4 Essay Tips For Students in Our ESL Program

A happy student in an ESL program writing an essay

Are you pursuing admission into a competitive North American university? If so, your ability to write a strong essay will be a significant asset. Essays require you to recruit your critical thinking, persuasive, and written communication skills to explore a topic in-depth and effectively state a case. 

In any post-secondary environment, regardless of the discipline you study in the future, your ability to approach a subject from an attractive, critical point of view in a paper will set you apart. As you improve your English language skills in our ESL program, you can follow these pointers to improve your essay writing skills and boost your academic performance.

1. Always Analyze the Essay Question Carefully Before You Start

The quality of your essay rests significantly on how effectively you’ve answered the question posed by your assignment. Your goal should be to write a paper that clearly answers a specific question and presents plenty of evidence to support your position. 

To accomplish this, always start your essay by analyzing the question. During your analysis, be sure to determine what key concepts from course material your essay must cover, the scope of the topic, and what the assignment asks you to do (discuss, define, compare, or analyze). You can plan your essay properly with a complete understanding of the question you’re addressing. Always start with a close reading of an essay question after completing our ESL program

An ESL program student types her essay on her laptop after analyzing the question
In our ESL program, you’ll be taught to analyze the question before writing your essay

2. Outline the Structure of Your Essay After ESL School

Your points will be best understood by the reader of your essay when you follow a clearly defined structure. After you’ve analyzed your essay question and are clear on your position, create an outline to ensure that your essay is coherent and contains the components of a well-structured paper. These include the following:

  • Introduction: An essay’s introduction aims to introduce the topic of the piece and provide a loose roadmap of what topics will be discussed and in what sequence.
  • Body: The body of your essay should develop and elaborate your argument. This is where you present supporting evidence and argue your position in depth.
  • Conclusion: The conclusion of an essay should further reiterate the significance of your findings, how the topic relates to broader issues in the world, and how the topic can be explored further in the future. No new points should be introduced. Here, focus on providing a satisfying close for the readers.

3. Write an Attention-Grabbing Introduction

To wow your teachers, start your essay strong with an attention-grabbing introduction. Focus on making the reader of your essay think. There are numerous ways to accomplish this. Try asking a thought-provoking question, briefly telling a story relevant to your topic, using an insightful quote, or even using a direct approach by stating your thesis outright. 

Think about it; your teacher likely must evaluate several essays that read similarly. Writing an interesting and well-argued essay after ESL school could score you extra points! Our ESL program enables students to acquire practical communication skills in all areas of language study, including reading, writing, speaking, and listening.

4. Keep a Thesaurus on Hand

In essay writing, selecting the right words dramatically improves your ability to communicate your point. Throughout your paper, you may notice yourself repeating key terms or wonder whether there’s a better way to express your thoughts. 

That’s where a thesaurus will come in handy. It will list various synonyms and related concepts to help you select the perfect words to communicate your point while expanding your vocabulary. 

Student in an ESL program reading a thesaurus
Use a thesaurus to expand your vocabulary when you write an essay after ESL school.

No matter what English language level, the ESL program at the Great Lakes College of Toronto will help you achieve the standard of English proficiency necessary for academic success in high school, university, and beyond. Our five-level ESL program is designed to be efficient. One level can be completed in as little as two months. Upon completing all five levels, students can move on to our regular academic program, where they’ll gain many other precious skills for success in their post-secondary education. 

Are you ready to attend private school

Contact the Great Lakes College to find out more about our ESL program!

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