The Beginner’s Guide to Writing an Essay

Mastering the art of writing an essay is vital for everyone irrespective of one’s field of study or level of education. Writing essays plays an integral part in admissions, job applications and during school and college. An essay is defined as a short piece of writing that expresses information as well as the writer’s opinion. For some, essay writing is as simple as sitting down at their computer and beginning to type. But a lot more planning goes into writing an essay successfully. As Shakespeare said, “the pen is mightier than the sword”, the pen itself is not enough to make an effective writer.” If you have never written an essay before, or if you struggle with writing and want to improve your skills, then here’s the beginner’s guide to writing an essay!

Explore: How to Write a Common Application Essay?

Types of Essay Writing 

Before we get into how to write an essay, we must learn about the different types of essay writing. There are eight main categories into which essays can be grouped: 

• Narrative Essay: Tell a story or impart information about your subject, like in a story
• Persuasive Essay: Convince the reader about some point of view
• Expository Essay: Explain to the reader a certain process step by step. 
• Descriptive Essay: Focus and give great details of your topic.
• Argumentative Essay: Writing about controversial issues and present evidence in favor of your position 
• Compare and Contrast Essay: Identify similarities and differences between the two subjects that are typically under the same umbrella
• Problem Solution Essay: Describe the problem and propose a solution
• Informative Essay: Educate the reader on a particular topic with facts 

Essay Writing Process

The essay writing process consists of three main stages: 

1. Preparation: Decide on your topic, do your research, and create an essay outline
2. Writing: Start with stating your introduction, proceed it with evidence in the main body and wrap it up with a conclusion
3. Revision: Check the content, organization, grammar, spelling, vocabulary, and formatting of your essay 

Writing the Introduction

Essay Writing includes introduction, body and conclusion. The introduction sets the tone for your essay and comprises 10% – 20% of your text. Here’s how can grab the reader’s attention: 

• Engage your reader: The first sentence of the introduction should pique your reader’s interest and curiosity. This sentence is sometimes called the hook
• Provide background: It is important to give context that will help your reader understand your argument
• Thesis statement: It creates the central argument you’re going to make. It provides focus and signals your position on the topic. 
• Preview: You can end it by describing what will be covered in each part of the essay. 

Writing the Main Body

The Body is the most important part of essay writing. It contains the primary message of the writer. The purpose of the main body is to present, interpret and analyze the information and sources you have gathered to support your argument: 

• Length of Main Body: The length of the body depends on the type of essay and it comprises 60% – 80% of the text. 
• Formation of Paragraphs: To give your essay a clear picture, it is important to organize it into paragraphs. Each paragraph should be centered around one main point or idea. 

Writing the Conclusion

The conclusion is the final paragraph. It comprises no more than 10% – 15% of the text. A strong essay conclusion should: 

• Summarise your thesis
• Combine together with your main points
• Depict why your argument matters 

What not to include in a conclusion? The most common mistakes to avoid in essay writing are: 

• Developing some new arguments or evidence
• Undermining your arguments
• Using concluding phrases like, “To sum up” or “In conclusion”

List of Simple Essay Topics for Beginners

Here is a list of simple essay topics for beginners to practice and learn the craft of perfecting the art of essay writing:

1. Importance of Internet
2. Internet Privacy
3. Sarojini Naidu
4. Sikkim 
5. Electricity
6. My Aim in Life
7. Women Empowerment
8. Global Warming
9. Subhash Chandra Bose
10. Swami Vivekananda
11. Mother Teresa
12. Rabindranath Tagore
13. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
14. Mahatma Gandhi
15. Abraham Lincoln
16. Martin Luther King
17. Scientific Discoveries
18. Child Labour
19. Sustainable Development
20. India
21. Essay on Digital India
22. Corruption
23. Diwali
24. Independence Day 
25. Holi
26. Teachers Day
27. Summer Vacation
28. Christmas
29. Children’s Day
30. Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
31. Durga Puja
32. Janmashtami
33. Republic Day
34. Education System
35. Cyber Crime
36. Women Empowerment
37. Capital Punishment
38. Social Media
39. Climate Change
40. Fundamental Rights and their Importance
41. Democracy
42. Disaster Management
43. Plastic Pollution
44. Fashion
45. Books
46. Doctor
47. World Environment Day
48. Importance of Tourism
49. Charity
50. Peer Pressure

Essay Writing Examples

• Example of Descriptive Essay
• Example of Expository Essay
• Example of Argumentative Essay
• LNAT Essays
• TOEFL Essays

Also Read: How to Write a Scholarship Essay?

From choosing the right topic to checking the content for plagiarism to enamouring the reader with your creativity, a lot goes into writing a successful essay. Fortunately, these tips on the beginner’s guide to writing an essay can help you along the way and get you on the path to a well-written essay. For more educational content, follow Leverage Edu on Facebook, Youtube, Instagram and LinkedIn.