How to Write the Perfect Essay

For School and Beyond

Despite being a fundamental part of our education, reading, writing, and comprehension skills are lacking. Nearly 40% of high school students taking the ACT lacked the necessary English skills to complete college level courses and 44% of hiring managers say that recent grads still lack writing proficiency even after college. So where is the disconnect?

Essay skills are not necessarily like riding a bike. Though we may remember the basics, it’s easy to feel a little rusty when out of practice. Knowing where to begin sets up the groundwork for essay development, no matter what the style or subject matter. Before you even begin on that introduction, review the essay requirements. It may seem obvious, but it’s easy to skip this step and end up feeling lost not long after. Understanding the assignment guidelines, essay type, and topic are the first steps it takes to build an outline. By creating a literary roadmap for yourself, developing paragraphs based on what your outline tells you becomes much easier than going in blind. People with honed essay writing skills understand the importance of seeing the big picture before tackling the details.

For most of us, graduating college could mark the end of our essay writing careers, but keeping these skills sharp does more than just help us write. Take a look at this infographic from online-phd-degrees.com for more on the nuances of essay writing and how to hit your assignments like a pro.