Audio Transcript: How to write an essay

How to write an essay?

Essay is defined as a short piece of writing on a specific topic. All essays, whether they are narrative, descriptive, expository or argumentative, usually consist of three parts: introduction, body, and conclusion. Though it may seem simple, the essay writing process is relatively complex and usually consists of 7 stages: analysis, brainstorm, research, planning, writing, editing, and finally, submission. The stages are described in detail below.

First, it is necessary to analyse the essay question. The question is carefully read and the keywords in the question are underlined. It is tempting to underline the whole question but this is not the best approach. Only a few words in the question are actually important and that is why they are called „keywords“.

Next, in the brainstorm phase, initial ideas are noted down. Additionally, any useful words and phrases that come to mind are also jotted down. The brainstorm stage allows the author to be free and simply record any thoughts that are related to the topic.

In the research stage, the ideas from the brainstorm stage as well as the topic are researched either on the Internet or in special books and articles. All the findings should also be noted down, as well as any specific vocabulary that would be helpful later.

Once the researching is done, the planning phase can start. The main ideas from the previous two stages are organised into paragraphs. It is vital that the main ideas are expressed first, then the additional information and then the supporting evidence. Making a well-organised outline in the planning phase is very helpful and can prevent the author from suffering from a „writer‘s block“ that usually happens about half way in the writing process.

Then, the writing stage begins. As this is only the first draft of the essay, it is necessary to leave margins on both sides, as well as some space between the lines. Organising the paper in such a way allows the author to make changes in the draft easily.

Having writen the first draft of the essay, now it is time to revise and edit it. The draft is read out loud slowly and all typing erros, grammar mistakes, as well as wrong collocations are corrected. Moreover, the draft is now read out once again in order to make sure that the goals set up in the task are met, and that the structure is fitting. The result of such a detailed editing is the final draft – the essay.

Finally, the essay is submitted to the teacher for inspection. Alternatively, the essay can also be uploaded onto a learning platform or sent via email.