Essays are confusing, and even more so if you’re an ESL student. The requirements are quite strict, and here you have to main tasks: writing a good essay and making sure your English is correct.
To structure our guide, we’ll divide this path into the same two parts. We’ll talk about how to write a good essay and improve your writing skills first. Then, we’ll see what a Belize ESL student can do to improve their English. Let’s go!
Essay Writing for Belize ESL Students
The first way to go is to put your essay writing skills into practice. If you need improvement, you can do it through excellent examples and writing attempts. While searching for a perfect example and being very busy with studies, consider using a fast essay writing service with highly qualified academic writers. They work with both native speakers and ESL students. You’ll have an opportunity to break down a professionally written essay and see everything you should work on.
Here’s how to prepare and write a good essay:
- Mind the format.
Different subjects require different formatting (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.). No matter what your major is, it’s useful to know all the standards. This will ensure you’re ready for any kind of academic writing task.
- Know the type.
The major types of essays are: narrative (you tell a story, usually about yourself); descriptive (you show a story through vivid description); expository (you show the facts, compare and analyze them, etc.); persuasive (you persuade the readers that your point of view is correct through strong arguments and their evidence).
The type of essay dictates its structure and the devices you have to use to make it excellent.
- Write a powerful thesis statement.
A strong thesis statement makes it much easier for you to prove your point or achieve any other goal your essay has. It must be clear and concise, but you should also know how to elaborate on it if you have to.
- Build a strong outline.
A good outline is half the work done. To make an essay easy to read and follow, its structure has to be logical, supported by transitions that will create the flow of the paper. We all know the basic outline (intro, main body, conclusion), but the details you put in those can make it either logical or chaotic.
- Mind the paragraph system.
It’s time to fill that outline in, so treat every paragraph as a small essay. They also have a structure that includes an intro, main body (argument and evidence or refutation), and conclusion. It should also have a transition to the next part, and a good example will show you all their glory.
- Proofread the paper.
Never forget to proofread your paper. Do it several times, focusing on one thing at a time: grammar, structure, logic. If you read the paper and it seems organic and wholesome, it’s a success.
Improving English Proficiency for Belize ESL Students
This is a more long-term thing, and you’ll see improvement with every essay. No matter how proficient you are, the English language never ceases to amaze. So, make sure you do the following regularly:
- Improve general and field-specific vocabulary.
Never stop learning new words, both general and field-specific. You never know when your college gives you a new descriptive essay in English. And those need a lot of different words, because repetition causes tautology and deducts points.
- Take grammar, spelling, and punctuation tests.
Even if your school provides those, check yourself more often. There are plenty of tests online that can evaluate your word stock, grammar knowledge, etc. Such tests are great motivators as well.
- Make use of auto-correct services.
It will analyze the style of your writing and suggest changes if they are needed. However, check those suggestions before applying them, search for more info online if you have to.
- Read a lot.
Reading automatically enriches your grammar and vocabulary base. Besides, it’s a great kind of leisure, and you learn a lot of new information as well.
Combine the two parts altogether, and you will get an excellent essay. The more you research and write, the better your papers will become!
