How to Write a Short Essay

Your essay title may begin with the words "Explain how..." or "Describe the reasons..." or "To what extent do you agree..." and it's important to analyse the meaning of the question before beginning to answer it to ensure you are referring to it throughout your essay. Highlight key words in the question and be sure you understand exactly what it's asking.

The next stage is one of the most important, and is where you decide what information you will include in your essay. Draw a mind-map of topics to discuss, look through your notes from class or get some ideas from your textbook. Unless specifically told, it's often not a good idea to use the internet heavily for short essay writing, as the information you need will most probably already been taught to you, and if you go looking on the internet, you may begin writing about things that are not entirely relevant or not what your teacher is looking for.

Decide in what order to set out your information - if you will structure it chronologically for a history essay, or by theme for an English essay, and make sure you can make links between the paragraphs. You want it to flow well and making each point lead on to the next will make your essay much more sophisticated.

Your introduction to your essay is very important, as it gives the examiner a first impression of your competence, and if it's not up to standard, you may be penalised even if the rest is very good.

Firstly, explain the context to the question. For example, if your essay is about the problems black Americans faced in the 1920s, instead of launching straight into a list, state that "During the 1920s, black Americans faced many problems in their everyday lives..." This will introduce the question without sounding clunky.
Then, make it clear what you are going to write about, whether it be the reasons for something or the techniques a writer has used to convey a theme. You can do this by stating 3 (but not more) points you will make in the essay. In this example, you could go on to say "These problems include the influence of the KKK, sharecropping and the effects of the Great Depression."

In a short essay under timed conditions, your introduction is not expected to be lengthy, but should simply outline the context of the essay and the main points you will discuss.

I have deliberately kept 'short essay' quite vague, because the parameters can be quite wide although the structure is the same. Between subjects, the expectation of length and, depending on the time you have to write it, the number of points you can make will vary. Be realistic - if you are doing an hour long timed essay, you will probably be able to make 5 developed points including an introduction and conclusion. It is better to have fewer points with more depth of analysis than many sketchy facts poorly arranged. If you write eloquently and expand your points, you will give the examiner the impression you understand the topic well and could write more given more time.

If ordering your paragraphs chronologically is not an option (for example in an English essay where you have to describe the techniques used to create a Gothic atmosphere, for example) a good idea would be to arrange them in order of importance, so if you do run out of time, you have the most important points written.

Your conclusion should tie the drawstrings of your essay and bring it to a logical conclusion. It should be similar to your introduction, in that it refers back to the essay title, but you also need to give your opinion of what was the most important point. For example, you could write "Black Americans faced many problems in the 1920s, each of individual significance, but the most important factor was...". Then, explain why you think this was the most important reason or why it had most significance.

Never introduce any new points in your conclusion - you will not get knowledge marks for them, and don't rehash the points you have already made. There is no need to list what you have just said, just refer back to what you think was the most important or significant point you have made.

If your essay is to be done under timed conditions, you will need to plan it carefully so you don't run out of time, as an essay without a conclusion will never do well. Don't worry, though, because as long as you prepare well, you should be OK, as most people write a lot faster under pressure.

Before the timed essay, learn the facts or quotes you need, and make sure you know what order you will write your points. Assuming you have an hour to write the essay, spend a minute writing out a plan with the headings of each point as soon as the time starts so you don't forget anything. Obviously, some sections will be longer than others, but if you aim to spend 5 - 7 minutes on your introduction, and 8 - 10 minutes on 5 main points, including 5 minutes writing a conclusion, you should have 4 or 5 minutes to read over your essay to check your facts or quotes and make sure you have included everything. Don't worry about your handwriting - as long as it's legible, it's OK.



If you have misjudged the time you have and find yourself 5 minutes from the end with some material still to write, finish the point you are writing and skip straight to the conclusion. It's crucial there is a proper conclusion to your essay, and if that means sacrificing one of your points, so be it. However, as long as you prepare and learn your material, this should not be a problem.