essay writing prompts

Some essential elements of a good essay


Any student can write an essay but it takes an extra effort and extra attention to detail to write a good essay. Remember that the marks you get for your essay largely depends upon your understanding of the task and the amount of work you put into creating the essay. Good planning and good thinking plus plenty of preparation and hard work are the usual ingredients to create a good essay.

But what are the essential elements that you should look for in a good essay?

  • The structure of the essay is essential.
  • Indication that solid research has taking place.
  • Sticking to the topic or answering the question is essential.
  • Knowing how to proofread and edit is vital.

There is little benefit in you trying to reinvent the wheel. The ideal structure of an essay has long been discovered, known and put into practice. Stick with what works. The basic structure will include the introduction, the body paragraphs and the conclusion. How many body paragraphs used will depend on the mind of the person setting the assignment. Knowing each one of the components of a good essay and what each contains and importantly, doesn't contain, will help you create a good essay.

Very few students can write a good essay without any research. The more and better research you do the more likely you are to produce a good essay. As someone reads the essay it should be apparent that the writer has taken the trouble to research the topic.

So many students write what they believe is a good essay but can't understand why they get a poor mark because they have made one or two elementary mistakes. They don't stick to the topic or, if there is a question, they don't answer it. Irrelevant writing is the curse of many students and the reason why the essay cannot be described as good. Stick to the topic.

Writing a good essay will always mean that the student understands the value of proofreading and editing. Obviously this involves finding mistakes in spelling and grammar but it also means paying attention to such things as repetition, vague writing and drifting from the topic. It never hurts to show your essay to different people. Listen to their response. Their feedback may be the key to you improving the presentation of your work and thus turning an essay into a good essay or, better still, a good essay into a brilliant one.