How Do You Write an Essay for an English Class
Are you struggling with an English class essay? Worry not; this guide will cover the tips and steps to follow to master English essay writing.
Although it is the most dreaded task for students, essay writing is essential for your academic journey and career. Mastery of writing an English essay helps you better present your ideas and master your language, facilitating more fluent communication.
Regardless of the type of your essay, here are some tips to guide you on your writing process.
Types of English class essay
Before delving into the steps for writing an AP English essay, we must highlight the major essays covered in school.
1. Narrative essays
In this type of essay, the writer tells the story from their perspective, using various elements to grab a reader’s attention. In this type of essay, you should use dialogue to show your claim and present relevant arguments.
2. Argumentative essay
An argumentative essay is also a standard paper for college-level and IELTS assignments. In this kind of essay, you are required to present a claim and provide evidence supporting and opposing your claim. This is contrary to a persuasive essay where a writer takes a stand and tries to convince the reader of the correctness of their claim.
3. Compare and contrast essay
These essays highlight the similarities and differences between two concepts/ ideas.
How to write an essay in English
Although their argument structure may be different, universal tips apply to various English class essays. The crucial steps for writing an AP English essay are:
- Research
Rushing to handle a paper to beat the deadline is a mistake that often results in multiple challenges for students. To avoid this error, ensure that you take ample time to engage reliable resources and gather enough data to back your claim.
- Create an outline
After your research, prepare a thesis statement that lies within the confines of your topic question. This statement will guide you on the extent of your argument and reduce the chances of veering off-topic.
Next, organize your ideas in an outline, highlighting the connection between various points to ensure the flow of your paper. The outline serves as a skeleton of your work, helping you piece up the information gained during research to make a sound argument.
- Writing
After creating your outline, write your paper regarding the highlights on your outline. Finally, check the article for various errors and edit them before preparing your final paper.
Format of an English class essay
Like other academic writing tasks, an English class essay is generally divided into three parts. The introduction, the body, and the conclusion.
- The introduction
This paragraph should contain a hook that reels your reader in and a thesis statement at the end. Here, highlight brief points of your topic and perhaps why your topic warrants discussion.
- The body
This section should develop your ideas with the relevant supporting materials. This section is divided into paragraphs, each carrying a different point and comprised of related points, ensuring the smooth flow of your paper.
- The conclusion
The conclusion summarizes your work highlighting the main points and your thesis statement.
Tips for writing an essay in English
In addition to the structure and format, these tips should come in handy to help you prepare a quality AP English essay.
- Start your essay early to have enough time for ample research and editing. Ensure that you chunk your tasks into portions, thus having ample time to structure a quality paper.
- Use clear transitions between the paragraphs to make your paper easy for your reader to follow.
- Regularly read essays and novels to improve your vocabulary, and better express your ideas in the essay.
- Start with the body and cover the introduction for when you are properly accustomed to the major points in the discussion.
Essay writing topics in English
- Are video games detrimental to studies?
- Should vending machines be phased out of school cafeterias?
- Is social media detrimental to meaningful social connections?
Final take
We hope this guide helps you manage your college-level essays. It would help if you also considered checking an English essay example to accustom yourself to various elements of academic essays.
