how to write essay in one hour

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How to Write an Essay in Under 30 Minutes

Last Updated: December 19, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Arash Fayz . Arash Fayz is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of LA Tutors 123, an academic consulting and private tutoring company based in Los Angeles, California. Arash has over 10 years of educational consulting experience, managing the tutoring of students of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds to score higher on standardized tests and gain admission to their target schools. He has a BA in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of California, Los Angeles. There are 12 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 602,613 times.

If you’re taking your SATs this year, you may be preparing to write a solid essay within the 30 minute time limit. Or you might be trying to improve your writing speed to complete essay exams faster and more efficiently. Writing a five paragraph essay in under 30 minutes can seem daunting, but with the right planning and time management, it is certainly achievable.

Sample Essays

Planning the Essay

• For example, you may get a prompt in the form of quotation: “Time has a doomsday book, on whose pages he is continually recording illustrious names. But as often as a new name is written there, an old one disappears. Only a few stand in illuminated characters never to be effaced.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow [3] X Research source
• You may then receive a question attached to the prompt: “Are there some heroes who will be remembered forever? Or are all heroes doomed to be forgotten one day?" Plan your response, and then write an essay to explain your views on this issue. Be sure to support your position with specific points and examples. You may use personal examples or examples from your reading, observations, or, knowledge of subjects such as history, literature, science. [4] X Research source

• For example, you may brainstorm the Longfellow quote/question by thinking of personal examples of heroes who are remembered or forgotten, such as family members, friends, teachers, or peers who have acted as heroes to you or to others. Or you may focus on a historical figure who seems to be a forgotten hero or a decorated hero.
• This essay question is asking for two sides of the discussion, the forgotten hero and the remembered hero. Your thesis should discuss both sides and choose one side to argue for or against.
• You may choose to spotlight a historical figure who encountered opposition and challenges in her life, such as the suffragette Susan B. Anthony. Anthony worked tirelessly for decades to get the government to recognize women’s right to vote, and was often derided by the government and by individuals within her own organization. She is a good example of a hero who was not recognized as a trailblazer until late in her life, though she is now remembered as a heroine in history. Try to refer back to the quotation in the essay prompt in your thesis, if possible, to show you have read the entire question.
• A possible thesis statement could be: “Though Longfellow argues that names, or heroes, may be forgotten over time, one historical figure, Susan B. Anthony, was derided in her lifetime for her beliefs but is now remembered as a heroine of her time.”

• Introduction: Your beginning paragraph should contain an engaging first sentence and your thesis statement. Some writers find it easier to write create a temporary introduction and revise it once they are finished with the essay. This will ensure the introduction is cohesive with the rest of the essay.
• Conclusion: This paragraph should summarize your main argument and restate your thesis. You may also want to include last thoughts around the essay question.

Writing the Essay

• Try to spend two to three minutes on each body paragraph. Then, take three minutes on your conclusion paragraph and go back to your introduction. Spend the last three minutes revising your introduction so it matches the tone and perspective of the rest of your essay.

• An interesting or surprising example: This could be a personal experience or a key moment in the life of the historical figure you are discussing in your essay. For example, you may discuss Anthony’s childhood as a Quaker and her later adoption of more casual dress and growing interest in social reform at the age of 26. [9] X Trustworthy Source University of North Carolina Writing Center UNC's on-campus and online instructional service that provides assistance to students, faculty, and others during the writing process Go to source
• A provocative quotation: This could be from a source you used for your essay or one that feels relevant to your topic. For example, you may use a well known quote from Anthony, such as: “Cautious, careful people, always casting about to preserve their reputation and social standing, never can bring about a reform. Those who are really in earnest must be willing to be anything or nothing in the world's estimation, and publicly and privately, in season and out, avow their sympathy with despised and persecuted ideas and their advocates, and bear the consequences.” [10] X Research source
• A vivid anecdote: An anecdote is a very short story that carries moral or symbolic weight. Think of an anecdote that might be a poetic or powerful way to start your essay.
• A thought provoking question: create a question that will get your reader thinking and engaged in your topic. For example: “Did you ever wonder how women received the right to vote in the United States?”

• Body paragraph 1: You may start by discussing Anthony’s early successes. Look at the establishment of the Women’s Loyal National League in 1863 by Anthony and Stanton. As the first national women’s political organization in the United States, it had a membership of 5000 and provided a platform for women to speak out on issues like slavery and women’s right to vote. [11] X Research source
• Body paragraph 2: You may discuss Anthony’s mid career struggles. Look at the split in the women’s movement in May 1869, with the establishment of the National Woman’s Suffrage Association (NWSA) by Anthony and Stanton, and the rival American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA). Note how after the Civil War, Anthony devoted her time and life to the suffrage movement, assuming leadership of the NWSA in 1890 and continuing to advocate for women’s rights. Anthony also remained unmarried, which gave her an advantage under the law, as married women at the time were not permitted to sign official documents and had to defer to their husbands. [12] X Research source
• Body paragraph 3: You may discuss Anthony’s later life, including her many speaking engagements throughout the United States on the need for women’s suffrage and equal rights. Though Anthony died in 1906, and did not live to see the passing of the Nineteenth Amendment of the Constitution, affording women the right to vote in the United States in 1920, her forty years of tireless work paved the way for the legal precedent and gave women a strong sense of empowerment and equality. [13] X Research source

• For example, you may restate your thesis: “Throughout her life, Susan B. Anthony’s sacrificed her time, energy, and personal livelihood to advocate for women’s rights, proving that though many heroes may be forgotten, their actions will live on in history.”

Editing the Essay

• For example, an essay on Susan B. Anthony could have the title: “An Unsung Heroine” or “Susan B. Anthony: An Advocate for Change”.

Community Q&A

You Might Also Like

• ↑ Arash Fayz. Test Prep Tutor. Expert Interview. 1 November 2019.
• ↑ https://libguides.newcastle.edu.au/essay_planning/essay-planning
• ↑ https://resources.warburg.sas.ac.uk/pdf/emh823b2778298.pdf
• ↑ https://www.hunter.cuny.edu/rwc/handouts/the-writing-process-1/invention/Writing-a-Response-or-Reaction-Paper
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/thesis-statements/
• ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/test-terror.html
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/introductions/
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/should-i-use-i/
• ↑ https://www.rochester.edu/sba/
• ↑ https://repository.library.georgetown.edu/bitstream/handle/10822/553350/laCossJoanHarkin.pdf
• ↑ https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/susan-b-anthony
• ↑ https://www.britannica.com/biography/Susan-B-Anthony

About This Article

In order to successfully write an essay in under 30 minutes, you need to plan it out and work efficiently. Take a good 10 minutes to plan out the essay and come up with a thesis statement that will convey your argument and help guide your essay. It may seem like a large chunk of your time, but it will save you from having to rewrite or restructure your essay later on. Then, take 15 minutes to write your introductory paragraph, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Use the last 5 minutes to proofread your essay and look for spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors. Don’t worry about coming up with a title until you’re finished. It will be much easier then. For tips about how to edit an essay you write in under 30 minutes, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How to Write a Timed Essay

Last Updated: August 10, 2021

This article was co-authored by Arash Fayz . Arash Fayz is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of LA Tutors 123, an academic consulting and private tutoring company based in Los Angeles, California. Arash has over 10 years of educational consulting experience, managing the tutoring of students of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds to score higher on standardized tests and gain admission to their target schools. He has a BA in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of California, Los Angeles. This article has been viewed 21,694 times.

Whether it be in a class or for a standardized test, students are often required to write a timed essay. Writing a timed essay is as much about organization and time management as it is about the quality of writing. Visit Step 1 to get started.

Divide Up Your Time

• Make sure the prompts wants you to write an essay and not just a simple short answer that could consist of a few sentences to one full paragraph.
• Pick a position/argument to organize your essay. Think in terms of the pros and cons of the arguments and what supporting details lead you to the facts you'd like to present in the essay.
• Jot down an outline on some scrap paper
• Write the essay based on the outline! Don't ever write without some notes and knowledge of the subject at hand.
• Proofread your essay. No reader ever wants grammatical and spelling errors to be present.
• Submit on time.

• Read and understand the prompt = 1.5 minutes
• Pick a position = 1.5 minutes
• Jot down an outline = 2 minutes
• Write = 21 minutes
• Revise = 3 minutes
• Submit = 1 minute

• Introduction: 3 minutes
• Paragraph 1: 6 minutes
• Paragraph 2: 5 minutes
• Paragraph 3: 5 minutes
• Conclusion: 2 minutes

During the Essay

Proofreading the Essay

Submitting the Essay

Expert Q&A

• Wear a wristwatch during your timed essay. Not every testing room will have a clock on the wall or a proctor who announces the time remaining at regular intervals. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Don't panic if you go over time on a particular section. You can make it up by going a little faster on the next section. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Pay special attention to the outlining at the beginning. If you have a solid structure and direction, the argument will seem focused and organized even if it has been written faster than you would do without a time limit. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

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• ↑ Arash Fayz. Test Prep Tutor. Expert Interview. 1 November 2019.

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How To Finish A Compelling Essay in An Hour

Table of Contents

Burning midnight oil.

Essay writing makes up a big part of academic life for students in schools and colleges. Instructors teach the dynamics of essay writing before assigning them tasks of their own. There is always a limited time and set guidelines to finish an essay and submit it before the deadline.

Simply saying that essay writing is a single task can be quite misleading. Students can never set out to write a complete essay without prior or post-writing phases. For instance, if a student has decided to write on a topic, it is impossible to cover the whole premise without in-depth research and collection of data.

This post is about dissecting the idea of writing a perfect essay in one hour through a guide. We have shared a complete plan and then provided a pro tip to get a well-written compelling essay in an hour.

Writing A Perfect Essay In One Hour – Fact or Fiction?

It may seem like an outlandish idea. As a matter of act, it is an outlandish idea. But it is doable. Writing a perfect essay in one hour is a distant dream of novice writers and students, yet professional writers can do it in even less time. They divide the whole task of writing an essay into different parts.

Each part is done at a specific time before they move on to the next one. In professional companies, different writers designate tasks between one another and complete a finished copy well before one hour.

Two Possible Ways Forward

When a student is tasked to write a well-researched, compelling essay, it is necessary to have some time on their hands to deal with the assignment. Instructors usually provide a couple of days, at least, to students so that they can research, write, and edit excellent essays.

But let us just say that you were not lucky to have this much time to submit your assignment. How can you write a perfect essay in one hour ?

To that question, there are two possible answers, but only one of them is desirable.

Hiring A Professional Writer

This is the easiest and by far the most secure way to get a unique essay written in one hour. Professional writers are employed by essay-writing companies that offer timely services to students across the globe. They have the right tools and training to collect relevant information before outlining, and then writing the essay before the deadline. You can be sure of the fact that you will be able to secure the highest marks. PerfectEssay offers a money-back guarantee if the provided essay will fail the customer. As a decade-old company, they did not have to pay that penalty once!

Writing On Your Own

Writing the essay on your own is a noble cause, and there is no doubt about it. But students should also look at things from a more practical or pragmatic angle. As novice writers in their formative years of school or college education, they do not have enough training or tools to come up with a topic, research necessary information, and then write on the premise. It is best to go with a professional writer who can deliver guaranteed work on time. But if they are still up for the challenge, the guide in the upcoming lines is for them.

How To Quickly Write An Essay

Distractions can create setbacks for seasoned writers, so novice writers and students at academic institutions cannot be blamed for being mere mortals. The room where you need to write the essay in an hour should be quiet and isolated. Your smartphone should be turned off or at least the notifications are silent to provide you the head space you need.

The atmosphere, the right one, has a great impact on the quality and quantity of the output when it comes to writing. Before setting out to write an essay in an hour, make sure that everything is where it should be. It means a comfortable temperature of the room, ample light, and a supporting chair and desk for the right posture.

Many times, teachers assign a topic to the students for writing the essay. Other times, they need to come up with one on their own. If you are already given a topic, you can save time on choosing one and go straight to the research and outline. If not, it is best to scour the internet and look for trendy topics.

Understanding the topic is the first step toward writing a superb essay. During normal times, it is alright if a student wants to take more than a day to better understand the topic. But when he has only an hour to write the essay, it is best to rely on his instincts and move to the brainstorming phase as soon as possible.

Brainstorming ideas is a crucial part of the process. It can be done in mind or on paper. Since students do not have ample time on their hands, it is best to go with the paper method and write down the best ideas. Then, they must be vetted against other issues before settling and writing the essay on one.

It is impossible that a student has all the information he needs to write a quality essay. There are sources and credible publications that they must consult beforehand. This allows them to have a solid thesis, main argument, or idea for the essay. This phase also helps them in determining the right direction, depth, and scope of the essay.

A thesis statement is an essential element of the essay, no matter the type, scope, and application of the essay. A thesis statement is the distillation of the main idea or the argument of the essay into a single or a couple of bold sentences or a small paragraph. The best way to develop one is to write it in the closing lines of the introduction after completing the essay.

An outline is the best way to set the direction and tone for the essay. It also helps with setting the scope and focus of the write-up. But the most important and far-reaching benefit of creating an outline is to avoid bottlenecks or writer’s block along the way. When students have only an hour to write the whole essay, every minute and second counts.

There is no need to get into the process of writing with half heart and mind. Even though the time is limited, students should approach the task of writing with a confident urgency. This will result in fewer mistakes and errors in the writing, which means fewer minutes to allocate for the editing and proofreading process.

Checklist For Writing An Essay In An Hour

A checklist is a list of essentials for a task so that they could not be left out in a hurry. While writing an essay in an hour, writers need to have a solid and dependable checklist to compare and evaluate their essays with.

In this section, we have shared the major parts of the essay and how writers can check elements and essentials in these with the checklist. This will ensure that they end up securing maximum scores in their assignment.

Introduction – Hook, Context, Thesis

The introduction of the essay should have a hook. It can be a single or a couple of sentences in the opening to lure the readers in. After the hook, writers should provide the background information or context of the problem or issue. In the closing lines of the introduction, writers should put down the thesis statement. It will help them transition into the main body of the essay.

Body Paragraphs – Arguments, Narrative, Description

Body paragraphs are the real meat and bones of the essay. Whether students are  writing an argumentative , narrative, or descriptive essay, this will be the major portion in terms of the quantity of the essay. Writers should ensure that the relevant elements of the essay type are in abundance and are perfectly balanced against one another. Otherwise, it will be no point in writing catchy opening or closing lines.

Conclusion – Summation, Reiteration

Many students wing this part because they mistakenly think that it cannot add much value to the essay. This cannot be further from the truth as it can help writers make the essay memorable and better understood by the readers. Again, writers should keep the section bold and brief and reiterate the main ideas and arguments of the essay. The real value of any essay lies in its closing sections.

How To Finish An Essay Quickly

Starting and finishing a good essay in an hour requires a cocktail of talents and traits. First of all, students need to be resilient and able to think and write under pressure. This comes from writing prompts in quick sessions. Then, it is about knowing how and where to look for relevant information without wasting time. In the end, it is about putting the time and effort into writing the essay and then editing it before the stroke of the clock.

Will You Write My Essay In One Hour?

If a student asks this question to another student or a sibling, there are healthy chances that his request will be turned down for good. But when the same question is asked by a good writing company such as PerfectEssay, the answer will always be yes, and for all the right reasons.

PerfectEssay offers nominal pricing and ensures a guarantee of success. We have a team of highly skilled writers with support staff to get started and finish a quality essay from scratch within an hour. Since the clock is ticking, what are you waiting for? Place your order now and get a superb essay in your inbox before the deadline!

A Perfect Essay – More Than The Sum of The Parts

A perfect essay, objectively speaking, is a collection of different paragraphs with varying functions and focuses. It is hard to make sense of the individual sections if we do not take into account the whole premise and intent behind writing an essay.

There is no denying that writing a complete essay within an hour is a herculean task, one that requires excellent research and writing skills. On the other hand, students can make a great time by dividing the whole task into small sections and then taking on each section accordingly. Still, the best way forward is by not writing at all and outsourcing the heavy lifting to the professionals.

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How to Write an Essay in Under 1 Hour

• Last Updated: April 14, 2023

How fast can you write an essay ? And how fast can you write a qualitative essay? If you’re not a professional writer, who’s been writing academic papers during his/her life, you’re probably not that good in writing your essays fast. Of course, it is not hard to compose a paper in an hour. But it is actually hard to compose a good one that fast if you don’t know effective writing techniques used by professionals.

To become good in writing at college is quite easy. And that is exactly the perfect time to do that. So, how to write well without help of a specific American essay writers service under 1 hour only?

Write Well and Fast

If you’re about to start working on your college writing assignment, don’t do it before reading the following tips and recommendations. Don’t read some special blogs or articles, which offer million of methods on improving your writing skills. Our team in collaboration with Write My Perfect Essay, prepared for you one short list of those few top recommendations only, which are really going to influence your writing skills. In fact, an essay in most of its ways is not about what you’re writing, but about how you’re writing that.

So, if you want to learn to write fast but provide quality, keep reading. We’re going to talk about fast, easy, and stress-free essay writing approaches, which are going to save a lot of time on your essay assignments.

Usually, last-minute papers are not of a high quality. But the following tips will help you to make it through the writing process with better results in the end.

• Be realistic with the deadlines. First of all, evaluate the information, the background, and the deadlines you have. If you realize that even 1 hour is quite a short period for you to write at least something meaningful, probably it will be better to apply for professional writing help. But if even the tightest deadlines seem to be realistic for you, keep writing;
• Understand the topic and find sources. When you have 60 minutes for an essay, you have to rely on additional sources mainly. So, read the task for a couple of times to understand it better. Then, quickly map out what you already know about the topic and start looking for supportive information online. Probably, you won’t be able to visit the library and research the recommended literature there, so look for supportive data online. Choose the services, which you are 100% sure in. Each of the web pages should be reliable and trustworthy enough for an academic assignment of a college level. Check Google Scholar or any edu related sources firstly;
• Write an outline . Don’t skip this part, even if you have less than an hour for your assignment. An outline is 50% of your essay. It is like a backbone, which holds any other information you’ll add to your essay. Outlines save time in the long run. They map out the way you should structure your writing, making it easier for you to build logically connected paragraphs;
• Highlight a thesis statement. The thesis statement is the outcome of an essay in one sentence. It informs your readers about the topic and the ideas, which you’re going to support in your writing. So, make sure that the thesis and the content of your essay are not opposite to each other;
• Follow a structure. Having a clear outline, thesis, and structure will help you to compose a great essay even less than under 30 minutes. It is like adding the ideas you have, filling each part of the outline. Stick to whatever essay structure is more comfortable for you. We recommend a traditional form of 5 paragraphs – introduction, body part with three paragraphs, and conclusion. This is the structure familiar to most students from their high school years. Always place your most important arguments last to make an essay interesting to read. Accordingly to the type of assignment you have, you might want to use parallelism technique too.

And don’t forget about the finishing touches in the form of proofreading and editing. Even if you have 10 minutes until the deadline, don’t skip proofreading as you may find quite an important technical or context mistake, which can ruin the whole essay. So, give at least a minute or two to editing only. First of all, pay attention whether you’ve not missed some visible errors and whether your essay sounds smooth and has good flow. Are you moving from paragraph to paragraph logically enough? Haven’t you missed a transition sentence somewhere between those paragraphs?

Now, your essay is ready to be submitted and assessed by the teacher.

About Author / Dallas Dorrall

Dallas Dorrall is passionate about music and is living her dream managing and promoting Nashville/Muscle Shoals based Country Music Artist, Johnny Collier, currently touring the US. While traveling, she enjoys reviewing new artists, restaurants and nightclubs. Dallas is crazy about her family and friends and attributes her enthusiasm for life to a quote by Marianne Williamson (which she still reads every day) entitled “Our Deepest Fear”.

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How to Write an Academic Essay – Full Essay Wrting Guidance

Table of contents

• 1 What is An Academic Essay Writing?
• 2 The Main Types of Essays
• 3.1 Expository Essay
• 3.2 Descriptive Essay
• 3.3 Narrative Essay
• 3.4 Argumentative/Persuasive Essay
• 3.5 Compare and Contrast Essay
• 3.6 Cause-and-Effect Essay
• 3.7 Critical Analysis Essay
• 4 What Else: Another Types of Essays
• 5.1 Understand Your Assignment and Plan Ahead
• 5.2 Start the Research as Early as Possible
• 5.3.1 Academic Essay Introduction
• 5.3.2 Thesis Statement
• 5.3.3 The Text Main Body
• 5.3.4 Conclusion
• 5.4 Starting Key Points
• 5.5 Reference List
• 5.6 Your Essay Must Flow
• 5.7 Pick your Own Words
• 5.8 Use Academic English
• 5.9 Stay Focused
• 5.10 Proofread
• 6.1 The Structure is Followed by Proper Formatting
• 7 An Example of An Academic Paper
• 8 Final Thoughts
• 9.1 How do you start an academic essay?
• 9.2 How do you structure an academic essay?
• 9.3 What is in an academic essay?
• 9.4 What are the four types of essays?

Writing an academic essay is a common task that college students face in their studies. An academic essay is a type of writing that presents a clear and well-supported argument. It requires critical thinking, research, and analysis, plus writing skills. Writing academic essays follows a standard structure that includes an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.

In this article, you will learn how to write an academic essay step by step during your academic career.

You will learn how to:

• Draft a suitable topic and narrow it down to a research question.
• Conduct a literature review and find credible sources.
• Develop an excellent thesis statement and outline your main points.
• Write clear and coherent paragraphs with transitions.
• Cite your sources using the appropriate referencing style for your text.
• Revise and edit your essay for clarity and accuracy.

What is An Academic Essay Writing?

Academic essay writing is a formal way of expressing ideas and arguments. These arguments are used by scholars and educators in publications. It is complex, accurate, impartial, and clear. It supports claims with evidence from reliable TV sources. Likewise, it also uses a third-person perspective to show the writer’s competence and authority. It also uses cautious language and logic to reach a balanced position.

• Formal Tone: Academic essay write-ups maintain a formal tone throughout. They use precise language and avoid colloquial expressions or personal anecdotes.
• Clear Structure: The final draft will follow a clear and organized structure after careful steps to plan your essay . This will include an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. Each section serves a specific purpose. Thereby contributing to the overall readability of the essay.
• Evidence-Based Arguments: Excellent academic essays are built on evidence and scholarly sources. They require critical analysis and logical reasoning. The integration of supporting evidence to substantiate claims is needed.
• Objective Approach: Academic writing maintains an objective stance in the writing process. It relies on rationality and impartiality rather than opinions or emotions. This ensures the work presents arguments and counterarguments. It must also be a valid explanation based on the available evidence.
• Citations and Referencing : Proper citation and referencing are crucial in academic writing. It also helps to acknowledge the primary and secondary sources of information text used chronologically. Thereby allowing readers to locate and verify the evidence presented, plus prevent plagiarism.

And that’s it, and you’ve got the basic steps of writing an academic essay. Note that you should revise your essay once you’re done with this writing. Doing so will allow for avoiding typos, misunderstandings, or grammatical errors, so proofreading is necessary.

The Main Types of Essays

An essay is a analytic, short, interpretative document on a chosen topic. The author can express their opinion or point of view on a situation, problem, or phenomenon through the different essay styles . 

The main feature of the essay is brevity: in the process, you learn to separate the main from the secondary, analyze information, and draw conclusions. Therefore, you should understand the different types of essay writing as early as possible.

Globally, the types of written texts can be divided into two big categories: fiction and non-fiction . In the first case, it is supposed to convey thoughts by creating characters, situations, and stories. In the second case, it is about concisely presenting factual information. However, it is also worth noting that genres are practically not used in their pure form in the modern world. For example, to create a persuasive essay , you should understand the subtleties of structure and writing. But you can meet artistic elements even in a serious text built on facts. Thus, there are different genres of essays, and each of them has certain features.

What Are the Different Types of Essays?

Every text a student prepares has a specific purpose. Depending on the task, the following are selected essay structure types. Below, we will consider the main types most often encountered in educational practice.

Expository Essay

The main task of an expository essay , which commonly uses a 5-paragraph essay structure , is contained in its title: to explain and to tell. The author must disclose the topic in detail without argumentation and criticism. Through a dry presentation of facts, the author gradually explores the topic. Such a work’s advantage is the absence of unambiguous author’s conclusions. Readers, having studied the facts presented, can form an independent opinion. Later on, it stimulates the development of in-depth, comprehensive discussions, which allows for opening a new perspective on the topic.

In medicine, this type of essay tells about discoveries. Statistics and research are not enough for conclusions, but a fact is. Science, in general, gravitates more toward this type of information presentation. A new cure for cancer has been found: then such essays develop into scientific articles, which provide a basis for reflection and action.

Descriptive Essay

The next type of essay writing involves a narrative format. Here, the author should maximize the use of skills to create visual images. The main feature is to connect sensory and emotional associations in the reader. A simple example is a comparison with advertisements: “gingerbread-cinnamon flavor will envelop your whole house”, “creamy texture that melts in your mouth”. The same techniques are often used in classic literature.

It is the main advantage of this is to enrich and strengthen the story, the author needs to use metaphors. It is often necessary to refer to classics, which makes the author more well-read and enriches their vocabulary. Such texts are often the main category for future literary scholars, philologists, writers, and editors. If you are just starting to learn about styles of writing essays, this one will make the most sense to you because of its obvious distinguishing features.

Narrative Essay

It is one of the types of academic essays favored in first-year courses. Here, the emphasis is on conveying thoughts through emotions and feelings. But there is a difference: a story based on the author’s personal experience lies in the center. It gives you full freedom of creativity and the opportunity to write based on your feelings. Sometimes, you may need to write an admission essay for college , which is closely related to this type.

Different essay types involve distinct structures. Thus, a narrative essay is built on the storytelling principle: there is a plot, main action, outcome, and afterword. Dialogue plays a special role and becomes part of the story. As experienced writers say, “This conversation is appropriate here only if it moves the narrative forward.”

Argumentative/Persuasive Essay

The different kinds of essays are easy to understand from their names. In this case, fictionality is replaced by arguments, which may cause difficulties for students. To solve them, a special editing service can help you write a quality argumentative essay .

It is about the ability to maneuver between facts and terms and then describe them in understandable language. Often, students miss another important aspect. Indeed, arguments are not just statements. Every idea must be supported, either by its explanation or by reference to a verified source that can be trusted. You work out your opponent’s possible objections through your story.

Compare and Contrast Essay

If you want to write something really deep and interesting, you should study not only stylistic features but also types of essay structures. It will help you unmistakably choose the most appropriate format for a particular assignment.

When writing a basic academic essay, you will have a clear structure. In the case of contrastive and comparative, it may vary. The main point is to compare the characteristics of the objects (characters) of the narrative, often to highlight a particular point or theme. To write this type of essay effectively, you need to choose two comparable subjects. They should belong to the same category (e.g., two books, theories, historical periods).

Paris, often celebrated for its historical charm and romantic ambiance, contrasts sharply with New York’s fast-paced, modern urban environment. While Paris’s architectural landscape is dominated by iconic structures like the Eiffel Tower and quaint cafes, New York boasts towering skyscrapers and a bustling cityscape. This juxtaposition highlights the unique cultural and architectural identities of each city.

Cause-and-Effect Essay

When discussing popular types of essay formats, it’s worth mentioning separately the so-called cause-and-effect compositions. It will take some practice to write such texts successfully. As the name suggests, with this essay type, you will have cause-and-effect events. Writing an essay becomes a completely understandable set of actions. There are facts, ─ there are their results. However, because of such a strict attitude to the material, such an academic paper looks “dry” and boring, like a statement of fact. Thus, students often need help understanding how (and whether it is possible) to add their author’s note.

To make the text more interesting, writers recommend adding elements of intrigue. By abandoning the linear narrative (event-action-conclusion), you will make the story more interesting for the reader. Your cause-and-effect essay will become rich and engaging if you keep the suspense until the finale. For example, you can describe different events at first, and only towards the end should you explain their interconnection and the cause of their occurrence.

Critical Analysis Essay

Critical analysis is one of the essay writing styles that’s extremely difficult.  As we mentioned above, genres often exist in a mixed format. This format assumes the author will put aside artistic imagery and personal (subjective) opinions. Critical analysis implies the ability to approach the issue as objectively as possible.

The facts come to the fore here. The author needs to choose the main and key thoughts in the context of the given topic. Criticism leaves room for reflection and creativity. However, the author should create the illusion of “looking from the outside.” Future law students, especially, often use this technique. Remember the lawyer at the meeting: they voice the facts but cast doubt on them. If there is no evidence, the fact loses its significance. Maneuvering between arguments, the lawyer achieves the main thing: acceptance of their position. Surely, you can use different formats for essays. However, this particular one will be an opportunity to tell a story, share an opinion, and call for discussion simultaneously.

What Else: Another Types of Essays

It’s hard to cover all types of essays at once, but we’ve covered the ones you’ll encounter most often. If you understand the features of the main ones and master the writing skills, it will be easy for you to create a text in any genre. Below are also a few more types of academic essays you may face:

• Informal . Assumes a free statement of the author’s thoughts without being bound to a format.
• Scholarship. The primary role is to motivate a college or university to award a scholarship to you.
• Personalized. It may be challenging for beginners: the narrative is in the first person, and you need to interest the reader from the first lines.

How to Write an Academic Essay

These academic papers assess students’ ability to think and research. It evaluates their writing skills on critical pieces on a particular topic. They are given as final assignments in college-level courses. These contribute a significant part to your final grade.

Many students wonder things like “How to write my essay ” because writing one is tricky. However, that doesn’t mean they can’t. You must first understand the given assignment. This will ensure you can produce such academic writing and make it perfect. That means you have to dwell on its title/topic and comprehend its meaning. Like that, you’ll be able to get factual background information.

Once you do that, you can organize all your thoughts in order. Note that if you structure your ideas well, you can progress easily. Follow a set order and create a flow in your paper. Lastly, you will have to revise the text, ensure it’s clear and concise, and follow the topic. Also, ensure there are no errors and have a good transition between all paragraphs.

These essays assess students’ ability to think, research, and write critical pieces on a particular topic. They are typically given as final assignments in college-level courses as a significant part of your final grade.

Understand Your Assignment and Plan Ahead

The first step is understanding a topic’s meaning before you start writing. For an academic essay, that’s even more important because that will determine what type of write-up you are to write. That will dictate all requirements and ensure you don’t confuse yourself.

After you have understood the topic, you’ll have to start gathering facts about it. The information can be from many reputable sources!

Start the Research as Early as Possible

Starting the research process as early as possible is crucial. It helps in successful academic endeavors. Early research allows ample time for gathering information. It also aids in developing a well-rounded understanding of the essay topic before the publication date.

As a writer who offers custom essays for sale , the early beginning allows you to explore various sources. This will ensure comprehensive subject matter coverage. Moreover, it allows for deeper engagement with the draft material for the identification of knowledge gaps.

By initiating the research process early, one can reduce time constraints by enhancing their work’s overall quality and depth.

Write Comprehensive Outline

Once you finish your research, next is the planning. Among the key steps to planning an academic essay is to section the outline first.

An basic essay outline  serves as a roadmap, guiding the writer through the organization and structure of their work. It outlines the main ideas, supporting points, and the logical flow of the essay.

A well-structured academic essay follows a typical introduction, body, and conclusion outline, with each contributing to the overall coherence of the work.

Academic Essay Introduction

An introductory paragraph is one of the most important parts of every academic writing. That is because these are the first words every reader will see after your title. From there, they will get impressions of your whole paper. Therefore, if you know how to write a title in an essay , you should be able to pen down an intro.

A first sentence should know  how to hook the audience and capture the reader’s attention. It can be an introductory paragraph with a funny joke, statistic, concise, strong statement, quote, or fact. One thing is that all must relate to your topic sentence and statement.

Your introduction’s second sentence should provide background information. One that can further guide your readers into the case you are writing about. The third will be where you introduce your statement, and this should be followed by a brief overview of what the people will see in your whole paper.

GOOD : Let us assume an essay discussing the impact of climate change on biodiversity. The following can be seen as a good introductory paper could be as follows:

“Climate change poses a growing threat to the delicate balance of ecosystems. The rich diversity of life on our planet isn’t even left out. As global temperatures continue to rise at an alarming rate, the consequences for biodiversity are becoming increasingly evident. This essay aims to explore the relationship between climate change and biodiversity loss from existing knowledge. It will also investigate the various factors and mechanisms at play. We will be examining scientific research, case studies, and expert opinions. This will shed light on climate change’s direct and indirect connections to species extinction. Ecosystem disruption and the overall health of our natural environments will also be considered.”

BAD : A possible example of a bad essay introduction while writing an academic essay can be

“This essay explores the impact of climate change on biodiversity, emphasizing the urgency to address the issue. It highlights the environmental harm caused and stresses the interconnection between climate change and biodiversity loss.”

Thesis Statement

This is the next stage and must be concise, have a precise meaning, and address the main point. It should stay within your main point; it must be debatable and serve as a roadmap to guide all readers.

Writing a strong thesis statement is easy if you focus on your topic sentence and gain a key idea before starting the process. Understanding the essence of your assignment and conducting research based on these will allow you to write a strong thesis. Good research will allow you to identify the primary argument and form your statement. An adequate study will provide enough evidence to support your thoughts throughout the paper.

Another thing you must do is to write it engagingly. This way, the reader will not get bored by it, will be impacted by a lasting impression, and will be willing to explore them. Write your points based on relevance and public opinion; also, use appropriate terms that will be easy to understand.

Something you must learn is to start writing meaningful information in your statement. Avoid cliches, general points, and everything that can ruin the essay flow or imply wrong ideas. Eventually, you can craft a good statement if you conduct proper research and aim toward the major arguments.

Example of a possible good thesis statement:

“The implementation of comprehensive recycling programs at the community level is crucial for reducing waste, conserving resources, and mitigating the environmental impact of consumerism.”

This statement is strong because it clearly states the argument and provides a clear roadmap for the essay. It highlights the specific focus on comprehensive recycling programs at the community level and identifies the key benefits: waste reduction, resource conservation, and environmental impact mitigation. The thesis statement sets a specific and achievable goal that captures the reader’s attention. This allows for a more focused and cohesive essay that can effectively explore the topic.

The Text Main Body

After your introduction, follow the sections with the paragraphs that form most of your essay. Note that everything should be structured and follow an order. You must explain it to write about one point and jump to another.

Every first sentence of each section should be like a small intro explaining what you are writing about in a specific paragraph, just like in the descriptive type of an essay. After it, you should present evident information backing it up. If you use any reputable sources, cite them.

Evidence plays a crucial role in validating claims and supporting evidence of the essay. It helps to establish credibility, demonstrate knowledge of the subject matter, and convince the reader of the writer’s viewpoint.

When incorporating evidence, it is essential to consider a few key factors. Evidence should be relevant and directly related to the discussed topic or argument. Additionally, evidence should be reliable and sourced from reputable academic sources. These include peer-reviewed journals, books by experts in the field, or reputable research institutions.

When writing evidence, it is essential to provide proper citations and references to acknowledge the primary source of the write-up.

Examples of evidence:

• Good : We can take the following quoted write-up as an example of evidence used well. “According to a study conducted by Smith et al. (2020) in the Journal of Psychology, regular physical exercise has been found to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety among individuals significantly.”
• Bad : In the same breath, lousy use of evidence would involve relying on personal anecdotes or unsubstantiated claims. For example, “I know someone who exercises regularly, and they always seem happier and less stressed.”

Writing an academic essay conclusion is important. The conclusion will form the final overview of your paperwork. No matter the type of educational writing, you must restate your thesis statement. It should also summarize your opinion, its main points, and briefly the whole paper. Your conclusion must provide your audience with an answer and a final sentence that concludes the whole write-up and leaves them with a thought to ponder about.

In writing a conclusion for an academic essay, it is important to avoid certain mistakes that can weaken its effectiveness. Here are common errors to steer clear of in your conclusion:

• Introducing new information: The conclusion of an essay should summarize existing content rather than introduce new arguments or ideas.
• Repetition of the introduction: Avoid representing the introduction verbatim; instead, summarize the essay’s key points concisely.
• Clichéd phrases : Avoid generic phrases like “in conclusion” or “in summary” for a strong conclusion.
• Unsupported statements: Don’t include unsupported claims or personal opinions; ensure all statements are backed by evidence from the main body.
• Abrupt ending: Provide closure by summarizing the main points and reiterating the topic’s significance.

Example of a conclusion:

In conclusion, evidence supports the numerous benefits of regular exercise for physical and mental well-being. Studies consistently demonstrate improved cardiovascular health, increased cognitive function, and enhanced mood. Exercise can positively affect mental health while reducing anxiety and depression symptoms. By promoting physical activity, individuals can improve their quality of life and contribute to societal well-being.

Starting Key Points

The starting key point in an academic essay sets the foundation for the entire discussion. The thesis or central claim will highlight and represent the subsequent analysis and arguments. This key point should be concise, clear, and specific, previewing the main ideas to be explored. It acts as a roadmap of careful planning for the reader, outlining the direction of the essay from the start.

Reference List

This is a crucial component that provides detailed information about the sources and academic journals cited within the paper. It is typically located at the end section of the essay and follows a specific citation style, such as an essay in APA format , MLA, or Chicago. The reference list includes full bibliographic details for the source academic journals, allowing readers to locate and verify the information. The proper format ensures that the essay maintains a no-plagiarism stance and acknowledges the contributions of other scholars.

Your Essay Must Flow

It is critical to ensure that your article flows smoothly for good communication and comprehension. A well-structured and logical essay outline allows readers to easily follow your ideas. To establish a fluid flow, organize your thoughts rationally, take notes, and utilize clear subject sentences between paragraphs. Additionally, to get good results while writing an academic essay, keep the tone and style consistent throughout the article. Avoid rapid swings in thought or abrupt changes in direction. Your essay will interest readers and express your views with clarity and coherence. This is done by offering a comprehensive and integrated narrative in logical order.

Pick your Own Words

“Picking your own words” is an essential part of effective writing. It entails using accurate and proper wording to communicate your message. Choosing words with care improves clarity, engages readers, and elicits specific emotions or behaviors. To choose the best terminology for your writing, consider the context, audience, and purpose. The careful selection of your words demonstrates your command of the write-up’s subject matter.

Use Academic English

Academic English is essential for effectively presenting your thoughts in a classroom context. Academic English refers to the formal English, precise, and specialized language used in scholarly writing. It is characterized by clarity, objectivity, and a focus on evidence-based arguments.

• Proper grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure are crucial when using academic English.
• Avoid colloquial language, slang, or informal expressions.
• Discipline-specific terminology and vocabulary should be employed to showcase knowledge and understanding.
• Academic English establishes credibility as a scholar and facilitates clear communication with readers.
• It allows participation in academic discourse and engagement with other researchers and scholars.
• Academic English improves the clarity and professionalism of your writing.

Stay Focused

Maintaining focus is crucial for productivity and achieving goals. Here are three tips to help you stay focused:

• Set clear goals: Define specific, achievable goals for your task. Having a clear target in mind provides direction and helps you stay on track.
• Manage your environment: Minimize distractions by creating a dedicated workspace free from interruptions. Turn off notifications on your devices and keep non-essential items out of sight.
• Practice time management: Break your work into manageable chunks and allocate time for each task. Use techniques like the Pomodoro Technique, where you work for a set period and take short breaks.

Proofreading is among the key steps in the essay writing process. It involves carefully reviewing your work section by section for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and clarity errors. By proofreading, you ensure your writing is polished and error-free, enhancing its professionalism. Take your time during the editing process, or consider using proofreading tools or asking someone else for feedback. A thorough proofreading ensures that your message maintains accuracy.

Academic Essay Formatting

When working on academic writing, follow your institution’s proper formatting guidelines. We’ve brought forth the most important information to brief you on the basics. This explains formatting academic institutions’ texts correctly.

The Structure is Followed by Proper Formatting

• Set page numbers in the upper right-hand corner.
• Maintain one-inch margins on all sides.
• Use double-spacing and 12-point Times New Roman font.
• Align the text to the left.
• Format headers and footers.
• Include your name, instructions, course names, and the date in the upper left-hand corner.
• Use a larger font size for the title text.
• Maintain consistent font formatting (Times New Roman).
• Follow proper capitalization standards (APA, AMA, AP, and MLA format for an essay ).
• Use parentheses for citations, including the author’s name, year, and page number.
• Revise and ask to edit essay mistakes, check spelling mistakes, and take notes before submission.

Note: These formatting requirements can change based on your educational institution. Always make sure to check them before you start writing!

An Example of An Academic Paper

Taking inspiration from examples is invaluable when writing an academic paper. Our provided example serves as a starting point, but a vast array of examples can be found for any subject. Analyzing well-crafted samples offers guidance on structure, content, and formatting, thus enhancing the quality of your work.

Final Thoughts

In this article, you were able to see everything about academic papers. We’ve shown you the main types, their specifics, and how to write them, and even given you some valuable tips.

Considering all that, you can easily pen down the best essay. If you still need clarification, contact us, and we will assist you with your assignment. Otherwise, keep your focus, follow our tips, and you will write the best academic essay that will impress your professors.

How do you start an academic essay?

How do you structure an academic essay, what is in an academic essay, what are the four types of essays, readers also enjoyed.

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How to Complete a One-Page Essay in One Hour

• Essay Writing

If you are reading this article, then you have probably procrastinated for a long time and now realize your deadline is coming up. Most us know how hard getting to work might be and how your paper due date often feels so far away.

But suddenly the thought of the day X hits you, and your hands start sweating because you have so little time to do everything your teacher or professor expects you to do.

Two Options

You can still sit and wait for a fairy to come and complete your assignment for you, or you can quickly read our useful tips and get your work done – even if an hour is all you are left with.

1 — Get Professional Help

Magic indeed exists! We have fairies – often referred to as writers – working on our team, who are more than happy to help you with our essay writing service , and can hand a paper over to you within a short period.

2 — Write on Your Own

If the topic doesn’t seem too difficult for you, you can knock it out by yourself in an hour with the useful tips we have written below.

So, how to complete a one-page essay in one hour?

Step 1 – Avoid Distractions

Okay, so you’ve already procrastinated enough. That’s why it’s time to focus, no matter how hard it is for you. Turn off your TV, phone and close all the tabs with videos of dancing kittens. It’s time to start!

We also recommend turning off music. However, if you feel it helps you to focus, keep it at a low volume. If you like to listen to music while studying, it’s better to choose music without lyrics, as lyrics tend to distract our thoughts.

A note: Classical music or sounds of nature are the best background music for productive writing.

Avoid chatting with your friends on the phone and don’t take calls. You can get back to them after you have finished your work. For now, just leave your phone muted in another room.

Step 2 – Set the Right Atmosphere

Now it’s time to clean your space and find the most suitable place for you to work. Some students love to study while lying in bed or sitting in the window sill. Find the most comfortable position for you.

Some students say that scented candles can boost your productivity and concentration. For example, to wake up your brain, and start writing your essay, use scents like:

How to focus more?

If you’re sitting at your desk, free it of textbooks, and unwashed dishes. Messes lead to chaotic thinking. Organized spaces organize thinking.

Step 3 – Make Sure You Understand the Topic

This might seem obvious, but you should start writing your essay from the beginning around the question or a problem to be discussed in it.

Many essays have failed just because students misunderstood the given topic, and went off from what they should have been saying about it.

You don’t want to fail this way, right?

That’s why you have to read questions attentively and think through the general direction of your work.

Even an urgent essay requires some groundwork and preparation. Start searching for the right material and sources that will help you to understand what your professor teacher is expecting. Often topics are written in a confusing manner, and sometimes even a single word can completely change the whole direction of your answer.

A note: Be attentive to details and find a few different sources to compare given information.

Step 4 – Develop a Thesis Statement

A thesis statement is basically the answer to the essay. It is a quick summary of your essay that has been shortened down into a single sentence in your introductory paragraph. Usually, thesis statements are hard to come up with, especially for those students who don’t know how to write it well.

A thesis is a statement about what you wish to say in your academic paper. It tells your reader what they should expect to take away from it.

For example, if your essay theme is: The Influence of Napoleon Bonaparte on Warfare, Culture, and Politics.

Your thesis statement might be:

Although Napoleon Bonaparte was often called “an enlightened despot” he made a significant input in many spheres of life by spreading metric system, reforming French laws and promoting a movable type of warfare.

Need examples?

Take a look at our essay examples to understand how to create accurate and informative thesis statements.

Step 5 – Create an Outline

For now, you should have next to you all your necessary materials and a clear understanding of what your essay should be about. Now it’s time to start planning your essay.

A rough outline is the basis of your essay. Any piece of academic writing goes through developing an outline and building your work around it.

The standard plan for 5-paragraph essays looks something like this:

• Introduction: the starting point (a quote/statistics/question,) thesis, and transition.
• Three body paragraphs: with examples, explanations, and thoughts.
• The final conclusion: thesis restatement, summary, and closure.

Let’s take a look at the same topic as in our previous example. Here, the essay outline about Napoleon Bonaparte’s influence on different spheres of life would be:

• Introduction with thesis statement included.
• Body paragraph #1: legal reforms, and the Civil Code – both of its positive and negative impacts.
• Body paragraph #2: metric system spreading; making the Louvre into an imperial art gallery.
• Body paragraph #3: changes in warfare, fast marches, effective usage of mobile reserve batteries.
• Conclusion.

Attention: This was an example of a rough outline. If you have more than an hour, it’s better to create a more extended outline. The more effort you put in your outline, the less time you will spend tailoring your essay.

As you have already planned your essay and thought it through, this step won’t be difficult for you:

• Make short notes or bullet points on each paragraph.
• Make sure you have enough examples or data to support your statements.
• Reread it again.

Think about what kind of hook to begin your essay with. Even a one-page essay should catch the attention of the reader within the first few words. It should also convince others to continue reading your paper by using interesting facts or anecdotes (where appropriate).

Teacher’s advice: Many high school teachers admit that by the end of the first paragraph, they can tell whether or not an essay is good. So, do your best to write a compelling essay worth an A.

Step 6 – Write Your Paragraphs

If you followed all the previous steps, the rest of your paper shouldn’t take more than twenty minutes. Follow your outline and check the sources from which you pool your information, examples, facts, and statistics.

Every one of your body paragraphs should be written in the following scheme:

• Start with the topic sentence that defines the paragraph and helps the rest of the text shine.
• Explain this sentence.
• Give one or several examples.
• Explain the examples.
• Make your transition to the next paragraph.

While writing your paragraphs, stick to these simple and effective rules:

• Use clear and simple language.
• Create a catchy and compelling introduction.
• In body paragraphs, focus your text on facts.
• Pay attention to your conclusion — it must summarize the whole essay, be brief, concise, contain all your facts, and restate your thesis.

A pro tip: Write the middle of your essay first, before writing your introduction and conclusion. It will be easier for you to follow this logical flow, while not missing any important information.

Step 7 – Edit and Proofread

This is a significant step; insufficient concentration while editing and proofreading – or even skipping it – can lead to low grades. Every paper you write should be thoroughly checked for any grammatical errors in punctuation, and edited according to the standards of your learning institution.

Many students underestimate the importance of proofreading. And as such, they tend to hand in lackluster papers, despite the great information they might contain.

• Read the whole text — including the title page and headings.
• Run your text through grammar-checking software, like: Grammarly .
• Make sure to follow the guidelines provided by your teacher or professor.

Don’t feel sorry for the time you spend on this step, as it might let you avoid pitiful mistakes, and increase your chances of receiving a higher grade. Moreover, it will probably take you no more than 5-10 minutes.

Do you want to get help from a professional editor?

You can ask our writing team to help you with editing and proofreading your essay. It is a convenient option that will come in handy if you’re not sure about grammar, punctuation or word choice in your essay. You can send your request here.

We’ve made a brief checklist for you. Follow these points and you won’t forget any of the essential components of your essay.

Introduction

• Did you start with a catchy sentence, a quote, statistics, an interesting fact or an anecdote?
• Did you fall into details, when your text was meant to provide further explanation?
• Did you choose a thesis statement, which you have significant material to support?
• Do each of your paragraphs start with a controlling idea?
• Is each of your claims supported by concrete evidence?
• Do your paragraphs end with transitional sentences?
• Is your strongest evidence in the first paragraph of your body?
• Did you restate your thesis?
• Did you explain your findings?
• Did you end with a strong point, suggestion, quote, or rhetorical question?

Do you have everything done? Don’t forget a few finishing touches:

• Run your essay through the plagiarism checking software to make sure it is unique and satisfies the requirements of your learning institution.
• Print your paper or send it directly to your teacher or professor.
• Hand it in on time.
• And rest because you deserved it.

Plagiarism checking is an important step, as your learning institution might also do this check to confirm if you didn’t copy your work from an outside source.

So, these were our tips for anyone asking “How to write an essay in one hour?”

We hope these tips are useful for you, and that they will help you to write your essay on time. However, if you feel uncertain about your time-management skills, or the motivation to get up and work on your essay, consider the option of getting help with writing your essay. You can order essays on any topic you need, and receive them as fast as you need.

Wrapping Up

We know that forcing yourself to start working on your assignment is the hardest part of this process. However, once you have started, you can complete it in just one hour by using our helpful tips.

Don’t procrastinate, and good luck!

Related Articles

How To Write A Five Paragraph Essay In One Hour

You have a short deadline. You feel like you can’t write your essay fast enough, you’re asking, “Can I write my essay in one hour ?”

Writing an essay can be daunting, especially when you only have one hour to complete it. But never fear. With careful planning and a few simple tricks, it is possible to write a five-paragraph essay in one hour. This article will provide you with the necessary tools and information to help you create an effective, well-structured essay in a single hour. We will discuss the basics of essay organization, time management strategies and tips for improved writing quality.

Table of Contents

5 Main Types Of Essays

The writing process can be made easier with a clear understanding of the five main types of essays. Knowing and mastering these five types will help you create persuasive, well-crafted pieces that will impress your instructors and earn you top grades. This article will explore each type of essay in detail and provide insights into when and how to use them effectively.

Type 1: Argumentative

An argumentative essay is a type of writing that presents arguments to support a particular opinion, point of view or perspective. It is commonly used in academic writing and it requires the writer to provide evidence for their opinion or point of view. The main purpose of an argumentative essay is to convince the reader that their opinion is correct.

In order to write an effective argumentative essay, it is important to research both sides of the issue thoroughly and present facts and evidence in a logical manner. When writing an argumentative essay, it is important to remember that your goal should be convincing the reader that your viewpoint is valid and supported by facts. Furthermore, a successful argumentative essay will include counterpoints that are refuted with sound reasoning and solid evidence.

Type 2: Narrative

Narrative writing is a type of writing that tells a story. It usually follows a plot format that includes characters, setting, conflict, and resolution. Narrative writing can be used to present an argument or to tell a personal story. It has been used for centuries in literature and can also be found in many forms today such as movies, plays, and even video games. When writing a narrative essay, it is important to use descriptive language to draw the reader into the story. The author should create vivid images through their words while focusing on maintaining clarity throughout the piece. Organization is key when creating any narrative piece; each scene should have a purpose within the overall plot arc and lead toward the conclusion of the story. Writing an effective narrative requires time and practice; however, with enough dedication anyone can write an engaging narrative whether it’s over one hour or several days.

Related: How to write my essay in 1 hour

Type 3: Expository

Expository writing is a type of essay that requires one to investigate an idea, evaluate evidence, expound on the idea, and state an argument in a clear and concise manner. Writing an expository essay can be quite overwhelming at times, especially when you’re trying to write it within the one-hour time frame. When faced with this challenge, it’s important to have a well-structured plan to guide your writing process and help you meet the deadline.

The first step of writing any expository essay is to create an outline that will organize your thoughts and ideas into manageable chunks. Start by jotting down key points related to your essay topic, including relevant examples from outside sources such as research articles or books.

Type 4: Persuasive

Persuasive writing is an important skill to master for people in many different fields. It involves expressing opinions, making arguments, and convincing others of a particular point of view.  Persuasive writing is one type of persuasive writing that focuses on using evidence and logical reasoning to influence readers’ opinions.

When undertaking persuasive writing, writers focus on finding logical answers or solutions to problems or topics at hand. To do this effectively, writers need to research the case and gather facts and evidence that will help them form their argument successfully. Writers also need to consider their audience – who they are trying to persuade – as this can help guide their approach while constructing their argument.

Type 5: Descriptive

Descriptive writing uses descriptive language to bring a scene, character, or event to life. Describing something in detail allows the reader to gain a deeper understanding of the subject and its characteristics. When using this type of writing style, writers should use vivid words and phrases to create an immersive experience for their readers. Through descriptive writing, writers can capture not just what is seen and heard but also describe how it feels or smells in order to make the reader feel as if they are present in the scene.

For students who have an essay assignment due in one hour, Type 5: Descriptive can be used to provide a detailed description of their topic so that they can convey their message clearly and effectively within the short timeline.

The five-paragraph essay is one of the most common forms students use in academic writing. It consists of an introduction paragraph, three main body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph. Each section serves its purpose in conveying your ideas effectively to the reader. The introduction will provide background information and state your thesis statement; each body paragraph will explore evidence that supports your argument; then finally the concluding paragraph will summarize your evidence and support for your thesis statement.

By taking these steps beforehand, you can ensure that you have all the necessary building blocks for an effective essay before diving into writing it within a limited time frame such as one hour.

As you now understand essays and types, we can dive into techniques, how to write a five-paragraph essay in one hour.

Step 1. Focus your Essay on a Single Topic

In order to focus your essay on a single topic, it is important to first identify the main points that you want to make. After narrowing down your focus, it is also helpful to create an outline of your essay so that you can stay organized and avoid overlap in your argumentation. Finally, be sure to select specific examples and case studies that support your points and help illustrate why they are important.

• Do your research and come up with a clear thesis statement. Research relevant information and facts about your chosen topic to develop an original and interesting thesis statement.
• Create an outline of your essay. List the main points and evidence you’ll be discussing in each section of your essay. This will help you focus on one particular topic and make sure that each part of your essay contributes to its overall message.
• Structure your paragraphs logically. Make sure each paragraph is focused on one idea or point that connects back to the main argument or thesis of your essay.  This will help keep the reader’s attention on the single topic of your essay throughout its duration
• Edit, edit, edit Read through your essay several times until you are certain that it is thoroughly well written and focused on one central theme or argument throughout.

Step 2: Outline Your Essay

Writing an essay in one hour can be daunting, but it is certainly achievable with the right mindset and strategies. To help you write your essay in the time allotted, here are several tips on how to outline your essay.

First and foremost, set yourself up for success by taking some time to research or familiarize yourself with the topic at hand. This will help you create an essential structure for your essay so that you can easily maneuver through it later when writing. Additionally, ensure that you have your supporting evidence ready and organized before beginning to write. This will save time in searching for sources during the writing process.

Once you have done some preliminary research and compiled any resources or materials necessary for writing, create an outline of ideas and topics that need to be discussed throughout your essay.

Step 3: Research

How to prevent yourself from giving up halfway through the essay? Ask yourself how can I write my essay in one hour. it seems difficult and impossible, but it is possible with careful preparation and research. Properly researching the topic of your essay is essential for success, no matter how quickly you need to finish your assignment. You can complete the job efficiently and quickly with a few simple steps.

First, take the time to thoroughly read through your prompt and break it down into manageable parts. It’s essential to understand what exactly is being asked of you so that you save time writing about something irrelevant or off-topic. Once you have a clear idea of what kind of response is expected from the essay, begin by skimming over primary sources such as books or articles related to your topic; this will give you an overview of the main points that need to be addressed in your paper.

Step 4: Write the Introduction

The introduction is an important part of writing an essay in one hour. The essay should be concise and give the reader an overview of your main argument. It should include a brief description of what you will be discussing, any background information necessary for understanding the topic, and a thesis statement that explains your point of view. To ensure this step goes smoothly, it’s essential to plan ahead by brainstorming ideas related to your topic before you begin writing. Additionally, make sure that you use clear language and avoid unnecessary jargon or overly-technical terms that could confuse readers.. It serves to capture the reader’s attention and provide a brief overview of the topic. It should include a thesis statement at the end, which will be your main argument or opinion. Additionally, it should provide some context for the rest of the essay and explain why you are discussing the given topic. By taking the time to craft a well-written introduction, you can set yourself up for success in completing your essay in one hour’s time.

Step 5: Write Main Body

Writing an essay in one hour can be a daunting task. However, following a few simple steps can make the process much easier and faster. Step 3 of writing an essay in one hour is to write the main body of your essay. This will be where you explain your thesis statement and provide any evidence or quotes that support it.

It’s important to make sure that your paragraphs are well-organized and easy to read, as this will help you get your point across effectively in the limited time frame. Start each paragraph with a topic sentence that introduces the paragraph’s main idea, then use supporting evidence or examples to develop that idea further. Make sure there is a clear flow between each paragraph so they move logically from one point to the next. Additionally, ensure that all your points are connected back to your overall argument to strengthen its credibility with readers.

Step 6: Write the Conclusion

No essay can be written without a conclusion. For those who are pressed for time and need to complete their essay in one hour, the conclusion should take just a short time to write. It is important to remember that the conclusion should reiterate the main point of the argument, as well as underscore the significance of this point.

The first step when writing a conclusion is to review what has already been discussed in the body of the essay. This helps bring all points together and ensure that everything said ties into one another. The concluding paragraph should then provide an overview of these points, highlighting how they are related and connected. Furthermore, it is advised that authors provide some type of call-to-action or thought-provoking insight in order to leave a lasting impression on readers.

Write a Conclusion in 3 Easy Steps

Step 1: Restate Thesis

Step 2: Summarize the Main Points

Step 3: Conclude with Impact

Step 7 : Edit and Proofread

Editing and proofreading are essential steps in the writing process, no matter the deadline. Due to time constraints, the editing and proofreading stages may be sacrificed when you need to write an essay within one hour. However, it’s important to remember that these steps are just as vital as any other step in the writing process.

The best way to ensure your work is polished is by taking a break after you finish writing. Step away from your work completely – give yourself at least 10-15 minutes before you begin editing and proofreading. This allows your brain to reset so that when you return to your paper, you can view it with fresh eyes and easily identify mistakes that need correction or improvement.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

In conclusion, writing a five-paragraph essay in one hour can be achieved through careful time management and effective planning. To make the task manageable, break down the essay into its four components: introduction, three body paragraphs, and conclusion. For each element, decide on the main idea or point you want to make and how you will present it. Finally, take your time to proofread the essay for errors before submitting it.

How Long Does It Take to Write a 1000 Word Essay?

How long does it take to research an essay?

If you’re writing an opinion piece on something you already have some knowledge about, you may not have to do any research at all. It may just be a matter of organizing your existing thoughts into a coherent essay. If you need to find out about a topic before you begin to write, you can easily get information on certain topics, whilst others will be more obscure and therefore more difficult to research. Clearly, the easier it is to find information, the faster you can write.

How good are your reading comprehension skills?

Some of us can just skim a piece and pick up all the salient points. Others will have to read with more attention, and even re-read a piece several times to extract the information we need. Having good reading and comprehension skills makes writing much faster since you’re able to “get” the facts faster and organize them better. Now you know why you had to do so many reading comprehension tests at school.

How well did you plan?

Throwing yourself headlong at a 1,000-word essay and writing till you reach the word count may seem like the easy option, but it isn’t. Planning your essay so that it begins with an introduction, highlights the most important points you want to make and then wraps everything up into a conclusion actually saves you time. Sometimes, essay instructions will tell you how to structure the piece, so read them carefully and extract any information you can use to guide your essay’s structure.

How fast do you type?

Have you ever gotten lost halfway through a sentence? You know what you wanted to say, but halfway through, the thought slips away from you. The faster you can type , the more easily you can capture thoughts before your mind moves onto the next thing and you forget what you were trying to say. Typing skills are essential in the modern world. Consider using typing games to improve your speed.

How long does it take me to write a 1,000-word essay?

Faster isn’t always better. The more in-depth your report is meant to be, the longer you should spend on it. I can usually research and write a fairly technical magazine article of 1,000 words in three hours, but do remember that I’m a professional writer. I’m fast because I write all day, every day.

The longest I’ve ever spent on a 1,000-word article was 12 hours. It was absolutely brutal! The information I needed to gather was very technical, hard to find, and even more difficult to understand, and you can’t write something until you really understand the subject matter. I also had to contact experts for their opinions, but I couldn’t even ask about their opinions until I could target them with the right questions. As a result, I actually had to write most of the article before slotting in the expert comment.

The quickest I’ve ever written a 1,000-word article is one hour. In this case, I already knew the subject matter well and didn’t have to back up every fact in the essay with references.

Reviewing your work also matters

If you’re writing for grades and want a good one, you need a really good essay. Don’t start writing it the day before you have to hand it in. Try and get your first draft down at least a day or two before you have to submit your work. Then return to it and do your editing. Read your essay aloud to yourself, since this will help you pick up any careless errors you wouldn’t otherwise spot. Check to see if your information flows logically from one point to the next and make sure that you’ve presented your information clearly.

Remember, teachers get tired. They have to read the same kind of essay over and over again when they grade. If they struggle to understand what you’re saying, you might not get as good a grade as you would if you stuck to using short sentences and relatively simple language.

Your reviewing process shouldn’t take all that long. If you don’t have to make a lot of changes, you should be able to do your final edit in under half an hour.

Take your time. Whatever you do, don’t rush. You might want your essay to be written quickly, but if it’s an important essay, taking your time will give you a better finished product. Budget your time conservatively. It’s better to find that you’ve still got time left over than to run out of time and end up dashing things off with a looming deadline.

Below are some basic guidelines if you need a rough estimate on how long it will take to write an essay. It’s important to remember that there are a plethora of mitigating factors that can increase or decrease the time it takes to write. The below numbers are using an estimate that it takes about 3 hours 20 minutes to write a 1000 word essay:

How long does it take to write a 100 word essay? It takes about 20 minutes to write a 100 word essay.

How long does it take to write a 200 word essay? It takes about 40 minutes to write a 200 word essay.

How long does it take to write a 250 word essay? It takes about 50 minutes to write a 250 word essay.

How long does it take to write a 300 word essay? It takes about 1 hour to write a 300 word essay.

How long does it take to write a 400 word essay? It takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes to write a 400 word essay.

How long does it take to write a 500 word essay? It takes about 1 hour and 40 minutes to write a 500 word essay.

How long does it take to write a 600 word essay? It takes about 2 hours to write a 600 word essay.

How long does it take to write a 700 word essay? It takes about 2 hours and 20 minutes to write a 700 word essay.

How long does it take to write a 800 word essay? It takes about 2 hours and 40 minutes to write a 800 word essay.

How long does it take to write a 900 word essay? It takes about 3 hours to write a 900 word essay.

How long does it take to write a 1,000 word essay? It takes about 3 hours and 20 minutes to write a 1,000 word essay.

How long does it take to write a 1,250 word essay? It takes about 4 hours and 10 minutes to write a 1,250 word essay.

How long does it take to write a 1,500 word essay? It takes about 5 hours to write a 1,500 word essay.

How long does it take to write a 1,750 word essay? It takes about 5 hours and 50 minutes to write a 1,750 word essay.

How long does it take to write a 2,000 word essay? It takes about 6 hours and 40 minutes to write a 2,000 word essay.

How long does it take to write a 2,500 word essay? It takes about 8 hours and 20 minutes to write a 2,500 word essay.

How long does it take to write a 3,000 word essay? It takes about 10 hours to write a 3,000 word essay.

How long does it take to write a 3,500 word essay? It takes about 11 hours and 40 minutes to write a 3,500 word essay.

How long does it take to write a 4,000 word essay? It takes about 13 hours and 20 minutes to write a 4,000 word essay.

How long does it take to write a 4,500 word essay? It takes about 15 hours to write a 4,500 word essay.

How long does it take to write a 5,000 word essay? It takes about 16 hours and 40 minutes to write a 5,000 word essay.

How long does it take to write a 6,000 word essay? It takes about 20 hours to write a 6,000 word essay.

How long does it take to write a 7,000 word essay? It takes about 23 hours and 20 minutes to write a 7,000 word essay.

How long does it take to write a 7,500 word essay? It takes about 25 hours to write a 7,500 word essay.

How long does it take to write an 8,000 word essay? It takes about 26 hours and 40 minutes to write an 8,000 word essay.

How long does it take to write a 9,000 word essay? It takes about 30 hours to write a 9,000 word essay.

How long does it take to write a 10,000 word essay? It takes about 33 hours and 20 minutes to write a 10,000 word essay.

How long does it take to write a 12,500 word essay? It takes about 41 hours and 40 minutes to write a 12,500 word essay.

How long does it take to write a 15,000 word essay? It takes about 50 hours to write a 15,000 word essay.

How long does it take to write a 20,000 word essay? It takes about 66 hours and 40 minutes to write a 20,000 word essay.

How long does it take to write a 25,000 word essay? It takes about 83 hours and 20 minutes to write a 25,000 word essay.

How long does it take to write a 50,000 word essay? It takes about 166 hours and 40 minutes to write a 50,000 word essay.

(Image courtesy of Miguel )

This isn’t accurate. I wrote my 1000 word essay in an hour, not three hours. You should change the times you have listed to reflect how long it actually takes to write. Obviously you don’t know since the mes you listed are not the same as what I can do!

Did you even read the article? The writer says that it’s based on what she writes and is just a general approximation. How long it takes you or anybody else to write an essay will obviously be different because you’re not the same as everybody else. Nobody writes at the same speed so how long it takes you to write an essay will be different for every person.

Someone doesn’t understand the meaning of “rough estimate”

Well then you must be superhuman or some shit I don’t care, I came here for a question not your butthurt comments. Also, if your so good at writing I wouldn’t have found 2 typos in 2 sentences 🙂

*you’re

If you already have all the research done and know what you want to say, then a 1000 word essay shouldn’t take more than an hour to write. In fact, it probably can be done in 30 minutes or less. The time-consuming part of an essay is the research and how long that takes depends on how much you have to do. But the actual writing of the essay shouldn’t take too long at all.

But research is part of the writing process. If a person writes a book, they don’t only count the time it took them at the typewriter writing. They count all the time it took to research the book as well. Trying to separate the two doesn’t make sense.

I think an important thing to point out here is that there’s a huge difference between writing a 1000 word essay and writing a good 1000 word essay. You can write an essay in hardly any time at all if you don’t do the proper research and don’t spend time editing what you wrote. If you’re going to write a good essay, it’s going to take more time. You should always give yourself more time than you think you’re going to need to get it done.

This applies to all writing. Writing and writing something something well will have a huge time discrepancy even if both writings are the same length. Just because you are able to finish something quickly doesn’t mean that’s the best way to do it.

Exactly! Actually, it can take hours or days to come up with the right line – or it can come in seconds. There’s no real counting in terms of the creative process.

Days to come up with the right line? 😀

It does. Sometimes, no matter how hard you look at something, you won’t be satisfied with it. It may take you days to figure it out. And then, one fine day, you suddenly stand up right in the middle of breakfast and then run upstairs and then type out the right line. Source: personal experience

I just spent 8 hours on a 500-word monologue… This comment made me feel better.

Wow, your advice is excellent it motivated me to do a lot better in my essay.

In my opinion, hours that are presented here a partially true. It may take about an hor to write 300 word essay but editing also takes some time. So on averege, I count the time to write the piece itself + time edit everything.

Research, first draft writing, editing, and rewriting are all part of the writing process. I think the time it takes to do all of them should be counted in the time it takes.

It takes way too long! Teachers should not be allowed to assign essays more than 250 words. They always complain they don’t have enough time and work too hard. It’s only because they make their students do too much work!!

This comment just makes you look lazy. 250 words is nothing. Any topic that needs to be explored will take many more words than this. If you don’t want to write, just admit it and don’t try to project that on others.

If you do your research, use annotations for resources and understand to whom and what you have to transfer than the fewer words the better. Remember that you are demonstrating deep knowledge of the topic by making it accessible to the audience without them doing the research. Simplify, simplify, simplify.

Contrary to what academia self-righteously preach, its imperative for any writing and explanation of thought to be simplified. If you cant explain it in short time/short essay you don’t understand it enough.

I disagree, I feel 250 words is way too less to explain any topic. In my opinion, the maximum word count for an essay should be 1500.

It should take long enough that you get all the points you want across in the writing, but not too long as to bore the reader. Writing should be engaging, not boring.

Nice philosophy, but completely unhelpful if you have a paper due tomorrow and limited amount of time to write. The real world doesn’t work that way.

If someone has an essay due tomorrow and they waste time reading this, then they are a bit of an idiot for giving themselves even less time to work with. If they’re leaving work to the last minute like that, then the only thing they should be doing is jumping right in and writing (or planning the essay, but that should be done much sooner).

This is so arbitrary and will depend on the individual. It’s like asking the question, “how long does it take to write a book?” For some, it will only take a couple of months while for others it will take a lifetime. it also depends on the type of writing you’re doing. Some writing is easy and quick and other writing is difficult and requires huge amounts of research.

The uphill task of writing an essay is doing thorough research. Once you have completed the research, you can deliver a 1000 word paper per hour

I completely agree with you on that one. I recently worked on a 4000 word essay, and while the research did take me three hours to conduct, I completed the essay itself in a bit less than four hours and scored a total of 32/34 points.

So happy to read that! That’s because I just realised, that that is what I needed to read. I’ve got two months to write six 2500 word essays. I’ve been procrastinating because I’m simply in fear of doing a bad job. I’ve done lots of research; made lots of notes; collected citations and written nothing. It’s time. I can do this!

I’m writing a 1600 word essay right now as I type this lol

Then show me after you have finished.

Im writing a 2500 word essay, almost done, I can’t even imagine writing a 10000 word essay in university, that sounds EXTREMELY painful 🙁

I found these estimations quite accurate, thank you.

I’m writing a narrative for my English class right this moment and the word requirements are 800-1000. I’ve only been working for two hours and I’m at 1,157. I’m nowhere near done…

your word requirements are 800-1000 and u have 1157? You’ve been done for a while I would say

Wow i have to write a 1 500 word essay in 4 days and I have about 1050 words left Dono how long thats gonna take me 😂😭😭😭

I am writing a dissertation and those estimations made me positive because just 41 hour to write 12,000 essay seems nothing. But at the moment I just finished literature review(though the hardest part yet) without editing I am already at over 35 hours of work. And that’s not even a half! But I am aiming for a good grade though…

I’ve found these estimates incredibly accurate in my years in college. I’m about to graduate next week and have one more 3500 word paper to write. We’ll see if the estimates hold true. However, the estimates (for me at least) don’t include the time it takes to edit so I usually add a little time depending on how long the essay/paper has to be.

Wow, these tips are helpful, Thank You to the creator of this website. These tips helped me a lot in my essay for school.

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• Writing Tips

7 Top Tips on Writing the Time

7-minute read

• 25th July 2019

As anyone who has turned up for a midday meeting at midnight will tell you, clarity is vital when writing the time of day. But there are many ways to write the time, and the best approach isn’t always obvious. We have a few tips to help, though.

1. Words or Numerals?

You can write the time of day using either words or numerals. If you are using numerals, you would usually include both hours and minutes, although you can omit the minutes in less formal writing .

For instance, all the following would be acceptable:

She gets up at six in the morning every day.

She gets up at 6:00 in the morning every day.

She gets up at 6 o’clock in the morning every day.

As a rule, though, you would only write out the time as words when:

• It is part of a full sentence, particularly in descriptive or literary writing.
• Using a 12-hour clock (never with a 24-hour clock ).
• You’re referring to an approximate or round time (e.g., saying “ten thirty” is fine, but you would not usually write “twenty-four minutes after eight”).

In most other cases, numerals are the clearer option for writing the time, especially in scientific and technical writing, where precision is vital.

2. AM and PM

The abbreviations AM and PM can be used when writing the time as numerals. Each applies to a different time of day:

• AM is short for ante meridiem , meaning “before noon.”
• PM is short for post meridiem , meaning “after noon.”

As such, we use AM and PM to indicate the time of day when we are using a 12-hour clock. We can see how this works more clearly if we write out various times of day in both 12-hour and 24-hour formats:

You can see here that we need AM and PM with the twelve-hour clock for clarity. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between, e.g., midday and midnight. Likewise, though, you do not need to include AM or PM with a 24-hour time because it is already clear.

There are also several ways to write AM and PM, including:

• ALL CAPS, small caps , or lower case (e.g., 12 AM, 12 AM , or 12 am)
• With or without periods between the letters (e.g., 8 PM or 8 P.M.)
• With or without a space after the number (e.g., 1 AM or 1AM)

Consistency is key here, so make sure to apply one style throughout your document. You may also want to check your style guide if you have one, as some organizations will have their own rules for how to write AM and PM.

3. When to Use O’clock

You’ll have noticed we use “o’clock ” in one of the examples above. This term means “of the clock,” so we can use it to show that a number refers to a time.

However, you should only use “o’clock” with exact hours:

It is precisely 5 o’clock . ✔

I’m leaving at seven o’clock . ✔

It arrived at 7:34 o’clock . ✘

The gig starts at half past seven o’clock . ✘

We’ll save a discussion of when wine o’clock is for another blog post.

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4. Past, After, Till, and To

When writing the time as words, use “after,” “past,” and “to” for intervals between hours. You can combine these terms with either numbers or the words “half” and “quarter” depending on the time in question:

• Use after or past for intervals up to half an hour past the hour.
• Use to for any interval after the half hour up to the hour.
• Use half past to indicate 30 minutes past the hour.
• Use quarter past   or  quarter after for 15 minutes after the hour.
• Use quarter to for 15 minutes up to the hour.

For example, we would use the above accordingly in the following times:

7:05 → Five after seven

7:15 → Quarter past seven

7:30 → Half past seven

7:45 → Quarter to eight

7:55 → Five to eight

Keep in mind that using “after” for times is only standard in American English. In other English dialects, “past” is far more common.

5. Punctuating the Time

When writing the time as numerals, you can use either a colon or a period between the hour and the minutes. In some cases, such as in the military , you can even write out a 24-hour time without any punctuation.

For instance, the following are all acceptable ways of punctuating a time:

We need to leave by 6:45 pm at the latest. ✔

We need to leave by 6.45 pm at the latest. ✔

We need to leave by 1845 at the latest. ✔

The colon is the most common option here, but it is a matter of preference. Unless you’re in the military, in which case we suggest sticking to protocol.

6. Time Zones

For the contiguous states in the USA, we have four standard time zones:

• Pacific Time (PT) [UTC-08:00]
• Mountain Time (MT) [UTC-07:00]
• Central Time (CT) [UTC-06:00]
• Eastern Time (ET) [UTC-5:00]

We also have regional time zones for Alaska, Hawaii, and 5 US dependencies, plus daylight saving time in some places during the warmer months of the year. And people in other countries use different time zones entirely!

Basically, we’re saying geography can make time complicated.

This is why we sometimes include a time zone when writing the time. The initials UTC above, for instance, stand for Coordinated Universal Time . We can use this to compare times in different places. So, “UTC-8:00” means Pacific Time is 8 hours behind UTC. And since we know Pacific Time is 8 hours behind UTC and Eastern Time is 5 hours behind UTC, we can work out that ET is 3 hours ahead of PT.

In other words, by including a time zone when we write a time, we can help people in other places “translate” it into their own time zone.

This is important if you are writing for an international audience, since not everyone will be in the same time zone. You thus need to include a set of time zone initials so your reader can calculate the equivalent time where they are. For example, if we were writing a time for an international audience, we might say:

The live broadcast will begin at 9:00 pm UTC .

Someone in Bolivia could then look up the difference between UTC and BOT (Bolivia Time) and know the broadcast begins at 5:00 pm where they are.

7. Avoiding Redundancy when Writing the Time

In writing, redundancy means using a word unnecessarily. We mentioned above, for example, that you do not need to use AM or PM with 24-hour times because we already know whether a time is the morning or afternoon/evening when using a 24-hour clock.

Other cases of temporal redundancy you may want to avoid include:

• Using “in the morning,” “in the afternoon,” etc., alongside AM/PM.
• Combining “in the morning,” “in the afternoon,” etc., with a 24-hour time.
• Using “midday,” “noon,” or “midnight” alongside a time in numbers.

We’ll end this post with a few examples of redundancies so you know what to watch out for. Check out the table below, good luck writing the time, and let us know if you need any help proofreading your work.

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How to Write Time of Day

1. To express exact time, use numerals with a.m. and p.m.

• The train leaves at 2:30 p.m.

2. The abbreviations a.m. and p.m. usually contain internal periods.

• Class is from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

3. When the exact time is not important, words may be used. Whole hours are often followed by the term o’clock .

• Let’s meet at two o’clock .
• The game starts at two thirty .
• I’ll be done by half past two .

4. In the 24-hour system (common in military, transit, and hospital settings), use numerals to express the time in hours and minutes, followed by the word “hours.” When this word is omitted, a colon is generally used to separate hours from minutes.

• The train leaves at 1430 hours .
• The train leaves at 14:30 .

5. Don’t use expressions of time like in the morning and at night with a.m. and p.m. or with the 24-hour clock.

• The train leaves at 2:30 p.m. in the afternoon .
• The train leaves at 14:30 in the afternoon .
• The train leaves at 2:30 in the afternoon .

6. Don’t use the number 12 before the words noon and midnight .

• We slipped out the back door at 12 midnight .

Time of day

Time can be written using either the 12-hour or 24-hour system. The abbreviation a.m. or p.m. , the word hours , or the term o’clock is generally used after the number denoting the time. In informal communication, just the number is often sufficient to express time.

• The train leaves at 12:17 a.m.
• The meeting is at 0800 hours .
• The phone rings every day at nine o’clock .
• Farley finally woke up at 11 o’clock .
• He got to work at three in the afternoon .

How time of day is written is a matter of style rather than grammar. Choose a style appropriate to your field, and follow it consistently throughout the document.

Various style manuals suggest different ways to write the time. Discussed in this article are the major styles, along with examples.

Numerals vs. words for time

Use numerals with a.m. and p.m. to emphasize exact time on the clock face. Also use numerals to specify time using the 24-hour system.

• Tumkin wakes up at 6 a.m. every day.
• The bus will arrive at 3:10 p.m.
• Debriefing is at 1700 hours .

When the exact time is not important, time is generally expressed in words instead of numerals. This is common in creative and informal writing.

• Lunch will be served at two o’clock . also 2 o’clock
• Is it almost ten ?
• Poco works from nine to five .
• It was ten twenty-five , and the bell hadn’t rung yet.

To express time in quarter, half, or whole hours, without the abbreviation a.m. or p.m. , use words instead of numerals.

• The meeting starts at eleven thirty .
• The store will open at half past eleven .
• We should be there by a quarter to four ( or a quarter of four ).

Style manuals differ in their guidelines on whether to use numerals or words for numbers. For example, while the AP Stylebook suggests using words for single-digit numbers and numerals for 10 and above, the Chicago Manual of Style recommends using words for two-digit numbers as well, and numerals from 100 onward. Pick a style, and follow it consistently.

A.m. and p.m.

Use a.m. and p.m. with numerals to refer to exact time. Note that the abbreviations a.m. (from the Latin ante meridiem , or “before midday”) and p.m. ( post meridiem or “after midday”) are most often written as such: in lower case with periods between the letters.

• Class starts at 9:30 a.m. every Wednesday.
• He worked steadily from 2 to 4 p.m.
• The train departs from Bratislava at 10:08 a.m. and arrives at Budapest at 4:19 p.m.

When capitalized , small capital letters (or small caps) are generally used, although this style is less common than lowercase letters.

• You can sing between 9:30 AM and 2:00 PM today.

Maintain consistency in showing both hours and minutes , and using numerals or words.

• Poor: Class is from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Better: Class is from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
• Poor: The show starts at 7:00 p.m. and ends at eleven in the night . Better: The show starts at seven and ends at eleven in the night . Better: The show starts at 7 p.m. and ends at 11 p.m.

In British English , the abbreviations for the two halves of the day are sometimes written without periods (or full stops). A period also sometimes replaces the colon between hours and minutes: The train arrives at Paddington Station at 3.30 pm every day.

When a sentence ends in an abbreviation , don’t add another period. However, in questions, use a question mark as usual. If the abbreviation is within parentheses after which the sentence should end, add another period.

• We can deliver the couch to you by 4 p.m.
• Can you please deliver the couch by 4 p.m.?
• We can deliver the couch this afternoon (by 4 p.m. ).

Don’t use expressions of time like “in the morning,” “in the afternoon,” and “at night” with a.m. and p.m.

• Incorrect: Poco arrived at 2 p.m. in the afternoon . Using p.m. already indicates that we’re talking about a time in the afternoon. Correct: Poco arrived at 2 p.m.
• Incorrect: The meeting will start at 9 a.m. tomorrow morning . Correct: The meeting will start at 9 a.m. tomorrow .

Noon and midnight: a.m. or p.m. ?

Prefer to use the words noon and midnight instead of 12 p.m. or 12 a.m.

• Incorrect: The day starts at 12 a.m. Correct: The day starts at midnight .
• Incorrect: Please send the report by 12 p.m. Correct: Please send the report by noon .

Don’t use the numeral 12 with the words noon and midnight . Writing the numeral is unnecessary and considered poor style. (It cannot be anything but 12 at noon and midnight.)

• The day starts at 12 midnight . The word “midnight” implies that it is 12 on the clock. The numeral “12” is therefore redundant. Although such usage is common in speech, avoid it in writing.
• Please send your report by 12 noon .

O’clock

The term o’clock , which means “of the clock,” may be used when the exact time is unimportant. Such usage is common and often preferred in everyday speech, creative writing, and informal communication. There is no space between the apostrophe and the word “clock.”

• Oh no, is it three o’clock already?
• The bell rang at two o’clock .
• It’s nine o’clock and still light out.

Either numerals or words may be used with o’clock . Style guides differ in their recommendations. The Chicago Manual of Style , followed by academic and book editors, recommends spelling out the number with o’clock. The AP Stylebook , used in American media and journalism, suggests using numerals.

• Chicago: It was three o’clock in the afternoon when the clocks stopped.
• AP: It was 3 o’clock in the afternoon when the clocks stopped.

When both hours and minutes are expressed, the term o’clock is omitted.

• Incorrect: It’s four twenty o’clock . Correct: It’s four twenty .

To informally express the hour and the minute both, simply use numbers and omit o’clock . Or you can use numerals with a.m. or p.m. (These abbreviations may be omitted if it is obvious which half of the day you’re referring to.)

• Please be there by four twenty-five .
• Please be there by 4:25 p.m.
• Please be there by 4:25 .

Quarter, half, whole hours

In speech and informal writing, time is often expressed in quarter, half, and whole hours.

• It’s a quarter to four ( or a quarter of four ). The article a is optional.
• It was half past nine when the train finally arrived.
• The museum is open from nine to six on weekdays.

With whole hours, the term o’clock may or may not be used. Also, since a.m. and p.m. are not used, time expressions like “in the morning” or “at night” are appropriate.

• The Durandians landed in Farley’s backyard at nine o’clock on a Monday morning.
• The Durandians landed in Farley’s backyard at nine in the morning last Monday.

12-hour vs. 24-hour system

Many countries express time using the 24-hour system instead of the 12-hour system. The 24-hour system is also used when confusion between a.m. and p.m. could result in dangerous or costly mistakes—for example, in military settings, hospitals, research labs, airports, and train and bus stations.

• The siren rang at 0413 hours . That is, at 4:13 a.m.
• Departure is at 16:45 . Clearer than “4:45,” which could mean either morning or evening.
• The patient was in surgery from 11:00 to 14:30 .

24-hour clock

In general, to write time in the 24-hour system, omit the colon between hours and minutes, and follow the numerals for time with the word “hours.”

• The invasion began at 0823 hours . Read aloud as “oh-eight-twenty-three hours” or “zero-eight-twenty-three” (military).
• The train departs from Bratislava at 1008 hours and arrives at Budapest at 1619 hours . Read aloud as “ten-oh-eight” and “sixteen-nineteen.”

A colon is used when the word “hours” is omitted.

• The invasion began at 08:23 .
• The train leaves Bratislava at 10:08 and reaches Budapest at 16:19 .

Time expressions ( noon , midnight , morning , afternoon , evening , night , etc.) are unnecessary in the 24-hour system.

• The train leaves Berlin at 0617 hours in the morning . The phrase “in the morning” is redundant, since it is already clear which part of day is being referred to.
• It reaches Vienna at 14:45 in the afternoon .

Midnight: 00:00 or 24:00 ?

Both 00:00 and 24:00 refer to midnight. Use 0000 hours or 00:00 to refer to the start of a day. Use 2400 hours or 24:00 to indicate the end of a given day.

• The operation will commence at 0000 hours on January 16, 2033 . the start of January 16
• Your commanding officer will conduct a briefing from 22:30 to 24:00 , after which the operation will commence. a briefing at the end of the day

Space after numerals for time

Regardless of whether you use a.m. / p.m. , o’clock , or hours , always use a space after the numerals used to denote the time.

• Rita goes for a run at 6:15 a.m. every day.
• Maya woke up with a start at 5 o’clock in the morning.
• The final shuttle for Mars leaves at 0330 hours .

Specify time zones only when necessary. Periods are not used with abbreviations for time zones.

• The call begins at 10:30 a.m. EST .
• I’ll send you the report by 5 p.m. IST ( 7:30 p.m. SGT ).
• The Durandians landed on Earth at 8:17 a.m. UTC on October 23, 2073.

When spelling a time zone out, you may either capitalize or lowercase the words. The Chicago Manual of Style suggests using lowercase letters; the AP Stylebook suggests capitalization. Always capitalize proper nouns and proper adjectives (names of places or regions).

• All the time frames specified are in Pacific standard time .
• The train arrives at 14:00 ( central European time ).
• The time shown on our website is eastern daylight time .
• We follow Pacific Standard Time .
• Is that 14:00 Central European Time ?
• Is that Eastern Daylight Time ?

The correct term is daylight saving time , not daylight savings time .

Time periods and duration

You may use either words or numerals to speak of a duration or a time period. In general, use words for numbers until nine and numerals from 10 onward.

• This movie is four hours long.
• We are going on a 12-day vacation.
• Could you wait five minutes , please?

In Chicago style, use words for two-digit numbers as well. Hyphenate two-digit numbers.

• Our rent is paid for thirty-one days .
• This project will take at least twenty-four hours to complete.

To speak of duration, use for . To speak of a point in time, use since .

• Duration: We have been working on this for / since three days.
• Point in time: We have been working on this for / since 9 a.m.

Time ranges

Use from – to or between – and to show a range.

• Anita worked steadily from 2 to 4 p.m.
• Your order will arrive between 2 and 4 p.m. today.
• Rehearsal is from 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. on Saturday.

Ranges , including those signifying time, may also be written using an en dash .

• The meeting is scheduled for 2:00–3:30 p.m.
• Rehearsal is 8:00–9:30 a.m. tomorrow.
• The journey lasts 3–4 hours .

With the word from , use to , not an en dash. If you do use an en dash, omit the word from .

• Incorrect: We are open from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. on weekdays.
• Correct: We are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.

Units of time

With abbreviated units of measurement , always use numerals. In scientific and technical writing, use the SI symbols for units of time , which are h , min , and s (for hour , minute , and second ). Periods are never used with SI units.

• Duration of the experiment: 3 h
• Lap time: 443 s
• Time taken: 4 min 43 s

In nonscientific and nontechnical writing, units of time are often abbreviated to hr. , min. , and sec. A period usually follows the unit. Use numerals instead of words with abbreviated units.

• Time taken: 25 min.
• Project duration: 9 hr. ( or 9 hrs. )

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Use periods between the lowercase letters of the abbreviations a.m. and p.m. when writing for a U.S. audience.

Use numerals with a.m. and p.m. in formal writing.

Both are correct: you may use either numerals or words with o’clock .

In the 24-hour system, use a colon to separate hours from minutes if the word hours is omitted. If the word hours follows the numerals for time, the colon is omitted.

With the words noon and midnight , using numbers for time is redundant and therefore considered poor style. (It’s always 12 at noon or midnight.)

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How to Write a 1000-Word Essay in One Night and Not Lose Your Calm

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It’s Sunday night, and you just realized that you haven’t even started writing your 1000-word essay that is due on Monday. How are you going to write it in one night, you wonder.

What follows is panic as you rack your brain, wondering where and how to begin.

Writing is an art. Every word you write mirrors your thoughts and ideas on paper.

Similarly, how you express these words is a way of expressing yourself. While essay writing is not rocket science, it certainly isn’t something you should take lightly as well.

The good news is there is hope, and you can write a 1,000-word essay in one night. In this article, you will learn how.

Writing a 1,000-word Essay in One Night: 4 Preparation Hacks

Preparation is key, especially when you’re expected to write an essay at the last moment. Let’s take a look at four tips to help you prepare for the long night.

#1. Plan your time

Time management is a high priority when you have only a few hours to write your essay. Thus, use your maximum efficiency and your fullest potential to complete the essay on time.

If you plan to just sit down and start writing, you may not be able to track your progress on each interval and see which section of the essay you spent the most time on.

Hence, you should base your essay portions on specific time intervals. For example, break your time into 45 mins and plan to complete each task of the paper in that time frame.

Keep one hour spare in the end to revise, edit, add visuals, recheck arguments, proofread, or even just to read it a couple of times to check the flow of the essay.

#2. Read the prompt carefully

It is critical to read the essay prompt carefully and not miss a single detail present in it, as there might be multiple important pieces of information that are required to be adhered to for completing the essay.

Guidelines like the number of sources to use, how to format the essay according to the professor’s requirement, writing in a particular tone and style, the target audience, or even just understanding the essay topic diligently are fundamental to follow to be able to craft a quality essay without any errors.

The worst thing that can happen after writing and completing your assignment is to learn that you deciphered the prompt incorrectly, or got confused with the type of expectations your professor had for this essay assignment, and now have nothing to submit.

So, read the prompt carefully.

Here’s a useful video by Nicolas Weiss on reading essay prompts

#3. Use reliable sources for notes

As you start framing your essay, remember to refer to credible and reliable sources for your note-taking process.

Citing down your references in a bibliography is a must-needed step in your essay writing and forgetting to complete this step will bring down your grades drastically.

Having credible references and sources makes your essay seem completely thorough and well-researched, as well as gives your content more authority and authenticity.

#4. Create a rough outline of the structure

Before you begin to write your essay, build a rough outline of the important points you need to take note of, the short forms that will be used in the content, and the basic structure of your essay.

It’s important to also note down how you will introduce your essay , your thesis statement, all the points that have to be added in each paragraph, and the evidence that supports these claims.

A well-written outline gives the essay a structured flow, organized points, and no extra fluff, and makes it easier for the readers, or in this case, your professors, to read and understand your essay easily.

Additionally, the outline also helps the writer to not forget important points and arguments that were to be made in the essay.

Here’s How You Can Write a 1,000-word Essay in One Night

Now that we know that preparing before executing is highly primal when, you have to write your essay in one night. Let’s see how we can write a 1000-word essay in one night and do a good job at it.

Write in an appropriate environment

Usually, people don't think too much about the space in which they sit to work . But this is a very important step for writers to take care of to execute flawless and organized pieces of writing.

To write quality articles, blogs , essays, etc., choose an appropriate, peaceful, and distraction-free environment.

Create a mood around you where you are motivated to work so that you can hear your thoughts and express them in words, as well as come up with ideas that can be written down in the best way.

A library or a study nook at your home is the best place to concentrate thoroughly on writing assignments. Switch off your phone, log out of your social media, grab a cup of your favorite beverage, focus on your approach, and write away.

Create an effective plan

It is very important to have a plan to succeed in a task without any complications or errors. Having an effective and smart plan will make any challenging, confusing, or complex task more organized , thorough, and easy to execute.

So, before you begin your essay, think of the following topics, and plan out your entire process of writing the essay:

• The word limit or essay length ;
• Creating the thesis statement;
• Major topics and points to be covered in the essay;
• A basic outline of the essay’s structure;
• Examples, references, evidence to cite;
• Images, GIFS, infographics, or videos to embed (if needed);
• Suggestions and recommendations.

Once you plan out your essay by having the answers to all these questions, it becomes much easier to frame the entire essay in a short time.

Do thorough research for your essay

Writing a 1000-word essay for your assignment without doing any full-fledged research on your topic, will just nudge you into failure.

Researching to write content that is fresh, informative, and credible is the only way that your professor will deem your essay as a quality piece of writing. Furthermore, you need data and references to back all your arguments and claims.

For example, when you research a topic, you come across multiple sites and reliable sources where you can take out necessary information and data to frame your essay.

As you go further, when you start writing down your points and details that make the content of your paper, you might need to go back to your references sometime or other for help or confirmation.

Place realistic and attainable goals

Don't think about trying to finish your essay in 30 minutes. It is going to end up being poorly executed, with no flow or organized arguments.

Additionally, you would probably have an essay riddled with silly spelling mistakes and grammatical errors that could have been avoided if you took advantage of the entire time you have on your hands to work on drafting a perfect, well-researched, top-quality essay.

Aim for realistic and achievable targets that can be accomplished by you. Sort of a specific time frame to complete the task you’ve assigned yourself for each of these intervals. Take a short break after finishing major portions of your essay, to avoid being stressed or overburdened.

Never forget to edit and proofread

Never leave proofreading your essay as a last resort. It shouldn’t be something that you will only do if you have enough time and energy after working on the entire essay.

Proofreading is a must because when you revise and re-read your essay, you will end up finding mistakes or slip-ups that you could have made while writing in a hurry.

These slip-ups would eventually bring down the entire purpose of writing the essay and decrease your chances of getting a good grade. That is why, resolving these issues after proofreading is critical, to laying out a perfect and flawless essay assignment.

Ideally, you should plan out your essay in such a way that there is enough time, in the end, to revise and edit, wherever necessary.

In conclusion, it is best not to panic and rush the process since writing your essay assignment in one night with a composed head will help immensely in thinking straight and completing a great paper.

Furthermore, use these practical tips and tricks to get the best results out of our guide to write a 1000-word essay in one night and not lose your calm.

If you’re unable to concentrate and need urgent essay writing service , we’re glad to assist. Writers Per Hour’s team of urgent essay writers knows what it takes to write essays quickly without compromising on quality.

So, before you lose your calm, write to us and let our professional essay writers write your 1,000-word essay in one night and help you get the grades you desire.

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As the VCE English exam creeps up on us, many of you will be testing your writing skills under timed conditions (if not, then you better!!!). But,  have you sat down under timed conditions for 15 minutes of Reading Time?  Have you thought about how to maximise reading time? Many of you may have already figured out how you will approach Reading Time in your exam. Some of you will have a rough idea, while some will pay attention to detail – knowing how to spend each and every minute in that 15 minutes of silence. During Year 12, I was somewhere in between. I knew I didn’t want to waste precious time like others – those who would simply open the exam booklet, check out the three sections, then sit there staring blankly at the clock to tick over to 9:15am (you will definitely see some classmates doing this :’)) Below is a  5x5x5 guideline  which, in my opinion, is the most strategic way to maximise every single minute in Reading and Writing Time. Keep reading afterwards for more details!

Reading Time

First 5 minutes: plan text response and reading and comparing.

The best tip I’ve received from a VCAA examiner is: ‘Don’t automatically select the prompt that looks easiest.’

Why? While a prompt may look ‘easier’, it may not necessarily enable you to delve into the text to the best of your ability. It is worth spending a few extra seconds contemplating how you would break down your other available prompts. This is worth doing because sometimes, you actually realise that the prompt which looked ‘harder’ to deal with initially (probably because of some scary-looking keywords), is more suited to you and your ability to respond.

In case you’re wondering, a ‘mental plan’ is my way of saying ‘do a plan in your head’.  You should always plan (don’t even get me started if you don’t!). You will most definitely reassure yourself and calm your nerves once you’ve organised your contention(s) in your mind and the examples you want to use. Don’t wait until Writing Time to do this, because you can knuckle out hurdles straight away (especially if it takes you time to come up with ideas and evidence!).

Second 5 minutes: Read Language Analysis article (1st read)

Don’t jump straight into analysing techniques straight away.  Reason: This may obscure your interpretation of the contention.  The contention is the first thing you need to get  right . So sit back, read the article for what it is, and absorb as much of the argument presented to you.

Last 5 minutes: Read Language Analysis article (2nd read)

Your second reading should firstly, reinforce your interpretation of the author’s contention, and secondly, involve you identifying language techniques! This should take you right up to the end of Reading Time but even if you still have spare time left, it doesn’t hurt to read the article(s) a third time! The more times you read something, the better your mind will consolidate the cold material in front of you!

Feel free to take on board this guideline or to create your own – at the end of the day, if you have a plan for Reading Time, you’re set!  

Writing Time

First 10 minutes: writing plans.

You've done all that hard work thinking up 'mental plans' during Reading Time, let's put them to paper. Don't skip this step, because you would otherwise have wasted your precious 15 minutes getting ahead. Moreover, it's highly likely you'll forget the points you want to write about if you just store it in your brain. Remember that you are in an adrenaline-driven situation, where nerves can get the better of you. Avoid any mind blanks by guaranteeing yourself success and write the damn plan down!

Next 3 x 55 minutes: Writing essays

55 minutes is a good goal because it forces you to get your act together. Aiming for an essay in 60 minutes can often turn into 65 minutes, or even longer. At the very least if you do go over time with a '55 minute per essay' rule, you will put yourself in a position where you can afford to go slightly overtime, and yet still have enough time for other essays.

Final 5 minutes: Proof-reading

This is a step that many people skip, but if you're reading this blog - you won't be joining them. A quick review of your work can help you edit errors you didn't notice while writing. As you practise in the lead up to exams, take note of what errors you tend to make when writing. Is it expression, punctuation, or spelling errors? Keep an eye on your most common mistakes when proof-reading to be more a more effective editor. It is these small incremental changes you can make in your essays which add up to make a powerful impact on the final product. 

Share this post with your friends and best of luck for your VCE English exam!

Are you a slow writer who struggles to write down all of the information that you hear in the listening audio clip? Have you ever been in a situation where the next sentence in the audio comes up way before you finish writing down information from the previous sentence? If yes, then this blog is for you! 

You want to write down as much useful information as possible in a short period of time during your VCE EAL exam, so it is very useful to implement a system of techniques that works well for you personally. Here are some ideas and suggestions that you may want to use to increase the speed of your note-taking. 

1. Use Different Coloured Pens or Keys for Different Speakers

Under the stress of exams/SACs, you might lose track of which speaker is talking. This is likely to happen if the speakers are of the same sex or they sound similar to each other (from personal experience, I had a listening task with 3 female speakers!) A simple way to remind yourself of who is speaking is to take side notes with different coloured pens and/or symbols for different speakers. 

‍ For example:

If in the audio: Lisa says, ‘The weather is lovely’ and Cici replies ‘Let’s go for a run’. We can write side notes using L (for Lisa) and C for Cici, which may look like: 

L ‘weather is lovely’

C 'Let's go for a run’ 

Or, you could use a red pen for Lisa and blue pen for Cici. 

2. Use Signs & Symbols to Replace Words

Using symbols is an efficient way to increase the speed of writing and ultimately increase the amount of information that you can record. Here are some examples of symbols I have used in the past and the meanings I gave them. 

→ Leading to/Stimulate/Result in

↑ Increase   

↓ Decrease  

⇆ Exchangeable 

☓ Cross/Incorrect   

∴ Therefore OR Consequently 

?  Uncertain/Possibly/Disapprove  

> Greater than/More than

< Less than/Fewer than

~ Approximately OR Around OR Similar to OR Not Equal OR Not the same as

c/b Could be 

- Negative/Before 

+ Positive/Plus

3.Use Abbreviations

Use abbreviations that work for you. There is no right or wrong here as the ‘blank space for scribbles’ will not be marked. Abbreviations can take the form of short notes or letters...you get to be creative here!

You can also choose to keep only the essential vowels and consonants in words. Or, leave out the double consonants and silent letters. The following list contains some abbreviations for common words or phases:

Answer = answ

About = abt

Morning = am 

Afternoon = pm

As soon as possible = asap 

Before = bef/b4

Between = bt

Because = bc

Common = com

Condition = cond

Diagnosis = diag

Regular = reg

Notes = nts

With respect to = wrt 

Will be = w/b 

Within = w/i 

Without = w/o

Here are some examples of how you might use abbreviations and symbols:

‘You should remember to take notes in classes’ 

Can be abbreviated as:

‘U shld  rmbr t tk nts in cls’

Example 2  

‘Gidon has a rare blood condition which means he visits the hospital quite regularly. Since his diagnosis, Gidon’s family paid more than ten thousand dollars just to visit the hospital. Gidon initiated a petition that advocates for lowering the fees for parking in hospitals and putting a limit on how much the hospital can charge.’

• G has rare blood condi → he  visits hosp. v. reg.

I've used G as an abbreviation for Gidon, and the arrow here represents that the stuff on the left side of the arrow (i.e. his rare blood condition), led to the events on the right side of the arrow (i.e. regular hospital visits). 

• Since his diag. →  G’s fam paid  >$10K to visit hosp.

Here I’ve also used the arrow, indicating that the stuff on the left side of the arrow (i.e. his diagnosis), led to the events on the right side of the arrow (i.e. Gidon's family paid more than 10 thousand dollars). I’ve also used  >$10K to indicate that the amount Gidon’s family paid is more than 10 thousand dollars.

• G → petition → advocates for  ↓ $ parking & limit how much hosp. can charge

Using my symbols and abbreviations above, it’s your turn to work out how I’ve abbreviated this ;)

I hope these tips and tricks will assist you with note taking during the EAL listening SACs and exam. If you would like more practice on the listening section, check out the following blogs!

EAL Listening Practice and Resources

EAL Listening Practice

Tips on EAL Listening

So there’s approximately a month to go before the Literature exam. Nervous? Confident? Over it?! You might be thinking that they best way to study up until the exam is to just churn out essays after essays after essays. This is a common misconception, and may even hurt your chances for the exam. You want your essays to be ‘fresh’ with original insight, not stale pieces that sound like you’ve written this a hundred times and you’re getting bored. Here are a few tips on how to study for the exam while still keeping your mind activated about Literature!

Critique critical commentary

Google critical commentary on your text. You might pick up a new insight or perspective that you’ve never thought of. These can help you inform your own original and individual interpretation of the text. It is important to note that while reading critical commentary is incredibly useful in providing ‘clever’ interpretations, examiners are really looking for your own interpretation – not a regurgitated version of other people’s analyses. Rather than passively reading critical commentary, critique it yourself! Acknowledge and file away its good points, but also form your own stance with whether you agree or disagree with that point of view. Ask yourself why that is your perspective. Developing this critical analysis skill is extremely valuable, and will put you in the mindset for the exam to provide your own original interpretation that  pushes the boundaries and the envelop e.

Choose random passages and annotate

Close your eyes and pick a random a couple of passages from your text. Photocopy them, print them, however you like, but the most important thing is to spend time annotating them in as much detail as possible. Focus on analysing the language for how the author constructs the text to create meaning. Note sentences that can link to the wider text. This really forces you to analyse the most random passage in the text in extreme detail, which you might have skipped over in class or in your own reading, because it might not have seemed important at the time. Who knows, the exam could throw in a surprise passage that students might not have thought to study in great detail, and you have because you’ve been analysing passages at random – not just the major key events!

Examiner reports and  word bank

Look through VCAA examiner reports for sample excerpts from high scoring responses. Highlight words and phrases that sound ‘good’ – and adapt them to use yourself! There’s nothing wrong with drawing inspiration (stealing) from the examiner reports essays… after all they’re there for you to learn from. Key: you’re drawing inspiration from words, not ideas or sentences – otherwise that’s just plagiarism and won’t help at all. Create a word bank of vocabulary that suit your texts, which can be a great prompter when you’re struggling to think of a word that accurately expresses on paper what you want to say in your mind.

Timed conditions

The biggest issue with every literature student in the exam is  timing . There’s always so many things you want to write and include, that it is simply not possible to include everything. Time yourself. Practice writing in timed conditions. Be disciplined with your time – going over time for the first essay to include maybe one more good point, is to sacrifice finishing your second essay.

Exams are without a doubt a stressful period of time for all VCE students, and it can be easy to get caught up and overwhelmed with expectations, wanting to prove yourself and balancing the workload of your other exams. Find time to do small things to benefit yourself for the exam without compromising your mental power (after a very long marathon). Good luck and believe in yourself!

Let’s briefly discuss the background of the article before we dive into the analysis…

• So, the background information tells us that “Biodiversity is the term used to describe life on Earth — the variety of living things, the places they inhibit and the interactions between them.”
• The article at hand is a transcript of a speech given by Professor Chris Lee at the International Biodiversity Conference 2010.
• The purpose of this conference is to review the progress made towards achieving the target and to look beyond 2010.

Now, let’s analyse the opening of the speech. Take a second to read through Lee’s speech opener...

Firstly, we can analyse the way in which Lee addresses his audience. Rather than using a phrase like "Hi everyone" or a similar greeting, he actually refers to his audience as his "fellow delegates" which allows him to speak in a particularly candid and honest manner. He wants to be transparent about the reality of the situation with his peers, rather than trying to impress an audience or something similar.

Overall, this anecdote appeals to the emotions of the audience and plays on an apparent devotion/commitment presumably made to the environment by the delegates of a Biodiversity conference. Lee uniquely seeks to persuade his audience by using the information he knows about them – their past commitments.

More specifically, we can dive into the pejorative mood of the adjectives he uses to describe the second scene, which is one of destruction, especially compare to the images he presents first. The "lush jungle" with a variety of "interesting flora and fauna" on the banks of a "clear river" appears particularly idyllic in juxtaposition with the images of the "scorched earth", "gooey mudslide", "sepia tinge" and "barren sticks hopelessly groping for life."

In the last sentence, the repetition of the word "gone" reminds Lee's "fellow delegates" of what will be lost if action on biodiversity is not taken.

Now, we know that in any given Language Analysis article, there are so many things to analyse, which I’ve demonstrated with all of the things we managed to focus on in that single paragraph.

Often, students will be able to identify lots of techniques and as such, lots of elements to analyse, but they struggle to choose between these techniques when it comes to writing their responses.

I’d highly recommend that you download a free sample of my eBook, How To Write A Killer Language Analysis which talks about techniques you can use to pick what to write about in your essays. We won’t have enough time to talk about those techniques today, so we’ve written them down for you in the eBook.

Now that we’ve looked at how Lee has started his speech, let’s skip forward to a later section of the article. Take a second to read through the section.

One of the first things that may jump out at you is this repetition of inclusive language; "we are", "we have". However, this is way too obvious! For an upper level response, we want to steer clear of the cliche techniques and analyse ones that have more value and show off our own perspective of the article.

Utilising the statements, "everyone in the lecture theatre knows this" and "clearly, it is our lack of unity", Lee includes the audience and holds all of the delegates accountable through declaring the reasons for failure as simple matters of fact.

Here, Lee trivializes the actions of the organisation in creating "glossy brochures" with "wonderful words" as marketing tools to create the impression that meaningful action is being taken. Lee exposes such actions as deceitful and calls for "real action", seeking to persuade his audience into putting their effort into actual gains in the biodiversity fight.

Want to know more? I'd highly recommend checking out LSG's FREE Ultimate Guide to VCE Language Analysis for more great tips, resources and advice.

And that’s it! I hope this has been helpful in showing how to analyse a speech as a Language Analysis prompt.

Be sure to check out the free sample of my eBook below for more!

Updated 14/07/2022

• What Is a Comparative?
• What Are You Expected To Cover? (Comparative Criteria)
• School Assessed Coursework (SAC), Exams and Allocated Marks
• How To Prepare for Your Comparative SAC and Exam
• How To Write a Comparative Essay

1. What Is a Comparative?

Comparative is also known as 'Reading and Comparing', 'Comparative Essay' and less frequently, 'Compare and Contrast'. For our purposes, we'll just stick to 'Comparative'.

As its name may indicate, a Comparative is when you analyse and write on two texts, comparing their similarities and differences. In VCE, there are 8 pairs of texts Year 12s can choose from (or more accurately, your school chooses for you!). The most popular combination of texts include novels and films, however, plays also make it onto the list.

When you start doing Comparative at school, you will move through your texts just as you have for Text Response (except...instead of one text it's actually two) - from watching the film and/or reading the novel, participating in class discussions about similar and different themes and ideas, and finally, submitting one single essay based on the two texts. So yep, if you've only just gotten your head around Text Response, VCAA likes to throw a spanner in the works to keep you on your toes!

But, don't worry. The good news is all of your Text Response learning is applicable to VCE’s Comparative, and it's really not as hard as it might first appear. Here's a video I created introducing Comparative ( I've time-stamped it to start at 0:55 - when the Comparative section starts - thank me later! ).

‍ 2. What Are You Expected To Cover? (Comparative Criteria)

What are teachers and examiners expecting to see in your essays? Below are the VCE criteria for Comparative essays (sourced from the VCAA English examination page ).

Note: Some schools may express the following points differently, however, they should all boil down to the same points - what is necessary in a Comparative essay.

a) Knowledge and understanding of both texts, and the ideas and issues they present

Society, history and culture all shape and influence us in our beliefs and opinions. Authors use much of what they’ve obtained from the world around them and employ this knowledge to their writing. Understanding their values embodied in texts can help us, as readers, identify and appreciate theme and character representations.

For example: Misogyny is widespread in both Photograph 51 and The Penelopiad , and both writers explore the ways in which females deal with such an environment. Photograph 51 is set in the 1950s when women begun to enter the workforce, whereas The Penelopiad is set in Ancient Greece, a period when women were less likely to speak out against discrimination.

b) Discussion of meaningful connections, similarities or differences between the texts, in response to the topic;

More about this later in 4. How To Prepare for Your Comparative SAC and Exam, Step 2: Understand both your texts - as a pair (below) .

c) Use of textual evidence to support the comparative analysis

While you should absolutely know how to embed quotes in your essay like a boss , you want to have other types of evidence in your Comparative essay. You must discuss how the author uses the form that he/she is writing in to develop their discussion. This encompasses a huge breadth of things from metaphors to structure to language.

For example: "The personification of Achilles as ‘wolf, a violator of every law of men and gods', illustrates his descent from human to animal..." or "Malouf’s constant use of the present voice and the chapter divisions allow the metaphor of time to demonstrate the futility and omnipresence of war..."

To learn more about metalanguage, read our What Is Metalanguage? post.

d) Control and effectiveness of language use, as appropriate to the task.

When examiners read essays, they are expected to get through about 12-15 essays in an hour! This results in approximately 5 minutes to read, get their head around, and grade your essay - not much time at all! It is so vital that you don’t give the examiner an opportunity to take away marks because they have to reread certain parts of your essay due to poor expression and grammar.

3. School Assessed Coursework (SAC), Exams and Allocated Marks

Comparative is the first Area of Study (AoS 1) in Unit 2 (Year 11) and Unit 4 (Year 12) - meaning that majority of students will tackle the Comparative SAC in Term 3. The number of allocated marks are:

• Unit 2 – dependant on school
• Unit 4 – 60 marks (whopper!)

The time allocated to your SAC is school-based. Schools often use one or more periods combined, depending on how long each of your periods last. Teachers can ask you to write anywhere from 900 to 1200 words for your essay (keep in mind that it’s about quality, not quantity!)

In your exam, you get a whopping total of 3 hours to write 3 essays ( Text Response , Comparative, and Language Analysis ). The general guide is 60 minutes on Comparative, however, it is up to you exactly how much time you decide to dedicate to this section of the exam. Your Comparative essay will be graded out of 10 by two different examiners. Your two unique marks from these examiners will be combined, with 20 as the highest possible mark.

4. How To Prepare for Your Comparative SAC and Exam

Preparation is a vital component in how you perform in your SACs and exam so it’s always a good idea to find out what is your best way to approach assessments. This is just to get you thinking about the different study methods you can try before a SAC. Here are my top strategies (ones I actually used in VCE) for Comparative preparation that can be done any time of year (including holidays - see How To Recharge Your Motivation Over the School Holidays for more tips):

Step 1: Understand each text - individually

This doesn’t mean reading/watching your texts a specific amount of times (though twice is usually a recommended minimum), but rather, coming to an understanding of your texts. Besides knowing important sections, quotes, themes and characters (which are still important and which you should definitely know), here are some other matters which are also necessary to consider:

• Why has it been chosen by VCAA (out of literally millions of other books)?
• Why are you reading it (especially if it’s an old text, and how it’s still important throughout the ages)?
• Why did the author write it?
• What kind of social commentary exists within the text (especially on specific issues and themes)?

These kinds of questions are important because quite often in this area of study, you’ll be defending and interpreting your own ideas alongside the author’s. When you find a solid interpretation of the text as a whole, then no essay topic will really throw you off - because you’ll know already what you think about it. Moreover, because you’re comparing two texts in this section, understanding a text and being specific (e.g. 'both texts argue that equality is important' vs. 'while both texts A and B agree with the notion of equality, A focuses on ____ whereas B highlights  ____') will help your writing improve in sophistication and depth.

If you need any more tips on how to learn your texts in-depth, Susan's (English study score 50) Steps for Success in Text Study guide provides a clear pathway for how to approach your texts and is a must read for VCE English students!

And, if you're studying texts you hate (ugh!), you'll also want to check out Lavinia's guide which teaches you how to do well even when you hate your texts .

Step 2: Understand both your texts - as a pair

Avoid simply drawing connections between the texts which are immediately obvious. When writing a Comparative, the key strategy that'll help you stand out from the crowd is the CONVERGENT and DIVERGENT strategy . I discuss this in more detail below, under 'eBooks'.

We'll use George Orwell's Animal Farm and Shakespeare's Macbeth as an example ( don't worry if you haven't studied either of these texts, it's just to prove a point ). The most obvious connection simply from reading the plot is that both Napoleon and Macbeth are powerful leaders. However, you want to start asking yourself more questions to develop an insightful comparison between the two men:

For example: In Macbeth and Animal Farm a common theme is power

Q: How do they achieve power?

A: In Animal Farm , Napoleon is sly about his intentions and slowly secures his power with clever manipulation and propaganda. However , Shakespeare’s Macbeth adopts very different methods as he uses violence and abuse to secure his power.

Q: How do they maintain power?

A: Both Napoleon and Macbeth are tyrants who go to great length to protect their power. They believe in killing or chasing away anyone who undermines their power.

Q: What is the effect of power on the two characters?

A: While Macbeth concentrates on Macbeth’s growing guilty conscience and his gradual deterioration to insanity, Animal Farm offers no insight into Napoleon’s stream of consciousness. Instead, George Orwell focuses on the pain and suffering of the animals under Napoleon’s reign. This highlights Shakespeare’s desire to focus on the inner conflict of a man, whereas Orwell depicted the repercussions of a totalitarian regime on those under its ruling.

Check out our comparative scene analysis of The Longest Memory & The 7 Stages of Grieving for another example of understanding texts as a pair!

Step 3: Know your comparative words

Having a list of comparative words will help you understand your texts as a pair, and helps make your life easier when you start writing your essays. Here's a list we've compiled below:

Similarities

• Additionally
• At the same time
• Correspondingly
• Furthermore
• In addition
• In parallel

Differences

• Compared to
• Despite that
• Even though
• In contrast
• Nevertheless
• On the contrary
• On the other hand
• Nonetheless

Feel free to download the PDF version of this list for your own studies as well!

Step 4: Understand the construction of your texts

Besides comparing ideas and themes, and having an understanding of what the text says, it’s also imperative that you understand HOW the texts say it. This type of analysis focuses on metalanguage (also known as literary devices or literary techniques). When you get technical with this and focus on metalanguage, it brings out more depth in your writing.

You could start asking yourself:

• What kind of description is used?
• What kind of sentences are used?
• Are they long and winding or rather short and bare?
• Are they dripping with adjectives or snappy?
• What is the structure of the text?
• Does one begin with a prologue/end with an epilogue?
• Is the text continuous or divided e.g. through letters or days or parts?
• Does the text end at a climax or end with a true finality?
• What reoccurs throughout the text? (specific lines, symbols or images)

These kinds of understanding are important as they are evidentiary material for your arguments. What you say and believe the authors have said, as well as how you believe the texts differ, may rely heavily on these techniques. You'd then translate this analysis to develop your arguments further in your essay. For example:

His depiction of Chapel serves as a subversion of the conventional type of slave; he is 'half a slave, half the master' and belongs to 'another way of life'. His defiance and rebellion against the dictations of society is exemplified through his speech, which consists of rhythmic and poetic couplets, filled with flowery language; which ultimately challenges the idea of illiterate slaves.

Step 5: Read and watch Lisa's Study Guides' resources

Doing this study all by yourself can be rather daunting, so we've got your back. We specialise in supporting VCE English students by creating helpful videos, study guides and ebooks. Here are some just to get your started:

YouTube Videos

We create general study advice videos like this:

We also create Comparative pair-specific videos:

If you prefer learning through videos, check out our entire YouTube channel (and don't forget to subscribe for regular new videos!).

Study Guides

Our awesome team of English high-achievers have written up study guides based on popular VCE texts. Here's a compilation of all the ones we've covered so far including current and older text pairs:

Bombshells and The Penelopiad

I Am Malala and Pride

Reckoning and The Namesake

Reckoning and The Namesake (Quote Analysis)

Ransom and Invictus

Ransom and The Queen

Stasiland and 1984

Stasiland and Never Let Me Go

Stasiland and Never Let Me Go (yes this is a different guide to the one above!)

The Crucible and The Dressmaker

The Crucible and The Dressmaker (Understanding Context)

The Crucible and Year of Wonders

The Hate Race and Charlie's Country

The Longest Memory and Black Diggers

The Longest Memory and The 7 Stages of Grieving

The Penelopiad and Photograph 51

Tracks and Charlie's Country

Tracks and Into the Wild

Tip: You can download and save the study guides for your own study use! How good is that?

And if that isn't enough, I'd highly recommend my How To Write A Killer Comparative ebook. What's often the most difficult part of Comparative is finding the right examples and evidence to ensure that you're standing out against hundreds of other students studying VCE.

Unlike Text Response where there are over 30 texts for schools to choose from, Comparative only has 8 pairs of texts. This means that the likelihood of other students studying the same texts as you is much higher. And what does that mean?

It means that your competition is going to be even tougher. It's likely the character or quote you plan to use will also be used by other students. So, this means that there needs to be a way for you to differentiate yourself. Enter my golden CONVERGENT and DIVERGENT strategy .

This strategy can be used for any example you wish to use, but by approaching your example with the CONVERGENT and DIVERGENT mindset, you'll immediately be able to establish a unique perspective that should earn you some bonus marks.

If you've ever had a teacher tell you that you needed to ‘elaborate’, ‘go into more detail’, or ‘more analysis’ needed in your essays - this strategy will help eliminate all those criticisms. It will also show your teacher how you are comfortable writing an in-depth analysis using fewer examples, rather than trying to overload your essay with as many examples as possible because you barely have anything to say about each one.

To learn more about the CONVERGENT and DIVERGENT strategy, get a free preview of this study guide on the Shop page or at the bottom of this blog.

Step 6: Brainstorm and write plans

Once you've done some preliminary revision, it's time to write plans! Plans will help ensure you stick to your essay topic, and have a clear outline of what your essay will cover. This clarity is crucial to success in a Comparative essay.

Doing plans is also an extremely time-efficient way to approach SACs. Rather than slaving away hours upon hours over writing essays, writing plans will save you the burnout and get you feeling confident faster.

I've also curated essay topic breakdown videos based on specific VCE texts. In these videos, I explore keywords, ideas and how I'd plan an essay with corresponding examples/evidence.

Step 7: Get your hands on essay topics

Often, teachers will provide you with a list of prompts to practice before your SAC. Some teachers can be kind enough to nudge you in the direction of a particular prompt that may be on the SAC. If your teacher hasn’t distributed any, don’t be afraid to ask.

We have a number of free essay topics curated by our team at LSG, check some of them out:

I Am Malala and Made In Dagenham Prompts

Ransom and Invictus Prompts

Stasiland and Never Let Me Go Prompts

The Crucible and Year Of Wonders Prompts

The Penelopiad and Photograph 51 Prompts

Psst...see these fully annotated sample essays where we show you exactly how we analysed the prompt, brainstormed our ideas and created a plan for our essay:

Comparing Photograph 51 and The Penelopiad: Essay Topic Breakdown

Ransom and The Queen: Comparative Essay Topic Breakdown

The Longest Memory and Black Diggers - A Comparative Essay Breakdown

‍ Step 8: Write essays

Yes, sad but it’s a fact. Writers only get better by actually writing . Even if you just tackle a couple of essays then at least you will have started to develop a thinking process that will help you to set out arguments logically, utilise important quotes and time yourself against the clock. It will help you write faster as well – something that is a major problem for many students. With that said, let's get into how to write a Comparative next.

‍ 5. How To Write a Comparative Essay

Comparative essay structure.

Here are a couple of resources to get your Comparative essay structure sorted. Firstly a video (time-stamped at 1:38) :

Secondly, jump over to Sarah's (English study score 47) Compare the Pair: A Guide to Structuring a Reading and Comparing Essay post where she delves into two different types of Comparative essay structures.

Comparative Essay Example

Introduction.

In an introduction, you're expected to have the following:

• Context (or background)
• Both authors' (or director's) names
• Both text titles
• Main arguments

Here's an example from Mida (English study score 43), in her post The Longest Memory and Black Diggers - A Comparative Essay Breakdown :

The hopes and dreams of oppressed individuals can be fulfilled to a certain extent. This degree of fulfilment, however, can ultimately become restricted by the entrenched beliefs and dictations of society; and thus, this process of fulfilment is presented to be difficult and rare to achieve. In Fred D’Aguiar’s novella, The Longest Memory , the hopes and dreams for equality and racial acceptance is revealed to coerce oppressed individuals to subvert social norms, all in an attempt to gain liberty and fairness. Similarly, Tom Wright’s play, Black Diggers , explores the collective yearning of oppressed Indigenous Australians who seek to gain a sense of belonging and recognition in society. Both D’Aguiar and Wright expose how the obstacles of social inequality, deep-rooted prejudice and beliefs can essentially restrict the fulfilment of such desires and dreams.

Try to keep your introduction to the point. There's no need to prolong an introduction just to make a set number of sentences. It's always better to be concise and succinct, and move into your main body paragraphs where the juicy contents of your essay resides.

Body Paragraph

Most of you will be familiar with TEEL learnt in Text Response. TEEL can stand for:

• Topic sentence
• Linking sentence

If your teacher or school teaches you something slightly different that's okay too. At the end of the day, the foundations are the same.

In Comparative, you can still use TEEL, except that you'll be making comparisons between the two texts throughout your paragraph.

The below example adopts the 'Alternate' Comparative essay structure where the first part of the body paragraph focuses on Text 1 ( The Longest Memory ) and the second half of the body paragraph focuses on Text 2 ( Black Diggers ).

The ambitions of the oppressed are achieved to a certain extent. However, they are not maintained and thus become restricted due to the beliefs and conventions entrenched in society. D’Aguiar asserts that a sense of liberation can indeed be achieved in the unjust system of slavery, and this is demonstrated through his characterisation of Chapel. His depiction of Chapel serves as a subversion of the conventional type of slave; he is 'half a slave, half the master' and belongs to 'another way of life'. His defiance and rebellion against the dictations of society is exemplified through his speech, which consists of rhythmic and poetic couplets, filled with flowery language; which ultimately challenges the idea of illiterate slaves. D’Aguiar also associates the allusion of the 'two star-crossed lovers' in regards to the relationship between Lydia and Chapel; who were 'forbidden' to 'read together'. Despite this, the two characters take on a form of illicit, linguistic, sexual intercourse with each other, as they 'touch each other’s bodies in the dark' and 'memorise [their] lines throughout'. Here, D’Aguiar illustrates their close intimacy as a form of rebellion against the Eurocentric society, who believed such interrelation between blacks and whites was 'heinous' and 'wicked'. The individualistic nature of Chapel is also paralleled in Black Diggers , where Wright’s portrayal of Bertie expresses the yearning for a sense of belonging. Just like Chapel, Bertie desires free will, and he decides to 'fight for the country'. This aspiration of his however, is restrained by both his Mum and Grandad; who in a similar manner as Whitechapel, represent the voice of reality and reason. Wright employs the metaphor of the Narrandera Show to depict the marginalisation and exclusion of Aboriginal people, as they will never be 'allowed through the wire', or essentially, ever be accepted in Australia. This notion of exclusion is further reinforced through Bertie’s gradual loss of voice and mentality throughout Wright’s short vignettes, as he soon becomes desensitised and is 'unable to speak'. Here, Wright seems to suggest that the silenced voices of the Indigenous soldiers depict the eternal suffering they experienced; from both the horrors of war, but also the continual marginalisation and lack of recognition they faced back home. Consequently, D’Aguiar and Wright highlight how the ambitions of young individuals are limited by the truths and history of reality, and are essentially rarely achieved.

Conclusions should be short and sweet. Summarise your main points while comparing the two texts (just as you have throughout your entire essay).

D’Aguiar and Wright both illustrate oppressed individuals fighting against the beliefs and conventions of society; in order to gain their freedom and achieve their hopes and dreams. However, both reveal the harsh truths of reality that ultimately inhibit and restrict the capacity of people’s ambitions. D’Aguiar and Wright compel their readers to try and grasp an understanding of the past of slaves and Aboriginal soldiers, in order to seek remembrance and closure of this fundamental truth. They both convey the need for memories and the past to never be forgotten; and instead remembered and recognised in history.

For further detail from Sarah (English study score 45), read her advice on 5 Tips For A Mic-Drop Worthy Essay Conclusion .

If you're looking for more A+ Comparative essay examples, then you can also get your hands on any of our LSG study guide ebooks. Each study guide has 5 comparative essays, all fully annotated so you can see into the mind of a high achiever. These comparative essay examples also adopt different essay structures (block, alternating, and integrated) so you can see all three in action.

Ransom & The Queen

The Crucible & The Dressmaker

The 7 Stages of Grieving & The Longest Memory

I Am Malala & Pride

Photograph 51 & My Brilliant Career

‍ This blog guide is fantastic to get you started - there are certain strategies you can implement to ensure your Comparative essay wows your examiner and gives you an A-grade ranking. These strategies have been adopted by high-achievers in the past few years and have resulted in student achieving study scores of 45+. Make sure you don't miss out on these strategies by accessing a free sample of our How To Write A Killer Comparative ebook. In the meantime, good luck!

For many VCE Students, Language Analysis is most commonly their ‘weakest’ section out of all three parts of VCE English. Throughout my years of tutoring, when I’ve asked these students  why  they struggle, they usually blame the difficulty in grasping the  most  important component of Language Analysis:

Understanding  how   the author  intends  to persuade their readers.  

You’ll see that I have italicised the words, ‘how’ and ‘intends’ in the above statement to highlight where your focus needs to be. If you’re currently trying to get your head around Language Analysis, or if you don’t understand where you’re going wrong, don’t worry. We’re going to look at the incorrect assumptions students make about Language Analysis, how to avoid it and also what you  should  do instead! So first, let’s have a look at a couple of common student errors. Students (including yourself perhaps) may believe that:

1. Language Analysis is about  finding  language techniques that persuade readers.

Stop right there! This certainly isn’t a treasure hunt ( but that would be pretty awesome right? ). If an essay was just about identifying language techniques, everyone would get an A+ ( we wish! ). Once you’ve had some practice under your belt, you’ll notice that anyone can find rhetorical questions, inclusive language and statistics, so there is a lot more to it than simply pointing out language techniques. Also, steer clear from throwing in all the possible language techniques you’ve found in an article too, because it’s not a competition about who can find the most techniques and even if you did, it doesn’t guarantee you an amazing score on your essay.

2. Language analysis is about  if  authors successfully persuade their readers.

Sorry to tell you, but this definitely isn’t it either. Our job as the student isn’t to figure out whether or not the author successfully persuades their reader. You can’t really speak for all the people reading an article if they do or do not agree with the author’s contention. Just like if you see an advertisement on television for MacDonalds, you can’t tell if the next person who watches the ad will be persuaded to go out and buy a Big Mac meal. That’s why at the end of the day, it’s not up to you to figure out the extent to which the author persuades their readers. So in that case, what should you be doing instead?

The ultimate goal is to demonstrate your understanding of how the author attempts to persuade the reader to agree with his or her contention.

Let’s break up the essential parts of analysing language so we can pinpoint exactly the part that is most problematic and also how we can finally get a strong grasp of how to be successful in this area:

The  TEE  rule

—Technique  – what  persuasive technique  is used?

—Example  – which  text  that shows it?

—Effect  – what is the  intended impact  on readers’ attitudes?

1. Technique 

There are so many persuasive techniques around, once you’ve got your hands on a bunch of language technique lists then you’re pretty much set in this area. Be wary however, as I have mentioned in the past (and above)  how simply ‘labelling’ language techniques is not enough for you to do well in language analysis.

This is quite frankly, the easiest part of Language Analysis! All you need to do is quote your evidence! Straightforward? If quoting is not your forte, you can check out:  how to embed quotes in your essay like a boss

3.  Effect 

Ok, this is the core of most students’ issues. We already know that the author is trying to persuade readers but here, we’re going to look how their choice of words or phrases creates a certain  effect  on readers so that they will be encouraged to agree with the author. When thinking about the effect, the best way is to put yourself in the reader’s shoes – you are after all, a reader! So in order to understand the effect think about the following three points:

• What readers may feel – emotions
• What readers may think – thoughts
• And what readers may want – wishes

Example 1: “You are my smartest friend, I’m really stuck on this question and I need help!”

—Think about it realistically. If someone said this to you, how would you feel? There must’ve been a time where you were complimented (whether it be about your clothes, how you did something well, or how friendly you are with others), and you used this experience to your advantage. Each time you analyse a language technique, contemplate on what emotions, thoughts or wishes emerge as a result. When someone gives you a compliment, you probably feel flattered, or maybe even proud. And this is exactly what you need to include in your analysis! You should garner these everyday experiences as a trigger to help you understand how readers may respond to a certain technique. So if we broke it down via the TEE formula:

T echnique: Compliment

—E xample: “You are my smartest friend, I’m really stuck on this question and I need help!”

— E ffect: You feel feel proud and as a result want to assist your friend.

And let’s put it all together coherently and concisely:

Analysis: The compliment, “You are my smartest friend, I’m really stuck on this question and I need help!” encourages the listener to feel a sense of pride and this in turn, may encourage them to assist their friend.

Example 2: “The pet puppy was stuck inside a car on a 32 degree summer day, with no windows left open, and no room for fresh air.”

Again, think about the three points – how do you feel? What do you think of this scenario? What do you want as a result? You probably feel sorry for the puppy and want to save it from this situation.

—T echnique: Appeal to sympathy

—E xample: “The pet puppy was stuck inside a car on a 32 degree summer day, with no windows left open, and no room for fresh air.”

— E ffect: You may feel that it is unfair for the puppy to be in such a horrendous and potentially life-threatening situation.

Analysis: Through the appeal to sympathy, “the pet puppy was stuck inside a car on a 32 degree summer day, with no windows left open, and no room for fresh air”, readers may believe that it is unfair for the puppy to be subjected to such a horrendous and potentially life-threatening situation and thus, may be persuaded to take action to prevent further harm to pets.

Ultimately, focus on the potential effect language can have on the reader and as a result, how this may encourage the reader to agree with the author. If you do that, then you’re definitely on the right track. If this study guide has helped you gain further insight into Language Analysis, then you may be interested in my upcoming workshop where I spend a few hours offering advanced advice on Language Analysis! No matter what scores you have been attaining in Language Analysis, whether high or low, my workshop is loaded with tips which will undoubtedly help you achieve the best you possibly can. You are welcome to register here:  VCE English Intensive Spring Break Workshop . Join the Facebook event  here  today to keep updated on all the latest information in the lead up to the workshop and invite your friends!

Photograph 51 & The Penelopiad are studied as part of VCE English's Comparative. For one of our most popular posts on Comparative (also known as Reading and Comparing), check out our Ultimate Guide to VCE Comparative .

We've explored themes, characters and literary devices amongst other things over on our Comparing The Penelopiad and Photograph 51 blog post. If you need a quick refresher or you’re new to studying this text pair, I highly recommend checking it out!

Here, we’ll be breaking down a Photograph 51 and The Penelopiad comparative essay topic using LSG’s THINK and EXECUTE strategy , a technique to help you write better VCE essays. If you’re unfamiliar with this strategy, you can learn about it in our How To Write A Killer Text Response study guide.

Within the THINK strategy, we have 3 steps, or ABC. These ABC components are:

Step 1: A nalyse

Step 2: B rainstorm

Step 3: C reate a Plan

Without further ado, let’s get into it!

The Prompt:

‘You heard what you wanted to hear.’ ( Photograph 51 ) 

‘Now that all the others have run out of air, it’s my turn to do a little story-making.’ ( The Penelopiad ) 

Compare the ways in which both texts suggest there is power in storytelling. 

Step 1: Analyse

The first step is to deduce what type(s) the essay question is (for a refresher on the 5 types of essay prompts, check out this blog ). I usually find that a process of elimination is the easiest way to determine this. The prompt doesn’t explicitly include the keyword ‘How’, so it isn’t how-based. There are also no characters mentioned in the prompt, so we can rule out character-based. There’s no metalanguage included, so it isn’t metalanguage-based either. However, the prompt does mention the themes of ‘power’ and ‘storytelling’, so yes, it is theme-based. There are also two quotes (one from each text) included as part of the prompt, so it’s also quote-based.

Now that we’ve determined what types of essay prompt are relevant here, the next step is to identify its keywords: ‘the ways’ , ‘both texts ’, ‘power ’ and ‘storytelling’ . 

The inclusion of ‘the ways’ tells us that we must consider different examples from ‘both texts’ where Ziegler and Atwood show us there is ‘power in storytelling’ . The thematic words ‘power ’ and ‘storytelling’ are especially important in your selection of evidence and also your three distinct paragraph ideas, as singling out the thematic keywords will make sure you do not go off-topic. 

Step 2: Brainstorm

Let’s look at the common themes of ‘power’ and ‘storytelling’ that are central to the essay topic, and more specifically, how there is power WITHIN storytelling. In the case of Photograph 51 and The Penelopiad , a common representation of storytelling that is present in both texts is that truthful storytelling is subjective. This means that both Atwood and Ziegler posit that those in power throughout history have been afforded the ability to shape the historical narrative to best fit their interests. Both texts are also set within patriarchal societies - 1950s Britain and Ancient Greece. Therefore, our overall contention in response to this topic can be: 

Both texts suggest that the ability to control the subjective nature of storytelling is a power that has predominantly been afforded to men throughout history .

This opening line addresses ‘power in storytelling’ in a specific way that brings in the contexts of both texts. Each of your paragraphs should fall somewhere under this umbrella of thought - exploring the dynamics of the patriarchal systems within both texts in relation to storytelling. Who tells the story? How does it benefit them? Why not others? 

Step 3: Create a Plan

It is now time to develop the three main ideas that will form your essay structure. It is important to remember that each paragraph should include a discussion of converging and diverging ideas. Try to only use one or two examples from each text in a paragraph, as this way, you will have more time and space in your paragraphs to analyse your literary techniques and quotes. As the old saying goes, show don’t tell! 

P1: Both texts give women a voice through the retelling of their stories from a different perspective. 

Convergent Ideas: 

• Photograph 51 serves as a correction to the history of the discovery of the helix structure. 
• The Penelopiad inserts the female perspective into the famous myth of The Odyssey , giving reasoning and depth to the female voice.

Divergent Ideas: 

• Rosalind’s story is primarily told by the male scientists as the play retells the events, injected with commentary from the male scientists.
• The Penelopiad is a first-person recount from Penelope herself, therefore she is given more agency and control of the narrative.

P2: However, women still lack authority in the shaping of their own narratives as their subjective truth and perspective is often undermined.

Convergent Ideas:

• Predominantly, the narration is told from the male perspective as male scientists narrate Rosalind’s life. Her story is still subject to male opinion.
• The Maids interrupt Penelope’s first-person narrative through the 10 interludes from the maids’ perspective. In doing so, they cast doubt on Penelope’s retelling of the narrative and offer a more truthful perspective.
• Rosalind’s story is often interrupted by other male scientists, therefore more directly illustrating that men have more control over the subjective truth. Despite Rosalind’s story being central to the novel, Ziegler still demonstrates the difficulty women face in being believed and accredited for their contribution to history.
• Penelope’s story is not interrupted by men like Rosalind’s is. Therefore, there is a lack of male dominance in this aspect of the tale. However, the theme of patriarchal dominance is instead illustrated through the lack of authority that the maids have. Despite their account of the events in the tale being the most accurate, their low social status limits the power of their voice in a patriarchal society.

P3: In patriarchal societies, the men ultimately control their own narrative and how they are remembered, amplifying their own greatness by omitting the potential blemishes on their character.

• The male scientists deflect the blame for discrediting Rosalind by instead blaming her cold personality instead of their own deception and inability to cooperate with a woman.
• The execution of the maids is dismissed in the trial of Odysseus as Odysseus’ actions are justified in the patriarchal society of Ancient Greece.

Divergent Ideas:

• The male scientists’ reputations remain untarnished at the conclusion of the narrative, aside from personal guilt and shame. They achieved the scientific success they set out to achieve and were remembered as heroes.
• Unlike the untarnished reputation of the male scientists, the maids curse Odysseus at the conclusion of the narrative.

The ability to control the subjective nature of storytelling is a power that has predominantly been afforded to men throughout the retelling of history (1) . This is a result of the dominance of patriarchal systems, which inherently give men more agency in society to dictate the narrative for the next generations to remember (2) . Both Atwood’s The Penelopiad and Ziegler’s Photograph 51 criticise this power imbalance in historical storytelling and deliver the female perspective in two different eras of history. Each text recognises that the lack of voice women are granted in society undermines and suppresses their contribution to history (3) . Ultimately, both authors question the objectivity of the legacies that men have left behind, casting doubt on the narratives that they have shaped by introducing the underrepresented female perspective (4).

Annotations (1) A ‘universal truth’ or broad thematic statement is a great way to start an essay. This is your overall contention that does not mention the specifics of the texts - it purely deals with the themes of the topic. 

(2) As seen here, your second sentence can be used to back up the universal truth in a way that is more specific to the texts and the ideas you’re going to discuss. In my second sentence, I’ve included more information about the societal power structures that are present within the texts and how men have more power to dictate historical narratives. 

(3) Then, you signpost the three ideas that you’re going to discuss within your essay in a clear, precise and summarised way. Here is where you can mention textual details such as the titles, authors, forms and setting (i.e. 1950s Britain and Ancient Greece).

(4) I have finished off my introduction with an ‘Ultimately’ sentence that discusses the authorial intent of both authors. This offers a broader in-depth look at the topic as a whole, as it acknowledges the author’s intentional decisions about the text. 

By writing narratives that focus on the female perspective in history, both texts afford the female protagonists power through the representation of their voice. Atwood and Ziegler address the imbalance of female input in history and aim to rectify that through representing the contributions women made in both narratives. Photograph 51 , through the form of a play that retrospectively reenacts the events leading up to the discovery of the helix structure, cements Rosalind Franklin as the true genius behind the 'secret of life'. This honour has been credited to Watson and Crick solely throughout history, with them being given recognition of the 'Nobel' and having their names 'in textbooks'. Ziegler firmly details how the key to their success is the 'photograph she took of B', which Watson exploits to eventually win the race to construct the model. Similarly, The Penelopiad is also a societal correction to the lack of female representation in the narratives presented (4) . Written as a first-person narration, Penelope’s aim as a narrator is to be given the opportunity 'to do a little story-making' in this retrospective novel, inserting her perspective into the well-known myth of Odysseus and The Odyssey (5) . The characterisation of Penelope is subverted in Penelope’s retelling, as the generalisation of her character being only recognised for her 'smart[s]', '[her] weaving', and '[her] devotion to [her] husband' is challenged. Atwood contends that Penelope is also determined, self-sufficient and tactile through the narrative voice she grants Penelope as the main protagonist of the text. Rosalind in Photograph 51 is not the narrator of her story, which limits her agency in the telling of her truth in comparison to Penelope, who is able to shape her story the way she wishes (6). Underpinning both of these texts is Atwood and Ziegler’s authorial intention to contend that there is an underrepresentation of female contribution to history, and therefore utilise their texts to give power to female characters in patriarchal systems (7) .

Annotations (4) The transitional sentence between texts can be less jarring and clunky if you introduce your example from Text B in a similar vein to the discussion of Text A. As seen here, I have used my discussion of how Ziegler represents Rosalind in a manner that is seen as a historical correction to then transition into how Penelope also serves the same purpose.

(5) The explicit stating of the first-person narration style in The Penelopiad directly addresses the keywords of 'the ways' from the essay question. By incorporating different textual examples like narration and characterisation (as seen in the following sentence), I’m able to analyse multiple ways that the authors suggest there is power in storytelling.

(6) It makes it easier to discuss your divergent idea if it is directly linked to the converging ideas you’ve already mentioned, just as I have here in pointing out the difference in protagonists and narration. This means you don’t have to waste time re-explaining things from the texts!

(7) I conclude with a more broad statement that references the authors’ intentions in order to finish with a more in-depth exploration, just like the end of the introduction.

Women still lack authority in the shaping of their own narratives as their version of the truth is often undermined. Despite the main motivator for the texts being to empower the women by giving them a voice, both texts also recognise the limitations of a patriarchal society by illustrating the challenges the protagonists face in having their voices heard. By viewing the past through a retrospective lens in The Penelopiad , Penelope is finally able to deliver her perspective, encapsulated in the opening line of 'now that I’m dead I know everything'. (8) The notion that Penelope had to be dead and free of the restraints placed on her voice whilst she was alive in patriarchal Ancient Greece demonstrates the complete lack of authority the voices of women have in establishing themselves in history. This is echoed in the same retrospective retelling of Rosalind’s story in Photograph 51 , as the play begins with Rosalind stating that 'this is what it was like', establishing that the events that follow this initial line are a snapshot into the limitations she had to face as a woman in the male-dominated scientific field. It also references that the interjections of the male scientists as they commentate on her life were 'what it was like', as male opinion majorly shaped the suppression of Rosalind’s success throughout the play. On the contrary, (9) Penelope’s recount of the story is less interrupted by interjections of other characters, specifically those from men. However, the maids deliver ten interludes throughout The Penelopiad . These interludes are another example of female voice being represented in the text, but often being dismissed due to their crudeness or sarcastic nature in their casting of doubt over both Penelope and Odysseus, as they taunt Penelope’s decision to 'blame it on the [...] poxy little sluts!' and blemish Odysseus’ name by characterising him as the 'artfullest dodger' or 'blithe lodger', in reference to his infidelity. Despite the maids being the most authoritative in terms of true Greek theatre, (10) as they deliver the truest and most objective judgement of events, they are 'forgotten' and are not served true justice as a result of their low social status and gender that limits their voice in a patriarchal society. The female perspectives in the texts are truer representations of history in both contexts, yet because of limitations regarding their gender in the two patriarchal systems, they are overshadowed by the male recounts of history.

Annotations (8) To strengthen your essay, it is important to also use evidence that is not strictly dialogue or themes from inside the text. In this line, I use a literary device - retrospective storytelling - to back up the analysis I am talking about.

(9) Starting your discussion of the divergent ideas is easy with the use of phrases such as ‘on the contrary’, ‘unlike this…’ and ‘however’. You don’t want to spend unnecessary time on filler sentences. Be efficient!

(10) By further strengthening my analysis with a range of examples (e.g. mentioning the historical importance of genre, such as Greek theatre in this instance), I’m able to demonstrate a deeper knowledge of not only the texts and their context . 

In patriarchal societies, the men ultimately have more control over their own narratives and shape them for their own personal glorification of character. The omission of immorality and emphasis on male achievement by the men narrating the story is a clear indication that despite the selfish choices they make, men are still able to shape their legacies in their favour. Watson and Crick in Photograph 51 are depicted as 'arrogant' and duplicitous as they extort their 'old friend[ship]' with Wilkins for personal gain, pressuring him into 'talking about his work' to further progress towards notoriety. The conclusion of the play, with Watson and Crick accepting the honour of the Nobel Prize and claiming it as the 'finest moment' of their lives, illustrates that the motivation of personal success justifies the immoral actions of men as they are remembered fondly as scientific heroes without the blemishes of their characters. Similarly in The Penelopiad , Odysseus is revered as a hero through the intertextual reference of The Odyssey, a myth detailing the legend of Odysseus and his 'cleverness'. Penelope’s recounting of the 'myth of Penelope and Odysseus' sheds light on her ingenuity in the tales of Odysseus, showing that she 'set the whole thing up on purpose', referring to the deceiving plan that Odysseus had been awarded all the credit for in the original retelling of their story. Additionally, in the 'trial of Odysseus', Odysseus’ character is evaluated in the setting of a court, as the maids have demanded justice for Odysseus’ unjust execution of them. However, the judge overturns this decision as it would serve as a 'blot on an otherwise exceedingly distinguished career', encapsulating the idea that men in a patriarchal society will omit personal errors in favour of presenting themselves and other men as heroes of their narratives. However, unlike the untarnished male success of Photograph 51 , the maids curse Odysseus so he would 'never be at rest' in the conclusion of the narrative, as Atwood makes the final statement that men throughout history should be held accountable for the immoral actions they make (11) .

‍ Annotations (11) By concluding with a specific reference to the authorial intent of this specific idea explored throughout the paragraph, you ‘zoom’ back out and show your reader the bigger picture. 

At the end of each text it is evident that, regardless of the representation and voice that is given to the female characters, the deeply entrenched patriarchal systems in both timelines negate this power in favour of the male voice (12) . Ziegler’s play asserts that Rosalind’s 'groundbreaking work' should 'cement her place in history', and aims to give her recognition from a relatively more progressive, feminist society. Atwood’s conclusion also is representative of giving women more recognition for their achievements, like giving credit for Penelope’s 'intelligence' as an esteemed character trait in contemporary society. Both characters cast doubt over the previously revered male heroes in both texts, and further criticise the lack of female representation in those heroic stories. In conveying both Penelope and Rosalind’s stories, the authors call for a further critique of past and future accounts of human achievement. 

‍ Annotations (12) In this conclusion, I have chosen to focus on comparing the authorial intentions of Atwood and Ziegler in relation to the topic. In doing so, it can summarise my contention that I introduced earlier in the essay. By starting my conclusion with an overall statement regarding the ending of the two texts, I draw on the readers’ preexisting ideas of how they felt at the end of each narrative.

If you’re studying Photograph 51 and My Brilliant Career, check out our Killer Comparative Guide to learn everything you need to know to ace this assessment.

[Video Transcription]

You’ll often find that study guides begin with a section on historical context. Even though it might be tempting to skip over this section, there’s a lot you can take away from understanding the period of time in which your texts are set in. I’ll show you how with examples for both Ransom and The Queen in this video.

Let’s start with a brief overview of why you need to know the historical context. Context, a topic explored in detail in our  How To Write A Killer Text Response , plummets you back to the era of when your texts were set. You effectively ‘step into the shoes’ of the people living in that time, and in doing so, gain a better understanding of their views and values. People’s views and values are often shaped by important events of the time, social culture and norms, and everyday experiences. For example, think about your own context. You’re part of Generation Z, and one defining part of a Gen Z experience is growing up with technology from a young age. Social media is just normality, pretty much everyone has it, uses it as a source of online communication. So how does this shape your views and values? By having access to online information in this way, Gen Zers tend to be more passionate about social issues, because people of this age can leverage social media to voice their opinions or follow those who resonate with them. Only 20 years or so ago, we only had giant media that voiced their own opinions via newspapers or TV. You didn’t have such a wide array of voices from people of different races or experiences. Think about the recent death of George Floyd, and the incredible ripple effect his death had on the world and the power of social media in the Black Lives Matter movement.

So looking at The Queen and Ransom , we want to dive right into their respective eras and understand how people thought and felt during these time periods. This helps us better understand what the messages Frears and Malouf are trying to tell or teach us through their works, enabling you to write better essays. Let’s start with The Queen.

The 1980s to 1990s was a time when the world was  enamoured  by the Princess of Wales (or Diana, as we’ll call her). Her shyness, broken family history, ongoing charitable efforts, and iconic fashion choices made her a royal favourite. She was dubbed the ‘People’s Princess’ not only because of her relatability but also because of her tenuous relationship with the royal family. She’d been wronged by the royal family; first by Prince Charles’ affair with Camilla, then with the lack of support from the Queen when she asked for marriage advice.

At the time, public opinion of the royal family was greatly influenced by tabloid papers - after all, there was no Instagram for the royals to tell their own story. After an estimated 750 million people tuned in to watch Diana’s wedding to Charles, paparazzi began documenting her every move. Princess Diana became the most photographed person in the world, with paparazzi offered up to £500,000 for even grainy pictures of her (that’s equivalent to $1.5 million AUD today!). In the competitive fight to snap the most profitable photos of Diana, the paparazzi invaded her most private moments, taking shots of her kissing Dodi Al Fayed while on holidays, and sunbathing topless at her hotel in Spain. Diana’s despair and requests to be left alone remained unanswered, so when the paparazzi chased her to her death in 1997, the  public response was emphatic .

The public turned against Britain's press and photographers, and the overwhelming outpour of grief is a testament to the injustice the public felt on behalf of Diana. To add insult to injury, the monarchy’s initial reticent response was deemed inadequate, negatively shifting the public’s attitude or ‘mood’ - a term we often hear in the film - towards the royals. The monarchy needs to stay in the public’s favour, lest the end of the institution.

That’s why  The Queen   is a film about change on several fronts,  the first dynamic response from the public, The Queen abandoning royal tradition and acquiescing to public demand, and how all this happens within months of  Tony Blair’s new premiership .

With this, you can understand why change is one of the biggest themes discussed when comparing these two texts. Let’s look at Ransom.

Moving back a further 3000 years earlier than The Queen ,  Ransom is  a retelling the Trojan War, one of the most famous events in Greek mythology. To truly understand random, you must first familiarise yourself with Greek mythology, the Trojan War, and The Iliad. We’ll have a look at these three as if they’re matryoshka dolls (where dolls of decreasing size are place done inside another):

The biggest doll: Greek mythology

We’ll start with  Greek mythology  since it’s the umbrella knowledge you need to know before understanding the Trojan War and  The Iliad . Essentially a collection of stories about gods, heroes and other creatures, Greek mythology was used by ancient Greeks to explain the existence of the world. Without the scientific developments we’ve discovered to date, ancient Greeks attempted to explain the creation of the earth, human behaviour, death and love through their mythical stories. Notice how the gods  (Iris, Hermes)  appear  when  Priam needs help and advice throughout  Ransom. 

The reason why Greek mythology is still prevalent in modern society is that the lessons taught in these stories are still applicable today as they depict universal truths about human qualities such as our strengths and flaws. Without you even realising it, our world today is filled with references to Greek mythology. Take, for example,  Pandora , (the jewellery company that sells little charms you need to buy separately to make up a bracelet), whose namesake comes from the myth about Pandora’s box (basically, Pandora’s unchecked curiosity led her to open a forbidden box, releasing all illnesses and death into the world - side note, could we blame Pandora for COVID-19 then? Just kidding). Or take the first  God of War  game ,  which follows the story of Kratos whose ability to be a loving father is overpowered by his anger and desire for vengeance. Interestingly, the tale of Pandora’s box also is featured in this game.

Luckily for you though, you don’t have to be an expert in  all  Greek mythology, but you should probably have a good gist of the Trojan War.

The middle doll: The Trojan War  

Now we narrow things down to  one  of the most legendary Greek myths - the Trojan War.  This war might be familiar to you because it is the backdrop and context for Malouf’s  Ransom . 

The myth begins with  Zeus , the father of all gods, and his brother  Poseidon  lusting after the goddess of water,  Thetis . However, they are warned by  Prometheus , an intelligent mortal - better known for being chained to a rock as a result of stealing Zeus’ fire - that Thetis would give birth to a son who would be mightier than his father. Alarmed at this possibility, the two gods arrange for Thetis to marry Peleus, a mortal. Since humans were believed to be inferior to gods, this ensured that Thetis’ child would be a mere mortal, rendering the prophecy redundant.

Any potential issues appeared resolved until the gods omitted  Eris , the  goddess of discord  from Thetis and Peleus’ wedding invitation list. Furious at this insult, Eris arrives at the wedding with her own plans. She inscribes a golden apple with the words, ‘To The Fairest’ and throws it amongst the guests. Naturally, all goddesses want to claim the prize. Eventually, the choice is narrowed down to three of the most beautiful goddesses:  Aphrodite ,  Athena  and  Hera . Unable to reach a decision, they turned to Zeus to judge who should win the title. However, Zeus refuses to do so and instead, elects a mortal with good judgment of beauty to make the choice. This mortal is  Paris, Prince of Troy  and whose birth produced a prophecy that he would one day bring misfortune to his people and town.

The three goddesses approach Paris with not only their beauty but also bribes. Hera offers him power and control over Europe and Asia, Athena promises that she will make him a great warrior while Aphrodite proposes to him the most beautiful woman on earth. Since Paris is more interested in women than power and war, he awards Aphrodite with the golden apple. With this exchange sealed, the beginning of Troy’s troubles begin as the most beautiful woman on earth, Helen is already married to Menelaus, king of Sparta.

After a diplomatic mission to Sparta, Paris elopes with Helen, who falls in love with Paris upon their first encounter (literature concerning this part of the story remains ambiguous). Upon discovering Paris’ betrayal, Menelaus calls on Helen’s many suitors to invade Troy and retrieve his wife. His brother,  Agamemnon  recruits and leads the Greek army into battle against the city of Troy, and thus begins the Trojan War.

And finally, the baby doll: The Iliad

Homer’s  The Iliad  is a poem that begins ten years into the Trojan War. By now, Thetis, the goddess who had married Peleus, has given birth to their mortal son  Achilles , the mightiest of all Greeks, as predicted by the prophecy (Achilles should definitely be familiar to you because he’s the main character in Ransom !). Although he is a fighter for Agamemnon, their relationship is strained after Agamemnon demands that Achilles give up his beloved war prize,  Briseis . Since Agamemnon desires Briseis for himself, this enrages Achilles to the point where he refuses to fight in the Trojan War. This leads to dire consequences for the Greeks as they lose many men in battle and are forced to retreat to their ships after the Trojans successfully turn the tide of the battle.

Concerned for his Myrmidons (a group of the strongest and skilled warriors who fight for Achilles) yet too proud to budge from his position, Achilles is persuaded to allow his close friend and comrade Patroclus, to wear Achilles’ renowned armour and lead his Myrmidons into battle (ah, we’re starting to see even stronger connections to  Ransom  now). This strategy is designed to rouse fear in the Trojans and cause them to temporarily retreat - enough time to allow the Greeks to rest and recover - as they’d see ‘Achilles’ back in battle.

Despite Patroclus’ skills as a soldier, Achilles insists that Patroclus only fight until the Greeks can successfully fend off the Trojans away from their ships. During the fight, however, Patroclus disobeys Achilles’ orders and continues to pursue the Trojans back to their gates. At this point, he encounters and is killed by Hector, the prince of Troy and leader of the Trojan army.

Fuelled with rage and grief over Patroclus’ death, Achilles agrees to fight once again for the Greek army, much to Agamemnon’s pleasure. In their next battle, Achilles kills many warriors and the Trojans are forced to retreat back to the safety of their walls. Hector, against the will of his family, faces Achilles alone outside the walls of his home, knowing that Achilles is on a path to avenge Patroclus’s death. In a fierce battle between the two greatest Trojan war warriors, Hector was killed. Achilles takes Hector’s body with him and dishonours it day after day by chaining it to a chariot and dragging it along the walls of Troy. Malouf begins the  Ransom  story here. The gods agree that this blasphemous behaviour cannot continue and send the god Hermes to guide king Priam, father of Hector to the Greek camp. Once in their camp, Priam falls to his knees and pleads Achilles for the body of his son. Touched by the king’s words, Achilles relents, allowing Priam to finally hold a proper burial for Hector.

Appreciating the differences between  The Iliad  and Ransom storyline will lead to a better understanding of the themes and symbols in  Ransom .

One of the main differences between the two texts is their depiction of  Priam’s  journey to  Achilles . In  The Iliad , this journey is explored only momentarily and focuses more on the presence of Hermes. The inclusion of the new character  Somax  in Ransom also offers a new perspective on this old tale. While  The Iliad  only touches upon Achilles’ and Priam’s suffering, Malouf delves into the emotional journey that the characters undergo during the darkest episode in the Trojan War.

That’s why the themes of  grief ,  loss  and  death  should be quite prominent in your comparison between  Ransom  and  The Queen  along with the importance of  stories  and storytelling.

In my new study guide  Ransom and The Queen , I show you how you can use your knowledge you’ve learned there to write A+ essays. Take a look at our study guide below!

Additional resources for Ransom and The Queen

A Killer Comparative Guide: Ransom and The Queen

[Video] Ransom and The Queen (Themes, Film Techniques, Literary Devices)

How to Write a Killer Comparative Ebook

Ransom Study Guide

[Video] Ransom Themes (Revenge, Grief, Forgiveness and Essay Topics)

The following is an excerpt from our study guide, I am Malala and Pride , available for purchase here .

Plot overview

I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai is a memoir of the eponymous Pakistani schoolgirl and activist. Yousafzai grows up in Pakistan’s Swat Valley with parents who were unconditionally supportive of her education. However, Pakistan is strongly under the control of the Taliban, an extremist group who opposes education for girls. On the other hand, Yousafzai’s family practice Islam in a peaceful and egalitarian manner.

Tracing how decades of global, geopolitical movements have produced these conditions, Yousafzai recounts the rise of the Taliban and her increasingly dangerous journey to school each day. The geopolitical histories trace back decades to the military rule of General Zia in the 1980s. Since then, turbulent domestic politics combined with a volatile, ever-evolving relationship with America (which, importantly, is partly America’s fault) has allowed the Taliban to rise to power. The post-9/11 period and the ‘War on Terror’ are important milestones here, since these are the years in which Yousafzai grows up. 

As the Taliban continue to deny women and girls their freedoms, Yousafzai becomes an outspoken activist, made all the more prominent by the BBC and the New York Times. Because of her fame, nationally and internationally, she becomes a target and is shot in the head by Taliban gunmen when she is just 15. The memoir starts here in its prologue, before going back in time to catch us up. Indeed, Yousafzai is now well-known everywhere for this incident. 

The remainder of the book traces her recovery, and reaffirms her commitment to fighting for girls’ education. Even though she now lives in Birmingham, England, she has persevered through many setbacks to keep up the good fight - now on a uniquely far-reaching international platform. 

Pride , directed by Matthew Warchus, is a film exploring the 1984-85 miners’ strike in Britain. In particular, it explored how an unlikely ally, the Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM) organisation, was able to provide solidarity and support despite their differences. 

At the time, many members of London’s LGBT community had difficult coming out experiences, made all the more difficult by stigma and dominating views of masculinity - they perceived miners in their hometowns as part of that problem. However, activist Mark Ashton saw an opportunity to help a group in need, and a group that was experiencing similar political pressures as themselves, particularly at the hands of Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. 

While the National Union of Mineworkers is initially reluctant to take LGSM’s money, Mark is able to connect directly with Dai Donovan, who represents miners from the Welsh village Onllwyn. Over time, LSGM is able to build relationships with locals, who gradually warm to their presence as well. Solidarity - the idea that anybody’s fight against injustice is everybody’s fight against injustice - is an important part of what makes this partnership tick. Their campaign culminates in the Pits and Perverts concert, which raises thousands of pounds. 

The ending is a bittersweet one though - the mineworkers’ union finds this too controversial, rejects further support and ultimately loses the strike, while the queer activists return to their own struggles with identity and belonging. However, the campaign forged lasting bonds between these activists and miners, who show up in their own display of solidarity at the next year’s Pride March. 

Themes, Ideas, and Key Messages 

At LSG, we use the CONVERGENT and DIVERGENT strategy to help us easily find points of similarity and difference. This is particularly important when it comes to essay writing, because you want to know that you're coming up with unique comparative points (compared to the rest of the Victorian cohort!). I don't discuss this strategy in detail here, but if you're interested, check out my How To Write A Killer Comparative . I use this strategy throughout my discussion of themes above and in the next section, Essay Topic Breakdown.

Similarities (CONVERGENT Ideas)

Identity and Perspective : Before even considering the activism that is featured in each text, it’s worth unpacking the individual identities of the main characters, and the complexities that come with them. Both texts see characters juggle and negotiate tensions within their identity - in particular, other people who share the identity don’t always see eye to eye with them. In I Am Malala , Yousafzai often finds herself at odds with other practitioners of Islam, especially the more extreme Taliban who would oppose her belief in girls’ education. Likewise, queer activists in Pride ’s LGSM draw incredulity from their peers, who bristle at the idea of supporting the mineworkers. However, not only are these characters able to overcome these tensions, but their personal identities give them a perspective that feeds back into their activism - they actually draw on their identity in their fight for justice. Yousafzai acknowledges that Muslims “don’t [all] agree” (Chapter 7), but she firmly believes that “education for females not just males is one of our Islamic rights” (Chapter 23). Her fight is informed by, rather than separate from, her faith. In the film, personal identity also acts as a springboard for activism. For example, the collaborative and highly successful Pits and Perverts fundraiser came about as a result of the “long and honourable tradition in the gay community [of] when somebody calls you a name…you take it and you own it”. Queerness is mobilised to fundraise for the miners, rather than silenced or excluded as others might have it. 

Injustice and Activism : As we explored in the context sections (and as we’ve been exploring throughout), a fight for justice is fundamentally at the heart of both texts. In the film and the memoir alike, we see conservative agendas disempowering certain groups. Yousafzai recounts how pre-existing sexism in Pakistan, where girls found “no point in going to school just to end up cooking, cleaning and bringing up children” (Chapter 3), was exacerbated by the Taliban who closed schools altogether. They would even vandalise and destroy schools - “by the end of 2008, around 400 schools had been destroyed” (Chapter 11). Yousafzai’s fight is really about equality and human rights. The miners and LGSM are fighting their own injustices and inequalities in the film - Prime Minister Thatcher had been closing down mines and stripping miners of their livelihoods. Not only that, but she’d used pretty brutal tactics, calling in the police and withholding income support for newly-unemployed miners who struggled to feed their families through the winter. 

Women’s Education : This isn't the principal fight in Pride , but there are moments where it definitely shines through. In particular, we first meet Sian as a young housewife, but by the end of the film Jonathan had encouraged her to return to school, and we know that she goes onto become the first female MP of her district. Through the strike, she discovered her own passion for trade unionism, and education hugely empowered her to take that passion further. This is particularly important given how much the strike affects men and women alike - consider the significance of ‘Bread and Roses’. In the memoir, the importance of women’s education is a much more central element. As Yousafzai points out, “going to school wasn’t just a way of passing time, it was our future” (Chapter 11). In both texts, education helps people (and women in particular) forge relationships and futures for themselves, and for one another. 

Differences (DIVERGENT Ideas)

Now it's your turn! Here are some questions to get you thinking about the differences between the two texts:

• Activism: what forms of activism are there? how effective can activism be? how are these ideas portrayed in the two texts?
• Solidarity: what does solidarity mean? what are the ways in which people can show solidarity? how are these ideas portrayed in the two texts?

Essay Topic Breakdown

Whenever you get a new essay topic, you can use LSG’s THINK and EXECUTE strategy , a technique to help you write better VCE essays. This essay topic breakdown will focus on the THINK part of the strategy. If you’re unfamiliar with this strategy, then check it out in How To Write A Killer Text Response . 

Theme-Based Prompt: Compare how the two texts explore injustice.

This is a theme-based prompt. Both texts have a pretty clear focus on this idea of ‘injustice’, so it’s an important theme to have thought about beforehand. This prompt is quite broad, so you could potentially include a wide range of thoughts and opinions about injustice—you might want to consider angles like who is affected, what its impacts are and what actions can reasonably be taken against it. Also because of how broad this prompt is, try to find answers to these questions from within the texts, but phrase them in a way that doesn’t necessarily refer to a text. This will help you keep your ideas flexible for both texts when the time comes to write. 

I think those angles are a reasonable starting point for brainstorming. In the memoir, Yousafzai and her peers—Pakistani schoolgirls—are the most affected, while the injustices portrayed in the film affect coal miners and the LGBTQ+ community. All of these groups are disempowered and disenfranchised by injustice, and this is an important impact. Note that this is something you can say about both texts, which is exactly how we were trying to phrase our answers.

In terms of taking action against injustice, there’s a wide range of measures across the texts—speaking out, writing for news outlets, organising large-scale fundraisers etc.—and the key takeaway from that might be how diverse these measures are, the different outcomes they generate and whether or not they’re effective. 

Step 3: Create a plan

Because this theme has a lot of rich overlaps between texts, it’s best to integrate discussion of both texts into every paragraph. When we do this for a theme-based prompt, especially a prompt with just one theme, that means every paragraph uncovers a new angle or dimension from both texts about the theme. Learn more about Integrated Text Discussion in How To Write A Killer Comparative .

P1: Injustice is framed as limiting people’s power—we can look at marginalised groups in both texts, from the schoolgirls of Yousafzai’s Pakistan, or the miners and the queer folk from the film.

P2: It’s also something that must be fought. Because it has such a detrimental impact, there is a need for those groups to stand up for themselves and for each other. 

P3: In so doing, injustice may take time to overcome, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t fight it. Not all activism can be instantly, wildly successful—partial successes along the way are usually more frequent.

Our contention will try to string those three ideas together: injustice in any society involves some experiencing marginalisation and powerlessness that others do not experience (P1), and it is something that must be fought (P2), even if this is a time-consuming process (P3). Have a go at writing your own essay now if you’d like, or read a free preview of our I am Malala and Pride study guide below!

A Killer Comparative Guide: I am Malala and Pride

The Ultimate Guide to VCE Comparative

A Guide to Structuring a Reading and Comparing Essay

Reading and Comparing Essays

‍ How to get A+ in Reading and Comparing

Compare the Pair: A guide to Structuring a Reading and Comparing essay

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Writing the Time: How to Write Time Correctly (Examples)

If you want to learn how to write time correctly, you've come to the right place. This article will teach you everything you know to use time correctly in your writing.

The time can be written in letters or numerals and follows various conventions. To learn more, read on.

This guide is part of our free online Grammar Book.

How to Write the Time in Numerals

Before you can learn how to write the time in your texts correctly, you need to know about the different ways of measuring time. There are two commonly used ones: the 12- hour and 24-hour formats. Let's review each one by one.

12-Hour System

The 12-hour system uses the numbers 1 to 12 to measure time and the abbreviations' am' and 'pm' to specify whether the time mentioned is in the morning or the afternoon. The hours from 1 to 12 before noon count as the morning, and the hours between 1 and 12 after noon count as... well, afternoon.

There are a few different ways to write the time using the 12-hour system. What they all have in common is that you begin by stating the number. You can then follow the number with the abbreviation 'am' or 'pm;' the phrase 'in the morning,' 'in the afternoon,' or 'at night,' or the word' o'clock.'

Here are some examples:

Let's have lunch at 11am. I need you in the office by 2 in the afternoon. In January it gets dark at 3pm.

In informal writing, it's okay to use just the number to mention the time ("Let's meet at 5.") as long as it's safe to assume the person will know whether you mean morning, afternoon, evening, or night .

• It's worth noting there are several different ways to write the abbreviations' am' and 'pm.' Some like to capitalize them; others keep them lowercase.
• Some use periods between the letters while others don't, and some leave a space after the number while others don't.

Here are some representations of the different ways this can look using the example time of 8 in the morning:

Some spellcheckers will even have you use a period after the first letter but not the second one. All these variations are correct, and which one you should use depends on the style guide you follow.

The main thing is to stay consistent.

24-Hour system

The 24- hour system uses—you guessed it—24 numbers to measure the time. The numbers 1 to 12 refer to the morning hours, while numbers 13 to 24 refer to the afternoon and evening hours. Due to the system's intricacy, you don't need to use phrases such as 'in the morning,' nor must you use 'am' or 'pm.'

They're expected to land at 13:45.  The screening begins at 20:00 but there'll be some trailers before that. I heard the meeting started at 8:00.

Notice I've used a colon between the hours and the minutes in the examples above. You can also use a period .

Top Tip! The military system also uses the 24-hour system but without the colon/period, followed by the word "hours." For example: Take off at 300 hours.

How to Write the Time in Letters

There are times you might want to write the time in letters. Like when? Well, like with all things, it's primarily up to you. Just make sure to remain consistent, whatever you choose to do.

Nonetheless, here are some guidelines you might decide to follow:

• Write the time in letters only when it won't burden the page. For instance, '7:25' is better than 'twenty-five past seven.' 'Eight' and '8:00' are equivalent.
• Never write 24-hour format time in letters.
• Use the words' noon' and 'midnight' over the numerals' 12 pm,' '12am,' '12:00,' or '24:00.' It's just more straightforward.
• With o'clock, you can use either numerals or words.
• When the time you're writing isn't on the hour, remember to use words such as 'past,' 'after,' 'til,' and 'to.'

Here are some examples to illustrate some of these guidelines:

My son's so lazy; he never gets up before noon. What do you think of meeting at five o'clock for cocktails? It's already half past one!

Concluding Thoughts

That concludes this article on how to write time correctly. I hope you found it helpful.

Let's summarize what we've learned:

• The time can be written in a 12-hour or 24-hour format.
• When writing the time in numerals, use words like 'am,' 'pm,' and the phrases 'in the morning,' 'in the afternoon,' or 'at night.' 
• 'O'clock' can be used with numerals or letters.
• You can choose to write the time in numerals or letters; just stay consistent.

If you found this article helpful, check out our Grammar Book . It's an online database of articles that break down complex grammar topics into easy-to-understand guides. You'll love it!

Learn More:

• How to Write Height Correctly - Writing Feet and Inches
• How to Write a List Correctly: Colons, Commas, and Semicolons
• Apostrophes: When to Use Apostrophes in Writing (Examples)
• Ellipses: When to Use Ellipses in Writing (Examples)
• Italics and Underlining: When to Use Italics and Underlining in Writing (Examples)
• ‘Restaurateur’ or ‘Restauranteur’: How to Spell It Correctly 
• ‘Goodmorning’ or ‘Good Morning’: How to Spell ‘Good Morning’ Correctly
• ‘Holliday’ or ‘Holiday’: How to Spell ‘Holiday’ Correctly
• ‘Colum’ or ‘Column’: How to Spell ‘Column’ Correctly
• ‘Absence’ or ‘Absense’: How to Spell ‘Absence’ Correctly
• ‘Eachother’ or ‘Each Other’: How to Spell ‘Each Other’ Correctly
• ‘Ninty’ or ‘Ninety’: How to Spell the Number ‘90’ Correctly
• ‘Nieve’ or ‘Naive’: How to Spell It Correctly
• ‘Wheelbarrel’ or ‘Wheelbarrow’: How to Spell It Correctly
• ‘Aswell’ or ‘As Well’: How to Spell it Correctly

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