An effective strategy for writing an essay

[jamesthomas]

Being under time pressure, you won't have time to improvise or reinvent the unemployed professors. You need to be ready to write your essay, to work out your strategy and the sequence of steps that will allow you to get through the assignment as quickly as possible. Personally, I use the following:

1. Asking a question. This is the easiest and most effective way to figure out the question yourself. In case the topic for the essay is already given to you in the form of a question, then read the question/assignment carefully and think through your answer.
2. Formulate the thesis statement. The thesis is a clear answer to the question asked. No "it may or may not be so". In order to prove your point of view, you must define it.
3. Write an introduction. Use the right words so that the reader can understand the content of your essay. Catch the reader's attention.
4. Prove your point of view. Just stating your thesis doesn't make it true. You simply show that you believe in it, but readers need justification. Use the "Rule of Three" - to prove your point, state at least three main grounds. Supplement each ground with three supporting/developing ideas. 3*3=9 sentences. Remember that arguments should be ranked from weakest to strongest.
5. Drawing conclusions. We have provided evidence for our thesis and therefore it is correct.

You do not know what topic you will come across in the exam. Therefore it is necessary to quickly understand everything. To "get the hang of it," I practiced speedy essay plans on randomly chosen topics. It is not necessary to write out the text in hundreds of characters. It is much more important to bring to automatism the sequence of one's actions.

Related Resources:

What can help you get the most points when writing an essay?
The basic essay for U.S. universities
How do I write an essay for U.S. universities?
How to write a proper essay on a given topic