Common Essay Writing Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Students tend to make certain common essay writing mistakes no matter what type of essay they have to write. When you know what these mistakes are, you can correct them. The following advice will help you to improve your essay writing skills and your grades.

Not writing a clear thesis statement

Your thesis statement has to be clear, or your essay won’t have any direction. An unclear thesis statement will show you didn’t fully understand the topic.

You can build your thesis statement directly from the essay question but customize it to introduce your perspective. Your next step will be to find sources that justify it. If you start off with a precise thesis statement, you will know what you want to write from the start.

Writing the introduction first instead of last

It is more difficult to write your introductory paragraph when you haven’t written the body of your essay. The introduction has to be concise. It has to present what’s to come in a way that entices readers to continue reading.

It won’t do this if it’s confusing to read.

Once you have written your essay body, you will have a much better idea of what to include in your introduction. You can make it more concise and powerful. It should provoke curiosity and interest in what’s to come.

Not recognizing the need for essay writing help

There are times when you are out of your depth, and you may need to get professional help. You can pay someone to write essay on EduBirdie and save your time. Expert online writers who work for this writing service can write a quality, unique essay for Canadian students. You will receive an excellent example of academic writing that will help you to get tips and improve your own writing skills.

Not using topic sentences

You may feel that your essay doesn’t flow properly, but you don’t really understand why. The most likely cause of this is that you don’t have a topic sentence for each paragraph that lets readers know what it’s about.

The topic sentence clearly defines the point you are about to address. Think about your topic sentence for each paragraph as being like a point one, two, three, four etc. The rest of the paragraph will expand in this sentence to fully make the point you want readers to grasp.

Incorrect essay formatting

You may think the content of your essay carries more weight than its format, and this is true. However, incorrect formatting can make your content harder to read. This can have a negative effect on your grade.

It helps to format your essays correctly and in accordance with the course guidelines. Your title information and page number formatting are easy to do, so if they are wrong, it can cause irritation for the reader.

Incorrect grammar and spelling

There is no excuse for incorrect grammar and spelling. There are many free grammar and spelling checkers you can use to eliminate most mistakes. Microsoft Word and Google Docs have built-in checkers.

A step up is to pay a monthly fee to use a grammar and spell checker like Grammarly, which will even give you word choice suggestions and other ways to improve your writing. Not running work through such a checker gives the impression that you don’t care that much. The negative impression this creates will detract from your content.

Not quoting sources correctly

Plagiarism is considered a serious offense in academia. You have to use a variety of sources if you want to defend your argument. However, you can’t present someone else’s work and ideas as your own.

Proper referencing of your sources is essential. Being caught copying and pasting from sources and not acknowledging them can have serious consequences for you. Using a plagiarism checker will help you to identify any problems and sort them out before you hand in any work.

Not following the instructions

If your instructions are to write a 10-paragraph essay of 1000 words, this is what you must do. It won’t improve your grade to write an essay twice the length. Follow the instructions carefully, or you may get a lower grade.

Conclusion

Fixing common errors such as those mentioned above will instantly improve your essays and your grades. Most of them are not that difficult to fix, and yet they can make a huge difference. Your essays will be more concise, easier to read and likely to earn you a better grade.

Author’s Bio

Mary Cardoza believes that academic writing cannot be perfected without acquiring the skills and mentorship of a writer who knows the in and out of it. She receives training from the best and has been mentored by top people in the writing field. This enables her to write superb assignments, especially college essays, and this has won her praise from all corners.