How to study essay writing? 8 tips to put into practice

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David Torres
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How to study essay writing? 8 tips to put into practice

In today's article we're going to talk about the importance of studying essay writing and give you 8 tips on how to do it. Check it out!

Why study essay writing?

Essay writing usually carries a lot of weight in exams in general. Therefore, this part of the exam can determine whether you will achieve your goal or not, be it getting into a public university or getting a public job, for example.

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In the exam, the essay accounts for 20% of the total score. However, in some courses and universities, the weight of this section may be greater than that of the other tests. In a literature course, for example, the grades from the language and essay assessments may have a greater weight than those of the other subjects.

From this, we can already see that we should give the same (or even more) importance to the essay as we do to the other parts of an exam. Therefore, it is important to dedicate some time in our routine specifically to this stage. 

And it's precisely about how to study essay writing that we're going to talk about now!

How to study essay writing?

So, how do you really study essay writing for the annual exams or college entrance exams? Just follow the tips we've put together for you below!

1. Read a lot.

The first tip on how to study essay writing is a cliché, but necessary! Besides increasing your sociocultural repertoire, since it's important to include reading newspapers, magazines, online portals, books, and other types of materials in your study routine, this practice will also help you in several aspects, such as:

  • assimilation of grammatical rules;

  • increasing your vocabulary;

  • knowledge about different text genres;

  • Stimulating creativity, among other things.

So, keep in mind that the basics are fundamental! Reading is very important for constantly improving your writing skills and for achieving a satisfactory result on the exam.

2. Learn about the main grammatical errors and avoid making them.

Many grammatical errors can go unnoticed when writing, but some are quite common. Therefore, it's important to be aware of them and pay attention to avoid making them in your writing.

  1. Serious theoretical references

It is very important that you record one or two theoretical frameworks for each thematic axis, such as:

  • social problems;

  • policy;

  • health;

  • environment, etc. 

These references can serve as a "wild card" for you to support your arguments on various topics within a thematic axis. 

Logically, it's important for you to have a general understanding of specific topics within each area that might be required in the essay. However, keeping in mind the theoretical frameworks for broader areas will help you develop a strong argument if, for example, a topic you hadn't anticipated is required.

5. Put yourself in the role of the corrector.

How about trying to analyze your essay using the same criteria and critical eye as the grader? This is an exercise in self-awareness that will help you identify your strengths and areas for development so you can work on them later.

Furthermore, when you yourself identify what needs improvement in your writing, it becomes much easier to accept what needs to be developed, find those points in future writing, and improve them, right?

You'll also be able to track your own progress, observing how much you've improved over time. Believe me: it's really cool and stimulating to see how much you're growing towards your goal!

6. Train a lot.

Here's a crucial truth for those of you who want to know how to study essay writing: it's pointless to put all the other tips into practice if you don't set aside time in your routine to practice. That's right! It's essential that you get your hands dirty and do a real weekly exercise in your writing skills.

In general, ideally you should write at least two essays per week. However, in some situations, such as for medical school applicants in the final stretch before the exam, it may be necessary to produce even one essay per day.