Your general academic performance greatly depends on writing skills as students mostly get grades for written assignments, including essays, research papers, reviews, etc. Yet, writing is a complicated process, which requires regular practice. If you struggle with it and your drafts are far from being perfect, it does not mean that you are a bad writer. Here are some tips that can improve the quality of your written assignments and bring the grades that you deserve.
Table of Contents
Figure Out the Purpose
There are different types of papers, and each of them has its own aim. To develop an effective piece of writing, you need to determine its purpose before you start to plan or draft your essay. It helps you to be concentrated on the task and choose the necessary perspective and approach to express yourself. Without a concrete purpose, your essay will end up messy and inconsistent. Take a look at the most common essay types:
| Type | Purpose |
| Narrative Essay | To tell a story |
| Descriptive Essay | To describe an object, place, person, event, etc. |
| Expository Essay | To explain a certain topic or idea, staying objective and neutral in your argument |
| Persuasive Essay | To convince the reader to agree with your point of view |
| Argumentative Essay | To take a stance and prove that it is correct |
| Analytical Essay | To examine a concept or idea critically |
| Reflective Essay | To express your opinion |
Develop a Plan
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Use your best efforts to plan and organize the paper as it is the core of effective writing. Try to note down all ideas you have about the topic. Add reasons and evidence from other reputable sources. Solid facts will help you sound more convincing. You can do it in an electronic form to make it easier to reorganize ideas as writing is a non-linear process. When you are working on a plan, you need to make multiple changes and improvements to make sure that the final draft will have a smooth flow of ideas.
Think About the Structure
Another aspect that requires your attention is the structure of your paper. It must be logically divided into several paragraphs, which appear in the correct order. Start with an engaging title that gives readers an idea about the content of your essay. Then, outline the topic, providing the context within which you will examine the discussed issue. Do not forget that an introductory paragraph ends with a thesis statement, which is a clear and concise assertion about the subject matter.
Then comes the body of your essay, which usually includes three paragraphs. This is the place where you develop the introduced idea and provide evidence to support it. You should elaborate on the matter and clarify the necessary points to make sure that readers understand your argument correctly. A good way to accomplish it is to keep each paragraph focused on one idea. Besides, each part should include:
- Topic sentence
- Evidence
- Supporting details
- Concluding sentence
Finally, add a short but meaningful conclusion that summarizes the main points. It will help your readers to refresh the mentioned ideas in their memory.
Read More
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Any improvement starts with the analysis and setting goals. To be more successful at writing, you need to read works of masters. It familiarizes you with advanced vocabulary and techniques that you can apply in your essays. Try to read attentively and pay attention to detail. These are some of the aspects you should focus on:
- What techniques does the author use to attract readers’ attention?
- What makes the thesis statement convincing?
- How does the author build his or her argument?
- How does the author present supporting ideas?
- What transitions can you identify?
- How does the author narrow the topic?
- What makes a conclusion memorable?
Focus on Your Reader
As you write school assignments, you should focus on your main reader — your teacher. He or she will have a pile of papers to check, and probably they even discuss the same topic. Therefore, you need to make your essay easy and interesting to read. If your text has abrupt thoughts, and its structure is similar to the stream of consciousness where you jump from one idea to another, the teacher is unlikely to get your point. To stand out and improve your grades, you need to think both about the content and style of the essay. Do not neglect to plan the piece and work on transitions and easy flow.
Attend a Workshop
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There are multiple opportunities for you to become better at writing. Many institutions offer group tutoring and workshops, which teach you how to improve your skills. There are also online options where you get the main writing approaches and techniques explained. Besides, consider referring to DoMyEssay to get writing help. You can find useful writing tips on their website or get a draft of your paper with correct structure, references, and original ideas. People learn information much better when they see concrete examples of how to write effectively.
Do Not Forget About the Basics
You should build your writing on impeccable grammar, punctuation, spelling, and style. If you fail to make those perfect, you will not get the desired grade even if your ideas are original and interesting. Not to let it happen, spend some time editing your paper. If you have some doubts regarding grammar or vocabulary, it is always better to look up the unknown aspects in the dictionary. Besides, make sure you use a formal style of writing. It means that you should avoid colloquial expressions, contractions, and informal phrasal verbs. What is more, academic works must be objective and accurate in their nature.
To Sum Up
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If your grades are not perfect, you should work more on your writing skills. This will help you to express yourself correctly and submit thoughtful and well-structured papers. Teachers value such works and grade them highly. Writing skills are not the easiest to master, but if you invest some of your time into practice and follow our tips, you will notice improvements in no time.
