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How to Write the Perfect Essay: A Step-By-Step Guide for Students

June 2, 2022

What is an essay?

What makes a good essay?

Typical essay structure, 7 steps to writing a good essay, a step-by-step guide to writing a good essay.

Whether you are gearing up for your GCSE coursework submissions or looking to brush up on your A-level writing skills, we have the perfect essay-writing guide for you. 💯

Staring at a blank page before writing an essay can feel a little daunting . Where do you start? What should your introduction say? And how should you structure your arguments? They are all fair questions and we have the answers! Take the stress out of essay writing with this step-by-step guide – you’ll be typing away in no time. 👩‍💻

What is an essay?

Generally speaking, an essay designates a literary work in which the author defends a point of view or a personal conviction, using logical arguments and literary devices in order to inform and convince the reader.

So – although essays can be broadly split into four categories: argumentative, expository, narrative, and descriptive – an essay can simply be described as a focused piece of writing designed to inform or persuade. 🤔

The purpose of an essay is to present a coherent argument in response to a stimulus or question and to persuade the reader that your position is credible, believable and reasonable. 👌

So, a ‘good’ essay relies on a confident writing style – it’s clear, well-substantiated, focussed, explanatory and descriptive . The structure follows a logical progression and above all, the body of the essay clearly correlates to the tile – answering the question where one has been posed.

But, how do you go about making sure that you tick all these boxes and keep within a specified word count? Read on for the answer as well as an example essay structure to follow and a handy step-by-step guide to writing the perfect essay – hooray. 🙌

Sometimes, it is helpful to think about your essay like it is a well-balanced argument or a speech – it needs to have a logical structure, with all your points coming together to answer the question in a coherent manner. ⚖️

Of course, essays can vary significantly in length but besides that, they all follow a fairly strict pattern or structure made up of three sections. Lean into this predictability because it will keep you on track and help you make your point clearly. Let’s take a look at the typical essay structure:

#1 Introduction

Start your introduction with the central claim of your essay. Let the reader know exactly what you intend to say with this essay. Communicate what you’re going to argue, and in what order. The final part of your introduction should also say what conclusions you’re going to draw – it sounds counter-intuitive but it’s not – more on that below. 1️⃣

Make your point, evidence it and explain it. This part of the essay – generally made up of three or more paragraphs depending on the length of your essay – is where you present your argument. The first sentence of each paragraph – much like an introduction to an essay – should summarise what your paragraph intends to explain in more detail. 2️⃣

#3 Conclusion

This is where you affirm your argument – remind the reader what you just proved in your essay and how you did it. This section will sound quite similar to your introduction but – having written the essay – you’ll be summarising rather than setting out your stall. 3️⃣

No essay is the same but your approach to writing them can be. As well as some best practice tips, we have gathered our favourite advice from expert essay-writers and compiled the following 7-step guide to writing a good essay every time. 👍

#1 Make sure you understand the question

#2 complete background reading.

#3 Make a detailed plan

#4 Write your opening sentences

#5 flesh out your essay in a rough draft, #6 evidence your opinion, #7 final proofread and edit.

Now that you have familiarised yourself with the 7 steps standing between you and the perfect essay, let’s take a closer look at each of those stages so that you can get on with crafting your written arguments with confidence .

This is the most crucial stage in essay writing – r ead the essay prompt carefully and understand the question. Highlight the keywords – like ‘compare,’ ‘contrast’ ‘discuss,’ ‘explain’ or ‘evaluate’ – and let it sink in before your mind starts racing . There is nothing worse than writing 500 words before realising you have entirely missed the brief . 🧐

Unless you are writing under exam conditions , you will most likely have been working towards this essay for some time, by doing thorough background reading. Re-read relevant chapters and sections, highlight pertinent material and maybe even stray outside the designated reading list, this shows genuine interest and extended knowledge. 📚

#3 Make a detailed plan

Following the handy structure we shared with you above, now is the time to create the ‘skeleton structure’ or essay plan. Working from your essay title, plot out what you want your paragraphs to cover and how that information is going to flow. You don’t need to start writing any full sentences yet but it might be useful to think about the various quotes you plan to use to substantiate each section. 📝

Having mapped out the overall trajectory of your essay, you can start to drill down into the detail. First, write the opening sentence for each of the paragraphs in the body section of your essay. Remember – each paragraph is like a mini-essay – the opening sentence should summarise what the paragraph will then go on to explain in more detail. 🖊️

Next, it's time to write the bulk of your words and flesh out your arguments. Follow the ‘point, evidence, explain’ method. The opening sentences – already written – should introduce your ‘points’, so now you need to ‘evidence’ them with corroborating research and ‘explain’ how the evidence you’ve presented proves the point you’re trying to make. ✍️

With a rough draft in front of you, you can take a moment to read what you have written so far. Are there any sections that require further substantiation? Have you managed to include the most relevant material you originally highlighted in your background reading? Now is the time to make sure you have evidenced all your opinions and claims with the strongest quotes, citations and material. 📗

This is your final chance to re-read your essay and go over it with a fine-toothed comb before pressing ‘submit’. We highly recommend leaving a day or two between finishing your essay and the final proofread if possible – you’ll be amazed at the difference this makes, allowing you to return with a fresh pair of eyes and a more discerning judgment. 🤓

If you are looking for advice and support with your own essay-writing adventures, why not t ry a free trial lesson with GoStudent? Our tutors are experts at boosting academic success and having fun along the way. Get in touch and see how it can work for you today. 🎒

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How to Write an Essay: 7 Steps for Clear, Effective Writing

by Yen Cabag | 9 comments

High school students are frequently tasked with writing essays, which also play a big role in the college admissions process. But they’re not alone: professionals taking exams like the IELTS or LSATs also need to know how to write clear, concise, and persuasive essays.

Even if you don’t consider yourself a wordsmith, you don’t have to be intimidated by essays and writing assignments. When you learn the basic steps and the most common structures, you will find that it becomes easier to write down your thoughts on any given subject.

What Are the Different Types of Essays?

Essays can come in many different forms. The most common types include the following:

Narrative Essay: The narrative essay shares information in the form of a story and from a clearly defined point of view .
Expository Essay: This type of essay explains, illustrates, or clarifies a topic. This also includes instructional pieces with step-by-step directions.
Descriptive Essay: Descriptive essays do exactly what their name implies: they describe an event, phenomenon, or any other subject in detail.
Persuasive Essay: This type of essay aims to convince the audience to adapt a certain perspective or idea.
Compare and Contrast Essay: This type of writing pinpoints how similar or different two or more things are from one another.
Problem-Solution Essay: This essay highlights an issue, influences the reader to care about it, suggests a solution, and tackles possible objections.

How Do You Begin an Essay?

Nothing is more daunting for a writer than staring at a blank page. This is why you need to have an action plan for starting your essay.

1. Decide on your essay type and topic.

Sometimes, you will already have an assigned essay type or topic, so that will save you one step. If these were not assigned to you, you have to think of possible topics that you can write on. This will also help determine the type of essay you will be writing.

Some questions you can ask yourself to find a good topic include:

What is something I’m passionate about?
What is one thought or idea I want to share?
Is there any misconception I want to correct?
What is the best way to present this topic of information (with regard to the types of essays)?

2. Brainstorm and research the topic you’ve chosen.

Once you’ve chosen your topic, brainstorm all the different supporting ideas that you can talk about for the topic. Start with the basic facts about your idea, asking questions such as what , where , who , when , why , and how .

You can use the Mind Map method to brainstorm connecting ideas, or you can also just jot down bullet points as you encounter them in your research.

If your topic calls for it and if time allows, you may want to consider conducting quick interviews with experts on the subject. These will serve as a primary source for your essay.

3. Develop your thesis statement.

After you have brainstormed and researched, write down your thesis statement . A thesis statement consists of one or two sentences that sum up the primary subject or argument of your essay.

Generally, the thesis statement will present your main topic while also expressing what position you hold regarding the subject.

4. Write your outline.

Once you have your thesis statement, you can start to prepare your outline . Many people skip the outline process, thinking it’s a waste of time.

But really, an outline can help you organize your thoughts before you start writing and actually save you time, since you’ll avoid beating around the bush or jumping from one idea to another without a clear direction.

One common structure for an essay is the Five-Paragraph Essay, with the following parts:

Introduction with thesis statement
Main Point #1
Main Point #2
Main Point #3
Conclusion

Although this structure is made up of five paragraphs, we can easily use the same model and make it into a Five-Part Essay Structure. This means that we will stay within the pattern, but each main point may have more than one paragraph.

When you write your outline, make sure that each paragraph has only one main point. Jumbling too many points in one paragraph tends to confuse your reader. Also, make sure that your main points are all relevant to your thesis statement.

5. Start writing.

Using your outline, you can now begin writing your essay. Some writers choose to write their paragraphs in order, beginning with the hook. The hook is the first few lines in your essay that will grab the readers’ attention.

If you can write the hook right away, well and good. If not, don’t worry, you can always come back to it after you write the body of your essay. Here are some more helpful tips for writing the body of your essay:

Elaborate on each of your main ideas with at least one paragraph each. If your main ideas will require more than one paragraph each, feel free to write more.
For anything point that takes up two paragraphs or more, it helps to have a brief introductory paragraph.
Stay as concise as possible.
Include anecdotal examples if it will help you make your point more clear.
If you are writing a formal academic essay, avoid using first-person pronouns.

6. Pay attention to how you cite references.

In ancient Greece, using other people’s ideas was seen as the mark of a smart person. But in this day and age, plagiarism is a serious offense, so you need to be careful when citing other people’s work.

To avoid plagiarism , be sure to paraphrase any ideas you collect from your research instead of copying them word for word. If you do use them as is, put them in quotes.

Next, use the proper citations. Plagiarism does not only constitute copying the idea verbatim, but you also have to reference the source of the idea itself, if possible. Depending on your teacher’s preferences, you can use the APA in-text citation style or the MLA style .

7. Edit your work.

After you write your first draft, refine and proofread your work to make sure you fix all grammatical and spelling errors. You can use a tool like Grammarly when you do this to have fresh “eyes” looking at your work, but don’t rely solely on software—always review your work at least once yourself or have another (human) do it!

When editing, pay attention to the words you use: remove all unnecessary words and work on using strong verbs in place of weak ones.

Also, fact check all the information you have in your essay, especially when citing other sources.

Tips for Writing Essays

If you keep these tips in mind, writing an essay will soon become much easier for you and you’ll see your writing (of all kinds) start to improve.

Keep practicing and you will find that it’s much easier to get your thoughts on paper and present a coherent piece for your readers.

Did you find this post helpful? Let us know in the comments below!

If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:

How to Write a Thesis Statement
How to Avoid Plagiarism: 6 Tips for Staying Out of Trouble
How to Write a Research Paper: The Complete Guide for Students
Grammarly Review: Is It Worth the Hype?

Yen Cabag is the Blog Writer of TCK Publishing. She is also a homeschooling mom, family coach, and speaker for the Charlotte Mason method, an educational philosophy that places great emphasis on classic literature and the masterpieces in art and music. She has also written several books, both fiction and nonfiction. Her passion is to see the next generation of children become lovers of reading and learning in the midst of short attention spans.

I found this post to be informative and very helpful

Thanks Clarise, we’re so glad you found the post helpful! :)

Thanks for the info

you’re very welcome, we hope you found it helpful! :)

It ws usefull information. Thanks a lot.

After you write your first draft, refine and proofread your work to make sure you fix all grammatical and spelling errors.

Hi Sara, yes, it’s very important to proofread and self-edit essays before submitting them :)

I really find this guidelines helpful and I appreciate it

We’re glad you found the post helpful, Fatima! :)

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Here’s how you can nail your college essay in 5 steps

What is university experience without tackling the mammoth of words and hours upon hours of writing? Essays are inevitable if you’re pursuing an academic life, and you’ll encounter them soon enough just weeks into the start of your freshman year. If you’re looking for a guide on how to write an essay , here’s where we bring you the nitty-gritty stuff to ace your next paper.

How to write an essay: A step-by-step guide for college students

Step 1: understand the assignment .

Don’t assume, and don’t underestimate how easily you can misinterpret instructions. A misunderstanding is costly; you can’t get good grades if you’re not responding to the correct questions in the first place. When you’re tasked with a writing assignment , take a few minutes to read through and digest what your professor is looking for.

Read the instruction thoroughly, and highlight keywords that indicate the true purpose of the assignment. Are you writing a discursive essay, a précis, or a book review? Your writing style, tone, and formatting will need to conform to what’s required in the paper. If you’re still unclear about what you need to do, always ask your professor for clarification before proceeding.

Students can avoid over-researching by listing specific questions that will help narrow down certain viewpoints in a research topic. Source: Philippe Lopez/AFP

Step 2: Research the topic

Now that you’ve cleared the confusion, it’s time to dive into the actual pre-writing work. Researching allows you to go in-depth into a subject beyond what is studied in class, hence why it’s usually the most fun part of the entire writing process. There’s such a thing as over-researching though, and you don’t want to be overwhelmed with more information than necessary.

The key to avoiding falling into the rabbit hole of endless research is by starting smart. Put yourself in the reader’s shoes: what would you like to know most about your subject matter? Begin with a list of inquiries that are specific to your topic, eliminating anything that is too generalised.

As you research, it’s crucial to keep track of your sources and compile a reference list so you can have your facts at hand when you start writing them in your essay. You can use citation tools from websites like Mendeley or Zotero to instantly generate citations in the correct format. Your writing process will be more streamlined if you start organising your sources early on.

Step 3: Construct your thesis statement

An essay is as good as its thesis statement. Think of your paper as building a case in a defence trial. What’s the central argument or purpose of your paper? Does it invite the reader to hear your side of the story?

The thesis statement has to be something that is debatable, but not too broad. It isn’t a fact, nor an opinion, but rather a claim that can be expanded on both sides of the fence. A well-crafted thesis is a prelude to how your argument will develop, and gives readers a glimpse into where you’re going with your evidence.

Proofreading your writing draft is a crucial step to polishing your essay before submitting it for grading. Source: Charly Triballeau/AFP

Step 4: Outlining, structuring, and concluding

You’ve got your thesis statements and painstaking research to back it up — the next step is putting them all together. A convincing essay is one that can deliver coherence and consistency throughout the pages. You want your arguments to read like they develop organically, so think about ways you can order them. If there is a timeline involved, structuring your points by chronology will make your points easier to follow.

Sectioning your paragraphs with topic sentences is another way to signal transition between ideas before introducing new supporting evidence in your writing. End each idea with real-life examples obtained from your research, and anticipate counterarguments to your claims by addressing them as much as you can in your essay.

When writing your conclusion, don’t regurgitate your previous ideas. Use the space to make a lasting impression on your readers by summarising your arguments and providing a good closure by offering a unique perspective on the larger scholarship of your subject.

Step 5: Proofread your draft

While it’s tempting to submit your essay and not look back, taking time to proofread and edit your writing is a critical step in your overall writing procedure. Try to not edit immediately after finishing your draft — let it sit for a day or two if you have the time. You’ll notice more subtle mistakes with a fresh set of eyes, and won’t lose marks in stylistic errors.

Some professors are more than happy to give feedback and suggestions to improve your draft, so make use of that if you have time to spare before the deadline. Getting professional input could be the game-changer between a lower and a higher grade for your essay.

Once you’re happy with your final draft and have cited all your sources accordingly, you’re all good to go! Remember, learning how to write an essay gets better with practice if you plan accordingly from the beginning.

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.

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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

The Five Steps of Writing an Essay

Mastering these steps will make your words more compelling

Tips For Adult Students
Getting Your Ged

B.A., English, St. Olaf College

Knowing how to write an essay is a skill that you can use throughout your life. The ability to organize ideas that you use in constructing an essay will help you write business letters, company memos, and marketing materials for your clubs and organizations.

Anything you write will benefit from learning these simple parts of an essay:

Purpose and Thesis

Introduction

Body of information.

Here are five steps to make it happen:

Purpose/Main Idea

Echo / Cultura / Getty Images

Before you can start writing, you must have an idea to write about. If you haven't been assigned a topic, it's easier than you might think to come up with one of your own.

Your best essays will be about things that light your fire. What do you feel passionate about? What topics do you find yourself arguing for or against? Choose the side of the topic you are "for" rather than "against" and your essay will be stronger.

Do you love gardening? Sports? Photography? Volunteering? Are you an advocate for children? Domestic peace? The hungry or homeless? These are clues to your best essays.

Put your idea into a single sentence. This is your thesis statement , your main idea.

STOCK4B-RF / Getty Images

Choose a title for your essay that expresses your primary idea. The strongest titles will include a verb. Take a look at any newspaper and you'll see that every title has a verb.

Your title should make someone want to read what you have to say. Make it provocative.

Here are a few ideas:

America Needs Better Health Care Now
The Use of the Mentor Archetype in _____
Who Is the She-Conomy?
Why DJ Is the Queen of Pedicures
Melanoma: Is It or Isn't It?
How to Achieve Natural Balance in Your Garden
Expect to Be Changed by Reading _____

Some people will tell you to wait until you have finished writing to choose a title. Other people find that writing a title helps them stay focused. You can always review your title when you've finished the essay to ensure that it's as effective as it can be.

Hero-Images / Getty Images

Your introduction is one short paragraph, just a sentence or two, that states your thesis (your main idea) and introduces your reader to your topic. After your title, this is your next best chance to hook your reader. Here are some examples:

Women are the chief buyers in 80 percent of America's households. If you're not marketing to them, you should be.
Take another look at that spot on your arm. Is the shape irregular? Is it multicolored? You could have melanoma. Know the signs.
Those tiny wasps flying around the blossoms in your garden can't sting you. Their stingers have evolved into egg-laying devices. The wasps, busying finding a place to lay their eggs, are participating in the balance of nature.

Vincent Hazat / PhotoAlto Agency RF Collections / Getty Images

The body of your essay is where you develop your story or argument. Once you have finished your research and produced several pages of notes, go through them with a highlighter and mark the most important ideas, the key points.

Choose the top three ideas and write each one at the top of a clean page. Now go through your notes again and pull out supporting ideas for each key point. You don't need a lot, just two or three for each one.

Write a paragraph about each of these key points, using the information you've pulled from your notes. If you don't have enough for one, you might need a stronger key point. Do more research to support your point of view. It's always better to have too many sources than too few.

Anna Bryukhanova/E Plus / Getty Images

You've almost finished. The last paragraph of your essay is your conclusion. It, too, can be short, and it must tie back to your introduction.

In your introduction, you stated the reason for your paper. In your conclusion, you should summarize how your key points support your thesis. Here's an example:

By observing the balance of nature in her gardens, listening to lectures, and reading everything she can get her hands on about insects and native plants, Lucinda has grown passionate about natural balance. "It's easy to get passionate if you just take time to look," she says.

If you're still worried about your essay after trying on your own, consider hiring an essay editing service. Reputable services will edit your work, not rewrite it. Choose carefully. One service to consider is Essay Edge .

Good luck! The next essay will be easier.

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How to Write the Perfect Essay

06 Feb, 2024 | Blog Articles , English Language Articles , Get the Edge , Humanities Articles , Writing Articles

Student sitting at a desk writing in a notebook

You can keep adding to this plan, crossing bits out and linking the different bubbles when you spot connections between them. Even though you won’t have time to make a detailed plan under exam conditions, it can be helpful to draft a brief one, including a few key words, so that you don’t panic and go off topic when writing your essay.

If you don’t like the mind map format, there are plenty of others to choose from: you could make a table, a flowchart, or simply a list of bullet points.

Discover More

Thanks for signing up, step 2: have a clear structure.

Think about this while you’re planning: your essay is like an argument or a speech. It needs to have a logical structure, with all your points coming together to answer the question.

Start with the basics! It’s best to choose a few major points which will become your main paragraphs. Three main paragraphs is a good number for an exam essay, since you’ll be under time pressure.

If you agree with the question overall, it can be helpful to organise your points in the following pattern:

YES (agreement with the question)
AND (another YES point)
BUT (disagreement or complication)

If you disagree with the question overall, try:

AND (another BUT point)

For example, you could structure the Of Mice and Men sample question, “To what extent is Curley’s wife portrayed as a victim in Of Mice and Men ?”, as follows:

YES (descriptions of her appearance)
AND (other people’s attitudes towards her)
BUT (her position as the only woman on the ranch gives her power as she uses her femininity to her advantage)

If you wanted to write a longer essay, you could include additional paragraphs under the YES/AND categories, perhaps discussing the ways in which Curley’s wife reveals her vulnerability and insecurities, and shares her dreams with the other characters. Alternatively, you could also lengthen your essay by including another BUT paragraph about her cruel and manipulative streak.

Of course, this is not necessarily the only right way to answer this essay question – as long as you back up your points with evidence from the text, you can take any standpoint that makes sense.

Step 3: Back up your points with well-analysed quotations

You wouldn’t write a scientific report without including evidence to support your findings, so why should it be any different with an essay? Even though you aren’t strictly required to substantiate every single point you make with a quotation, there’s no harm in trying.

A close reading of your quotations can enrich your appreciation of the question and will be sure to impress examiners. When selecting the best quotations to use in your essay, keep an eye out for specific literary techniques. For example, you could highlight Curley’s wife’s use of a rhetorical question when she says, a”n’ what am I doin’? Standin’ here talking to a bunch of bindle stiffs.” This might look like:

The rhetorical question “an’ what am I doin’?” signifies that Curley’s wife is very insecure; she seems to be questioning her own life choices. Moreover, she does not expect anyone to respond to her question, highlighting her loneliness and isolation on the ranch.

Other literary techniques to look out for include:

Tricolon – a group of three words or phrases placed close together for emphasis
Tautology – using different words that mean the same thing: e.g. “frightening” and “terrifying”
Parallelism – ABAB structure, often signifying movement from one concept to another
Chiasmus – ABBA structure, drawing attention to a phrase
Polysyndeton – many conjunctions in a sentence
Asyndeton – lack of conjunctions, which can speed up the pace of a sentence
Polyptoton – using the same word in different forms for emphasis: e.g. “done” and “doing”
Alliteration – repetition of the same sound, including assonance (similar vowel sounds), plosive alliteration (“b”, “d” and “p” sounds) and sibilance (“s” sounds)
Anaphora – repetition of words, often used to emphasise a particular point

Don’t worry if you can’t locate all of these literary devices in the work you’re analysing. You can also discuss more obvious techniques, like metaphor, simile and onomatopoeia. It’s not a problem if you can’t remember all the long names; it’s far more important to be able to confidently explain the effects of each technique and highlight its relevance to the question.

Step 4: Be creative and original throughout

Anyone can write an essay using the tips above, but the thing that really makes it “perfect” is your own unique take on the topic. If you’ve noticed something intriguing or unusual in your reading, point it out – if you find it interesting, chances are the examiner will too!

Creative writing and essay writing are more closely linked than you might imagine. Keep the idea that you’re writing a speech or argument in mind, and you’re guaranteed to grab your reader’s attention.

It’s important to set out your line of argument in your introduction, introducing your main points and the general direction your essay will take, but don’t forget to keep something back for the conclusion, too. Yes, you need to summarise your main points, but if you’re just repeating the things you said in your introduction, the body of the essay is rendered pointless.

Think of your conclusion as the climax of your speech, the bit everything else has been leading up to, rather than the boring plenary at the end of the interesting stuff.

To return to Of Mice and Men once more, here’s an example of the ideal difference between an introduction and a conclusion:

Introduction

In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men , Curley’s wife is portrayed as an ambiguous character. She could be viewed either as a cruel, seductive temptress or a lonely woman who is a victim of her society’s attitudes. Though she does seem to wield a form of sexual power, it is clear that Curley’s wife is largely a victim. This interpretation is supported by Steinbeck’s description of her appearance, other people’s attitudes, her dreams, and her evident loneliness and insecurity.

Overall, it is clear that Curley’s wife is a victim and is portrayed as such throughout the novel in the descriptions of her appearance, her dreams, other people’s judgemental attitudes, and her loneliness and insecurities. However, a character who was a victim and nothing else would be one-dimensional and Curley’s wife is not. Although she suffers in many ways, she is shown to assert herself through the manipulation of her femininity – a small rebellion against the victimisation she experiences.

Both refer back consistently to the question and summarise the essay’s main points. However, the conclusion adds something new which has been established in the main body of the essay and complicates the simple summary which is found in the introduction.

Hannah is an undergraduate English student at Somerville College, University of Oxford, and has a particular interest in postcolonial literature and the Gothic. She thinks literature is a crucial way of developing empathy and learning about the wider world. When she isn’t writing about 17th-century court masques, she enjoys acting, travelling and creative writing.

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Essay Writing for Beginners: 6-Step Guide with Examples

If you need to write an essay, whether for a college course or to pass a writing test, this guide will take you through the process step-by-step.

Even if you have never written an essay before, this guide will make the process simple and easy to follow.

It is divided into two parts.

First, I’ll show you the steps of writing an essay from scratch using a simple example.

And in the second part, we’ll go through the process together and write a complete sample essay.

Let’s dive right in.

Writing an essay is a 6-step process.

Step 1. Decide on your main point and write it down

You could be in one of the following situations:

Your teacher or professor gave you a prompt, and you have to follow it
You are allowed to make up your own essay topic
You must pass a writing test and are practicing

Whatever the case, let’s assume that you have some kind of a topic or an idea for an essay. Many essay prompts ask you to decide for or against an idea. You must agree or disagree.

And in your first step, you need to simply make that decision – whether you agree or disagree – and just write it down as a simple sentence.

This is a very simple example, but it shows you what a thesis essentially looks like. It is also your main point.

Try not to make your thesis sentence too complicated. Keep it simple so that the point is perfectly clear to both you and the reader.

In this case, our example thesis is:

And we’re ready for the next step.

Step 2. Come up with three supporting ideas

Whether you need to write 300 or 3,000 words, as a beginner you only need three supporting points to prove your main point.

This is why I teach the Power of Three.

So, why three? You see, you need to divide your topic into subtopics. If you don’t, the whole essay writing process will be harder than it has to be.

If you divide it into only two parts, that’s okay. But it doesn’t give you enough meat when you’ll be writing the body of the essay.

If you divide it into more than three, that is also a recipe for frustration. It’s just too many.

Three is a very comfortable number for the brain to deal with. Trust me. I’ve taught many, many people.

Let’s apply the Power of Three to our simple example.

Why do I love apples? I love them for three reasons. Not one, not two, not seven. Just three reasons.

I love apples because they are:

Nutritious

In this step, your job is to make sure that these three reasons are really different from one another. In this case, they are.

Here is a wrong way to do it:

In this case, apples being filling is too similar to being nutritious. This means that when you’re writing the body of the essay, you may run into writer’s block.

This happens because you realize that you’ve already said everything there is to say about the nutrition of apples, and now them being filling is too closely related. And you’re out of words to write.

Don’t let that happen. Just keep your supporting points really distinct from one another.

Step 3. Write out the complete thesis statement

Now you have everything you need to write a complete thesis statement. You have your main and supporting points.

Take them and write them out as complete sentences in one paragraph. Let’s do it very simplistically, using our apples example:

Again, this is overly simple, and I don’t expect you to write such short sentences one after another this way.

But it’s crystal clear. And the supporting points really sound like good evidence for the main point.

In other words, this thesis statement works.

Your Thesis Statement Is Also Your Outline

Students often ask how to write an essay outline. But once you have written your thesis statement the way I just showed you, you have yourself a nice outline.

In addition, you already have the first paragraph. It may not be complete. You may choose to add some words to it. You will also add an introduction in a later step.

But your first paragraph is, for the main, done. It exists, and it’s good to know that you just wrote a nice paragraph.

We are ready for the next step.

Step 4. Write the body of the essay

We already know that we have three sections in our little example. And you will also have three main sections if you apply the Power of Three to your essay.

Each of your sections will contain one or more paragraphs.

But as a beginner, just stick to one paragraph per section. Each of your sections will be a paragraph, and you need to write only three paragraphs in the body of the essay.

Body Paragraph Structure

You must begin each of your body paragraphs with a lead sentence (also known as a topic sentence). And then your job is to fill the rest of the paragraph with evidence to support what you just stated in the lead sentence.

You may have heard that in your essay you should proceed from more general to more specific ? That is exactly right.

The lead sentence (the first sentence in the paragraph) is the most general statement in that paragraph.

For example, in our essay about apples, the second section is about how nutritious apples are. So, you would begin your paragraph with something like this:

This is the most general statement. And now, your job would be to unpack that, to write a little more specifically.

As an explanation , you can write a sentence or two on what kinds of nutrients apples contain.

And as examples , you can write about what some of these nutrients do in the body that makes them nutritious.

Does this make sense? You are proceeding from general to specific. We’ll take a closer look at this process in the essay topic sample that is coming up.

Once you’ve written the body paragraphs, you’re ready for the next step.

Step 5. Write the introduction and the conclusion

Introductions.

The introduction is really just a sentence (two at most) that you add in the beginning of your first paragraph.

Introductions are not necessary. Many instructors will expect that you write them while others won’t. You can go straight to the point by starting your first paragraph with the thesis.

However, most instructors will expect an introduction, and you should know how to write one.

To write an introduction, just zoom out a bit and write a more general and less relevant sentence. For example, we can start our essay about apples with this sentence:

And then we proceed straight to the thesis: “I love apples.” And so on…

Conclusions

In your conclusion you can do one of several things. But I recommend that, as a beginner, you stick to the time-proven restatement .

Basically, you simply repeat what you stated in your thesis statement, using different words.

Yes, this is repetitious, but that is the nature of conclusions. Don’t worry.

You can literally copy your thesis statement, paste it at the end of your essay, and make sure you change the wording so that it reads like a new paragraph.

For example, this is how we can write our conclusion about apples:

Yes, your conclusion can be just one sentence. But it can also contain many sentences.

Step 6. Proofread

Our final step in writing an essay is to go back and proofread our draft.

We must look out for:

Any contradictions (to make sure we don’t contradict our own points)
Any irrelevant material (stuff that doesn’t belong in the essay at all)
Grammatical errors
Misspellings

One good, thorough round of proofreading can be enough to be ready to submit your essay for grading.

You can use a variety of tools sto spell-check your essay. Google docs is one great tool for that. But many others, such as Grammarly, are available as well.

Guess what! Now you know how to write an essay, even if you’re a beginner.

And now, let’s apply what we learned.

Let’s take a sample topic and follow the 6 steps to write a nice sample essay.

Let’s do this!

Sample Essay: “Parents are the best teachers.”

This essay topic came from one of my readers. Let’s develop it into an essay by following the steps we just learned.

Step 1. Decide on the main point and write it

Let’s say that we are given a choice – whether we agree or disagree that parents are the best teachers.

All we have to do is take a stand. We have to simply decide – yes or no.

Let’s decide that parents are indeed the best teachers.

We simply state this as the main point:

Step 2. Think up three supporting ideas

Why could parents be the best teachers?

This will take some thinking. But that’s what we need to do.

Let’s use the Power of Three . And here is what we came up with:

They are the first teachers, and that’s very important.
They have the child’s best interests in mind.
They spend more time with their child than anyone else.

We really want to make sure that these supporting points are different from one another. Are they?

If we read them over, we’ll see that each of them is indeed distinct. Great!

Step 3. Write out the thesis statement

We have our main point. We have our supporting points. And writing the full thesis statement is now easy.

Let’s do it:

We really just took the thesis and the supporting statements and wrote them all in a sequence as one paragraph.

As a result, we now have a nice, clear opening paragraph.

We also now have our outline:

We know exactly how many sections our essay will have.

We also know in which order we’ll be presenting our support. It’s all in the thesis statement, which is also our outline.

Now our job is to write three good supporting paragraphs, one at a time.

Let’s start with the first body paragraph.

The first sentence is always the lead sentence – the most general sentence in a body paragraph.

Writing the Lead Sentence

Let’s first copy and paste our first supporting point from our thesis statement:

I copied this because this is exactly what my paragraph is about. And this would be a perfect lead sentence if it were not repetitious.

To make sure it’s not simply repetitious, we’ll tweak and expand it a little:

We made sure that the subject is clear – that it is not “ They ” but “ Parents .”

And we expanded the sentence by adding an explanation: “…because what is imprinted early stays with the child forever.”

You don’t have to necessarily add an explanation in the lead sentence like this. But this is an option that you have.

All we really want to do in the lead sentence is just expand it slightly over the initial supporting point that it came from.

Writing the Rest of the Paragraph

Let’s review our body paragraph structure:

In our paragraph, we proceed from more general to more specific. Our lead sentence is the most general statement.

The next most general part of the paragraph is where you explain your point. You can provide a scientific explanation with data and research. You can explain it logically, using your own rationale.

But it is still a general part. Let’s write it.

Explanation

We are keeping it simple and not using any references to scientific studies. You can and should cite sources in your essay when necessary.

If you’re writing an essay in an exam or test, you won’t need any references. You can just make things up as you go along. And it works as long as your content is logical and supports the main point.

If you’re writing for a college course, you will likely need to cite sources, unless it’s English 101 where you write basic essays like this one.

But now, we have three explanatory sentences in our paragraph. Our next step is to add at least one example. You can add more, but one should do it for a beginner.

This example presents a phenomenon that is well known in psychology. It is an example because it describes one extreme kind of a phenomenon. It is also much more specific than our explanation.

Note that we can add more words by talking about a specific wild child from history. But let’s stop here and look at our full paragraph:

We have 113 words in this paragraph. And it’s a perfect body paragraph that supports the first part of our thesis statement.

Let’s write the next one.

Again, let’s copy the second supporting point and then tweak and expand it.

This sentence already starts with the subject, which is “ parents .” Now, all we need to do is to expand it slightly:

We added a short phrase just to make the lead sentence a little longer and more detailed. Now it doesn’t read like plain repetition.

Let’s write the next most general part of this paragraph – the explanation:

These three sentences explain why it makes sense that parents would have the child’s best interests in mind. She is the most precious thing to them in the world.

It’s time for an example. And I’ll use my personal experience:

It’s totally okay to use personal examples in an essay. You can use them even in advanced research papers. Your personal experience is valuable. Use it.

Let’s take a look at our second body paragraph in its entirety:

This paragraph contains 98 words of evidence to support the second point.

It’s time for the final body paragraph.

Again, you know what we’ll do. We’ll just copy our third supporting point and tweak and expand it a little:

Let’s make sure the reader knows what the real subject is in this sentence. And let’s also expand it just a bit:

Great! It’s time for the explanatory part:

Again, we won’t be citing any sources here and will keep it simple. This explanation works really well because it provides evidence for the third supporting point.

Let’s be even more specific and write at least one example.

Again, I’m using a personal example to show that whoever spends the most time with the child will have the most influence.

And let’s take a look at our third body paragraph as a whole:

We have here 116 words of great, general-to-specific content that supports our third point.

As a result, if we look back at what we’ve done, we’ll see that everything we wrote in the body paragraphs supports the main point that parents are the best teachers.

It’s time for the next step.

Introduction

Our introduction will be just one sentence, which is enough.

First, let’s revisit our complete thesis statement. We will write the introductory sentence based on it.

In this paragraph, we go straight to the point, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

However, as we know, most instructors will expect some kind of an introduction. So, we’ll add one sentence before we get to the main point.

This sentence must be more general. We are zooming out a little. Let’s do it:

And let’s take a look at the full paragraph together with the introduction:

Note that I took out the phrase “for three reasons.” It is unnecessary because it is clear that you are providing three supporting points. And the whole paragraph sounds better this way.

To write the conclusion, we’ll simply reword the thesis statement. We only need to make sure that we don’t sound like we’re just repeating things.

That was not too hard, was it?

It’s time for the final step.

In this step, we just need to go over our essay, making final edits and corrections. And that’s all.

I hope this tutorial really helps you in your essay writing.

Stay tuned and we’ll talk soon!

How to Write a 300 Word Essay – Simple Tutorial

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Essay Writing Guide

Essay Writing

Last updated on: Jun 8, 2023

How to Write an Essay - A Complete Guide with Examples

By: Nova A.

13 min read

Reviewed By: Rylee W.

Published on: Jan 1, 2019

Are you finding yourself staring at a blank page, unsure of where to begin when it comes to writing an essay?

Do you struggle with organizing your thoughts and expressing your ideas effectively?

You're not alone!

Many students face challenges when it comes to essay writing, but fear not!

In this comprehensive guide, we will help you in writing impactful essays with confidence. From choosing a compelling topic to crafting a well-structured argument, we'll take you step-by-step through the essay writing process.

So, get ready to become a skilled essay writer in no time!

On this Page

Pre-Writing Process: Preparation and Planning

Building a strong foundation is key to crafting a stellar essay. The pre-writing process sets the stage for your essay by focusing on preparation and planning.

Understand the Essay Prompt or Topic

Before diving into the writing process, it is crucial to choose and thoroughly understand the essay topic .

Carefully read and analyze the requirements, instructions, and any specific guidelines provided.

Identify the key components of the prompt, such as:

The main question or issue to be addressed
The scope of the topic
Any specific requirements for the essay

Choose the Type of Essay

The next step is to decide which type of essay you need to write. Choosing the correct type of essay is an important step toward your successful essay.

Here are the main types of essays in which every academic essay can be categorized.

Descriptive Essay - A descriptive essay discusses the topic in detail so that it becomes easy to understand for the reader.
Narrative Essay - A narrative essay is a narration of a story in the form of an essay.
Persuasive Essay - A persuasive essay convinces the reader to accept your perspective about the essay topic.
Expository Essay - An expository essay explains and clarifies the topic with great details and examples.

Knowing what type of essay you are required to write can help you choose the topic and draft the essay. Here are the other types of essays that you should also be familiar with.

Argumentative essay
Analytical essay
Cause and effect essay
Classification essay
Synthesis essay
Compare and Contrast Essay

Conduct Thorough Research

Once you have a clear understanding of the essay prompt, it's time to gather relevant information through research.

Utilize various sources such as scholarly articles and academic databases to gather information that will support your arguments.

Also decide what type of formatting and citation styles you need for your essay. Generally, the following are some common college essay writing styles for students:

APA (American Psychological Association) - An Author-Date citation style designed for psychology and social science discipline.
MLA (Modern Language Association) - An Author-Page number citation style designed for language and humanities disciplines.
CMS (Chicago Manual of Style) - A Notes-bibliography or Author-Date citation style, also known as Turabian Style. It is applicable to both scientific and non-scientific disciplines.

Create an Outline to Structure Your Essay

An outline acts as a skeleton for your essay, providing a structured framework to guide your writing. It helps you with how to write essay format questions and ensure that your essay flows logically and coherently.

Start by organizing your main ideas or subtopics into sections or paragraphs. Then, under each main idea, list the supporting points, evidence, or examples you will include.

Wondering how to write an outline for an essay ? Here is a 5 paragraph essay outline structure.

Writing Process: Crafting Your Essay

The writing process includes engaging introduction, body and conclusion. Let’s get through the step by step for crafting each section.

Write the Introduction

An introduction paragraph is the first paragraph of your essay. The purpose of the introduction is to inform your reader about the topic that you will discuss in the essay.

If you are thinking how to write an essay introduction, here is what an engaging introduction includes:

Engaging Hook

To capture the reader's attention from the start, consider using a compelling hook .

This can be a thought-provoking question, a surprising fact, a relevant quote, or an intriguing anecdote.

The goal is to create curiosity and make the reader eager to continue reading.

Background Information

After grabbing the reader's attention, provide some context or background information related to your essay topic.

This will help the reader understand the significance and relevance of the subject matter.

It can include historical context, relevant statistics, or an overview of the current state of affairs.

Thesis Statement

Conclude the introduction with a clear and concise thesis statement that encapsulates the main argument or purpose of your essay.

The thesis statement should reflect the stance you will be taking and provide a roadmap for the subsequent body paragraphs.

Body Paragraphs

Body paragraphs are the linking paragraphs between the conclusion and introduction.

All the information, examples, facts, and details about the topic in this section ultimately support your thesis statement.

Topic Sentences and Supporting Arguments

In each body paragraph, start with a topic sentence that introduces the main point or argument.

Each topic sentence should be clear and specific, guiding the reader on what to expect in the paragraph.

Follow up with supporting arguments or ideas that expand on the topic sentence and provide evidence or examples to support your claims.

Using Evidence and Examples

To strengthen your arguments, include relevant evidence, examples, or data. This could be in the form of research findings, expert opinions, real-life scenarios, or personal experiences.

Ensure that the evidence directly supports your claims and helps convince the reader of your point of view.

Use Clear Transitions

Maintain a logical flow within and between paragraphs by using clear transitions.

Transitions help connect ideas and create a smooth transition from one point to another. This ensures that your essay is cohesive and easy to follow.

Use transition words and phrases such as "furthermore," "in addition," "on the other hand," and "in contrast" to signal shifts in ideas and create a seamless reading experience.

Conclusion

The conclusion is the last paragraph that summarizes the main theme of the essay and its outcomes. It should include:

Summarize Key Points

In the conclusion, provide a brief summary of the key points discussed in the body paragraphs. Remind the reader of the main arguments and evidence presented throughout the essay.

Restate the Thesis Statement

Reiterate the thesis statement but rephrase it or present it in a slightly different manner. This helps reinforce the central message and reminds the reader of the main focus of the essay.

Call-to-Action/ Impression

End the conclusion with a thought-provoking statement or a call to action. This could be a reflection on the broader implications of the topic, a suggestion for further research, or a call to action.

Post-Writing Process: Editing and Refining

After writing your essay, make sure you:

Proofread for Grammar and Spelling Errors

After completing the initial draft of your essay, it's crucial to thoroughly proofread it for any grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors.

This step ensures that your writing is clear, polished, and professional.

Check for Clarity and Coherence

Read through your essay with a critical eye, examining the flow of ideas and the logical progression of arguments.

Ensure that each paragraph and sentence contributes to the overall coherence of the essay.

Look for any gaps in information or abrupt transitions and revise accordingly to enhance the clarity and readability of your essay.

Essay Checklist

Writing an essay requires careful attention to various aspects, ranging from content to structure, grammar, and formatting.

Use the following checklist to ensure that your essay meets the necessary requirements and is of high quality.

How to Write an Essay - Examples

There are several different categories of essays, each with its unique requirements. Each essay presents different information in different ways.

Here are some useful how-to-write essay samples for different types of essays that will help you write your essay.

HOW TO WRITE AN ACADEMIC ESSAY - EXAMPLE

HOW TO WRITE AN ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY - EXAMPLE

HOW TO WRITE A NARRATIVE ESSAY - EXAMPLE

HOW TO WRITE A DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY - EXAMPLE

How to Write an Essay About Yourself

Tips for Effective Essay Writing

Writing an essay can be a challenging task, but with the right approach, you can create a compelling and well-crafted piece of work.

Here are some tips to help you improve your essay-writing skills:

Understand the essay prompt: Carefully read and comprehend the essay prompt to ensure your essay stays focused.
Plan and outline your essay: Create a clear outline to provide structure and coherence to your essay.
Conduct thorough research: Gather reliable information from credible sources to support your arguments.
Develop a strong thesis statement: Craft a clear and concise thesis statement that guides your writing.
Write clear and concise paragraphs: Focus each paragraph on a single main idea and use concise language.
Use evidence and examples: Support your claims with evidence, examples, and proper citations.
Revise and edit: Review for clarity, coherence, grammar, and formatting errors.
Seek feedback: Get input from others to gain valuable insights and suggestions for improvement.
Practice writing regularly: Regular practice helps improve your writing skills and style.
Manage your time: Take breaks and allocate time effectively for each stage of the writing process.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Writing an Essay

As a beginner, there are high chance that you make mistakes while writing your essay. However, you can avoid them by working on some basics.

Below we have mentioned some common errors made by the non-natives.

Using passive voice
Adding complex sentences
Adding improper or no transitional sentences
Plagiarism
Failing to follow the assignment instructions
Ignoring pronoun subjective-objective agreement
Improper or missing citation references
Citing unreliable resources

You can also check this detailed video guide on what to avoid while writing an essay!

Make sure you avoid these mistakes to make your piece of writing impactful. However, if you are not sure about your essay writing skills, getting professional help is a good idea.

Let expert writers at 5StarEssays.com assist you with “ write my essay for me ” worries!

Get professional help with your essays and research papers to achieve academic success.

Contact us now to experience the difference our essay writing service can make. Don't wait, start writing exceptional essays today!

Frequently Asked Questions

How do i start writing an essay.

To start writing an essay, begin by understanding the essay prompt or topic. Conduct research to gather relevant information and develop a clear thesis statement. Create an outline to organize your thoughts and structure your essay.

What are the 5 parts of an essay?

The five parts of an essay include:

Introduction
Body Paragraphs
Transitions
References or Bibliography

Marketing, Literature

As a Digital Content Strategist, Nova Allison has eight years of experience in writing both technical and scientific content. With a focus on developing online content plans that engage audiences, Nova strives to write pieces that are not only informative but captivating as well.

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How to write a perfect essay

Need to write an essay? Does the assignment feel as big as climbing Mount Everest? Fear not. You’re up to the challenge! The following step-by step tips from the Nat Geo Kids Almanac will help you with this monumental task.

Sometimes the subject matter of your essay is assigned to you, sometimes it’s not. Either way, you have to decide what you want to say. Start by brainstorming some ideas, writing down any thoughts you have about the subject. Then read over everything you’ve come up with and consider which idea you think is the strongest. Ask yourself what you want to write about the most. Keep in mind the goal of your essay. Can you achieve the goal of the assignment with this topic? If so, you’re good to go.

WRITE A TOPIC SENTENCE

This is the main idea of your essay, a statement of your thoughts on the subject. Again, consider the goal of your essay. Think of the topic sentence as an introduction that tells your reader what the rest of your essay will be about.

OUTLINE YOUR IDEAS

Once you have a good topic sentence, you then need to support that main idea with more detailed information, facts, thoughts, and examples. These supporting points answer one question about your topic sentence—“Why?” This is where research and perhaps more brainstorming come in. Then organize these points in the way you think makes the most sense, probably in order of importance. Now you have an outline for your essay.

ON YOUR MARK, GET SET, WRITE!

Follow your outline, using each of your supporting points as the topic sentence of its own paragraph. Use descriptive words to get your ideas across to the reader. Go into detail, using specific information to tell your story or make your point. Stay on track, making sure that everything you include is somehow related to the main idea of your essay. Use transitions to make your writing flow.

Finish your essay with a conclusion that summarizes your entire essay and 5 restates your main idea.

PROOFREAD AND REVISE

Check for errors in spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar. Look for ways to make your writing clear, understandable, and interesting. Use descriptive verbs, adjectives, or adverbs when possible. It also helps to have someone else read your work to point out things you might have missed. Then make the necessary corrections and changes in a second draft. Repeat this revision process once more to make your final draft as good as you can.

Download the pdf .

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Academic writing
A step-by-step guide to the writing process

The Writing Process | 5 Steps with Examples & Tips

Published on April 24, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on December 8, 2023.

Good academic writing requires effective planning, drafting, and revision.

The writing process looks different for everyone, but there are five basic steps that will help you structure your time when writing any kind of text.

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Step 1: prewriting, step 2: planning and outlining, step 3: writing a first draft, step 4: redrafting and revising, step 5: editing and proofreading, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about the writing process.

Before you start writing, you need to decide exactly what you’ll write about and do the necessary research.

Coming up with a topic

If you have to come up with your own topic for an assignment, think of what you’ve covered in class— is there a particular area that intrigued, interested, or even confused you? Topics that left you with additional questions are perfect, as these are questions you can explore in your writing.

The scope depends on what type of text you’re writing—for example, an essay or a research paper will be less in-depth than a dissertation topic . Don’t pick anything too ambitious to cover within the word count, or too limited for you to find much to say.

Narrow down your idea to a specific argument or question. For example, an appropriate topic for an essay might be narrowed down like this:

Doing the research

Once you know your topic, it’s time to search for relevant sources and gather the information you need. This process varies according to your field of study and the scope of the assignment. It might involve:

Searching for primary and secondary sources .
Reading the relevant texts closely (e.g. for literary analysis ).
Collecting data using relevant research methods (e.g. experiments , interviews or surveys )

From a writing perspective, the important thing is to take plenty of notes while you do the research. Keep track of the titles, authors, publication dates, and relevant quotations from your sources; the data you gathered; and your initial analysis or interpretation of the questions you’re addressing.

Check for common mistakes

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Especially in academic writing , it’s important to use a logical structure to convey information effectively. It’s far better to plan this out in advance than to try to work out your structure once you’ve already begun writing.

Creating an essay outline is a useful way to plan out your structure before you start writing. This should help you work out the main ideas you want to focus on and how you’ll organize them. The outline doesn’t have to be final—it’s okay if your structure changes throughout the writing process.

Use bullet points or numbering to make your structure clear at a glance. Even for a short text that won’t use headings, it’s useful to summarize what you’ll discuss in each paragraph.

An outline for a literary analysis essay might look something like this:

Describe the theatricality of Austen’s works
Outline the role theater plays in Mansfield Park
Introduce the research question: How does Austen use theater to express the characters’ morality in Mansfield Park ?
Discuss Austen’s depiction of the performance at the end of the first volume
Discuss how Sir Bertram reacts to the acting scheme
Introduce Austen’s use of stage direction–like details during dialogue
Explore how these are deployed to show the characters’ self-absorption
Discuss Austen’s description of Maria and Julia’s relationship as polite but affectionless
Compare Mrs. Norris’s self-conceit as charitable despite her idleness
Summarize the three themes: The acting scheme, stage directions, and the performance of morals
Answer the research question
Indicate areas for further study

Once you have a clear idea of your structure, it’s time to produce a full first draft.

This process can be quite non-linear. For example, it’s reasonable to begin writing with the main body of the text, saving the introduction for later once you have a clearer idea of the text you’re introducing.

To give structure to your writing, use your outline as a framework. Make sure that each paragraph has a clear central focus that relates to your overall argument.

Hover over the parts of the example, from a literary analysis essay on Mansfield Park , to see how a paragraph is constructed.

The character of Mrs. Norris provides another example of the performance of morals in Mansfield Park . Early in the novel, she is described in scathing terms as one who knows “how to dictate liberality to others: but her love of money was equal to her love of directing” (p. 7). This hypocrisy does not interfere with her self-conceit as “the most liberal-minded sister and aunt in the world” (p. 7). Mrs. Norris is strongly concerned with appearing charitable, but unwilling to make any personal sacrifices to accomplish this. Instead, she stage-manages the charitable actions of others, never acknowledging that her schemes do not put her own time or money on the line. In this way, Austen again shows us a character whose morally upright behavior is fundamentally a performance—for whom the goal of doing good is less important than the goal of seeming good.

When you move onto a different topic, start a new paragraph. Use appropriate transition words and phrases to show the connections between your ideas.

The goal at this stage is to get a draft completed, not to make everything perfect as you go along. Once you have a full draft in front of you, you’ll have a clearer idea of where improvement is needed.

Give yourself a first draft deadline that leaves you a reasonable length of time to revise, edit, and proofread before the final deadline. For a longer text like a dissertation, you and your supervisor might agree on deadlines for individual chapters.

Now it’s time to look critically at your first draft and find potential areas for improvement. Redrafting means substantially adding or removing content, while revising involves making changes to structure and reformulating arguments.

Evaluating the first draft

It can be difficult to look objectively at your own writing. Your perspective might be positively or negatively biased—especially if you try to assess your work shortly after finishing it.

It’s best to leave your work alone for at least a day or two after completing the first draft. Come back after a break to evaluate it with fresh eyes; you’ll spot things you wouldn’t have otherwise.

When evaluating your writing at this stage, you’re mainly looking for larger issues such as changes to your arguments or structure. Starting with bigger concerns saves you time—there’s no point perfecting the grammar of something you end up cutting out anyway.

Right now, you’re looking for:

Arguments that are unclear or illogical.
Areas where information would be better presented in a different order.
Passages where additional information or explanation is needed.
Passages that are irrelevant to your overall argument.

For example, in our paper on Mansfield Park , we might realize the argument would be stronger with more direct consideration of the protagonist Fanny Price, and decide to try to find space for this in paragraph IV.

For some assignments, you’ll receive feedback on your first draft from a supervisor or peer. Be sure to pay close attention to what they tell you, as their advice will usually give you a clearer sense of which aspects of your text need improvement.

Redrafting and revising

Once you’ve decided where changes are needed, make the big changes first, as these are likely to have knock-on effects on the rest. Depending on what your text needs, this step might involve:

Making changes to your overall argument.
Reordering the text.
Cutting parts of the text.
Adding new text.

You can go back and forth between writing, redrafting and revising several times until you have a final draft that you’re happy with.

Think about what changes you can realistically accomplish in the time you have. If you are running low on time, you don’t want to leave your text in a messy state halfway through redrafting, so make sure to prioritize the most important changes.

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Editing focuses on local concerns like clarity and sentence structure. Proofreading involves reading the text closely to remove typos and ensure stylistic consistency. You can check all your drafts and texts in minutes with an AI proofreader .

Editing for grammar and clarity

When editing, you want to ensure your text is clear, concise, and grammatically correct. You’re looking out for:

Grammatical errors.
Ambiguous phrasings.
Redundancy and repetition .

In your initial draft, it’s common to end up with a lot of sentences that are poorly formulated. Look critically at where your meaning could be conveyed in a more effective way or in fewer words, and watch out for common sentence structure mistakes like run-on sentences and sentence fragments:

Austen’s style is frequently humorous, her characters are often described as “witty.” Although this is less true of Mansfield Park .
Austen’s style is frequently humorous. Her characters are often described as “witty,” although this is less true of Mansfield Park .

To make your sentences run smoothly, you can always use a paraphrasing tool to rewrite them in a clearer way.

Proofreading for small mistakes and typos

When proofreading, first look out for typos in your text:

Spelling errors.
Missing words.
Confused word choices .
Punctuation errors .
Missing or excess spaces.

Use a grammar checker , but be sure to do another manual check after. Read through your text line by line, watching out for problem areas highlighted by the software but also for any other issues it might have missed.

For example, in the following phrase we notice several errors:

Mary Crawfords character is a complicate one and her relationships with Fanny and Edmund undergoes several transformations through out the novel.
Mary Crawford’s character is a complicated one, and her relationships with both Fanny and Edmund undergo several transformations throughout the novel.

Proofreading for stylistic consistency

There are several issues in academic writing where you can choose between multiple different standards. For example:

Whether you use the serial comma .
Whether you use American or British spellings and punctuation (you can use a punctuation checker for this).
Where you use numerals vs. words for numbers.
How you capitalize your titles and headings.

Unless you’re given specific guidance on these issues, it’s your choice which standards you follow. The important thing is to consistently follow one standard for each issue. For example, don’t use a mixture of American and British spellings in your paper.

Additionally, you will probably be provided with specific guidelines for issues related to format (how your text is presented on the page) and citations (how you acknowledge your sources). Always follow these instructions carefully.

If you want to know more about AI for academic writing, AI tools, 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
Deep learning
Generative AI
Machine learning
Reinforcement learning
Supervised vs. unsupervised learning

(AI) Tools

Grammar Checker
Paraphrasing Tool
Text Summarizer
AI Detector
Plagiarism Checker
Citation Generator

Revising, proofreading, and editing are different stages of the writing process .

Revising is making structural and logical changes to your text—reformulating arguments and reordering information.
Editing refers to making more local changes to things like sentence structure and phrasing to make sure your meaning is conveyed clearly and concisely.
Proofreading involves looking at the text closely, line by line, to spot any typos and issues with consistency and correct them.

Whether you’re publishing a blog, submitting a research paper , or even just writing an important email, there are a few techniques you can use to make sure it’s error-free:

Take a break : Set your work aside for at least a few hours so that you can look at it with fresh eyes.
Proofread a printout : Staring at a screen for too long can cause fatigue – sit down with a pen and paper to check the final version.
Use digital shortcuts : Take note of any recurring mistakes (for example, misspelling a particular word, switching between US and UK English , or inconsistently capitalizing a term), and use Find and Replace to fix it throughout the document.

If you want to be confident that an important text is error-free, it might be worth choosing a professional proofreading service instead.

If you’ve gone over the word limit set for your assignment, shorten your sentences and cut repetition and redundancy during the editing process. If you use a lot of long quotes , consider shortening them to just the essentials.

If you need to remove a lot of words, you may have to cut certain passages. Remember that everything in the text should be there to support your argument; look for any information that’s not essential to your point and remove it.

To make this process easier and faster, you can use a paraphrasing tool . With this tool, you can rewrite your text to make it simpler and shorter. If that’s not enough, you can copy-paste your paraphrased text into the summarizer . This tool will distill your text to its core message.

Cite this Scribbr article

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Caulfield, J. (2023, December 08). The Writing Process | 5 Steps with Examples & Tips. Scribbr. Retrieved April 8, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/academic-writing/writing-process/

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How to make a solar eclipse viewer with a cereal box and some foil

If you don't have solar glasses yet to watch the total eclipse happening April 8 , not to worry. The good folks at NASA have an easy way you can view the eclipse by making a box pinhole projector with common items found around your home — no degree in rocket science required.

A rare total solar eclipse Monday is set to chart a 115-mile-wide path over portions of Mexico, the United States and Canada. Millions of people are expected to flock toward the path of totality where they can catch a glimpse of this once-in-a-lifetime spectacle.

Experts caution those watching the eclipse to be careful: it's never safe to look directly at the Sun. Doing so can permanently damage your vision. Except for a brief moment during the totality when the moon completely blocks out the Sun's rays, you should wear specialized eye protection when viewing an eclipse.

To safeguard your vision, here's how to make a box pinhole projector with common household items.

Solar eclipse events: How long to travel to Indiana, Kentucky events from Louisville

Step 1 to create a box pinhole projector, gather these items

To make a box pinhole project, gather up the following items:

A cardboard box (you can use a cereal box, shoe box, or a box from Amazon)
Aluminum foil
A white sheet of paper (make sure it's large enough to cover one end of the box)

Step 2, making the pinhole projector

Follow these instructions for creating your box pinhole projector.

Using a pencil, trace one end of the box onto the white sheet of paper. Next, cut out the shape. The paper shape you cut out should be able to fit snugly inside the box.
Next, cut two square holes on the opposite end of the box — one on the right side and the other on the left. If you're using a cereal box, tape up the middle so your box doesn't fall apart.
Cover one of the square holes completely with aluminum foil. Use tape to keep the foil in place.
Take a push pin and punch a small hole carefully in the center of the aluminum foil. This is the hole sunlight will enter. The larger square hole you made is where you'll look into the box.
Congrats, you're done!

Step 3, using your pinhole projector to look at a solar eclipse

To use your box pinhole projector, stand with your back to the sun, then hold the large square hole up to your eye and move the box around until sunlight enters the tiny hole in the aluminum foil. In a moment, you should see the sun projected onto the white paper inside the box.

You can find more ways to view the solar eclipse courtesy of NASA or by visiting exploratorium.edu/eclipse/how-to-view-eclipse .

Protect your eyes: How to get solar glasses by Monday in Louisville before the 2024 total solar eclipse

John Tufts covers trending news for the Indianapolis Star. Send him a news tip at [email protected] . Follow him on X at @JTuftsReports .

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New York Takes Crucial Step Toward Making Congestion Pricing a Reality

The board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority voted to approve a new $15 toll to drive into Manhattan. The plan still faces challenges from six lawsuits before it can begin in June.

Multiple cars are stopped at a traffic light at a Manhattan intersection. A person responsible for controlling traffic stands nearby wearing a yellow reflective vest.

By Winnie Hu and Ana Ley

New York City completed a crucial final step on Wednesday in a decades-long effort to become the first American city to roll out a comprehensive congestion pricing program, one that aims to push motorists out of their cars and onto mass transit by charging new tolls to drive into Midtown and Lower Manhattan.

The program could start as early as mid-June after the board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the state agency that will install and manage the program, voted 11-to-1 to approve the final tolling rates, which will charge most passenger cars $15 a day to enter at 60th Street and below in Manhattan. The program is expected to reduce traffic and raise $1 billion annually for public transit improvements.

It was a historic moment for New York’s leaders and transportation advocates after decades of failed attempts to advance congestion pricing even as other gridlocked cities around the world, including London, Stockholm and Singapore, proved that similar programs could reduce traffic and pollution.

While other American cities have introduced related concepts by establishing toll roads or closing streets to traffic, the plan in New York is unmatched in ambition and scale.

Congestion pricing is expected to reduce the number of vehicles that enter Lower Manhattan by about 17 percent, according to a November study by an advisory committee reporting to the M.T.A. The report also said that the total number of miles driven in 28 counties across the region would be reduced.

“This was the right thing to do,” Janno Lieber, the authority’s chairman and chief executive, said after the vote. “New York has more traffic than any place in the United States, and now we’re doing something about it.”

Congestion pricing has long been a hard sell in New York, where many people commute by car from the boroughs outside of Manhattan and the suburbs, in part because some of them do not have access to public transit.

New York State legislators finally approved congestion pricing in 2019 after Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo helped push it through. A series of recent breakdowns in the city’s subway system had underscored the need for billions of dollars to update its aging infrastructure.

It has taken another five years to reach the starting line. Before the tolling program can begin, it must be reviewed by the Federal Highway Administration, which is expected to approve it.

Congestion pricing also faces legal challenges from six lawsuits that have been brought by elected officials and residents from across the New York region. Opponents have increasingly mobilized against the program in recent months, citing the cost of the tolls and the potential environmental effects from shifting traffic and pollution to other areas as drivers avoid the tolls.

A court hearing is scheduled for April 3 and 4 on a lawsuit brought by the State of New Jersey, which is seen as the most serious legal challenge. The mayor of Fort Lee, N.J., Mark J. Sokolich, has filed a related lawsuit.

Four more lawsuits have been brought in New York: by Ed Day, the Rockland County executive; by Vito Fossella, the Staten Island borough president, and the United Federation of Teachers; and by two separate groups of city residents.

Amid the litigation, M.T.A. officials have suspended some capital construction projects that were to be paid for by the program, and they said at a committee meeting on Monday that crucial work to modernize subway signals on the A and C lines had been delayed.

Nearly all the toll readers have been installed, and will automatically charge drivers for entering the designated congestion zone at 60th Street or below. There is no toll for leaving the zone or driving around in it. Through traffic on Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive and the West Side Highway will not be tolled.

Under the final tolling structure, which was based on recommendations by the advisory panel, most passenger vehicles will be charged $15 a day from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays, and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends. The toll will be $24 for small trucks and charter buses, and will rise to $36 for large trucks and tour buses. It will be $7.50 for motorcycles.

Those tolls will be discounted by 75 percent at night, dropping the cost for a passenger vehicle to $3.75.

Fares will go up by $1.25 for taxis and black car services, and by $2.50 for Uber and Lyft. Passengers will be responsible for paying the new fees, and they will be added to every ride that begins, ends or occurs within the congestion zone. There will be no nighttime discounts. (The new fees come on top of an existing congestion surcharge that was imposed on for-hire vehicles in 2019.)

The tolls will mostly be collected using the E-ZPass system. Electronic detection points have been placed at entrances and exits to the tolling zone. Drivers who do not use an E-ZPass will pay significantly higher fees — for instance, $22.50 instead of $15 during peak hours for passenger vehicles.

Emergency vehicles like fire trucks, ambulances and police cars, as well as vehicles carrying people with disabilities, were exempted from the new tolls under the state’s congestion pricing legislation .

As for discounts, low-income drivers who make less than $50,000 annually can apply to receive half off the daytime toll after their first 10 trips in a calendar month. In addition, low-income residents of the congestion zone who make less than $60,000 a year can apply for a state tax credit.

All drivers entering the zone directly from four tolled tunnels — the Lincoln, Holland, Hugh L. Carey and Queens-Midtown — will receive a “crossing credit” that will be applied against the daytime toll. The credit will be $5 round-trip for passenger vehicles, $12 for small trucks and intercity and charter buses, $20 for large trucks and tour buses, and $2.50 for motorcycles. No credits will be offered at night.

Grace Ashford contributed reporting.

Winnie Hu is a Times reporter covering the people and neighborhoods of New York City. More about Winnie Hu

Ana Ley is a Times reporter covering New York City’s mass transit system and the millions of passengers who use it. More about Ana Ley

Build your own solar eclipse viewer with a cereal box: Easy DIY instructions

Homemade pinhole eclipse viewers an alternative to fancy glasses for viewing solar eclipse on april 8. only a sliver of michigan will be in the path of totality, when moon completely covers the sun..

Eclipses, like the solar eclipse coming up on April 8 , are some of the sky's most spectacular shows. And there are multiple ways to view them safely.

You don't necessarily need special glasses or filters , but it takes a little creativity and a handful to household supplies to make your own pinhole box or pinhole projector, also known as a pinhole camera.

Here's what to know about building your own eclipse viewer.

How to build your own eclipse viewer

One method simply involves two sheets of sturdy white paper, a cereal box and another sheet of paper. The other supplies you need: tape and aluminum foil, scissors, and a pin or thumbtack.

Here's how to make a pinhole viewer with a cereal box:

Trace a piece of white paper along the bottom of the box, making sure it will fit the bottom of the box, and tape or glue it into place it inside the box.
Seal the top of the box, then cut rectangular holes on the right and left sides of the top of the box.
Cut a piece of aluminum foil to cover the top left hole and tape in place. Make sure the foil is flat and not crinkled.
Poke a pinhole in the center of the foil.
During the eclipse, stand with the sun behind you, and look into the right hole at the top of the box and watch a projection of the eclipsed sun on the paper inside.

Here's another do-it-yourself option:

Cut a 1- to 2-inch rectangular hole in a white sheet of cardstock — paper that is sturdier than regular paper and thinner than cardboard (the kind used for business cards and postcards). A paper plate will do as well. Place a smooth piece of aluminum foil over the hole.
Flip the paper over, and use a pin or thumbtack to poke a small hole in the foil.
During the eclipse, place a second piece of cardstock, or paper plate, on the ground, and hold the piece with the aluminum foil above the paper, making sure the foil is facing up. Stand with the sun behind you and view the projected image on the cardstock. The farther apart the sheets of cardstock are from each other, the bigger the projected image will be.
You can also try putting the bottom piece of cardstock in a shadowed area, while holding the other piece in the sunlight.

Other ideas: Poke several holes in the foil to make shapes, patterns or other designs. Use various household items that have multiple small holes, such as a colander or steamer, and view the patterns they create, but make sure your back is to the sun.

And don't forget to grab a helper to take photos of your designs.

These projectors are known as pinhole cameras because the small hole you made acts like a tiny camera lens. Light from the sun enters the pinhole (or colander), gets focused and then projected to the other side of the hole. When the projected light reaches the surface, like the second sheet of cardstock, you can see the image that passed through the pinhole.

More: 2024 total solar eclipse to be visible in sliver of Michigan: Where map shows to go

Don't forget: it's not safe to look directly at the sun during the eclipse, and sunglasses don't provide protection. If you're using special glasses, make sure they meet the ISO standard 12312-2. NASA does not endorse specific eyewear for viewing the eclipse.

Source: NASA

Contact Jennifer Dixon: [email protected]

Ferrari News

Ferrari steps up battery know-how though has no plans to make them

'we cannot afford to take cells as black boxes'.

BOLOGNA, Italy — Ferrari wants to increase its expertise in battery cells given their importance in its shift to electrified vehicles, but it has no plans to manufacture them itself, its CEO Benedetto Vigna said on Monday.

The Italian luxury sports car maker has been selling hybrid-electric cars since 2019 and has promised its first-fully electric vehicle at the end of next year. Ferrari, which sold just shy of 14,000 cars last year, might not have the scale to produce its own cells profitably.

"We want to open up cells and understand what is in there," Vigna said at the opening of a research centre on battery cells in partnership with Italy's Bologna University and chipmaker NXP Semiconductors.

"Production will always be done through external manufacturers, based on the know-how we hope to acquire through this research centre," Vigna said during a presentation.

"We cannot afford to take cells as black boxes," he added.

The E-Cells Lab is focused on electrochemistry and is aimed at boosting Ferrari's long term expertise in battery cells, which it buys from external suppliers.

"We'll use more and more cells and will ... need to know the chemistry," Vigna said.

E-Cells Lab would initially focus on lithium-based, liquid-state cells, but was ready to turn to address new chemistries and technologies, although Vigna said he did not see solid-state batteries as a real option for the time being.

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Live updates for solar eclipse 2024: How to watch livestreams, make your own viewer, more

Get ready to look to the skies today for a thrilling sight, the 2024 solar eclipse!

If you have your glasses ready or another safe way to view it, head outside for the big event, and you can follow along here for the latest updates, including when to look out for it and how to watch on streaming/TV if you'd rather.

The edge of 2024 solar eclipse shadow begins in south Texas

EAGLE PASS, Texas – Alejandra Martinez, a 7th-grade science teacher from this border city in south Texas, peered up at the gray, gauzy sky, anxiously awaiting the solar eclipse’s entrance into the USA. Sitting with a telescope under a camping tent in a corner of the county airport, Martinez, 42, and two other science enthusiasts had been recruited by NASA to participate in an effort called Citizen CATE 2024, where more than 30 teams perched in the eclipse’s path will record the shadowy trek across the country.

In this spot, less than five miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, she and her team would be among the first people in the United States to witness the phenomenon. Eagle Pass sits near the very beginning of the eclipse’s track from southwest to northeast across the country. It also sits very near dead-center of it, where the period of “totality” will be the longest. That total shadow was still more than an hour away when the edge of the shadow began to darken the sky.

Martinez, dressed in a “This Totality Rocks” T-shirt and eclipse-themed skirt, watched as the penumbra crept across the airfield, about 10 minutes past noon local time.

Martinez put on her eclipse glasses and peered up at the sky. Just then, the sky’s gauzy clouds parted. “There it is! There it is!” she yelled. “First contact. It’s begun!”

Watch the solar eclipse live courtesy of USA Today

If you don't want to head outdoors, watch the solar eclipse from the comfort of your home with this video.

When is the next total solar eclipse visible from U.S.? Be ready to wait

It will be 20 years before there's a chance to witness a total solar eclipse in the United States again.

According to NASA, after the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, the next total solar eclipse that can be seen from the contiguous U.S. will be on Aug. 23, 2044.

What does a solar eclipse look like on Mars? Nasa shares image

While we earthlings prepare for a rare total solar eclipse that will pass over North America, Mars had one of its own earlier this year.

A timelapse of photos taken by NASA's Perseverance rover Feb. 8 showed the Red Planet's tiny doomed moon Phobos crossing in front of the much-larger sun. One month earlier, Mars' other moon, Deimos, completed a transit of its own.

The U.S. space agency shared timelapses of the incredible celestial events last week in preparation for the total solar eclipse that today will shroud a long swath of the U.S. in uncharacteristic darkness.

What time is the 2024 solar eclipse?

The total eclipse will begin in Mexico at about 11:07 a.m. PDT Monday before crossing into Texas at 1:27 p.m. CDT. It will end in Maine at 3:35 p.m. EDT. The partial eclipse will last for awhile longer. Even if you're not in the path of totality and won't see the full eclipse, you may still see a percentage of it.

Maryland's Lower Shore will see a partial eclipse for 2 hours and 27 minutes. 83.1% of the sun will be obscured by the moon at the peak.

The solar eclipse in the Delmarva area is expected to start at about 2:05 p.m. and peak at about 3:21 p.m.

All to know about 2024 solar eclipse: Guide to the 2024 total solar eclipse, gracing North American skies today: All to know

How to make a solar eclipse viewer

People who didn't manage to get their hands on glasses are not completely down and out. There are other safe ways to view the eclipse, say experts, and a lot of them only require a little bit of craftiness and items you can find lying around the house.

Steps to make the cereal box eclipse viewer:

Get an empty, clean cereal box.
Cut a white piece of cardboard that will fit snuggly in the bottom of the box, or secure it permanently by gluing it in place.
Cut the top of the cereal box, removing both ends and leaving the center intact.
Put a piece of tape across the center of the top to securely hold it closed.
Tape a piece of heavy-duty foil or double a single layer for additional strength, covering one of the openings at the top of the cereal box. The other opening will remain open for viewing.
Using a small nail (approximately 3mm in diameter) push a hole in the foil.
Cover the entire box with construction paper, leaving the single-viewing opening and the foil uncovered.
The finished box should be held with the pin-hole side facing the sun. It may take a little practice pointing the box. With your back facing the sun, look through the viewing opening. A small image of the sun, about ½ cm in diameter, can be seen projected on the white paper inside the box.

− Mary Walrath-Holdrid, USA Today

Latest solar eclipse weather forecast: Solar eclipse day is finally here! The latest weather forecast for Salisbury, Ocean City

More options available for watching 2024 solar eclipse as livestream

ABC News and National Geographic announced they would air "Eclipse Across America," live on Monday beginning at 2 p.m. EDT on ABC, ABC News Live, National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Disney+ and Hulu, as well as network social media platforms.
CNN's live presentation will be featured from 1-4 p.m. EDT on "CNN News Central" with Brianna Keilar and Boris Sanchez and CNN International and CNN Max with Richard Quest and Rahel Solomon. CNN Digital will feature a special multi-hour livestream and coverage of the event across the United States at CNN.com/Eclipse.
NBC's Lester Holt will host a special broadcast starting at 2 p.m. ET Monday from Indianapolis Motor Speedway that will air on NBC, NBC News Now, NBCNews.com and Peacock, according to the network.
Norah O’Donnell and Tony Dokoupil are hosting CBS' coverage, also from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The broadcast will feature contributions from several journalists based around the nation, including Dallas, Cleveland and Russellville, Arkansas. The broadcast is set for 2 p.m. ET to 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS' TV channel.
Fox Weather's coverage of the solar eclipse will be anchored by meteorologists Stephen Morgan and Kendall Smith from Dallas and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, respectively, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET. The network says Fox Weather will also provide coverage for Fox News and Fox Business channels.

Solar eclipse watching events: Solar eclipse watch events at Wallops, Maryland and DC: Where, when to get in on the fun

Biden to Netanyahu: Protect civilians in Gaza or US policy will change

Biden calls for 'immediate ceasefire,' urges hostage deal
White House expects to see new Israeli measures in 'coming hours and days'

U.S. President Joe Biden meets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv

'LAST STRAW'

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Reporting by Jeff Mason; Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu, Susan Heavey, Simon Lewis and Matt Spetalnick; Additional reporting by Mark Bendeich; Editing by Rami Ayyub, Heather Timmons, Howard Goller, Cynthia Osterman and Lincoln Feast.

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Thomson Reuters

Jeff Mason is a White House Correspondent for Reuters. He has covered the presidencies of Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden and the presidential campaigns of Biden, Trump, Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain. He served as president of the White House Correspondents’ Association in 2016-2017, leading the press corps in advocating for press freedom in the early days of the Trump administration. His and the WHCA's work was recognized with Deutsche Welle's "Freedom of Speech Award." Jeff has asked pointed questions of domestic and foreign leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong Un. He is a winner of the WHCA's “Excellence in Presidential News Coverage Under Deadline Pressure" award and co-winner of the Association for Business Journalists' "Breaking News" award. Jeff began his career in Frankfurt, Germany as a business reporter before being posted to Brussels, Belgium, where he covered the European Union. Jeff appears regularly on television and radio and teaches political journalism at Georgetown University. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism and a former Fulbright scholar.

Amnesty International on Monday said Israel must release the body of Palestinian Walid Daqqa, who died a day earlier in Israeli custody after a long battle with cancer.

Bahrain on Monday released 1,584 prisoners, including some serving life sentences and others convicted on charges related to protests that occurred in 2011.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid

Polish opposition party PiS gets most votes in local elections

Nationalist opposition party Law and Justice (PiS) won the popular vote in Poland's local government elections, final results showed on Monday, in a setback for Prime Minister Donald Tusk's ambitions to cement his grip on power.

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visits the west coast, in Vancouver

Fried chicken chain Pollo Campero has slashed staff step count to make them more productive amid California’s $20 minimum wage bump

A national fried chicken chain has devised a novel way to make its staff more efficient while on shift—redesign its restaurants so staff don’t have to walk as far to serve customers.

Pollo Campero, which operates in 20 states across the U.S. , mapped how its staff moved around sites.

The Guatemalan-founded brand found its employees were walking miles a day and aimed to slash that figure , according to Bloomberg.

A staff member tasked with ensuring orders are delivered accurately and promptly, for example, previously walked about 18,000 steps a day, the equivalent of approximately five miles.

Following redesigns those individuals now walk around 9,500 steps per shift—a little over two miles—closer to the target of 10,000 steps most adults are told they should aim to walk a day.

According to the Mayo Clinic , the average American walks between 3,000 to 4,000 steps a day, and are advised to gradually increase that average over months if they aim to reach 10,000.

And while the news may be welcome to weary-footed staff, bosses at the chain made it clear the move was also motivated by the bottom line.

“Every step you save adds to the bottom line and saves labor costs,” Blas Escarcega, vice president of franchise development at Pollo Campero, told Bloomberg.

While the exact savings to the business can’t be calculated, he added, the reduction will also result in quicker service and pleased customers.

Rising labor costs

Labor costs are indeed creeping up—and will continue to do so —across the U.S. In California, for example, where Pollo Campero has more than 20 stores, the minimum wage recently increased to $20 an hour.

While a victory for workers who have been paid historically low wages , economists are also warning the move could lead to unemployment with the cost of business being pushed too high.

California is just one of many states making a change . In Florida, where Pollo Campero has seven restaurants, the minimum wage will increase by $1 a year until 2026, when it will hit $15 an hour.

Rhode Island, where the brand also has a restaurant, will increase its minimum wage by $1 to $15 in January 2025.

New Jersey, home to four of the chicken brand’s restaurants, increased its minimum wage by $1 to $15.13 an hour in January.

In Maryland—where there are six Pollo restaurants—the minimum wage went up from $13.25 to $15.00 on Jan. 1, 2024.

The 25% bump in California was reportedly described as “draconian” by an independent advocacy group of McDonald’s, named the National Owners Association (NOA).

Made up of more than 1,000 McDonald’s owners, the NOA claimed the move would cost each restaurant in California $250,000, a cost which “simply cannot be absorbed by the business model.”

Bosses at the fast-food giant said on an earnings call in February they were going to have to “work through” the impact the raise would have on their margins.

Smaller businesses are also concerned.

Brian Hom, who owns two locations of Vitality Bowls in San Jose, told Fortune the minimum-wage mandate will cost him $100,000 across both of his stores. To offset wage increases, he’s increased store prices by 5%–10% and has stopped hiring new employees.

On the flip side, the changes are a great relief to minimum-wage workers who are suffering increased living costs, be those housing, groceries, or gas.

And with the base rate looking increasingly likely to stay at its highest rate in decades as the Fed attempts to push down inflation further, consumers can’t expect any relief there either.

Experts also argue businesses are overstating the impact such mandates will have.

For example, the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment at the University of California at Berkeley found about one-third of minimum-wage jobs in California are already earning more than the state’s $16 per hour courtesy of city-led minimum wage initiatives.

Improving staff turnover

The change at Pollo Campero will also improve the staff’s work life, the company said. The brand told Bloomberg it hopes the new setup will improve worker experience and reduce turnover in an industry that typically has a high level of churn.

At a restaurant in Florida, for example, workers assembling meals for drive-through customers stand on one side of a large island while staff preparing orders to eat in stand on the other—preventing the individuals from bumping into one another.

Extras like sauces and napkins are within easy reach, Bloomberg reports, and the store is 9% smaller than the brand’s average, allowing for 10% less staff.

The streamlined kitchen has improved service time, added Escarcega, who said the company’s new aim is to clear dine-in customers within five minutes of them walking through the door, and drive-through customers within three.

Pollo Campero was approached by Fortune for comment.

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How to Write the Perfect Essay: A Step-By-Step Guide for Students
7 steps to writing a good essay. No essay is the same but your approach to writing them can be. As well as some best practice tips, we have gathered our favourite advice from expert essay-writers and compiled the following 7-step guide to writing a good essay every time. 👍. #1 Make sure you understand the question. #2 Complete background ...
The Beginner's Guide to Writing an Essay
The essay writing process consists of three main stages: Preparation: Decide on your topic, do your research, and create an essay outline. Writing: Set out your argument in the introduction, develop it with evidence in the main body, and wrap it up with a conclusion. Revision: Check your essay on the content, organization, grammar, spelling ...
How to Write an Essay: 4 Minute Step-by-step Guide
There are three main stages to writing an essay: preparation, writing and revision. In just 4 minutes, this video will walk you through each stage of an acad...
How to Write an Essay: 7 Steps for Clear, Effective Writing
Stay as concise as possible. Include anecdotal examples if it will help you make your point more clear. If you are writing a formal academic essay, avoid using first-person pronouns. 6. Pay attention to how you cite references. In ancient Greece, using other people's ideas was seen as the mark of a smart person.
How to write an essay in 5 steps: a guide
Step 5: Proofread your draft. While it's tempting to submit your essay and not look back, taking time to proofread and edit your writing is a critical step in your overall writing procedure. Try to not edit immediately after finishing your draft — let it sit for a day or two if you have the time. You'll notice more subtle mistakes with a ...
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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.
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The basic structure of an essay always consists of an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. But for many students, the most difficult part of structuring an essay is deciding how to organize information within the body. This article provides useful templates and tips to help you outline your essay, make decisions about your structure, and ...
How to Write a College Essay
The college essay can make or break your application. This step-by-step guide walks you through everything you need to know. ... You can start in the middle of an important scene or describe an object that conveys your essay's theme. Example As I step out of bed, the pain shoots through my foot and up my leg like it has done every morning ...
How to Write an Essay in 5 Steps
Title. STOCK4B-RF / Getty Images. Choose a title for your essay that expresses your primary idea. The strongest titles will include a verb. Take a look at any newspaper and you'll see that every title has a verb. Your title should make someone want to read what you have to say. Make it provocative.
How to Write the Perfect Essay
Step 2: Have a clear structure. Think about this while you're planning: your essay is like an argument or a speech. It needs to have a logical structure, with all your points coming together to answer the question. Start with the basics! It's best to choose a few major points which will become your main paragraphs.
How to Write an Essay in 8 Simple Steps (Examples Included)
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.
Essay Writing for Beginners: 6-Step Guide with Examples
Writing an essay is a 6-step process. Step 1. Decide on your main point and write it down. You could be in one of the following situations: Your teacher or professor gave you a prompt, and you have to follow it. You are allowed to make up your own essay topic. You must pass a writing test and are practicing.
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Learn what elements every argumentative essay should include and how to structure it depending on your audience in this easy step-by-step guide. When you're writing a persuasive essay, you need more than just an opinion to make your voice heard. Even the strongest stance won't be compelling if it's not structured properly and reinforced ...
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Check for errors and to make sure your essay hits the nail on the head Writers of all skill levels could find it a challenge to write an essay, especially on a subject they don't know well. But the above writing tips could make the process a little easier and a lot less stressful. Use your writing skills to apply for scholarships.
A Step by Step Beginners Guide on How to Write an Essay
Plan and outline your essay: Create a clear outline to provide structure and coherence to your essay. Conduct thorough research: Gather reliable information from credible sources to support your arguments. Develop a strong thesis statement: Craft a clear and concise thesis statement that guides your writing.
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How to Write an Essay in 9 Simple Steps • 7ESL
Body Of The Essay. Detail statistics. Talk about relevant information. Present any research you have performed. Include any data you have discovered relative to the subject. Conclusion. Give the thesis statement once again. Support your arguments. Include a call to action.
How to Format a College Essay: Step-by-Step Guide
Again, we'd recommend sticking with standard fonts and sizes—Times New Roman, 12-point is a standard workhorse. You can probably go with 1.5 or double spacing. Standard margins. Basically, show them you're ready to write in college by using the formatting you'll normally use in college.
How to write a perfect essay
Follow your outline, using each of your supporting points as the topic sentence of its own paragraph. Use descriptive words to get your ideas across to the reader. Go into detail, using specific information to tell your story or make your point. Stay on track, making sure that everything you include is somehow related to the main idea of your ...
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Second, follow these steps on how to write an argumentative essay: Brainstorm: research, free-write, and read samples to choose a debatable topic. Prepare: organize thoughts, craft a thesis, decide on arguments and evidence. Draft: outline an essay, start with an engaging introduction, delve into arguments, and conclude like a boss.
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The Great 2024 Eclipse: If you have any questions about the solar eclipse on Monday, 8 April, including safe solar viewers & filters, please visit our website at eclipse.aas.org and the Eclipse web page on Sky & Telescope.If you're local to the DC area and want to purchase solar glasses, please stop by the AAS office between 10:00 am and 5:00 pm (Friday to Monday) at 1667 K Street NW (Suite ...
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Seal the top of the box, then cut rectangular holes on the right and left sides of the top of the box. Cut a piece of aluminum foil to cover the top left hole and tape in place. Make sure the foil ...
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How to Write an Essay in 8 Simple Steps (Examples Included)
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 ...
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How to Write the Perfect Essay: A Step-By-Step Guide for Students

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#1 Introduction

#3 Conclusion

#1 Make sure you understand the question

#4 Write your opening sentences

#3 Make a detailed plan

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How to Write an Essay: 7 Steps for Clear, Effective Writing

What Are the Different Types of Essays?

How Do You Begin an Essay?

1. Decide on your essay type and topic.

2. Brainstorm and research the topic you’ve chosen.

3. Develop your thesis statement.

4. Write your outline.

5. Start writing.

6. Pay attention to how you cite references.

7. Edit your work.

Tips for Writing Essays

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Here’s how you can nail your college essay in 5 steps

How to write an essay: A step-by-step guide for college students

Step 2: Research the topic

Step 3: Construct your thesis statement

Step 4: Outlining, structuring, and concluding

Step 5: Proofread your draft

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

College Essay Basics

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

Learn the Types of College Essays

The Common App essay

Supplemental Essay Guides

Essay brainstorming and composition

Editing and polishing your essay

Advanced College Essay Techniques

The Five Steps of Writing an Essay

Introduction

Purpose/Main Idea

How to Write the Perfect Essay

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Step 3: Back up your points with well-analysed quotations

Step 4: Be creative and original throughout

Introduction

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Essay Writing for Beginners: 6-Step Guide with Examples

Step 1. Decide on your main point and write it down

Step 2. Come up with three supporting ideas

Step 3. Write out the complete thesis statement

Your Thesis Statement Is Also Your Outline

Step 4. Write the body of the essay

Body Paragraph Structure

Step 5. Write the introduction and the conclusion

Conclusions

Step 6. Proofread

Sample Essay: “Parents are the best teachers.”

Step 1. Decide on the main point and write it

Step 2. Think up three supporting ideas

Step 3. Write out the thesis statement

How to Write a 300 Word Essay – Simple Tutorial

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Pre-Writing Process: Preparation and Planning

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