How to Write an Essay for High School
One of the most important skills to learn for high school is essay writing. Schools are moving away from traditional 100% exam courses to modern 70/30 breakdowns between exams and essays/coursework. Even exams now require paragraph or full essay answers! This requires more than just memorizing facts so here are a few tips that you can use to write a good essay:
- STRUCTURE IS IMPORTANT
- BODY PARAGRAPHS MUST ALSO HAVE A STRUCTURE
- PLAN, PLAN, PLAN
- REVISE YOUR ESSAY
- PRACTICE MAKES PERMANENT
A well-structured essay looks pleasing and teachers feel like reading it whereas a block of text is always considered poor. Normally, a high school essay would have an introduction, three body paragraphs in which you elaborate your points and a conclusion. Introductions tell the reader what you’re going to tell them, body paragraphs have all the information you want to tell them, and the conclusions sums it all up. In short, the introduction is the skeletal structure, the body paragraphs are the meat and the conclusion is the skin. You need all those to make a perfect person!
Remember SEXI – Statement, Explanation, eXample and Importance. Follow this formula; answer those points and your paragraphs are good to go.
Remember to always make a quick, sketchy plan of how you will write your essay. Diving right into the essay would be a mistake because, more often than not, you will forget what you wanted to write and you waste precious time thinking of what to write. Planning well and efficiently solves this issue. They also help give your essay a structure!
This depends on the situation you are writing your essay in. If it’s assigned as homework and you just finished it, taking a break before revisiting your essay would be a good idea. It is also advisable to show your siblings or parents and get their opinions on it. If it’s in an exam situation and you have time, stay until the end and go through your essay; it could make a huge difference to your grade.
The more you write the better you will understand how to write and the ideas will flow through like second-nature to you. It is a good idea to practice past exam question essays in order to understand what is required of you when you write your essay. You can ask your teacher to grade it for you as well! Every teacher likes an enthusiastic student.
Follow these few simple tips and make sure you work hard in high school; it may seem far but it will play a major role in your future!