Write the perfect essay with these 5 steps

Studying in the US is an exciting challenge which will give you endless benefits in your personal and professional career. However, facing a higher education in a foreign language can be intimidating, right? We want to give you the tools you need to ace your writing assignments. We’ll teach you how to write an essay in English in just 5 steps.

While you get used to your new life abroad it’s super important to find all the tools you can to successfully accomplish essays and assignments that are commonly part of college. Believe it or not, writing them down can be really easy if you follow the next steps.

1. Ask yourself all the questions you can

 Before you start writing your essay you need to pick a topic. If you already have it start asking questions. Yes, you read that right. You need to set a position regarding your topic and as you start asking questions you’ll be able to build a solid argument.

Which questions you may ask? There are 6 of them and must be all answered:

- How?

- When?

- What?

- Who/Whose/Whom

- Why?

- Where?

Once you’ve figured all the answers to these questions your essay will be way more structured. Writing ideas will flow easier and you’ll stop rambling off your main topic. The order in which you answer them may vary but don’t forget to include them in your writing!

2. Dictionaries are your best friend

When we’re learning a new language keep in mind that you won’t have a large vocabulary at first and you’ll keep forgetting the words. But it’s okay! Once you’ve answered the questions of the first step, make sure to have a dictionary while you’re writing or find a trusted website to look up words that you don't remember how to spell or synonyms to enhance your essay with more precise words.

Making a list with words related to the topic of your essay will help you a lot, you’ll get familiarized with them and it’ll be so much easier to include them when you’re writing. Be careful not to repeat them much and search for synonyms and make sure you’re using connectors to make the reading of your essay a lot easier.

3. Study both versions

Essays tend to expose a position regarding a topic whether if it’s in favor or not and develop a whole argument about it. If you choose a deep or complex topic, contrasting opinions or versions will help you a lot. You’ll be able to compare them with your position and find new subjects to talk about.

Remember, research is key! Looking up the internet or Reading books can be very helpful, especially when most of the quality contents online are in English. While you’re looking for more information for your essay you’ll also learn more about the words used and improve your reading comprehension. Don’t forget to look up only for reliable sources!

4. Read what you’ve written

This is essential no matter what language you’re writing in. You have to read everything you’ve done to make sure it’s well written, makes sense and the punctuation marks are where they should be. Especially when you are writing in another language that's not your mother tongue: you might mix up words and even sentences may not make sense. Proofread! 

Another tip: try reading it backwards! Start from the last word of the sentence up to the first. This way it’ll be easier to notice when words are misspelled or if the sentences are not structured correctly. Maybe everything sounded perfect in your mind while you were writing it down but once you read it out loud you’ll find some mistakes.

5. Be concise

When you’re writing your essay in English try not to ramble off the main topic or add too much irrelevant information. It shows and will definitely bore whoever reads it. Use short sentences (but not too short) because when you write really long sentences in English it can be hard to understand what you’re trying to say.

If you have a really big idea divide it into shorter sentences and make sure to connect them using the right punctuation marks. Don’t get too excited! Paragraphs shouldn’t have more than 4 lines and no less than 3.

As you can see, writing in English is actually not that hard and you can always go to the internet to find everything you need to learn this language faster. When you least expect it, you’ll be a pro and won’t have any single problem in college.