Even if you love writing, the number of assignments in uni can be pretty overwhelming. Not to mention the much stricter requirements of academic writing. It takes much more than meeting a word count to write a well-done essay. So, it’s pretty hard to navigate through all the academic standards and write an engaging text.
But being good at essay writing is not as hard as it might seem. There are probably a few things that you’re missing to excel in your writing assignments. And all it takes is a bit of diligence and attentiveness to your standard requirements. Here are seven reasons why your writing is lagging behind.
Tunnel vision
The first thing that worsens your essay writing is treating it like a chore. Oftentimes students see essays as daunting tasks to complete to get a grade. And not even professional online essay writer can enjoy writing with this attitude. You have to look at the bigger picture to change your mindset on essay writing and get inspired to improve your writing skills.
For one, essay writing teaches you to express your thoughts clearly and concisely. By mastering academic essays you’ll be able to get straight to the point of any complicated text or task at work. And since the whole process of essay writing prompts you to do research and fact-check your information, you’re developing a vital skill of critical thinking.
Not understanding instructions
It might be obvious but you’ll be surprised how much of a grade’s percentage falls victim to not reading your assignment instructions properly. It is not enough to get a general idea of what you need to write about. To succeed in your writing assignments, you have to understand what exactly you need to do. Hence, take some time to read your instructions attentively.
Pay attention to every detail down to the formatting requirements. It would be a bummer to get a lower grade for an excellent essay just because you failed to follow formatting guidelines. Do not be shy to ask your professor additional questions about the assignment requirements. It is always better to get everything right from the start.
Choosing the wrong topic
You’re limited with your topic choices by the assignment requirements. But often you need to come up with a specific aspect to write your essay on. And that’s where everything can go downhill. At the best paper writing services professionals never neglect researching the topic and narrowing it down to one specific point. Do not neglect to spend some time on it, either.
If you choose the topic that you’re truly interested in, you would be much more motivated to write a good essay. Tap into what you care about and translate your passion into your writing. One of the main reasons for badly written essays is the initial disinterest in the topic. But remember that there is always a way to find something interesting in every subject.
Poor research
Another trap for your essay writing is neglecting proper research. A uni essay requires you to know your subject matter on the academic level and operate with credible facts and sources. And it would be impossible to do so without doing your research on the topic before getting to the writing itself.
To do decent research on any topic make sure that you’ve:
- come up with keywords that reflect your topic and that can be used in your search
- looked through databases of credible sources like Google Scholar or EBSCO
- checked more than one article on the topic and fact-checked the information
- made notes on each source and underlined the quotes that are relevant to your topic
- made sure that your sources are no older than 10 (ideally 5) years in publication
Disregarding essay structure
If you’re focusing on just meeting your word count requirements, you’ll never get an excellently written essay. A flow of consciousness is of no use in academic writing. Make sure that you follow the structure that is required in any essay. Usually, it implies an introduction with a thesis statement, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
Note that essay structure is there to help you get your point through as clearly as possible. Understand what you have to write in each paragraph. It would be much easier to complete your assignment if you know that you have to fit your argument and argument within the size of a paragraph. Thus, this limitation prompts you to be clear and coherent with your points.
Weak thesis statement
The Achilles heel of most academic essays is their thesis statement. Ideally, the thesis statement is the shortest form of your essay. Any person should understand what point you try to make just by reading this one sentence in the introduction section. So, if you fail to craft a strong thesis statement, your whole essay risks being vague and inconsistent.
Pay extra attention to your thesis statement. Have a mockup version before starting to write your essay, and edit it into the final version after you’re done with your main body. Make sure that your thesis statement covers every main point and does not provide any information that is not supported by the main body paragraphs.
Not leaving time for revision
The mistake that costs you an excellent essay is not leaving time for revising your paper. It might seem unimportant, especially when you’ve already done your editing and proofreading. However, it is quite the opposite. It’s crucial to look at your essay as a whole from the reader’s perspective. Thus, you can see how the text ebbs and flows.
To have this time to perfect your essay, do not write it on the night before the deadline. You would not have the energy to revise it if you’re competing in speed writing to meet the deadline. Have at least a day before submission to read the essay not just after being done with it. Thus, you would have a more objective perspective when revising your paper.
Wrapping up
Here you have it. Avoid treating your essays as a chore for uni and see the benefits in the long run, read instructions attentively, choose the topic you’re interested in, do proper research, use essay structure to your advantage, craft your thesis statement, and set time for revision. Look into this guide and never write a bad essay again.
