How to Improve Our Writing Skill

By: Elvira Dewina, 1806203780, FG-2, EFN Class D

Writing is a skill that is required in many contexts throughout life, and it’s a
critical skill for university students (University of Massey, 2010). It is also a skill
that will continue to serve you if you plan to go into an academic career. In order
to write a academic essay, start by following any assigned instructions carefully.
Before you start writing, research your topic using reputable sources. Organize
your essay clearly, and support your arguments with strong examples. Once your
essay is drafted, make sure you’re handing in your best possible work by checking
it and making any necessary edits (University of Leicester, n.d.).Whatever you are
writing, your aim should be to make your text as clear as possible – to present
your ideas clearly and concisely and to avoid ambiguity or redundancy. Achieving
this becomes easier the more you practise writing and begin to develop your
confidence in your writing style.

There are steps to writing a successful essay:1.Following the Instructions

for Your Assignment, Read the instructions carefully. Before you begin working
on your essay, it is crucial to understand what the assignment is about, and to
learn if there are any specific rules you need to follow. 2.Pick a topic, you may
have your topic. If you are given the topic, you should think about the type of
paper that you want to produce. First, define your purpose. Is your essay to inform
or persuade? (University of Otago, n.d.). 3.Constructing Your Essay, Create a
clear thesis statement. Your thesis statement is the most important part of your
essay. State your thesis in 1-2 sentences, then work on building an outline and
essay that supports your thesis.The thesis should be included toward the end of
your introduction along with a brief outline of the evidence you will use to
support your thesis, next you should make an outline. Once you have narrowed
down your topic and done your research, start organizing your thoughts. The basic
structure of your outline could look something like this : Introduction, Body,
Conclusion.

Finally,add the finishing touches. After writing your conclusion, you

might think that you have completed your essay. Before you consider this a
finished work, Check your paragraphs. Your strongest points should be the first
and last paragraphs within the body. Also, make sure that your paragraph order
makes sense. If your essay is describing a process, such as how to make a great
chocolate cake, make sure that your paragraphs fall in the correct order
(University of Leicester, n.d.). Review the instructions for your essay, if
applicable. Many teachers and scholarship forms follow different formats, and
you must double check instructions to ensure that your essay is in the desired
format.Finally, review what you have written. Reread your paper, make sure that
sentence flow is smooth. Check your essay for grammar and spelling mistakes.

Four Major Types of Essays

Distinguishing between types of essays is simply a matter of determining the
writer’s goal. Does the writer want to tell about a personal experience, describe
something, explain an issue, or convince the reader to accept a certain viewpoint?
The four major types of essays address these purposes:

 1. Narrative Essays: Telling a Story

In a narrative essay, the writer tells a story about a real-life experience.
While telling a story may sound easy to do, the narrative essay challenges
students to think and write about themselves. When writing a narrative
essay, writers should try to involve the reader by making the story as vivid
as possible. The fact that narrative essays are usually written in the first
person helps engage the reader. “I” sentences give readers a feeling of
being part of the story. A well-crafted narrative essay will also build
towards drawing a conclusion or making a personal statement.
 2. Descriptive Essays: Painting a Picture
A cousin of the narrative essay, a descriptive essay paints a picture with
words. A writer might describe a person, place, object, or even memory of
special significance. However, this type of essay is not description for
description’s sake. The descriptive essay strives to communicate a deeper
meaning through the description. In a descriptive essay, the writer should
show, not tell, through the use of colorful words and sensory details. The
 best descriptive essays appeal to the reader’s emotions, with a result that is
highly evocative.
 3. Expository Essays: Just the Facts
The expository essay is an informative piece of writing that presents a
balanced analysis of a topic. In an expository essay, the writer explains or
defines a topic, using facts, statistics, and examples. Expository writing
encompasses a wide range of essay variations, such as the comparison and
contrast essay, the cause and effect essay, and the “how to” or process
essay. Because expository essays are based on facts and not personal
feelings, writers don’t reveal their emotions or write in the first person.
 4. Persuasive Essays: Convince Me
While like an expository essay in its presentation of facts, the goal of the
persuasive essay is to convince the reader to accept the writer’s point of
view or recommendation. The writer must build a case using facts and
logic, as well as examples, expert opinion, and sound reasoning. The
writer should present all sides of the argument, but must be able to
communicate clearly and without equivocation why a certain position is
correct.

Refrences

University of Leicester. n.d. Develop Your Writing: Writing Skills and

Technique. https://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/doctoralcollege/training/er
sources/study-guides/thesis/developing. 30 th October 2019.

Unversity of Otago. n.d. How Can You Improve Your Written English For Writing
a Thesis?. https://www.otago.ac.nz/hedc/otago671010.pdf. Accessed at 30
th
October 2019.

University of Massey. (2010). What is academic writing?.

http://owll.massey.ac.nz/academic-writing/what-is-academic-writing.php.
Accessed at 30 th October 2019.