Here are some essential tips to help you create the best essay possible!

• Create an outline before you start writing. You can organize your main claim and supporting arguments.
• Make a first draft that can be edited before writing the final copy. 
• Every student has strengths and weaknesses in their writing. Discover yours and use that information when you proofread your essay. Know your habits and what to look for when proofreading. 
• Read your essay aloud to yourself while editing. You can find mistakes that might escape you else wise.
• Work on your writing flow. Simply said, that idea that ends one sentence should be the starting idea of the next sentence. 
• Don’t repeat vocabulary if possible. Use synonyms. 
• Don’t be wordy. Every word in your essay should have a purpose. Often a group of words can be replaced by just one word. 
• Include transition words such as First, Second, Third, To begin, Next, Then, Finally, Additionally, Furthermore, Moreover, However, etc.
• If you introduce a new idea or concept, you need to offer an explanation of it to the reader. 
• Usually write in the present tense and don’t switch tenses. 
• Read the essay instructions carefully before starting. 
• Use a variety of sentence types (simple, complex and compound).