Sylvia Plath wrote, "Let me live, love, and say it well in good sentences."1 Although she wasn't writing an essay when she wrote those words in her journal, they offer a message of hope, success, and pleasure in writing. Responding to an essay prompt can be intimidating when you first get started, but they all follow a standard format. If you are aware of important essay features, research your prompt, and take the time to outline your essay, you'll deliver what you want to say in a compelling piece of writing.
Fig. 1. Schoolwork on an old-fashioned desk.
The Different Types of Essay Prompts
Essay prompts help you to approach the topic by asking you questions. When you are faced with an essay prompt, it is important to think about how you will respond, as each essay prompt may require a different writing style or rhetorical approach.
The different essay prompts include:
- Narrative: requires you to explore a fictional experience or write a true or imagined story to convey your argument.
- Expository: requires you to explain or define a concept or idea by evaluating evidence. A specific audience needs to be kept in mind as you present your argument and the evidence to back it up.
- Persuasive: requires you to persuade or convince your audience to take a stance on a particular viewpoint or action, with certain language choices to present logical thinking.
- Descriptive: requires you to describe "in detail" an object, an experience, or an image using sensory language.
Format of an Essay
An essay comprises a beginning, a middle, and an end. Leaving out one of these parts will confuse the audience because the piece will not flow smoothly.
Beginning: Essay Introduction
The introduction is where you launch your topic. You tell the reader the subject in a few sentences and outline the main ideas. The first couple of sentences grab the reader's interest. There are a few standard ways to begin your essay:
- A quote: Find a meaningful quote that illustrates your topic. A fitting quote is effective because it mirrors your thoughts and creates believability by adding a separate voice that shares your view.
- An anecdote: An anecdote is a brief story from your life that is connected to the subject of your essay. A quick tale is a good way to establish the atmosphere and setting.
- A statistic: Opening your essay with a statistic that shocks the audience plays on their trust or distrust in the statistic as reliable information. They will keep reading to satisfy their desire to know whether or not the statistic is accurate and how this is the case.
- A question: When you are having a conversation, and someone asks you a question, the natural response is curiosity. The same holds for your writing. When you begin your narrative with a question, the audience wants to keep reading to find out the answer.
The thesis statement is typically the final sentence in the introduction. The thesis clearly defines your topic and gives the audience an overview of what will be covered.
Middle: Essay Body Paragraphs
The body paragraphs are where you'll argue your opinion, share information, or tell your story. When first getting acquainted with an essay prompt, including at least three body paragraphs is customary, and each one builds upon the information given previously. Pay attention to the way you begin and end each section because awkward transitions interrupt the readability of the text.
End: Essay Conclusion
The conclusion ties everything together and offers closure to the reader. In the conclusion, restate your thesis and briefly touch on your main points. As with the introduction, there are a variety of ways to write a powerful ending:
Consider the information included in the essay.
Examine what the audience gains from being made aware of your topic.
Discuss the moral or theme that underlies your issue.
Features of an Impressive Essay
There are many ways you can make your essay pop, including paying attention to language choices and choosing your sources wisely.
Language Choices in an Essay
Rhetoric is the study of how we communicate. One of the things it examines is the impact of language choice and structure on effective communication. The words you choose and how you write your essay's sentences directly affect its effectiveness. As you look over your writing, ask yourself:
Is your essay clear and concise?
Are you using concrete details to support the ideas in the essay?
Look at your writing objectively. How well are you explaining the main points? Is the essay saying what you are trying to make it say?
Through a more painful objective lens – is your essay interesting to read?
Have you answered the question or prompt directly and effectively?
Choosing Sources for an Essay
Credible sources are essential for the audience to take you seriously. The CRAAP Method is a handy guide:
Fig. 2. Find knowledgeable sources.
Purpose: Look at the reasons why the information exists. The "About" page of a particular website can help you decipher whether the source means to inform or entertain and whether it contains political, religious, or personal biases.
Essay Prompt Examples
If you can choose between multiple essay topics and prompts, pick the ones you'd like to learn more about because your interest will show through your writing. Ensure that your subject complements the style of the essay prompt you're responding to. Here are a few examples:
Write a story on the history of the printing press (Narrative Essay).
Convince us whether community gardens should be encouraged or not (Persuasive Essay).
Explain how to take a great nature photograph (Expository Essay).
Describe in detail how to make the perfect apple pie (Descriptive Essay).
Who was Alben Barkley? (Can you guess what the type of essay prompt this is?) .
Descriptive and Argumentative Essay Prompts
Take notes as you read through your sources and create a page that condenses your thoughts. Then, use these types of questions to come up with the main ideas of your essay:
What exactly has the Essay Prompt asked me to do?
What do you agree or disagree with in the sources you found? Why?
What stands out in the references you will use for your essay?
What evidence for your position do you see as you read?
Essay Outline
Just like the format of the essay, an outline follows a model:
I. Introduction
A. Hook (quote, anecdote, statistic, or question used to attract attention)
B. Introduction of Topic
C. Thesis Statement
II. Body Paragraphs 1-3
A. Main Point
B. Discussion of Main Point with Source
C. Transition Sentence to Next Point/Conclusion
III. Conclusion
A. Restate Thesis
B. Summarize Main Points
C. Final Impression
Example Response to an Essay Prompt
Read the example essay below. What type of Essay Prompt could it be responding to? What word choices have you found that support your argument?
When I visited my Nonnie in the summer, I got to help with her garden. I spent my days digging in the dirt and getting tanned in the bright sunshine. I didn't like the spicy smell of marigolds exactly, but I couldn't stop myself from sniffing their stiff petals. While we watered the plants (and squirted each other with the hosepipe), she taught me how different plants work together. Some plants make a good team, but others don't do so well when paired close to each other. Companion gardening is growing your vegetables, herbs, and flowers together in ways that eliminate some of the common problems, such as pests.
Not all bugs are out to get your garden. Many beneficial insects help eliminate the need to use pesticides. To attract them, position host and shelter plants throughout the plot. Host plants attract insects that help pollinate, while shelter plants offer safe places for them to lay eggs and rest. Herbs are an outstanding choice for this role. For example, herbs in the mint family will bring "predatory wasps, hoverflies, and robber flies" that eat caterpillars, grubs, and aphids.2 Gardening is a lot of work, so let nature do some of the work for you.
Companion planting can remove the annoyance of losing your crop to pests. Organizing the garden according to the characteristics of the vegetables, herbs, and flowers you want to plant creates a more natural, pesticide-free gardening experience. My Nonnie's tomatoes were the best I've eaten, and her company made the work all the more enjoyable, bringing yet another meaning to the benefits of "companion planting."
The anecdote attempts to gather interest in the essay. The thesis clearly defines the subject of the essay and its main points. The body paragraph supports its point using reliable evidence. Notice that the source supports your idea, not the other way around. There is a transition into the conclusion paragraph. The conclusion of the essay summarizes without repeating information word-for-word.
Essay Prompts - Key Takeaways
- An essay has an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
- A thesis statement rounds out the introduction by naming the essay's subject and main ideas.
- Choose the wording and references you include carefully to craft an effective essay prompt response. The CRAAP Method helps you decide the validity of a source.
- Use brainstorming and outlining to organize your thoughts and help make writing your essay easier.
1 Ted Hughes, and Frances McCullough, Eds. The Journals of Sylvia Plath. 1982.
2 Marie Iannotti. "Companion Planting to Control the Insects in Your Garden." 2020.
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