Writing An Essay

Introduction

Recently, I had a discussion with my siblings about the IELTS examination.

• I used to achieve an average of 6.5 across all four components, but I think I would have much difficulty writing the essay now.
• It has been so long since I have had to write physically with minimum word count within a limited timeframe.
• Graduating from university has meant that most of my work has shifted to a digital format, where I have the luxury of time and resources.

Planning Out the Content

From a young age, we were taught that the fundamentals of a good essay encompass content, expression, structure and grammar.

• Vocabulary is equally important to enrich the expression.

To write any essay, you need to plan what key messages you wish to highlight.

• This may involve narrating a personal life event or offering a fresh perspective to you audience.
• For example, when you look at my left hand, you may only see the palm, but if I turn it 180 degrees, you will see the back of it. This illustrates the true purposes of an essay: to convey messages.

Organizing your essay into well-structured paragraphs makes it easier for readers to follow your thought process and gives an idea of which points require further elaboration and justification.

• In a well-structured essay, each paragraph's length should be roughly comparable.

Practice Makes Perfect

Every essay begins with an idea.

• Often, we begin by mimicking how others present their thoughts and ideas.
• Only later do we develop our own unique writing style.

Also, after writing your essay, take the time to proofread and edit it.

• Look for grammar and spelling errors, as well as clarify and coherence in your writing.

Summary

You may think that I have good writing skills because I often write blog posts.

• However, the reality is that I sometimes have writer's block when writing stories because I have been dealing so much with hard factual content.
• Writing stories requires a different set of skills, such as creativity and imagination.