In the minds of ESL exam candidates, e ssay writing is one of the most daunting tasks they are required to complete, regardless of the level of the exam, the administering body or the ease with which they themselves use the language. The same applies to students who are asked to write an essay by their teachers at school. In the previous sample essays posted on the blog, the main point I stress is the need to become acquainted with this form of writing (as opposed to writing a letter, review or report, for instance), to get a feel of what authorial voice is and how to organize and progressively express the arguments you wish to make in a coherent manner. Unfortunately, the best way to prepare for exam writing or learn how to write good essays for school is to read as many essays from as many sources as possible, then write as
Let's bring different cases to the forefront and see if any of them fit the predicament you're in. Case 1: A teacher has told you to write an essay. Case 2: You are preparing to sit an exam that determines your level of English and which includes a section that instructs you to write an academic essay. Case 3: You are a teacher who needs to explain how students should organize essays and aren't quite sure where to start from. All three of these cases have a common denominator called "essay" which needs to be tackled. What I've seen throughout the years is that students find the task of writing an essay daunting. The difficulties they tend to have are the following: