How To Write Essays That Get The Top Grades In College

For example, it will allow you to develop valuable research and literary skills, which will prove useful no matter what career you pursue moving forward. It will also ensure that you get the highest final grade possible, making it much easier to land a high-paying job after graduating.

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It will also help you to improve your relationship with your professors, which means they’ll write better letters of recommendation, or could even refer you to specific jobs or further study programs. With that in mind, here are some top tips that you can use to write essays that get the best grades in college. 

Break down the initial question or prompt. While this can vary depending on the subject you are studying, making sure that you really understand what is being asked of you is key to writing an essay that scores highly. As such, you may find it useful to highlight the keywords and phrases in the initial question or prompt, as this will allow you to write a more focused response moving forward. If you are still unsure as to what is expected of you, now is the time to ask your professor for help breaking down the question. 

Start researching. Once you understand what is expected of you, it's time to start researching. While looking over any notes taken during class and your assigned reading list is useful, make sure you’re looking at other, external sources too. This will add depth to your argument, while also furthering your understanding of the topic. Make sure that you’re using academic sources, such as those available through your school’s online library or platforms such as Google Scholar. This is because citing non-academic sources can lower the quality or validity of your argument. 

Be careful using AI. It's no surprise that there’s been a huge uptick in the number of students using AI to write papers. However, this is something that academic institutions are taking incredibly seriously. If you’re caught using AI to write papers in their entirety, you could face serious repercussions, even though it has been proven that AI checkers are not always 100% accurate. 

AI does have a place in academics, but you should use it sparingly and wisely. For example, you could use it during the research process to help you add to your reading list or to make sure that you are citing sources correctly during the editing process. You should not, however, let it write the paper for you.

Write out an essay plan. While there are certain benefits to free writing, having some kind of plan in place will ensure that you’re using your assigned word count wisely. This is because it will ensure that your essay remains as focused as possible on the question at hand. Your essay plan should include: 

• An outline of your introduction 

• An outline of your main arguments 

• An outline of your conclusion

You may also want to include quotes or studies that you will be including as references in your plan, so that you’re able to incorporate them quickly into your writing when the time comes.

Don’t wait until the last minute to start writing. While you’ll hear plenty of stories as a student about how people started their essays the night before and got top grades, this is not a method you should aim to try out yourself. Instead, start writing your essay as soon as you’ve finished your plan. This will give you plenty of time to really dive into the writing process without feeling overwhelmed by the sheer number of words you have to write in a single day. As a general rule, aiming to write 500-1,000 words a day is a good benchmark, but it depends on how much time you have on your hands. 

Giving yourself plenty of time to write your essay also means that it isn’t consuming your every waking moment. You still have time to rest, practice self-care, and hang out with friends, all of which can leave you feeling focused and refreshed each time you sit down to write. 

Make sure you cite references correctly. Citing your references correctly is crucial when it comes to writing an essay that scores highly. This is because you could otherwise lose marks for essay quality or get accused of plagiarism. 

Edit, edit, and edit again. Sometimes, the key to turning a good essay into a fantastic one lies in your ability to edit it effectively. For example, not only should you make sure that it's free from any spelling or grammatical errors, but you should also try to keep it as tight and concise as possible. This will ensure that the points you are making are coherent, as opposed to being lost in overly wordy phrases or paragraphs. 

Using editing tools and software, such as Grammarly, can be incredibly useful during this time, especially as you’re less likely to notice errors in documents you’ve spent several hours staring at yourself. You may also want to ask your friend to look over your essay before turning it in (just make sure that you offer to do the same thing for them, too). This can be incredibly useful as they could also help you to strengthen your argument or correct mistakes you may have made in relation to content. 

Final thoughts. Writing essays at the college level can be challenging, even if this is something that you found relatively easy at school. This is because they require a higher degree of competency and clarity within arguments, and certain writing standards are expected of those studying at a high level. 

However, the guide outlined above is the perfect starting point for those looking to write essays that get the top grades moving forward.  This is because it helps ensure that your arguments are well thought-out and structured, and that your writing will not be flagged for AI or plagiarism moving forward.