From topic selection and research to creating an outline and fine-tuning the final draft, essay writing can take between two and six hours to complete. 

In theory, writing an essay isn’t as hard, and you might have breaks between each stage of the assignment and get it done in good time for submission. However, writing an essay can be more challenging if you don’t know what it is and how to approach it. 

We’ve put this guide together to help you learn everything you need to know about an essay. 

Whether you want to learn what an essay is, understand the various types, or learn how to write the assignment, you’ll find this guide incredibly useful. 

Key Takeaways 

• An essay may express emotional appeal, present an idea, start a debate, or propose an argument in nonfiction writing. 
• There are different types of essays. Examples include persuasive, argumentative, expository, opinion, compare and contrast, cause and effect, and admissions essay. 
• A well-structured essay follows a 5-paragraph format, which features an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. 
• An essay can be as short as 500 words or longer than 4,000 words depending on the assignment guidelines handed over by your teacher. 
• You can get instant essay writing help here if you don’t have enough time to complete the assignment. 

What is an Essay? 

In academic writing and literature, an essay is an assignment that focuses on developing an idea or proposing an argument using analysis, evidence, and interpretation. 

To write an essay, you have to look at the nature of the subject in question to determine what type of essay you have to write. 

Then, you’ll immerse yourself in extensive research, collect as much information as possible from credible, peer-reviewed sources, create an outline to organize your thoughts, write the first draft, and proofread your work for submission. You can learn more about an essay in the video below.

11 Different Types of Essays Explained 

You will write more than one type of essay in college, so you have to learn and understand what they entail.  

1. College Admission Essay

A college admission essay is a piece of writing completed by students who want to enrol in colleges to further their studies after high school. 

Many post-high school students don’t know how to write a college admissions essay, albeit they know what it is. 

Given how difficult it is to please a strict admissions committee, which looks for every reason not to enroll you in a course in their institution, you have to either give the assignment the very best of your writing prowess or burn out altogether. 

You don’t necessarily have to invest sweat and blood in completing a college admissions essay. If you have no idea how to handle this project, you can hire our expert essay writers to help. 

Our expert essay writers will draw the attention of any admissions officer, even those in colleges with slim admission opportunities for students. 

2. Argumentative Essay 

An argumentative essay is a piece of writing that requires you to present a debate on a topic.

You have to take a side on an issue and then use facts and evidence to defend your position. Moreover, you must consider counterclaims and use rebuttals to demonstrate why the other side of the argument is weaker than your current position. 

There are three types of arguments in argumentative essay writing. These are classical, Rogerian, and Toulmin arguments. 

Classical Argument 

Developed by Aristotle, a classical argument requires you to analyze two sides of an argument, pick one side, and then use statistical and academic evidence to defend and prove your stand. 

In a classical argument, you can use time, logic, authenticity, and emotion to convince an audience to agree with your view and accept your stance.  

Rogerian Argument

Named after Carl Rogers, the Rogerian argumentative Essay discusses sensitive issues. This approach makes it possible to write an argument on a controversial subject without creating a hostile environment. 

In addition to presenting an optimal passion for the opposing point of view and finding a typical compromise for both sides, the Rogerian argument presents issues in a way that doesn’t hurt anyone’s emotions. 

Toulmin Argument 

The Toulmin argument requires you to break your essay into backings, claims, ground, rebuttals, warrant, and quantifiers.

With this approach, you start with the main argument, highlight credible evidence to support your claim, and then identify a warrant to link to the claim. 

Quantifiers, backing, and rebuttals aren’t standard in this argument. However, they may be necessary for writing, so you should add them to your essay where appropriate. 

In theory, writing an argumentative essay sounds like an easy task. In practice, you have to do more work to complete the project. If you don’t have the best analytical skills and the ability to argue your points clearly, your essay may come across as weak. 

To write a solid argumentative essay, you must select a topic you can explore in-depth. In addition to declaring your stance, you’ll have to present solid evidence and credible facts strong enough to weaken the opposing side of the argument. 

3. Cause and Effect Essay 

In a cause and effect essay, you must demonstrate how one action brings about a positive or negative impact – or both.

The focus topic varies depending on the subject under investigation, with room to choose a topic that you want if your teacher hasn’t assigned one to you

Writing a cause-and-effect essay may not demand creativity, but you must have strong analytical skills to complete the work. 

4. Compare and Contrast essay 

A compare and contrast essay is a piece of writing that holds two ideas, subjects, or persons. Your assignment is to determine the similarities and differences to establish their relationship.  

• In comparing, you have to demonstrate how unrelated topics or events have a connection, even in an unexpected way.  
• In contrast, you select two similar objects and show their striking differences. 

The purpose of a compare and contrast essay is to show a critical illustration of unexpected and equally significant differences or similarities. 

Your compare and contrast essay can be in the block or alternating format, depending on how you construct and arrange your ideas. 

• Block format: With this format, you list all the similarities and differences of the first subject, and then you do the same for the other. You may opt to conclude with a summary that compares the two side by side to form a combination method. 
• Alternating Format: In the alternating format, you pick a point of difference or similarity and compare the two subjects in parallel. Ensure the subjects you select have sufficient similarities – or the essay won’t make sense. 

5. Analytical Essay 

This assignment requires you to construct an argument and evaluate it using multiple claims. You have to support your assertions with sufficient empirical evidence. Note that you must thoroughly investigate the issue’s positive and negative aspects.

6. Theory of Knowledge Essay

The Theory of Knowledge essay is one of the most challenging assignments in the IBO diploma program. 

To get a 7, you must demonstrate your ability to reflect on the nature of knowledge as well as how we know what we claim to know. You will write the essay based on a ToK prompt to demonstrate how the Theory of Knowledge manifests itself in the real world. 

Although it is only 1,200 words long, the ToK essay is hard to write. 

You may need help from academic writers who understand the topic inside out to help you lessen the difficulty of the IB program. So if you have difficulty completing the IB ToK essay, you can hire our essay writing service to help you complete the assignment.

7. Extended Essay

The extended essay is an individual assignment in the IB program that requires you to research a topic of your choice and write a 4,000-word essay. 

The assignment will require you to hold a series of reflections with your teacher, in which they will track your progress and advise you accordingly. 

If you are having difficulty completing your IB extended essay assignment on time, contact our team for writing assistance. 

8. Expository Essay

Also called an explanatory essay, an expository essay requires you to give your opinion on a person, a subject, a process, or an event. 

Your point of view in an explanatory essay has to be 100% logical, even if you disagree with the viewpoint that you share. 

Do not confuse an expository essay with an argumentative essay. The essay does not require you to take a stand and defend your position. Instead, you have to focus on explaining an issue to make it easier for your target reader to understand. 

9. Personal Essays

A persuasive essay is nonfiction writing that shares a startling or exciting story from your personal experience. 

The story you share in a personal essay must be nonfiction. Even if you use poetic license to condense conversations or change names to protect the identity of friends and family, the story you share should be accurate.  

10. Precis 

A precis is a piece of writing that requires you to summarize an argument or an idea in 400 to 1,200 words. Notably, you must present an author’s information in a condensed format. That way, your target can learn and understand the importance of the theme without having to read an entire piece of written work.  

11. Persuasive Essays

Persuasive essays are assignments written to express an opinion on a subject.

For example, if you believe that abortion should be illegal, you must explain yourself enough to get people to consider your position on the issue.

Unlike an argumentative essay, which presents two sides of an argument, persuasive essays get a reader to accept specific ideas or the position you hold. 

How to Write an Essay Step-by-Step 

Essay writing requires preparation, structuring, writing, and revising the assignment. Here are the steps to follow to write any essay. 

1. Read the Essay Prompt First

Before you do anything else, read the assignment brief to understand what your teacher expects to see in your writing. By reading the prompt, you’ll know the essay’s goal, the type of essays to write, and the length of the task. 

Ask your professor for help if you can’t understand part of or the entire essays prompt.  

2. Choose a Topic 

Your teacher can either give you an essay topic or allow you to choose your own.

If the essays’ prompt requires you to pick a topic, pick something that interests you. Don’t hesitate to go the extra mile to pick a topic you know a bit about. 

3. Do In-Depth Research 

You should read primary and secondary sources and use the most appropriate ones for your research materials. Primary and secondary sources are significant in essay writing because they act as evidence to support your points. 

4. Develop a Thesis Statement 

A thesis statement is a sentence of declaration in an essay. It’s one or two sentences long and aims to communicate the central point or argument you’d like to make. 

The thesis statement should be clear and concise. Also, remember that you’ll be referring back to this statement when writing your essay.  

5. Create an Outline

Create an outline and use it to organize your research in a logical order. The outline ensures a good flow of ideas, thus making the essay very easy to write.  

6. Write Your Essay 

The final step is writing and proofreading your essay. You’ll start with the introduction, the body paragraphs, and finally, the conclusion. 

Introduction 

The introduction is a significant part that sets the tone for the rest of the essay. Make sure yours is interesting enough to capture the attention of your readers. A good introduction needs to have the following elements: 

• Hook: It’s the first sentence in the introduction paragraph. Raise curiosity by asking an intriguing rhetorical question, sharing a surprising fact, or making a solid statement to bolster the relevance of your topic. 
• Background Information: Follow the hook with a context that gives your readers a clear understanding of your essay. You may explain complex terms or give an overview of the most critical arguments on the topic. 
• Thesis Statement: Following the background information should be the central argument of your essay. 

Body Paragraphs 

Depending on the length of the essay, the body paragraphs can be three paragraphs long to no set maximum. The goal is to make arguments that support your declarative sentence (thesis statement), provide evidence, and construct your ideas. 

Each paragraph in your essay needs to have three parts: 

• Topic sentence: The topic sentence is the main idea you want to present in a specific paragraph. Make sure it ties back to the thesis statement in the introduction. 
• Supporting sentences: The supporting sentences provide evidence such as data, quotes, and examples from credible sources to defend your argument.
• Closing link: The closing link or the concluding sentence is essential because it transitions a reader to the next consecutive paragraph.  

Conclusion 

The conclusion marks the end of your essay. It ties everything you’ve discussed in the body paragraphs and refers to your thesis statement. 

Your essay’s conclusion should be 10 to 15% of the entire essay. Also, ensure you’re not introducing a new idea or argument in conclusion, as doing so can easily confuse a reader. 

Tips to Write a Great Essay 

Here are some tips that can help you write a good essay fast: 

• Read the essay’s instructions before you begin your research. Doing so will help you to understand what the assignment requires. 
• Select your topic wisely. Focus on a topic you know a bit about or one you’ve always wanted to investigate. 
• Use an outline to organize your essay. It will inform your work, bolster the flow of ideas, and ensure you write an essay that’s convincing and easy to read.  
• Start early. The last mistake you want to make is procrastinating your essay until the last minute. 
• Use simple language to write the essay. Avoid including difficult words and phrases in the essay, as these can serve to weaken your arguments. 
• Use transitions between paragraphs. Doing so will ensure your essay is precise and has a good flow. 
• Use evidence from credible sources and reason to defend your arguments. 
• Write a strong thesis statement. Ensure you tie back to it in every paragraph of your essay. 
• Proofread and edit your work. Doing so ensures your essay is free of typographical, grammatical, and coherence errors. 
• Always seek help if you feel stuck. Our essay writers are readily available to help you get your assignment written and completed on time. 

Final Thoughts  

So if your instructor has given you a topic to explore, and you find it challenging to get your head around it already, we can understand how hard the work will be. 

Fortunately, your essay assignment doesn’t have to put you in a difficult situation. Our essay writing experts are here to help you get the work done, no matter how easy or difficult the topic you have to explore is. 

Useful links

• How is IB Extended Essay Graded? 2023 IB EE Grading
• Extended Essay: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide (2023)
• Google Scholar | Get the best credible sources.