Read the essay's assignment sheet and ask your teacher what he or she expects from the essay. Does the essay need to be persuasive or expository? Also determine what writing style is appropriate for the essay's intended audience. For instance, if your essay is intended for your boss, your word choice and sentence length should be formal.
Ask if the paper should be argumentative in nature. If the answer is yes, write a persuasive paper. Persuasive essays are meant to convince a reader to accept a particular position on an issue. This kind of essay contains judgments, which are statements that require logical proof to back them up, and arguments, which are statements of evidence to support your judgments. Persuasive essay introductions present both sides of an argument and then hone in on a single side, or the essay's thesis statement. Each body paragraph begins with a single topic sentence that explores one issue under consideration. Mention both sides of an issue in each body paragraph, and never degrade the opposing view. The strongest persuasive papers are those built on logic and reasoning. The persuasive essay's conclusion will end with phrasing such as "After considering both sides of the argument, (X) is a better choice than (Y)." Conclusions never introduce new information or arguments and should be approximately two to three sentences in length.
Determine if the essay should be informative rather than persuasive. Expository essays are meant to inform an audience about a topic. These essays explain information and do not persuade a reader to take a side. You should not include opinions, judgments or arguments, and your essay must completely inform your intended audience about your chosen topic. The essay's introduction should give a brief history of your topic and can introduce cultural relevancy. End the introduction with your thesis statement. Each body paragraph begins with a topic sentence that relates directly back to your thesis statement. Develop each body paragraph with information that supports that paragraph's topic statement. Do not stray from your topic. Write expository essay conclusions in one of four ways: 1) Predict what will happen, 2) Comment on the information presented, 3) Recommend a course of action, 4) Reemphasize, but do not restate, your thesis statement.
Read your essay after it is complete to check for proper word choice, sentence structure, grammar and spelling.