It is quite tough to accomplish specific tasks, such as writing a 500-word essay. Such duties are strategically assigned at schools, particularly tertiary institutions, to test a student’s writing prowess, talent, and level of adherence to instructions. This makes it very important for one to know the structure to be able to express oneself correctly.
Remember the Structure
Just like other write-ups, 500-word essays also require a specific and well-defined structure. When we say structure, we talk about;
Read More: How Long is 500 Words Essay?
- The introduction: Introductory sections should be seen as an essential part of essays, this part requires craft, since its contents would determine whether a potential reader would be interested in reading other sections of the piece. Considering the length of this type of essay, it is usually written in no more than 100 words. Here, you must explain your main ideas clearly, remembering to make it brief and informative.
- The body: The body is the main section of your essay, and usually, it should be around 300 words long, containing at most three paragraphs, as you would have already guessed by now, that is, 100 words per paragraph. When writing this section, ensure that each paragraph;
- Contains statements that are relevant and brief
- Examines your main ideas and point out facts as well as references.
- Isn’t too far away from the word count allocated.
- and start with your strongest point in the first paragraph
- The conclusion: As every section of an essay has its unique purpose, so does the conclusion part. The use of concluding an essay is to serve as a summary of your entire work and to reaffirm its significance. Your conclusion should agree with the body of your essay in terms of the context. This section should be strategically written to leave your reader with something to ponder on. Do not forget to restate your thesis statement by illustrating it with sharp points that had already been aforementioned in the body section.
What Is Brevity?
This refers to the skill of writing and expressing oneself or ideas in a few words. When writing technical essays such as a 500-word essay or a 300-word essay, you have to express your thoughts in a few words, avoiding meaningless information.
Considering the limited number of words expected of you in such articles. Be as brief as possible. For example, compare the two statements below in terms of length and context.
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“Due to limited availability of resources to combat the novel COVID-19 pandemic in the USA, an App has been created for everyone to test themselves before trying to contact ACDS to avoid overwhelming our joint efforts.”
“Due to limited resources to combat the COVID-19 Pandemic in the USA, we have created an App for everyone to Test themselves before contacting ACDC, to avoid overwhelming our collective efforts.”
The two statements above clearly convey the same message but with a different amount of words. This tells you that you can express ideas or thoughts with the smallest possible number of words.
Tips to Consider
- Check for Grammar Errors: Checking the correctness of grammar is quite necessary, not just for this kind of essay, but all articles. While we usually have the conviction that all we have written is grammatically correct, it is advisable to run our written work through a grammar check to avoid a grammatical blunder. Even if you are a grammar pro, it doesn’t imply that you would notice all mistakes even after proofreading. There are tonnes of software that can do the job on the net.
- Check for Plagiarism: Let’s define plagiarism- this is the act of committing literary theft, presenting it as novel and original an idea or product derived from an existing source. There are always going to be similar write-ups with the one you would be working on, and this implies that you would need to use a plagiarism checker to ascertain the uniqueness of your written work. It is considered a crime if one copies another person’s work without appropriate referencing, and it is punishable by law. various plagiarism software has been made available on the net To avoid this
- Avoid duplication: In simple words, duplication also refers to the repetition of the same information throughout your essay. This can make it dull and devoid of significance. Try as much as possible to avoid the recurrence of words. This issue can be solved by looking at the next tip.
- Draft a synopsis: It is good to outline points to be discussed in the essay before the actual writing. This helps you to plan your work and ensure that you allocate the appropriate number of words for each section of your article. With this in place, you most likely would not repeat the same information on various parts of the essay.
- Use simple words: The importance of writing an essay is to communicate clearly with others on paper. It is introducing vocabulary that you do not use often or regularly or such that cannot be understood easily by a reader can be a deterrent. It would be more challenging to read and understand a 500-word essay that is stacked up with uncommon words than to read a 5000-word article containing simple words.
- Revise your essay: Revision is done to checkmate the errors of punctuation, spellings, and typos, grammar, etc. This is a process of filtering the content of the essay. By revising, you would often find simple mistakes that can quickly be signed and replaced or corrected.
The DO’S and DONT’S
Below are some of the do’s and don’ts of essay writing.
Read More: How Long Should A College Essay Be?
DO’S
- Do not deviate from the word and character count. It is essential.
- Be specific; use examples with substantial evidence
- Brainstorm before picking up your pen to write. It helps.
- Answer all answerable question as regards the purpose of the essay
DONT’S
- Be tempted to write in the third person. The first person is the best.
- Repeat things over and over again.
- Use strange and uncommon words. Be straightforward in your use of words.
Conclusion
Writing a 500-word essay won’t be an uphill task if one follows strict guidelines as the ones highlighted in this article. The main aim is not just to write, but to write what will be accepted by any reader and would ultimately trigger a positive and beneficial response from the receiver.
A lot has been covered in this piece, so it is necessary to look at them one after the other before embarking on that writing journey of yours.