and a healing tool, then schools are the fortresses whose walls protect and enrich the lives of children, creating lasting change in society. Works Cited Hamdan, Suha, and Roland Sintos Coloma. “Assessing Teachers’ Cultural Competency.” The Journal of Educational Foundations , vol. 35, no. 1, Caddo Gap Press, Spring 2022, pp. 108-128. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1358841.pdf. Accessed 16 June 2024. Myers, Carrie-Anne, and Helen Cowie. “Cyberbullying across the lifespan of education: Issues and interventions from school to University.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health , vol. 16, no. 7, 4 Apr. 2019, p. 1217, https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16071217. Accessed 16 June 2024. Tomczyk, Łukasz, and Anna Włoch. “Cyberbullying in the light of challenges of school-based prevention.” International Journal of Cognitive Research in Science, Engineering and Education (IJCRSEE) , vol. 7, no. 3, 20 Dec. 2019, pp. 13–26, https://doi.org/10.5937/ijcrsee1903013t. Accessed 16 June 2024. Tozzo, Pamela, et al. “Family and educational strategies for cyberbullying prevention: A systematic review.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health , vol. 19, no. 16, 22 Aug. 2022, p. 10452, https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191610452. Accessed 16 June 2024. Vogels, Emily A. “Teens and Cyberbullying 2022.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center , 15 Dec. 2022, www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/12/15/teens-and-cyberbullying-2022/. Accessed 16 June 2024. Yosep, Iyus, et al. “Preventing cyberbullying and reducing its negative impact on students using e-parenting: A scoping review.” Sustainability , vol. 15, no. 3, 17 Jan. 2023, p. 1752, https://doi.org/10.3390/su15031752.

2nd place and the $500 prize received by Sebastian LaRoche with the essay “Adjusting Pupils – The Future of AI in Education,” which got 88 points. Well done!

Adjusting Pupils – The Future of AI in Education A new sun sits on the horizon. Should we prepare the solar panels? Wait for our pupils to adjust? Students of the future, a different type of pupil, face similar questions. Artificial Intelligence has immense potential for improving Education, but its usage has clear risks, including job-replacement, privacy, and socioeconomic disparities. In this essay, I will not refute these risks but propose methods of obtaining the benefits of AI-assisted education while adapting to these and other concerns. While AI’s continuous growth and economic potential might threaten many labor-intensive jobs currently occupied by humans, human teachers are well away from being replaced. Sarah Hanawald, Senior Director of the Association for Academic Leaders, argues that while “AI tools can help provide personalized learning for a student,” it would require a teacher’s oversight. Not only is student motivation correlated with a positive student-teacher relationship (Rimm-Kaufman), but datasets AI uses in its Algorithm are limited by bias and human error. With an AI-based learning system, teachers and professors also gain insight about their students’ learning styles (Rouhiainen). Therefore, it is evident that AI would best augment teachers rather than replace them. Perhaps a hybrid classroom with information introduced by humans and further explained by machines could accomplish this. It is no secret that technology’s growth poses a threat to user privacy with the misuse of personal data. As Cameron F. Kerry from the Center for Technology Innovation puts it, “As artificial intelligence evolves, it magnifies the ability to use personal information in ways that can intrude on privacy interests by raising analysis of personal information to new levels of power and speed.” With AI-assisted education, monitoring students, even for the sake of tracking learning styles, could potentially risk those student’s personal information. However, what is more infrequently talked about is the effect this would have on the student. Daniel Buck at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute likens the experience of a student in this environment to a prisoner of the theoretical Panopticon, a circular prison popularized by French philosopher Michel Foucault in which, through a light at the center of the facility, prisoners would feel under constant surveillance. Thus, proper behavior would be fostered. What happens to a student in this situation? “A report from the National Association of State Boards of Education suggests that students are less likely to feel safe enough for free expression” (Buck). The National Library of Medicine links several more issues with constant surveillance, including heightened anxiety and decreased mental health. Fortunately, by keeping this in mind, creating a solution is far from impossible. Pairing the hybrid classroom concept from before with legal enforcement of minimizing data collection might be able to inhibit privacy concerns and minimize student surveillance. It is a fact that “students routinely receive dramatically different learning opportunities based on their social status” (Darling-Hammond). This is mainly due to resource disparity, with higher-poverty schools unable to afford updated technology. Implementing AI in schools is reminiscent of when Internet access was doled out unequally. Since “People without (Internet) connectivity are often those with lower incomes” (Muller), it created a “digital divide” that obstructs social mobility, and if only wealthier schools can utilize AI, why wouldn’t the same happen now but worse? It’s as if the state of Education is an arms race, and only those born able to afford the means can succeed. The Learning Policy Institute also describes this as a “cumulative disadvantage” and proposes that, for social equity to be achieved concerning resource disparities in Education, “equal access for these (impoverished) students requires additional resources.” This might mean upgrading lower-income schools with AI first or making sure this revolutionary resource is available to everyone regarding economic standing. In conclusion, to obtain the benefits of AI-assisted education without replacing jobs, lowering student privacy, or threatening social mobility, I propose heavy research into a new education system. This might mean a hybrid classroom, limits to how businesses use data, or strategic allocation of AI as a resource. But no matter the solution, I hope we as a people can let our eyes adjust to the new sun on our horizon in the hopes that we will someday see a classroom perfected. Works Cited Buck, Daniel. “AI is a serious threat to student privacy.” The Thomas B. Fordham Institute , 5 October 2023, https://fordhaminstitute.org/national/commentary/ai-serious-threat-student-privacy. Accessed 28 June 2024. Hammond, Linda. “Inequality in Teaching and Schooling: How Opportunity Is Rationed to Students of Color in America.” NCBI, 2001, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK223640/. Accessed 28 June 2024. Hanawald, Sarah. “AI Won’t Replace Teachers—But It Could Help Them.” ERB, 12 September 2023, https://www.erblearn.org/blog/ai-wont-replace-teacher-intelligence/. Accessed 28 June 2024. Humane, Sonal. “Exploring the Impact of Security Technologies on Mental Health: A Comprehensive Review.” NCBI, 5 February 2024, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10918303/. Accessed 28 June 2024. Muller, Charlie. “What Is the Digital Divide?” Internet Society , 3 March 2022, https://www.internetsociety.org/blog/2022/03/what-is-the-digital-divide/. Accessed 28 June 2024. Oakes, Jeannie, et al. “Adequate and Equitable Education in High-Poverty Schools: Barriers and Opportunities in North Carolina.” Learning Policy Institute , 18 June 2021, https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/leandro-high-poverty-schools-brief. Accessed 28 June 2024. Rimm, Sara, and Lia Sandilos. “Improving students’ relationships with teachers.” American Psychological Association , 2010, https://www.apa.org/education-career/k12/relationships. Accessed 28 June 2024. Rouhiainen, Lasse. “How AI and Data Could Personalize Higher Education.” Harvard Business Review , 14 October 2019, https://hbr.org/2019/10/how-ai-and-data-could-personalize-higher-education. Accessed 28 June 2024. Wheeler, Tom. “Protecting privacy in an AI-driven world | Brookings.” Brookings Institution , 10 February 2020, https://www.brookings.edu/articles/protecting-privacy-in-an-ai-driven-world/. Accessed 28 June 2024.

As you can see, the competition was quite fierce this year.

Again, big thanks to everyone who participated in the contest and cast their votes.

Don’t be discouraged if you couldn’t take the winning place, as there will always be another chance in our future competitions. Stay on the lookout for new updates on our writing contest and video contest pages!

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• The four main types of essay | Quick guide with examples

The Four Main Types of Essay | Quick Guide with Examples

Published on September 4, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 23, 2023.

An essay is a focused piece of writing designed to inform or persuade. There are many different types of essay, but they are often defined in four categories: argumentative, expository, narrative, and descriptive essays.

Argumentative and expository essays are focused on conveying information and making clear points, while narrative and descriptive essays are about exercising creativity and writing in an interesting way. At university level, argumentative essays are the most common type. 

In high school and college, you will also often have to write textual analysis essays, which test your skills in close reading and interpretation.

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Table of contents

Argumentative essays, expository essays, narrative essays, descriptive essays, textual analysis essays, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about types of essays.

An argumentative essay presents an extended, evidence-based argument. It requires a strong thesis statement —a clearly defined stance on your topic. Your aim is to convince the reader of your thesis using evidence (such as quotations ) and analysis.

Argumentative essays test your ability to research and present your own position on a topic. This is the most common type of essay at college level—most papers you write will involve some kind of argumentation.

The essay is divided into an introduction, body, and conclusion:

• The introduction provides your topic and thesis statement
• The body presents your evidence and arguments
• The conclusion summarizes your argument and emphasizes its importance

The example below is a paragraph from the body of an argumentative essay about the effects of the internet on education. Mouse over it to learn more.

A common frustration for teachers is students’ use of Wikipedia as a source in their writing. Its prevalence among students is not exaggerated; a survey found that the vast majority of the students surveyed used Wikipedia (Head & Eisenberg, 2010). An article in The Guardian stresses a common objection to its use: “a reliance on Wikipedia can discourage students from engaging with genuine academic writing” (Coomer, 2013). Teachers are clearly not mistaken in viewing Wikipedia usage as ubiquitous among their students; but the claim that it discourages engagement with academic sources requires further investigation. This point is treated as self-evident by many teachers, but Wikipedia itself explicitly encourages students to look into other sources. Its articles often provide references to academic publications and include warning notes where citations are missing; the site’s own guidelines for research make clear that it should be used as a starting point, emphasizing that users should always “read the references and check whether they really do support what the article says” (“Wikipedia:Researching with Wikipedia,” 2020). Indeed, for many students, Wikipedia is their first encounter with the concepts of citation and referencing. The use of Wikipedia therefore has a positive side that merits deeper consideration than it often receives.

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An expository essay provides a clear, focused explanation of a topic. It doesn’t require an original argument, just a balanced and well-organized view of the topic.

Expository essays test your familiarity with a topic and your ability to organize and convey information. They are commonly assigned at high school or in exam questions at college level.

The introduction of an expository essay states your topic and provides some general background, the body presents the details, and the conclusion summarizes the information presented.

A typical body paragraph from an expository essay about the invention of the printing press is shown below. Mouse over it to learn more.

The invention of the printing press in 1440 changed this situation dramatically. Johannes Gutenberg, who had worked as a goldsmith, used his knowledge of metals in the design of the press. He made his type from an alloy of lead, tin, and antimony, whose durability allowed for the reliable production of high-quality books. This new technology allowed texts to be reproduced and disseminated on a much larger scale than was previously possible. The Gutenberg Bible appeared in the 1450s, and a large number of printing presses sprang up across the continent in the following decades. Gutenberg’s invention rapidly transformed cultural production in Europe; among other things, it would lead to the Protestant Reformation.

A narrative essay is one that tells a story. This is usually a story about a personal experience you had, but it may also be an imaginative exploration of something you have not experienced.

Narrative essays test your ability to build up a narrative in an engaging, well-structured way. They are much more personal and creative than other kinds of academic writing . Writing a personal statement for an application requires the same skills as a narrative essay.

A narrative essay isn’t strictly divided into introduction, body, and conclusion, but it should still begin by setting up the narrative and finish by expressing the point of the story—what you learned from your experience, or why it made an impression on you.

Mouse over the example below, a short narrative essay responding to the prompt “Write about an experience where you learned something about yourself,” to explore its structure.

Since elementary school, I have always favored subjects like science and math over the humanities. My instinct was always to think of these subjects as more solid and serious than classes like English. If there was no right answer, I thought, why bother? But recently I had an experience that taught me my academic interests are more flexible than I had thought: I took my first philosophy class.

Before I entered the classroom, I was skeptical. I waited outside with the other students and wondered what exactly philosophy would involve—I really had no idea. I imagined something pretty abstract: long, stilted conversations pondering the meaning of life. But what I got was something quite different.

A young man in jeans, Mr. Jones—“but you can call me Rob”—was far from the white-haired, buttoned-up old man I had half-expected. And rather than pulling us into pedantic arguments about obscure philosophical points, Rob engaged us on our level. To talk free will, we looked at our own choices. To talk ethics, we looked at dilemmas we had faced ourselves. By the end of class, I’d discovered that questions with no right answer can turn out to be the most interesting ones.

The experience has taught me to look at things a little more “philosophically”—and not just because it was a philosophy class! I learned that if I let go of my preconceptions, I can actually get a lot out of subjects I was previously dismissive of. The class taught me—in more ways than one—to look at things with an open mind.

A descriptive essay provides a detailed sensory description of something. Like narrative essays, they allow you to be more creative than most academic writing, but they are more tightly focused than narrative essays. You might describe a specific place or object, rather than telling a whole story.

Descriptive essays test your ability to use language creatively, making striking word choices to convey a memorable picture of what you’re describing.

A descriptive essay can be quite loosely structured, though it should usually begin by introducing the object of your description and end by drawing an overall picture of it. The important thing is to use careful word choices and figurative language to create an original description of your object.

Mouse over the example below, a response to the prompt “Describe a place you love to spend time in,” to learn more about descriptive essays.

On Sunday afternoons I like to spend my time in the garden behind my house. The garden is narrow but long, a corridor of green extending from the back of the house, and I sit on a lawn chair at the far end to read and relax. I am in my small peaceful paradise: the shade of the tree, the feel of the grass on my feet, the gentle activity of the fish in the pond beside me.

My cat crosses the garden nimbly and leaps onto the fence to survey it from above. From his perch he can watch over his little kingdom and keep an eye on the neighbours. He does this until the barking of next door’s dog scares him from his post and he bolts for the cat flap to govern from the safety of the kitchen.

With that, I am left alone with the fish, whose whole world is the pond by my feet. The fish explore the pond every day as if for the first time, prodding and inspecting every stone. I sometimes feel the same about sitting here in the garden; I know the place better than anyone, but whenever I return I still feel compelled to pay attention to all its details and novelties—a new bird perched in the tree, the growth of the grass, and the movement of the insects it shelters…

Sitting out in the garden, I feel serene. I feel at home. And yet I always feel there is more to discover. The bounds of my garden may be small, but there is a whole world contained within it, and it is one I will never get tired of inhabiting.

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Though every essay type tests your writing skills, some essays also test your ability to read carefully and critically. In a textual analysis essay, you don’t just present information on a topic, but closely analyze a text to explain how it achieves certain effects.

Rhetorical analysis

A rhetorical analysis looks at a persuasive text (e.g. a speech, an essay, a political cartoon) in terms of the rhetorical devices it uses, and evaluates their effectiveness.

The goal is not to state whether you agree with the author’s argument but to look at how they have constructed it.

The introduction of a rhetorical analysis presents the text, some background information, and your thesis statement; the body comprises the analysis itself; and the conclusion wraps up your analysis of the text, emphasizing its relevance to broader concerns.

The example below is from a rhetorical analysis of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech . Mouse over it to learn more.

King’s speech is infused with prophetic language throughout. Even before the famous “dream” part of the speech, King’s language consistently strikes a prophetic tone. He refers to the Lincoln Memorial as a “hallowed spot” and speaks of rising “from the dark and desolate valley of segregation” to “make justice a reality for all of God’s children.” The assumption of this prophetic voice constitutes the text’s strongest ethical appeal; after linking himself with political figures like Lincoln and the Founding Fathers, King’s ethos adopts a distinctly religious tone, recalling Biblical prophets and preachers of change from across history. This adds significant force to his words; standing before an audience of hundreds of thousands, he states not just what the future should be, but what it will be: “The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.” This warning is almost apocalyptic in tone, though it concludes with the positive image of the “bright day of justice.” The power of King’s rhetoric thus stems not only from the pathos of his vision of a brighter future, but from the ethos of the prophetic voice he adopts in expressing this vision.

Literary analysis

A literary analysis essay presents a close reading of a work of literature—e.g. a poem or novel—to explore the choices made by the author and how they help to convey the text’s theme. It is not simply a book report or a review, but an in-depth interpretation of the text.

Literary analysis looks at things like setting, characters, themes, and figurative language. The goal is to closely analyze what the author conveys and how.

The introduction of a literary analysis essay presents the text and background, and provides your thesis statement; the body consists of close readings of the text with quotations and analysis in support of your argument; and the conclusion emphasizes what your approach tells us about the text.

Mouse over the example below, the introduction to a literary analysis essay on Frankenstein , to learn more.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale about the dangers of scientific advancement unrestrained by ethical considerations. In this reading, protagonist Victor Frankenstein is a stable representation of the callous ambition of modern science throughout the novel. This essay, however, argues that far from providing a stable image of the character, Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to portray Frankenstein in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature’s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble—even in his own telling—the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as. This essay begins by exploring the positive portrayal of Frankenstein in the first volume, then moves on to the creature’s perception of him, and finally discusses the third volume’s narrative shift toward viewing Frankenstein as the creature views him.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

• Ad hominem fallacy
• Post hoc fallacy
• Appeal to authority fallacy
• False cause fallacy
• Sunk cost fallacy

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At high school and in composition classes at university, you’ll often be told to write a specific type of essay , but you might also just be given prompts.

Look for keywords in these prompts that suggest a certain approach: The word “explain” suggests you should write an expository essay , while the word “describe” implies a descriptive essay . An argumentative essay might be prompted with the word “assess” or “argue.”

The vast majority of essays written at university are some sort of argumentative essay . Almost all academic writing involves building up an argument, though other types of essay might be assigned in composition classes.

Essays can present arguments about all kinds of different topics. For example:

• In a literary analysis essay, you might make an argument for a specific interpretation of a text
• In a history essay, you might present an argument for the importance of a particular event
• In a politics essay, you might argue for the validity of a certain political theory

An argumentative essay tends to be a longer essay involving independent research, and aims to make an original argument about a topic. Its thesis statement makes a contentious claim that must be supported in an objective, evidence-based way.

An expository essay also aims to be objective, but it doesn’t have to make an original argument. Rather, it aims to explain something (e.g., a process or idea) in a clear, concise way. Expository essays are often shorter assignments and rely less on research.

The key difference is that a narrative essay is designed to tell a complete story, while a descriptive essay is meant to convey an intense description of a particular place, object, or concept.

Narrative and descriptive essays both allow you to write more personally and creatively than other kinds of essays , and similar writing skills can apply to both.

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