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High school studies are different from earlier levels, especially in terms of scope, depth, and autonomy. There, teachers expect students to take lead and come up with novel solutions to the issues and questions put forward to them by society.
Essay writing is at the heart of learning and showcasing skills to others in high schools. An essay is a writing piece with a unified subject across the text. It is divided into different sections, with varying purposes and objectives, but the result is about having a holistic discourse on a subject.
It is only natural for students to look for resources in high school to learn the art and craft of essay writing. This is where this blog post will rescue young scholars.
Purpose Behind High School Essay Writing
One way to define a thing is to understand the purpose it is trying to fulfill. When it comes to high school essay writing, is about nurturing the sense of observation, hypothetical learning, writing, and editing in young students. As we know that simply writing an essay requires mastering several skills, and the purpose of making students go through this exercise is to make them better writers.
Teachers and instructors in high schools spend time and resources to teach students the art and craft of essay writing. In turn, they are expected to produce an original work that can do justice to the topic. That’s why essay writing is only limited to English or Literature classes. Students often write essays on topics in wide-ranging areas, including Philosophy, Science, Technology, Politics, and so on.
Importance of Learning The Craft
First of all, students become better thinkers and researchers when they take up topics that they don’t know much about. This prompts them to dig deeper through reliable sources and ensure that they have enough material to go about. When this is done, it is time to masterfully use that data in their essays.
College admissions come after high school. Those students who have learned the craft of essay writing can be confident about getting admission to their favorite college. It is because all colleges ask students to write compelling personal essays for securing admissions.
Better essay writers become better professionals because they learn the art and science of research, outlining, writing, and proofreading. In practical lives, they are better leaders and mentors because they can judge things for their merits and convey their thoughts and beliefs more cohesively.Â
Types of High School Essays
Essays come in different forms, sizes, and shapes. These are of rather secondary importance to untrained professionals. But students in high schools need to learn the dynamics of essay writing for high school. Before setting out to learn a single type of essay or multiple types, it is necessary to learn different types of essays, especially how they are different from one another.
In this section, we will take a look at the most common types of essays written by students in high schools.
Descriptive Essays
As the name indicates, descriptive essays are about describing a subject using figurative language and sensory experience. A subject can be a person, a thing, a place, a thought, or an experience, anything that can be confined to the writer until he decides to share it with the readers. Descriptive essays follow the standard structure and formatting of essays, with three major sections including an introduction, main body, and conclusion. The description is subjective and does not rely on empirical evidence.
Narrative Essays
A narrative essay is a personal account of an incident or experience that a writer went through and that changed the future course of events. A narrative essay is one of the most common types of essays that students get to write in high school. The important elements of a narrative essay include characters, conflict, resolution, thesis statement, and so on. This type of essay helps students become better storytellers or master the art of creating a discourse on a personal subject.
Argumentative Essays
This is another type of essay that is self-explanatory by its name. Argumentative essays are also personal in their character because a writer needs to take a stance on an issue and then needs to prove that stance. Argumentative essays can be of different types, including persuasive essays, research papers, analysis papers, and so on. The structure is rigid and follows the same progression as that of other essays. These are more advanced than descriptive and narrative essays.
Expository Essays
Expository essays require extensive knowledge of the subject. It is about conveying factual information to the readers regarding a topic. Expository essays have different types such as problem and solution essays, cause and effect essays, compare and contrast essays, and so on. Like argumentative essays, expository essays rely too much on structural and factual information because there is no space for personal views. The most common examples of expository writing include news stories, manuals, and how-to articles.
Steps To Write A Winning High School Essay
Now that we have identified different types of essays that students may get to learn and write in high schools, it is time to go through the general process of writing a high school essay. The subject matter and topics can differ based on their preferences, but the overall flow of the process remains the same.
This section is dedicated to helping students learn the art and craft of writing a high school essay. So, let us get started right away!
Choosing The Perfect Topic
This is the first step in writing a high school essay. In many cases, the teacher assigns a topic to the writers and they have to write an essay on that. Contrary to those, sometimes students need to choose their topic. While choosing a topic, make sure that you are interested in the subject matter and that it is significant to a large majority of readers. This will ensure that your essay is not only read by many but also received well by them.
Conducting Research & Outlining
Research is the key to writing good high school essays. Students can’t know about any potential topic that they may have to write an essay on. While researching, writers need to rely on primary sources with credible authors and organizations. Another important part of the pre-writing phase is outlining the essay. When research and outline are done at the same time, they help students set a direct course forward.
Writing The First Draft
After choosing the topic and conducting research, it is time to put the collected information and structure into action. The first draft should be started and finished as soon as possible. The first step is writing a winning opening paragraph. Then, it is time for the main body to shine through. Once this is dealt with, writers need to sign off on a high note. Every section has its place in the essay and must be designed and written with utmost care.
Proofreading & Editing
Proofreading and editing are important parts of writing. Many students believe they can write compelling essays by merely going through the initial drafts with care and attention. This is not true as mistakes and inconsistencies are bound to happen no matter what. With a dedicated proofreading and editing phase in motion, writers can ensure that the final product is error-free and superior to the rough drafts. Students can employ online tools such as Grammarly, Hemingway Editor, etc, to speed up the task.
F.A.Q
What is the format for a high school essay?
The format of a high school essay is similar to that of a standard essay. It has three distinct sections, covering the opening paragraph, main body, and closing paragraph. The nature of each section can be different but they all contribute toward sending a holistic message through.
How do I start writing an essay?
There are two important pre-writing steps to start an essay:
- Choosing the right topic
- Researching and outlining to set the direction and scope of the essay
With the help of these steps, students will be able to produce quality work.
How do you start an essay for school?
The first step is picking the perfect topic and turning it into a title. Then, you need to collect the necessary data and outline the structure of your essay. This will help you map out the path from start to finish, resulting in reliable writing results.
How do you write a 5 paragraph essay for high school?
Here is a rundown of the whole process to write a 5 paragraph essay:
- Compose an introduction with a hook
- Develop a thesis statement
- Populate the main body with necessary elements
- Conclude on a high note
- Review and proof
How do you write A+ in an essay?
It is every student’s dream to secure A+ on an essay paper. This requires more than just touching all the bases. The best way to secure exceptional scores in essays is by conducting in-depth research, writing superb content, and then editing it before turning it into the teachers.
Why is it necessary to balance all the elements of essay writing?
Every essay is made up of a couple of elements or building blocks. They are necessary to define an essay and must be dealt with extra care. Anything less and the essay will not fulfill the minimum criteria of that specific essay type.
Summing Up The Discussion
Essay writing is a tough nut to crack, especially for the uninitiated who did not have any training or learning curve. In this blog, we have taken a deep look at the essay writing process for high school. Apart from defining it and making its importance visible to the readers, we have shared its most common types before sharing a complete guide on how to write a compelling essay. We hope that students will find this guide to be ample in helping them learn the ropes of high school essay writing.Â
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