How to write a perfect essay for IELTS and TOEFL?
Are you waiting for the international exam TOEFL, IELTS or others, where one of the stages is writing an essay? Or maybe you are applying to enter a university and you need to talk about yourself, your achievements and plans in an essay? Either way, your goal is to write a great essay in English. Let’s get started with it.
This article will talk about the types of essays in English, its structure and how to write a perfect essay in English.
An essay is a short description of your point of view on a given topic. Writing a high-quality essay in English requires a high level of language proficiency, a rich vocabulary, and the ability to express your thoughts clearly and concisely.
The formal style of narration is one of the features of the English essay, which distinguishes it from essays on a free topic, to which we are accustomed in the Russian language.
So, let`s move on to the types of essays.
Types of Essays
There are three main types of essays in English:
For and against essay
The name of this type speaks for itself: it requires you to provide arguments “for and against” a given topic.
Writing Plan: In the introduction, you lead the reader to the problem; in the main part, you describe the pros and cons in a neutral way, without expressing your own opinion; In conclusion, you express your opinion about the problem and draw a conclusion.
Opinion essay
Unlike the pros and cons, an opinion essay is meant to express one’s thought on a topic. The peculiarity of an opinion essay is that you need not only to express your own opinion on the problem, but also to reflect other points of view in the essay, i.e. to look at the topic from different angles.
Writing plan: in the introduction, indicate the topic of the argument; in the main part, you express your opinion on the problem, supporting it with confident arguments, and also describe what other points of view there are; In conclusion, you summarize the results that support the opinion you expressed on the problem.
Suggesting solutions to a problem essay
Usually, in such essays, you are given some kind of global problem, and your task is to offer the most possible and relevant ways to solve it.
Writing plan: the introduction describes the problem and the reasons for its occurrence; in the main part, you need to offer several options for solving the described problem and the possible consequences of each of them; In conclusion, the results and the final decision or recommendations are summarized.
Usually, the type of essay depends on the chosen topic and is often indicated directly in the assignment. If there are no recommendations for the type, then use any one that, in your opinion, is best suited to the given topic.
The above-mentioned types of English essays are the most common, but there are others. Sometimes you need to write about your accomplishments and plans for the future (for example, when applying to university or college), and sometimes you need to write a free-form essay about what excites you right now (i.e., without a given topic).
Whatever the topic of the essay is, when writing it, you should adhere to a certain generally accepted structure.
Structure
Usually, an exam essay should be 180-320 words, but these frameworks are not rigid and must be indicated in the assignment along with the topic.
Before writing, it is worth remembering that an essay is not a detailed essay on a free topic, but only a clear and capacious expression of thoughts on a given problem. Therefore, all essays in English have a common structure:
Heading
An essay title that reflects the topic or problem that will be covered in the text. The title should be as concise and clear as possible. In fact, the title of an essay is similar to the title of an article: it should contain the main idea, which will be revealed in more detail in the text.
Introduction
It should indicate what will be discussed in the main part. The introduction should explain the topic of the argument and how you understand it, be concise (take up approximately 5-10% of the text), briefly outline the outline of the essay, and cite sources or other data if necessary.
Body
This is the main part of the essay in English, which reveals the problem and your opinion on it depending on the type of presentation chosen. Arguments and examples, as well as other points of view on the topic, are provided here. At the end of the main part, the text should smoothly lead the reader to the conclusion.
This part of the work occupies approximately 75-85% of the total volume of the text.
Conclusion
At the end, you need to summarize all the thoughts revealed in the main body of the essay.
A good conclusion is not just a dry enumeration of all the above facts, but a well-reasoned conclusion on the topic. It may echo or refer to the introduction, but in different formulations. In conclusion, you should not put forward completely new ideas or refute those already expressed, as well as use an apologetic tone for your opinion. Be confident in your point of view and just state it again. The acceptable length of the text in the conclusion is 10-15%.
Finally, coming back to the main idea: “How to write a perfect essay?”
Recommendations, advice
If you have an exam on the horizon, then our guidelines and tips on how to write an English essay will come in handy.
Tips:
Sketch out a draft
If you have limited time to write, then use a draft. Throw a plan on it and write down the main ideas. This will help you write an essay faster and not make a mistake in the final version.
Stick to structure
Follow the general guidelines for the structure and do not exceed the volume of each of the sections.
Be concis
Express your thoughts concisely, without delving into reasoning.
Make an argument
Provide clear evidence for your words when expressing your or someone else’s point of view on a topic. Based on these arguments, draw a conclusion and conclusion.
Stick to a formal style
The formal writing style is the best option for an essay unless otherwise specified. Do not use abbreviations, slang and colloquialisms.
Use linking words
Special words will help you consistently express thoughts, lead the reader to a conclusion, and build the right structure in the text.
Diversify your vocabulary and grammar
Even though the essay is written in a formal style, it doesn’t hurt to add a bit of brightness to it to give the text a personal touch. If appropriate, use synonymous words and beautiful words. As for grammar and compound sentences, use them only if you are confident in your knowledge. Otherwise, mistakes or misuse of time will not play into your hands.
Be polite
Often, the topics for essays are acute social issues, the opinion on which can be sharply polarized. When expressing your thoughts on ambiguous occasions, you should be as correct as possible and do not forget about elementary delicacy, tolerance and politeness.
Check for errors
An obvious but extremely important piece of advice. Skim through the finished essay to check it for all sorts of errors and typos.
