LET’S FACE IT – the better your essay writing skills, the better your grades and the higher your Grade Point Average. Your professors will always judge you on the quality of your essays. This is all they’ve got. They don’t always get a fair impression of all their students simply because not everyone participates in class. And even when you do participate, you don’t always shine – come on, let’s admit it – I’ve been there myself.
So, if you need a quick boost to your grade as well as to your professor’s opinion of your intellectual abilities, here are the
ESSAYS WRITING TIPS FOR A HIGHER GPA:
Essay Writing Tip #1. Get to the Point as early as possible.
If you have a thesis ready, present it in your very first sentence. Don’t go on forever about how interesting what you have to say is. Don’t tell a story that has little to do with your main point. Instead, just get to the point. Right away. Just say it. It will be all right. I promise.
Essay Writing Tip #2. Limit Your Use of The Phrases There Is and There Are
If you learn to write expository essays without using these phrases, your sentences will automatically become more elegant. Consider the difference:
- “There are many people who want to lose some weight.”
- “Many people want to lose some weight.”
The first one is longer; the second one – shorter and more elegant. Using these phrases presents another problem, but I’ll devote a whole article to this topic in the nearest future.
Essay Writing Tip #3. Avoid Fancy Words
Use only the words you know. Whenever you write a word whose meaning is not perfectly clear to you, you risk coming across as a total newbie in writing. When a fancy word you just used doesn’t quite work in a particular sentence, your professor will catch it. Furthermore, he will suspect the same thing every time he encounters another fancy word in your essay. He will become suspicious of your vocabulary, and your grade will suffer (together with your GPA).
Essay Writing Tip #4. Write Longer Sentences Only If You Know Exactly What You’re Doing
This is a quick one. Just remember that the longer your sentence grows, the higher the chances that a mistake will crawl in. As a rule of thumb, when it seems like your sentence is getting a bit out of control, just split it in two. Write two short ones instead – it’s better to be plain but clear than complex and fuzzy. 🙂
Essay Writing Tip #5. Use the Active Voice – Avoid the Passive Voice
Here’s the passive voice:
- A hamburger was eaten by a man.
Here’s the active voice:
- A man ate a hamburger.
Use the second one.
Essay Writing Tip #6. Avoid the Repetition of The Same Words As Much As You Can
In the previous point, instead of saying:
- “Use Active Voice – Avoid Passive Voice.”
I wanted to say:
- “Use Active Voice – Don’t Use Passive Voice.”
Why did I choose the first version? Because it precludes the repetition of the word “use.” Catch these little repetitions and try to replace them with a synonym, or just rephrase the sentence to make it diverse. This shows that the writer has a sense of style and class. Try it and watch your grade go up.
Essay Writing Tip #7. Use Vivid, Colorful Examples
Do you want your writing to stand out above the rest? Begin using some examples in your writing. So few students do it – it’s amazing. College essays tend to be very general. The most specific evidence usually used is some statistics.
Instead of (or in addition to) describing the behavior of thousands or millions of people, take an example of just one person and write it out. Use some colors; make it vivid; describe the sounds and smells. Trust me, if you do just that and don’t follow the rest of the advice I give here, your writing will go a long way, and, again, so will your GPA.
Essay Writing Tip #8. Don’t Use Quotes Excessively
I don’t know if you’ll be surprised or not, but sometimes as much as 70% of a given paper consists of quotations. Come on, your professor is not stupid. He can see right through such attempts to disguise the lack of things to say behind other people’s thoughts. You are smart and talented. You have your own things to say. So, say them – in your own language. Sometimes I like to avoid quotes altogether – I don’t always need them. This also means that I don’t have to look for them on the Internet, which takes time.
Essay Writing Tip #9. Be Sincere Whenever You Can
If you care at all about the subject you’re writing about (which isn’t always the case), just be sincere. Don’t be afraid to be judged on the political or social statement that you’re making. You probably don’t want to offend anyone, let me make that clear. But don’t be concerned that your professor will lower your grade just because your opinion differs from his.
First of all, you probably don’t even know what your professor really thinks about a certain subject. Second, most likely, he doesn’t care about your political or other views. He should and most likely will judge your essay solely on its academic merit. And most importantly, if you write what you really feel, you will have more fun writing the essay, and it will be of better quality, for sure.
Essay Writing Tip #10. Talk To Your Professor
Before even writing your first essay assignment, approach your professor at the end of class and ask him about his expectations from the students’ essays. Some of the questions to ask are:
- What are two or three most important things in an essay, in your opinion?
- Do you require that I write an introduction and a conclusion?
- What is the biggest no-no that could drive my grade down a lot?
And then just listen and follow the recommendations to the best of your ability. Also, asking your professor this kind of questions shows him that you care. You can’t lose.
Questions? Comments? Post ‘em here.
Tutor Phil
Sanjay November 2, 2010 at 9:36 pm
Hi Phil
Cheers!
I remember the earliest time when my English teachers, all of them were non-native teachers, wanted me to write essays. They insisted on the traditional method of Introduction-Body-Conclusion. Then came the time when I taught my students the ‘Wh’ method or more precisely What-Where-When-How-Why method. Now I notice that there is not a single method which works well in all essays. Different writers write their essays in different manner.
Phil, I’ve a request. Can you suggest some dos and don’ts to my students?Though they don’t print their queries here, they have and they see your web page!
Sanjay
Dear Phil !
HAPPY DIWALI !!
This is the festival time of LIGHTS!!!
Let me brighten your blog with some interesting observation on how students some time come up with some funny way of writing essay. I am sure you will be amused. Once I had a given a topic to write. “A TRAIN JOURNEY” . A student spent about 90% of the essay on how the ticket was purchased after a lot of hassle and how finally he was able to reach the railway station and got into his compartment. He settled into his berth and finally ended his journey only to be woken up by his kind fellow passenger as he had slept over his comics!!
Sanjay
Hi, tutor Phil.
I’m Huong. I’m from Vietnam. I’m preparing for TOEFL TEST. I want to improve my writing skill. I try to write as many essays as possible. But there is no one who can help me check my essays so that I can learn from my mistakes. I’m glad to get your blog and make friend with you.
There is my essay. Please correct it for me. thanks!
Do you agree or disagree with the statement:
“Many people have argued that advertising makes us buy things we really do not need. Others say that advertisements provide us with useful information”
Many people have argued that advertising makes us buy things we really do not need. Others say that advertisements provide us with useful information. In my opinion, advertising does not make us do anything against our will. There are several reasons why I hold this opinion.
First, advertising does not force us to buy anything. We ourselves decide what we want to buy. The target of advertising is persuading as many consumers to buy the products as possible. It is an exaggeration to say that we are forced to buy goods. There are many commercials on TVs and newspaper everyday. If we have to buy all things we see on TV, we will clearly to go bankrupt. Of course, sometime the information from advertising is misleading. However, the final decidion is ours. It seems clear to me that we cannot blame the advertising for our wrong choices.
Second, advertisements provide us with usful information. Perhap at first, you can inorge an advertisement you have have just watched on TV, but when it comes to buying that product, the advertisement is very useful. For example, when you want to buy an air conditioner. There are many brands and many kinds of air conditioner. You do not have enough time to brownse a shop to compare which item is suitable for your house. The advertisements help you narrow down the list, therfore it is easier for you to make a good choice. Examples like these show that advertisements are very helpful.
In conclusion, advertisements, instead of making us buy unnecessary things, give us many useful pros and cons to help us make choices whether or not to buy something. Although imformation we get from watching advertisements is sometime deceptive, there are no doubt in my mind that it is very helpful.
Huong,
You’ve done a pretty good job here. Your argument is clear, and your English is pretty good.
Now here are a couple of things you could do to improve your writing:
1. Try to get rid of the word “you” when writing your sentences. Here’s your homework:
This is a passage from your essay. It includes several instances of addressing the reader by using the word “you:”
Perhap at first, you can inorge an advertisement you have have just watched on TV, but when it comes to buying that product, the advertisement is very useful. For example, when you want to buy an air conditioner. There are many brands and many kinds of air conditioner. You do not have enough time to brownse a shop to compare which item is suitable for your house. The advertisements help you narrow down the list, therfore it is easier for you to make a good choice.
Here is what I want you to do:
Read the following blog post:
http://www.tutorphil.com/blog/dont-submit-your-essay-without-taking-this-simple-step/
Then, try to rewrite the passage without the use of the word “you” and, when you’re finished, post it for review under that blog post, and we’ll pick it up from there. When you post, please first include the original passage the way it was before you changed it, and then post the improved version right after, okay? This will hep both you and me see the difference.
2. In your conclusion, you say that “Although information we get from watching advertisements is sometime deceptive, there are no doubt in my mind that it is very helpful.”
Get rid of this sentence. It hurts your main point because it is in a way disproving what you just tried to prove in your essay. Your main point is that advertising is not evil, but is even useful. But that sentence supposes the opposite, so – get rid of it. Generally, in a conclusion, you are simply repeating what you already said, but in a slightly different language. Don’t add anything, and don’t contradict yourself.
So, good work, and keep writing. The next time you post something, please try to find a relevant article on my blog and post under it, deal? This will help other students like yourself find useful training quickly and easily.
I appreciate you checking my essay.
I see your point. Now I try again. Please have a look at it.
Here is my original passage:
Perhap at first, you can ignore an advertisement you have just watched on TV, but when it comes to buying that product, the advertisement is very useful. For example, when you want to buy an air conditioner. There are many brands and many kinds of air conditioner. You do not have enough time to browse a shop to compare which item is suitable for your house. The advertisements help you narrow down the list, therefore it is easier for you to make a good choice.
And now I rewrite it:
Perhap at first, the advertisements can be ignored because people want to watch their favorite programs on TV instead of wasting time watching advertisements. But when it comes to buying certain product, the advertisement is very useful. For example, the air conditioner companies have to campaign an advertisement to make their products known to the public. Their customers will benefit from the advertisement because it narrow the list of products so that the customers do not have to browse a shop to compare which item is suitable.
Wow!
You’ve done an excellent job here!
Now – I’d like you to do something for me. I’m trying to keep all the information, including the comments, under relevant blog posts. You see, your example would be very useful to the other visitors on this blog. Would you please just copy and paste your response (just the way it is) under this post:
http://www.tutorphil.com/blog/dont-submit-your-essay-without-taking-this-simple-step/
And we’ll continue from there. This will help us keep the blog organized for other users. Is that a deal?
Thanks.
At present most of the students are terrified about essay writing. They cannot believe that it is very simple but creative workings. Here just need to make an idea maturity about essay. We give for them essay writing service.
This is an interesting, well argued post. I like it. Some important considerations when writing. Informative article and great reminder of using the three elements of persuasion. I need to reread it. Thanks Author!
Hey TutorPhil, I just read through your essay tips and i think they’re EXTREMELY helpful. I am writing my IGCSEs this year and I wondered if you could look over one of my english courseworks? I’d be glad if you’d aswer quickly and tell me what you think of it 🙂
Thanks SO much in advance xxx
School does not properly prepare youth for life after graduation
Math, English, Science, History and Geography. These are the basic subjects almost every student around the world is taught, for this text I will focus on the problems with education itself. School is mostly said to be what “helps you get through life” or is “preparation for the real world”, which to some extent might be true but it isn’t always the case. Sure basic knowledge is important. Basic Math skills are needed in everyday life, but will Math help you overcome a life crisis or help you resolve conflicts? No, for that, other skills are needed, skills that school doesn’t prepare you with, even though it should.
School should be a place for young people to discover what they love and who they are. They should be able to find out what they are passionate about and it should be made clear to them, that they, as an individual, can make a difference, no matter what. The school system nowadays, however, only focuses on academic skills. Tests and grades have become the biggest reason why most students work hard for school. We absorb knowledge as fast as we can, and stress out about numbers and letters on corrected tests. We get scared of our parent’s reaction if we didn’t ‘pass’ a test, because society has taught us at a young age that good grades supposedly assure us a successful and good life.
Education has been narrowed down to such simple measures of intelligence that students often forget why they even learn. I believe learning should take place for ourselves, to discover and explore new things so we can find what we truly want to achieve in life. No student should feel that they are learning or getting the grades they get for anyone but themselves, not for teachers and not for parents.
If we, the students, believe that grades are a measurement of our intelligence, it won’t get us far in life. Intelligence is about so much more than academic skills, it is about social skills; about empathy and respect.
Keeping that in mind, let’s take a look at regular schools. Most schools offer the ordinary and basic subjects mentioned above. There is nothing wrong with that at all, but it is very rare that we find subjects like proper life skills class involved in the educational system. Would it hurt to cut down a lesson of math a week to create a class for students to finally learn about what really counts in life? At my school, for example, we used to have a program called ‘life skills’ class. These classes, however, occurred for only a week or two after school as an additional lesson, where none of my classmates or myself were extremely willing to stay focused and participate. Also it ended up being a ‘lesson’ informing about drug use and sex. Calling that ‘life skills’ is missing the point, in my opinion.
When, if not at school where we have experienced teachers, will we learn about taxes and how university or college works? There should be a place for us to ask questions about what is happening in the world, what the problems are and what we could do. We should be able to learn about different cultures, how they are different and how they are alike to our own. This does not just expand knowledge but encourages tolerance and understanding which could prevent racist ideas to evolve in young minds. Also school misses out on teaching us about politics, about democracy and how it works. Why do you think it is, that in 2014, only 1.7% of the 18-21 year-olds in Europe voted? Because they probably don’t even understand what they would vote for and how to make a decision. I believe that filling this glaring, great gap in education could help fix the unemployment rate of young adults which currently is at about 30%, as well as lowering the criminal rate of the youth by simply informing and giving us a guide through life, other than grades.
In conclusion, school has a certain responsibility to prepare students for life after graduation, which is not simply done by shoving a bunch of information into our brains without having our own understanding of why learning is important. We should be taught how to be tolerant, how to deal with conflicts, how to be respectful and how to make a difference. Then, hopefully, we won’t grow up to be the kind of people that think an individual can’t make the world a better place, but know that our decisions can change a lot and that every single one of us matters.
810 words
Mascha,
Unfortunately, I don’t usually have the time to go through an entire essay of 800 words.
But thanks for posting.
TP
People want to write best essay,but they don’t know how to write best essay.So, they need best service, so that they can develop to write essay. Many best essay writing service, best essay writing service uk is one of them. People find the good service from it.
Quick note for everyone.
This above is a spam comment from some guy who builds links to his custom essay writing service. I removed all the links from it, but the comment should tell you something about the quality of writing you’ll get when you order custom essays.
Better write them yourself. You have lots of help on this website.
Thank you, “Ross,” for helping me deliver my point about never ordering custom essays online.
Cheers,
TP
Hi Phil tutor,
I will be taking the Gace program admission test next week and I am terrified.
I will have 30 minutes to write an argumentative essay and 30 minutes to write a informative/source based essay. Last time I took it I failed by 9 points…
My problem areas are thesis statement and speed… Any suggestions or resources. I have books, practice writing exams, and I am currently taking an online course. I have never been a good writer…help
Hi PH,
Yes, I have an article just for you right here:
http://www.tutorphil.com/blog/how-to-write-an-essay-fast-in-an-exam/
Enjoy 🙂
TP
Dear Tutor Phil
I am a student of grade 9 and l’m not a native English speaker thus it is very hard for me to come very quickly to my essays title as a result I cross my word limit and loose marks. Please tell me a tip from which I can come over my problem.
Hello Mary,
I think this article will help:
http://www.tutorphil.com/blog/thesis-statement-strong-opening-paragraph/
Cheers…
TP
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Hi Tutor Phil!
I am student.I need your help Phil.Please you tell me about improve english vocabloury and tips of speak english and how i improve my written expression
please i need your help.I am waiting for your reply
Hi.
First, go ahead and subscribe to my email newsletter by visiting the Free Stuff page on this site.
Second, go ahead and subscribe to my YouTube channel by clicking on the YouTube icon at the top of this site.
You will get tons of free tips and training on all the topics you just mentioned – vocabulary, writing – all of it.
Thanks, and visit again!
Tutor Phil
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