Essay Writing 101: How to Write an Essay Paper That Stands Out

Are you afraid of essay writing? You’re not alone.

Writing an essay can be a dreadful task for any student. No matter if it is for a class assignment or scholarship application, many students can find it hard to lay out their ideas on paper.

Often, we end up staring at a blank piece of paper and procrastinating until the very last minute.

Yet for some, writing an essay is as simple as typing on their computer. But to write an essay that actually stands out, there’s a lot more planning that should go into your writing.

For those who are looking to improve their writing skills or just want to get a better grade, our guide will help you write an outstanding essay quickly.

How to write an essay paper that stands out?

In this guide, we have broken down the task of writing an excellent essay into manageable steps. This will make it easier to start writing and keep you on track as you go.

The guide will cover all the significant aspects of essay writing

• Chapter 1: What are the Steps of Writing an Essay

• Chapter 2: What is a Prompt in Writing an Essay

• Chapter 3: How to Write an Essay Introduction

• Chapter 4: How to Write an Essay Outline

• Chapter 5: How to Write an Essay Conclusion

• Chapter 6: X Essay Writing Hacks to Write High-Scoring Essays

But before we dive in, let’s get the introductions out of the way and understand the basics of essay writing.

The Importance of Writing Essays

Whether you’re a college student about to write your first essay or letter of intent for college, everyone needs to understand the fundamentals.

An essay commonly refers to academic writing that focuses on developing an argument or idea on a specific topic. It can also be a viewpoint on a topic or subject and is generally backed by analysis and evidence.

A piece of writing is most commonly called an essay when it follows a standard format. That typically includes an introduction, a body consisting of at least three main points, and a conclusion.

An essay can vary in length and tone, but it must always have a thesis statement that clearly shows your argument and answers the question in the assignment.

Essay writing is an integral part of the college curriculum because it helps you think critically, organize perspectives, and communicate your ideas more efficiently.

And this value of learning how to write an essay paper can go beyond education and into the workforce. You will acquire essential research and analytic skills transferable throughout your learning career into your profession.

As a college student, there are many types of essays you might need to write, and the content will depend on your subject of study and course requirements.

But as a whole, improving your writing skills can get you a key habit of building discipline and developing a writing routine.

Writing an essay is no walk in the park. You need to research, analyze, review, proofread, and adequately manage your time to get your writing done on time.

But before you start writing, make sure you understand the details of the assignment to know how to approach the essay and what your focus should be.

11 Common Types of Essays You Will Come Across

Like any form of writing, essays come in many different types depending on the assignment instructions given. Knowing what kind of essay you are writing can help structure it in the best way possible. So here are 11 of the most common essay types.

Expository essay

Also known as explanatory essays, this type of writing provides explanations of an idea or concept. It can also explain to readers how to perform a given process, like step-by-step instructions on how the fashion industry works.

Analytical essay

An analytical essay not only describes a concept, but it takes it one step further by breaking down an idea or issue into its key components. It is an essay that aims to enhance the reader’s knowledge of a topic by providing in-depth analysis and examination.

Argumentative essay

An argumentative or persuasive essay requires you to take a stance on a controversial issue and present evidence in favor of your position. Your goal in this type of essay should be to convince your readers logically to support your particular position on the topic.

Narrative essay

A narrative essay combines personal storytelling with an academic argument. It tells a story or provides information about your subject in a story-like manner. Often, this essay should be more interesting in nature and include relevant experiences as supporting evidence.

Descriptive essay

A descriptive essay focuses on the details of what is going on. It aims to tell a story rather than make an argument. When writing this essay, you should always emphasize describing the event or object with vivid sensory details to let readers genuinely experience it.

Case study essay

A case study essay answers your assignment question by critically assessing a real-world example. This could be anything from examining a person, place, event, or situation to providing an analysis that can showcase key themes or possible solutions.

Compare and contrast essay

A compare and contrast essay analyzes the similarities and differences between two concepts, usually under the same umbrella. It can be, for example, ideas, people, events, or even works of art like comparing Leonardo or Michelangelo.

Cause and effect essay

A cause-and-effect essay is one that shows the relationship between two subjects. In this type of essay, you need to show the chronological order and how one person, idea, or event directly influences an outcome with another subject.

Critical analysis essay

The most common essay you will be getting in college, a critical analysis essay is based on analyzing existing literature. It usually requires you to think critically about your topic and break down other texts or writings to find evidence that backs up your ideas.

Admission essay

An admission essay is an opportunity for students to personalize their college application beyond grades and scores. This type of essay lets students stand out by revealing their character and perspective through actual experiences.

ToK exhibition essay

Also known as a Theory of Exhibition essay, ToK essays are usually required for an IB diploma. It is a comparative essay by nature and will need you to give an exhibition as well to collectively make up your ToK score. The key to scoring high in this assessment is finding innovative and unconventional examples to support the claim for your essay.

What Makes a Good Essay

Though we have defined the purpose of your essay before we get to the writing, there’s a lot more that goes into writing a successful essay.

The real question here is: how to you write an essay paper that stands out?

Despite ever-changing essay topics and arguments, it’s easy to spot a great essay! And that’s because you can find these common qualities applied to every outstanding essay or paper.

Understand the assignment perfectly

A successful essay demonstrates a thorough understanding of the question or requirement of the project. Make sure you identify the purpose of your task and follow length specifications and formatting for your essay to avoid losing any unnecessary marks.

Clear thesis statement

All great essays are focused. Your writing should show a clear and strong thesis statement. It is the central point of your argument, and each paragraph should only expand the main idea of the paper and not veer off-topic.

Well-organized structure

Your essay paper should make sense to the reader. This only happens when your writing is organized logically, with each body paragraph of your essay clearly conveying your point through a topic sentence.

Unique and insightful arguments

The most outstanding college essays present unique insights and critical thinking to a question. Read widely and conduct a broad search for relevant literature to take different perspectives on your topic to deliver a unique viewpoint.

Present evidence and examples

Great essays do not just assert that something is true. Every statement is always backed by evidence. Use facts, statistics, quotes, and real-world case studies to illustrate your point and provide supporting evidence.

Correct spelling and punctuation

Many often miss this when rushing their essay, but proper spelling and punctuation are the baselines for any good writing. To ensure this, always spare some time and make an effort to proofread your paper to avoid any grammatical errors.

Engaging introduction and conclusion

Remember that your essay is written for an audience. Memorable essays start with an engaging introduction and a great conclusion that leaves readers with a strong impression.

Now, we’ll spend time on each of these areas throughout this guide and share your essay writing tips that will help you create your grade-A essay.

So, onto the next chapter.