A tutorial on how to write an outline for an essay

It goes without saying that you need a plan or an outline before you write an essay. There are so many advantages if you do just that.

• It makes the whole writing process much easier.
• It enables you to see an overview of your essay before you start to write.
• It makes the actual writing process faster.
• It enables you to set up some sort of timetable to achieve your essay within a certain timeframe.

So the benefits are there and have been proven so for generations. What you need to do now is learn how to write an outline. Here are the basic steps.

• Know the structure of your essay.
• Place a major point at the beginning of every body paragraph.
• Add a supporting minor point or points wherever possible.
• Keep the introduction and conclusion as separate tasks.

The structure of your essay, unless instructed otherwise by your teacher or professor, will follow the basic and tried and tested formula of introduction, main body paragraphs, followed by the conclusion. On a piece of paper, which could simply be on the screen of your tablet or computer, put your five headings.

The introduction will be the first paragraph and the conclusion will be the final telegraph and these are seen as being separate items. Your introduction will include your thesis statement and that will dominate the remainder of your essay. In order to substantiate or provable answer your thesis statement, you will provide information in your body paragraphs.

On your outline list the main point you will make in each of your body paragraphs. If you have a minor point to expand upon or substantiate your major point, add this or these to your outline.

Now you are ready to write. The introduction needs to begin with a cracking sentence and include your thesis statement and encourage the reader to keep reading. Then you write your body paragraphs according to your outline. At the end of your final body paragraph you will write your conclusion. This will contain nothing which is new and will be a summary of all this is gone before.

The more detail you include in your outline, the faster, better and easier will be the writing of your essay and hopefully, the higher your score or grade. A great outline is the foundation for a great essay.