Writing Study Skills: How to Write Essays

I always tell students that writing is one of the most essential skills a person can have.  I also have them guess what the most successful major in College is (they say English Majors tend to do the best career wise because they are such good writers!)

There are some easy tips we give for writing amazing essays and improving a student’s writing study skills.

Writing Study Skills Tips to Always Keep in Mind:

  • Give the professor what he/she asks for! Always answer the question
  • Write what you DO know (never pretend you know when you really don’t, stick with what you are sure of).
  • Learn to paraphrase like a champion (plagiarism is a major no no, always have your client practice explaining things in their own words)
  • The Thesaurus and Dictionary are your friends (use words you know and look up words you don’t!) 
  • Always Proof: Spell check and read your paper out-loud to find any hidden errors.

4 Types of Essays: How to Write A Good Essay

It is important for your writing study skills to understand the four different types of essays.

 

a) Persuasive Essay: This is when your student has to argue his or her own point or thesis and convince the reader of their opinion.

Ex: I believe Obama would make a better president than McCain.

 

b) Review Essay: This is simply an overview and personal description of something adding in your experience.  Think of a restaurant review or book report.  There is not one central argument but there are personal viewpoints.  Go over the Review Paper visual handout.

Ex: My perceptions of each candidate in the current election.

 

c) Chronological Essay: This is the kind of essay that describes and event or occurrence from start to finish with no first person accounts.  These are usually history papers.

Ex: An list of the 2008 election and descriptions for each of it’s events.

 

d) Explanatory Essay: This is also an unbiased account or explanation of something.  Go over the shell for the Analyzing an event.  Here the student has to look at possible causes and consequences of their event and explore them.

Ex: Explaining both Obama and McCain’s political viewpoints in the 2008 election.

Writing Study Skills Tip: How to Write an Introductory Paragraph on an Essay

Every introduction should start with the thesis or main idea as the topic sentence.  The rest of the paragraph should look like an upside down triangle with the most broad background information first working closer towards your topic.  This paragraph is meant to provide the reader with context, your opinion and the outline of the rest of the paper.

Topic Sentence

Broadest Background

Background

Specific context to your idea

Your stance and how you are going to argue it in the rest of the paper.

Example:

I believe Obama is a stronger candidate in the 2008 election because he represents a younger voice, he wants to end the Iraq War and is socially liberal.  President George W Bush has been in the presidency for the republican party for the past two terms.  In this election, under the Republican ticket Senator John McCain is running against Barack Obama.  Barack Obama, as the democratic candidate is more socially liberal and will bring democrats back into the White House.  I will argue that Obama is a better choice for president because he will improve the country socially, culturally and politically.

Writing Study Skills Tip: How to Write a Conclusion Paragraph on an Essay

Conclusions should always:

Synthesize or re-summarize briefly your points and argument.

Answer the question So What? Or Why is this important to the reader?

Leave with the big picture of why this is an important issue for the world.

You can also point out other resources or other questions to explore beyond your paper.

 

P.S- Never taken a study skills course before? These tips are free, but you might want to consider signing up for our free email mini-course where we give you tons of study skills tips.  Or just get our Study Skills Bootcamp Webinar that has instructional study skills videos, handouts and templates for students to save you time and improve your grades.