“You did not go deep enough into the subject.”
“You lost focus here.”
“There are many irrelevant points.”
“The referencing is wrong.”
“You did not refer to the reading material enough.”
These are some of the common feedback comments that students get on their essays. They are not only mere criticisms; these costs you the grade you expected.
However, there is a difference between average students and students who aim for excellence. A top-grade student will not put aside the feedback; instead, they will work on it and make sure that they do everything to avoid the same mistakes in the next essay.
Essays continue to be a nightmare for the majority of students. So we asked the professional writers at Essay Help for advice on improving essay writing for better grades. Here are a few points that you will find useful.
Table of Contents
1. Original Ideas
An essay is about the presentation of your ideas, but also the ideas you have acquired, which prove that you understand the topic. The key here is “you.” The professor is not looking for a general account of the subject or a mere retelling of the facts you found. They want to see your perspective and the original ideas you have. The first thing you want to ensure is that the essay reflects your unique thoughts on the subject.
2. The Structure
A well-structured essay is the first step to be on good terms with your professor. Getting the structure right is an essential step before you commence to writing. Consider your essay as a puzzle. You have several pieces of information, resources, and ideas you gathered. But you need the different components of the puzzle to come together for it to make sense.
The crucial components of an essay are the introduction, body, and conclusion. An effective introduction is paramount in setting the scene of the paper. From the first few sentences, the reader should be able to understand the premise, your argument, and how you intend to prove it.
The focus of the main body is on this “how.” The different sections here should relate to each other and your original argument. The logical flow here is necessary to demonstrate that you understand what you are writing and are confident about presenting it.
3. Focus on Knowledge and Understanding
As we mentioned in the first point, professors look at more than fact-checking in the essay. Students often tend to cram as many pints as they can to reinforce their argument. Even though it might look like the best approach, what works best is to show your understanding of the subject and research in easy terms. The level of clarity is what will set you apart here.
It is not only the breadth and depth of the knowledge but how you have put it into the context of the essay. Keep in mind that your teacher is well-versed in your area of study, and he has to understand your level of comprehension.
4. Argument and Critical Thinking
Like all other pieces of writing, your aim is to convince the reader of your argument. This comes down to how you have used the data you’ve gathered for stressing your point. The reader is looking for evidence and coherence.
Again, the argument has to shine throughout. It has to be well-formulated as well. You will also need to look into counterarguments and address them in your essay.
5. Use of Resources
It is entirely acceptable to use outside references; in fact, these are encouraged. However, if the essay brief is based on the chapters you have covered or your lecturers, you need to be sure to include them in your essay. In addition, you need to include the latest works, and if required, also mention any controversial ones.
As you know, all sources you use must be referenced in the essay. A well-placed citation is not only about acknowledging your resources, It also gives the reader the impression that you have supporting evidence. You can use tools such as Mendeley to make this step easier.
