What Are Some Do's And Don'ts Of Essay Writing?

• Plan. Structure is perhaps the most important thing you can do when you're writing an essay; you need to know exactly what you're going to say, and in what order, before you start to write. Having a plan to follow makes the writing process a lot easier and less stressful, and it also gives the reader the impression that you know exactly what you want to say.

• Guide the reader. In the introduction, spell out what you're going to do in the essay, and maybe provide a little background information on the subject. For the main body of the essay, do what you said you'd do in the introduction. When you get to the conclusion, you should be able to close by briefly summarizing how you've achieved what you set out to do.

• Refer back to the question. Do this for each point you make; not only does this help you to make sure you're sticking to the plan, but it reminds the reader that you're on track.

• Research. Sometimes, an essay question can seem so uninspiring that you just don't know what to write about. For me, this is usually a sign that I haven't done enough research - sometimes, just finding one quote in a reference book is enough to tie everything together and shape an argument that seemed a little flat.

• Take notes. If you're reading a book for class and you know you'll be asked to write an essay on it, take as many notes as you can whilst you're reading. Highlight passages, use post-it notes, write in the margins and take notes on a separate piece of paper. Anything that seems relevant or interesting to you is worth writing down: Sometimes, it's the little things that seem insignificant at the time that can actually make a really good essay.

• Give yourself regular breaks. Every 40 minutes or so, take at least 10 minutes to go and do something else. Even if this is just leaving the library to grab a coffee, it's important that you let your mind (and body, if possible) have a break. If you work without little rests, your concentration will suffer and so will your work. Sometimes, your brain will be processing your thoughts while you're taking a break, and you'll come back to your essay with fresh eyes and new ideas.

DOs:

1)  Steal ideas from other people’s work

• read essays written by other people;
  
• check samples from professional writers;
• read different subjects in different disciplines and styles.
  

2)  Improving your vocabulary and making good use of it

Having a great vocabulary will help you express your thoughts better.

3)  Structure and Argument

a)  Subscribe to online resources;

b)  Make good use of the dictionary;

c)  Make your own vocabulary book.

4)  The Structuring

DON'Ts

1) As I wrote in the first part - you can steal ideas from your competitors. But - DO NOT "copy/paste" these ideas. You need to read them and understand the main point. Plagiarism is the biggest and the worst mistake you can make while writing any type of academic papers.

2) One of the main aspects of writing a good essay is – not using repetitive words.

Sources:

1) my own experience ;)

3) How to write an essay: Tips for A-Level students