There are many different types of academic writing high school and college students have to cope with. You may be given a research paper or lab report to compose as part of your course. But the most common type of academic writing is, no doubts, essay.
The essay is considered the simplest form of academic writing. It has a standard paragraph structure and order. As a rule, there are 5 paragraphs on the whole. They include:
- Introduction – one paragraph
- Body – 3-5 paragraphs
- Conclusion – one paragraph
An essay does not require conducting a massive research or using too many sources. Students can explain some topic points in their own words. They can avoid inserting direct in-text citations. Instead, every quotation may be written in the form of indirect speech, but still, has to be properly referred.
Each paragraph is composed in a strict accordance with the standards of particular writing style. Every section should contain an argument which addresses the main question of the essay. It is recommended to refer to the last sentence of the first, introduction paragraph. This sentence is called a thesis. Thus, each of the three (sometimes five) paragraphs must present one clear idea which helps to defend a thesis. Every argument has to serve as the helping evidence for the thesis statement. The beginning of each new part must be connected with the last sentence of the previous. Putting all thoughts in a logical order can be a challenge. If you have any troubles with writing any of your paper paragraphs or organizing a piece of a correct order, you can buy a custom essay or research paper online. The prices are affordable.
Essays can be of several types. High school students usually write such papers as:
- Definition
- Descriptive
- Narrative
- Analytical
- Comparative
- Argumentative
While definition and descriptive essays are pretty easy (the entire text should define and then describe the main topic), analytical and comparative papers can be very challenging. Luckily, students can find all necessary information on various informative websites. For example, explore what an argumentative paper is, and how each part should look at this page.
The basic structure of an academic paper is the same for all types of essays. They can be different only by their size, purpose, and tone. Thesis statement also should be present in every introduction. Actually, the length of any school or college essay should not exceed 5 paragraphs. So, try to avoid wordiness. Exclude lengthy sentences and complex terms that you don’t understand. It is better to write a concise section made of 4-5 short sentences instead of making one or two giant sentences that would be too hard to read and recognize. Read more about essay length.
So far, it is time to talk about the specific paper structure and order. Each section is mentioned above. Following all teacher’s guidelines is crucial. You might want to learn more about each paragraph and its content. We have prepared a few tips on writing an academic paper.
The Main Points of Each Section
Beginning an essay is the most difficult part. You need to come up with the great topic and introduction. You need to know how to capture the attention of your reader to get the highest grade. Right, writing an academic assignment is not only about avoiding grammar mistakes and using your English vocabulary. The way you link paragraphs and defend your arguments matters as well. Let’s begin with the pre-writing stage.
- Identify your main purpose. Would you like to give overall information or persuade your reader? Would you like to share your thoughts on a movie or compare and contrast several books? How much information is given and how much do you know about the topic of your choice? Don’t go writing about complex things you have no clue. Mind that if you want to ensure your reader in your thought, you must be passionate about your main idea.
- You should know the structure of your essay before writing. Name each section and mention what it should be about in a draft. It is crucial to write a draft first. Put the main points of your essay in chronological order. Some students feel more comfortable when starting with the conclusion. Others begin with thesis first. Anyway, you must know where you are heading and what your conclusion should be about.
- The first section is an introduction with the powerful thesis statement (or question) in the last sentence. Students are encouraged to begin their introduction with some fact, statistic, joke, saying, or else to motivate the reader to continue reading. The paragraph may end up with the question. In this case, you have to provide a clear answer to the main topic in the last section.
- A body paragraph must contain up to 5 sentences (most often - three) that start with a powerful argument. It is time to add your evidence. It can be anything from the scientific journal to the government financial report. The points you add must be helpful to make a reader believe in your position. It is especially crucial for argumentative papers.
- The last part is known as a conclusion. It is a concise part which goal is to recall all three main arguments and restate thesis. The thesis is usually restated at the beginning of the ending paragraph to recall what your topic is. A good conclusion serves as a perfect summary of the essay. It should not leave any questions.
A structure of the typical academic essay is not that complex. Just keep to the main point and follow your teacher’s instructions.
It would be good to have a great example of the essay in front of you when writing the paper paragraph by paragraph. Students can find free samples for download at the professional academic services. If you enjoy the way these samples are written, local writers can complete your essay order from scratch. Learning how to write every paragraph of the essay is critical as you will face much more complicated assignments in the future.
