When you study at some course or end a semester at college or university, you may need to write tons of essays and research papers. Whether you have some narrative essay topic ideas or are clueless about what to write about, you may still need some assistance to create a well-structured and well-researched paper. Here we share some tips and expert recommendations on writing A-grade essays hassle-free. Follow these tips to advance your writing skill to a whole new level.
#1 Clear Structure
You’ll always get a better grade if you follow essay structuring conventions. The proper structuring principle is not an empty word; all tutors and even regular readers unconsciously expect to see specific text fragments on specified positions. Thus, for instance, an essay should start with a general introduction setting the paper’s context and culminating in a thesis statement. Then go to the key arguments presented in the body of your essay, wrapped up with a summary. If the order of elements is violated or some point is missing, the reader won’t get an impression of a complete, consistent text. Thus, your message may be lost.
#2 Well-Chosen Topic
Choosing a topic for an essay is also a challenge that not every student overcomes with flying colors. To pass an exam and get a high mark on the subject, you need to choose a not too broad and not too narrow topic. If the topic is too general, you risk producing a superfluous text covering the subject only partly, with no in-depth observations or research. A too narrow topic suggests another problem, with little research material to substantiate your paper and few ideas to explore in the text.
#3 Rigorous Research
Research is the basis of any high-quality academic writing, so before producing any assignment, you should consult a couple of academic databases to find credible materials. Once you collect reliable sources and make sense of what they say on your topic, it’s time to structure the paper. But before you get a full idea of your subject’s opinions and claims, you risk moving back and forth, unable to structure a consistent, logical argument.
#4 Properly Set the Context
Setting the context for your discussion is the primary indicator of your sound knowledge of the subject determining the essay or exam results. Including broader context into the paper shows that you didn’t simply take an essay topic and considered it in an isolated manner. Giving proper credit to the historical or international influences on your research object will fetch you additional valuable points from the tutor, enabling you to get a high course grade coupled with the supervisor’s respect.
#5 Careful Editing
To err is human, as a famous proverb says. But editing makes your writing divine – in other words, the essay you compose gets polished and improved as you revisit and revise it. The self-editing skill is what distinguishes a capable Master’s student from a mediocre one. It leaves much space for growth and impressive academic performance that won’t go unnoticed.
Another valuable benefit of editing is its ability to give you a new, detached perspective on your brainchild. Once you complete the writing process, it may be too hard to revisit your text and find its flaws or inconsistencies. It seems so ideal! But overall, we are all prone to errors and typos, detecting which can save your grade and improve your paper’s overall impression.
#6 Continuous Learning
Getting better at writing is not a one-time goal. It’s a lifelong process that you should be ready to undergo to study better and acquire persuasive writing skills for the future. So, to become a better writer every day, you should treat the very writing process carefully and diligently, learning from your mistakes and analyzing the flaws of the past works.
The excellent idea is to follow the tutor’s feedback to target your weaknesses in future writing projects. In this way, you can improve the writing technique quicker. This self-improvement will surely be noted by your supervisor, resulting in consistent grade improvements.
#7 Great Visualization
Words matter much, but if they are coupled with well-organized and clear visuals, an A grade is guaranteed. Think of the infographics, pie charts, table, or diagrams in advance to organize your text accordingly. Your text will significantly impact the reader if some visual illustrations and supplements accompany its key points.
#8 Credit to Used Resources
Proper referencing of the used material is critical for high-quality, ethical academic writing. Every student citing external sources of evidence should give credit to these sources. Otherwise, it is considered plagiarism – a highly unethical practice punished with an F grade, course suspension, and sometimes even a dropout from an educational institution in case of systemic plagiarism in home assignments.
To avoid these severe penalties, you should learn the paraphrasing conventions and proper citation methods. It’s much better to use materials in your assignments in the paraphrased form (to show your input and amount of work on the evidence). However, if you want to cite some material as it is, make sure you use inverted commas and stipulate the page and the name of the source from which the information was borrowed.
#9 Proper Formatting
Don’t forget about the requirements set by your educational institution. It’s often tempting to do everything as you like it. Nevertheless, if your college says that the essay should be 500 words, there’s no use submitting a 1,000-page paper. You’ll never get an A as you violated the word count instructions.
The same is true for the referencing style, number, and type of used sources, font, margins, and other formatting aspects you may consider trifles. They really matter, and if you ignore them, the tutor will see that.
#10 Timely Submission
A final word about deadlines – they also matter much. Even one minute of a delay may cost you many points. Don’t risk failing a course or an exam because of a lack of punctuality. Set the due date in your calendar and double-check pending deadlines from time to time to avoid such costly errors.
Here you go with the essay writing tips for pros. Follow them diligently, and you’ll see how your grades improve over time. Good luck!
