Blog>
How to Write an Essay: Your Extraordinary Guide
Academic Writing
10 min read

How to Write an Essay: Your Extraordinary Guide

Struggling to elevate your essay writing? Take your skills to the next level with our expert guide on crafting an advanced essay!
Written by
Catherine B.
Published on
Mar 5, 2025
Table of contents
Ever found yourself stressing over writing a powerful hook for your essay? Or finishing it without resorting to a boring recap of your main points? If so, you need a fresh perspective on essay writing.
If this is far from your first rodeo in the land of essay writing, but you still can’t nail it, you’ve found the right essay guide. We’ve foregone all the run-of-the-mill strategies for essay writing in this guide. Instead, we’d like to invite you to imagine your essay as a story waiting to be told.
As the team behind the StudyPro academic AI tool, we know a thing or two about the essay writing process. Here’s your high-level overview of it:
→ Understand the assignment. Read the prompt multiple times to have a full grasp of the essay’s purpose and limitations.
→ Create an outline. Do your research, take notes of relevant sources and key ideas, and jot down the blueprint for the essay.
→ Write a rough draft. Don’t aim for perfection while you’re at it; you’ll revise and refine your draft later.
→ Revise and proofread. Let the draft sit and take a fresh look at it. Ensure the smooth flow of information, edit for conciseness, and weed out grammatical errors and typos.
→ Format it accordingly. Follow the required citation style; when in doubt, ask for clarifications.
→ Submit your essay. Don’t put it off until the last second. Otherwise, you won’t have time to fix some formatting issues or mistakes that may have gone overlooked.

5 Things to Keep in Mind When Writing an Essay

Before diving into writing strategies, let’s make one thing clear: your essay should be up to your reader’s expectations. A high school essay, for example, won’t be graded the same way as a master’s one.
That said, instructors across academic levels want to read essays with a compelling, well-balanced argument written in an easy-to-read, concise, and engaging way. They tend to evaluate essays using the same five criteria:
  • Alignment with the assignment. A great essay tackles the essence of the prompt instead of dancing around it.
  • Thesis statement strength: Your thesis statement should be clearly defined and supported by evidence.
  • Sourcing. All claims should be backed up by reliable sources.
  • Style and clarity. Remain concise, use linking phrases, and stick to the expected tone of voice.
  • Structure and coherence. Your essay structure should include a clear introduction, main body, and conclusion, with the information flowing in a logical order.
Here’s our guide on streamlining the essay writing process — and crafting an A-worthy essay as a result — in nine methodical steps.
Preparation
Writing
Revision
Understand the prompt
Use the right vocabulary
Read and edit the first draft for conciseness, clarity, and coherence
Ask analytical questions
Write a strong introduction
Fix any grammatical errors, typos, and punctuation mistakes
Define a clear thesis statement
Describe your main points, provide and interpret evidence
Fix formatting issues
Prepare an outline with detailed notes
Wrap up your academic essay with a strong conclusion
Re-read the final draft before submitting
Cite sources

1. Understand the Prompt ✔️

In academic writing, your assignment instructions are everything. They’ll determine whether you write an argumentative essay or a persuasive essay. They’ll also set expectations for the essay structure, content, and word count.
So, our essay writing guide had to open with this step. Here’s how to ensure you have a full grasp of the prompt before writing an essay:
→ Give it multiple reads. The first read-through will give you a general idea of the expectations. When you re-read the prompt, underline key terms, including the ones you don’t understand, and jot down ideas.
→ Pinpoint the action verbs. Words like “analyze,” “discuss,” and “compare” will tell you what you’re supposed to achieve in your essay.
→ Consider the learning goals. Are you meant to develop your own analysis method? Or show your knowledge on the topic?
→ Identify core concepts. You’ll probably have to write about a particular theme; what is it?
→ Understand the sourcing expectations. You may be required to use course materials or find relevant information beyond the assigned reading.
→ Know who you’re writing for. Your target audience will determine your writing style and tone of voice.
→ Take stock of technical requirements. Pay attention to the word count, formatting requirements, citation style, etc.
How to Write an Essay

2. Pose Analytical Questions ✔️

The point of writing essays isn’t just to get a good grade. The essay writing process is meant to get you to think deeply about a particular theme or problem that you’re studying.
In some cases, especially in college essay assignments, you’re free to define your essay’s topic.
  • If you’re allowed free rein of your topic, this is an extra challenge among the steps to writing an essay. To settle on a compelling topic, you’ll need to pose a strong analytical question. Such a question:
  • Focuses on a genuine dilemma that your sources don’t agree on
  • Doesn’t yield an obvious, short, or clear-cut answer
  • Can be addressed within the suggested word count (without using filler sentences)
  • Has enough relevant sources to explore it
To come up with a strong analytical question:
→ Start with a point of tension: an unconvincing published view, inconsistency, gap, underexplored problem, questionable piece of evidence, controversy, etc.
→ Pose an analytical question; prioritize the “how” and “why” questions that focus on patterns, connections, or contradictions
→ Answer the question, thereby creating your thesis statement.

3. Define and Refine Your Thesis Statement ✔️

Your thesis statement is the central point of your essay, and it’s the answer to an analytical question that you either defined yourself or received as part of your assignment.
A good thesis statement isn’t too obvious or simplistic. It should be arguable and complex enough (but not too complex) to address within the essay.
Here’s how to write an essay thesis statement that makes your essay compelling and interesting:
→ Avoid descriptive theses that simply summarize known information or stance
→ Ensure you have enough relevant sources to provide evidence
→ Verify that your thesis justifies spending a whole essay arguing for it
→ Ensure it piques the reader’s interest

4. Prepare an Outline ✔️

An outline is your essay’s detailed blueprint. It briefly describes what you’ll say in the introduction, each of the main body paragraphs, and the conclusion. The more detailed your outline is, the easier writing the essay will be.
Here’s how to write an essay outline that facilitates the whole process:
Outline Elements
Example
Introduction
✔️ Introduce the toll of the Iraq War on both sides of the armed conflict (casualties, financial losses, etc.).
✔️ Cite the poll stating that 62% of US adults didn’t consider the war worth fighting.
✔️ Thesis: The US invasion of Iraq wasn’t justified based on the jus ad bellum criteria.
Paragraph 1
✔️Topic sentence: The just cause argumentation of the Bush administration wasn’t based on hard proof that preventive action was necessary.
✔️ Cite the lack of evidence that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.
Paragraph 2
✔️ Topic sentence: The Bush administration’s intention to bring democracy to Iraq was poorly defined.
✔️ Cite the lack of a clearly defined plan to install a democratic regime in Iraq.
Paragraph 3
✔️ Topic sentence: The invasion was not the last resort for resolving the conflict.
✔️ Cite the United States’ ultimatum for Saddam Hussein and describe alternative solutions.
Conclusion
✔️ Restate main points:
→ The invasion’s just cause wasn’t backed by hard evidence.
→ The underlying intentions were poorly defined.
→ It was not the last resort.
Synthesized point: The US invasion of Iraq wasn’t justified based on the jus ad bellum criteria.

5. Use Linking Words and Phrases ✔️

Before we dive into how to start an essay, let’s take a detour and talk about your writing style. A good academic essay doesn’t only contain an in-depth analysis of the topic. It also ensures a smooth flow of information with linking phrases like “in my opinion” or “finally.”
So, as part of our essay tips, let’s provide you with a cheatsheet for the most useful phrases:
Giving your opinion
Structuring ideas
Introducing new ideas
Contrasting two ideas
Explaining
In my opinion/view…
Firstly / Secondly / Thirdly …
In addition to this, …
However, …
Consequently…
I partly / fully agree that…
To begin with...
Moreover, …
Although…
Another reason why…
I firmly believe that...
First / Second of all…
Furthermore, …
On the other hand…
As a result…
Finally…
What is more, …
In contrast…
Concerning...
As for...
You might also need to bring yourself up to speed on [how to rephrase a sentence](/blog/how-to-rephrase-a-sentence before you start writing your essay. It’ll help you avoid false-flag plagiarism.

6. Start at the Beginning ✔️

If you don’t tackle the essay introduction before writing the main body, you risk losing track of your arguments or overlooking gaps in logic. Plus, you may end up writing things that you’ll have to delete later on.
A typical introduction consists of:
  • Setting the scene: Provide background information or open with a bold statement to capture the reader’s attention
  • Stating your thesis: Describe the main argument you’ll be defending
  • Providing a roadmap: Briefly summarize what you’ll describe in the main body
Here are three tips on writing an essay introduction that hooks the reader:
→ Avoid clichés like “In today’s world…” or “Many believe…”; they may also get flagged as plagiarism (check out our plagiarism guide to learn more)
→ Avoid broad generalizations
→ Don’t give definitions in your introduction; if they’re crucial for your argument, define them in the following paragraph
Here’s an example of an introduction:
"Iraq War (2003-2011) caused substantial casualties on both sides, and the public opinion and international community both condemned it as “not worth fighting” and “violating the UN charter.” While the Bush administration attempted to provide a just cause for the invasion, the war failed to meet the jus ad bellum criteria. It’s possible to demonstrate that the Iraq War was not, in fact, justified by evaluating the reasoning provided by the Bush administration regarding the war’s just cause, intentions, and last-resort claims."

7. Break Down Your Main Points ✔️

The body of an essay breaks down your main points according to the roadmap you provided in the introduction. Most essays require you to provide specific arguments to back up your thesis and present evidence, including quotes and examples.
Your main body can consist of just three paragraphs if you’re writing a high school essay. Graduate-level academic essay main bodies could easily span 8-10 pages.
Struggle to hit the word count? Tinker with our StudyPro’s AI writer to get more ideas for your essay.
Every main body paragraph should address one key point. Here’s its typical structure:
☑️ Topic sentence. The first sentence of the paragraph states clearly what its main idea is. For example: The Bush administration didn’t possess hard proof that preventive action in the form of the invasion of Iraq was necessary.
☑️ Evidence. This is where you back up the claim made in the first sentence by citing empirical evidence, quotes, research papers, examples, etc.
☑️ Analysis. Once you present evidence, you need to provide an in-depth analysis of it. Interpret the evidence and explain how it proves the point in your topic sentence.
How long is a paragraph? In most cases, an essay body paragraph is 5-8 sentences long. However, the exact length depends on the desired word count and academic level.

8. Wrap It Up ✔️

Finally, you’ll need to finish your essay with a powerful conclusion. This final paragraph sums up your argument and reinforces your thesis. Depending on the essay type, discipline, and academic level, you may also need to:
  • Explain the significance or implications of your essay
  • Mention other points of view or factors that are relevant but were outside of your essay’s scope
  • Describe how your essay fits into the topic’s wider context
Here’s how to conclude an essay in three steps:
☑️ Start with the “what”: Echo your thesis and highlight why it stands based on your arguments in the main body
☑️ Describe the “so what”: Go back to the stakes described in the introduction (i.e., why readers should care)
☑️ Finish with the “now what”: Leave your reader with the implications of your argument for the field, questions for future research, or its potential applications
Here’s how to avoid common mistakes when writing the conclusion:
DO ✅
DON’T ⛔️
Echo your thesis and the main argument
Introduce new ideas or evidence
Answer the “So what?” question
Undermine your argument
Add a wider perspective to your argument
Start the conclusion with “In conclusion…” or similar

9. Cite Sources ✔️

Even if you use great resources, your essay may be downgraded if you don’t cite them right. So, watch out for formatting issues. Use citation generators and style templates to speed things up.
When you write a rough draft, you can add a single word or a link after the evidence to help you remember what source you’re citing. Once your first draft is done, assemble all sources in the references section and format them according to the citation style mentioned in your assignment (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.)

How to Organize Your Essay

If your ideas are all over the place, you’ll have to bring them under control to write a good essay. Here are three tips for writing an essay that remains well-organized:
1. Break down your thesis. Write your thesis on a blank page. If it’s clear and arguable, you should be able to break it down into the main claims in its support.
2. Write out the subheadings. Essays aren’t supposed to include subheadings, but writing them down can help you zero in on the topic sentences. These informal subheadings can also describe what you’re meant to achieve within the paragraph.
3. Try the “reverse outline” approach. If you’re not a “plan first, write later” kind of person, start with a rough draft of what you want to say in your essay. Then, list the key points you’ve made. This will help you see gaps in logic or argument, ambiguity, unnecessary repetitions, or paragraphs that address more than one point.
You should also pay attention to the flow of information when you revise your draft. Read your essay aloud to identify clunky sentences and jumps in logic. For more tips, check out our guide on how to organize your writing.

Essay Example: Our Tips in Action

Want to see how to write an essay example based on our guide? Here’s our short sample essay on the impact of generative AI on climate change:

Does Generative AI Exacerbate the Climate Crisis?

"While the economic impact of generative AI is projected to reach $2.6 trillion to $4.4 trillion in additional annual revenue (1), its environmental impact remains more elusive to assess. (Opening with an interesting fact to hook the reader.) Yet, governments and the public alike need to understand the technology’s impact on the climate crisis in order to be able to address it. (Explaining the stakes of the discussion.)
Despite the focus on generative AI’s electricity consumption among media and scientists, concentrating on the technology’s role in the climate crisis means oversimplifying the multi-dimensional challenge climate change represents. (Stating the thesis.) To reach such a conclusion, we need to consider the challenges of assessing the impact of AI on energy consumption, the past concerns over energy demand caused by emerging information technologies, and other technologies driving the energy demand in the present day. (Providing a roadmap.)
While data center expansion is indeed underway, it is difficult to link it directly to the proliferation of AI technologies. (Stating the main idea for the body paragraph.) _For example, the IEA 2024 report estimates that data centers will consume over 1,000 TWh by 2026 due to the increase in demand for AI and cryptocurrency, up from 460 TWh in 2022. (2)
However, it doesn’t explicitly quantify the extent to which this increase is actually caused by the demand for generative AI software. This increase could be caused by the rise in other technologies’ popularity, such as analytical AI or IoT. _(Presenting and interpreting evidence.)
_Furthermore, projections concerning technology-driven electricity consumption increase may not be reliable; they have already failed to become reality in the past.
(Stating the main idea for the body paragraph.) For instance, in 1999, when IT-related US energy demand constituted 13% of the whole country’s consumption, some estimates projected the technology’s share to rise to half of the grid capacity. (3) These projections did not come true. (3) What’s more, today, information technologies constitute only about 3% of the US electricity consumption. (4) This calls into question the reliability of such prognoses. _(Presenting and interpreting evidence.)
Finally, the rising electricity consumption is also driven in part by the technologies necessary for the sustainable energy transition. (Stating the main idea for the body paragraph.) These include electric vehicles to decrease reliance on combustion engines and heat pumps to make heating solutions more sustainable. (4) Ergo, increases in electricity consumption can’t be defined as a purely negative trend since they could reflect a number of trends, including sustainable energy transition. (Presenting and interpreting evidence.)
_While generative AI may be contributing to the rise in data center electricity consumption, that doesn’t make it an obvious culprit that deserves the lion’s share of regulators’ attention. For one, it may be next to impossible to quantify the role of generative AI in the rising data center electricity consumption.
Furthermore, any projections on future demand should be taken with a grain of salt. (Briefly summarizing the essay’s main points.) That’s why governments and the public alike should focus on expanding the use of renewable energy sources in electricity production to meet society’s rising needs._ (Contextualizing the essay’s points within the broader topic.)"
References
“The economic potential of generative AI: The next productivity frontier” (McKinsey & Company, 2023); https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/the-economic-potential-of-generative-ai-the-next-productivity-frontier#introduction.
“Electricity 2024: Analysis and forecast to 2026” (International Energy Agency, 2024); https://www.iea.org/reports/electricity-2024.
“Is AI Really About to Devour All Our Energy?” (Heatmap, 2024); https://heatmap.news/technology/ai-energy-consumption
“AI is an energy hog. This is what it means for climate change.” (MIT Technology Review, 2024); https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/05/23/1092777/ai-is-an-energy-hog-this-is-what-it-means-for-climate-change/

Bonus: Your Essay Writing Checklist

If your head goes swimming with the amount of tips and guidelines we’ve mentioned so far, don’t worry. We prepared a checklist based on our tips for all the steps to writing an essay to help you make sure you don’t forget a thing:

Preparation

✔️ Have I read the assignment multiple times?
✔️ Do I understand the essay’s purpose and expected structure?
✔️ Do I understand the scope of sources I have to include in the essay?
✔️ Are formatting and length requirements clear to me?
✔️ Have I found enough reliable sources to back my thesis?
✔️ Have I prepared an outline with detailed notes?

Introduction

✔️ Does my introduction contain a clear thesis?
✔️ Is my thesis arguable and compelling?
✔️ Does my introduction pique the reader’s interest?
✔️ Have I provided a roadmap for defending my thesis in the introduction?

Main body

✔️ Have I backed every claim in the body paragraph with evidence?
✔️ Have I interpreted the provided evidence?
✔️ Does every main body paragraph start with a clear topic sentence?

Conclusion

✔️ Does my conclusion summarize my thesis and arguments in its support?
✔️ Does it appeal to the wider implications of the essay’s findings?
✔️ Does it stick to the previously revealed information without introducing new ideas or evidence?

Communicative achievement

✔️ Does my essay answer the question from the prompt in a logical, substantiated way?
✔️ Have I addressed all the key terms and concepts from the prompt?
✔️ Are all my ideas communicated clearly, without any vague or embellished language?
✔️ Have I maintained the balance between evidence-backed facts and personal opinions?
✔️ Have I used an appropriate writing style and tone of voice?
✔️ Have I included only relevant information without repeating myself?

Organization

✔️ Does my essay describe the main points in an order that makes sense?
✔️ Have I ensured there are no gaps in reasoning or logic?
✔️ Do I remain consistent throughout the essay without any contradictions?
✔️ Does my essay structure meet the discipline’s and essay type’s conventions?
✔️ Have I added citations for all source materials?

Language

✔️ Have I checked my essay for grammar, punctuation, and spelling mistakes?
✔️ Have I removed any typos?
✔️ Have I used transitional phrases and words where appropriate?
✔️ Have I avoided any clichéd phrases and overgeneralized sentences in the text?
✔️ Have I used diverse vocabulary with terminology expected of my academic level?
✔️ Is my essay easy to read?

In Closing

Writing an essay may not be that complicated, but writing a good essay is a whole different game. That said, preparation makes all the difference. So, take your time to understand the prompt, pose analytical questions, refine your thesis, and prepare an outline.
On top of that, remember that the first draft is never the best one. That’s why you should set aside enough time to read your essay aloud, edit it for conciseness and clarity, and get rid of any mistakes or typos.

Frequently asked questions

You can start writing your essay in multiple ways, depending on its type, assignment, discipline, etc.
Here’s how to start an essay in four steps:
  1. Write the hook, i.e., a powerful opening sentence for your essay (if acceptable)
  2. Provide background information on the topic
  3. State your thesis, i.e., the main argument
  4. Provide a roadmap on how you’ll be defending your thesis
The best way to start an essay depends on the discipline’s conventions and the purpose of your essay. In some cases, you may be allowed to start with a surprising fact or a bold statement.
In others, you should get straight to your thesis statement.
  1. Keep these tips in mind when you start writing:
  2. Pick the right tone for your essay
  3. If you’re stuck, go back to your outline and add more detail to it
  4. Check the conventional introduction structure before writing
You can write a powerful opening sentence for an essay by:
  1. Asking a rhetorical question
  2. Using a surprising fact or an impressive statistic
  3. Opening with a quote (just make sure it’s relevant!)
  4. Describing an anecdote (works best for personal essays)
  5. Dispelling a common misconception on the topic
Sources:
Strategies for Essay Writing | Harvard College Writing Center. (n.d.). https://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/pages/strategies-essay-writing
How to outline - Purdue OWL® - Purdue University. (n.d.). https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/generalwriting/thewritingprocess/developinganoutline/howto_outline.html
Academic writing

Stay Informed

Get the inside scoop with our latest news!