HOW TO WRITE AN ESSAY?

How to Write a Factual Essay

by Mohd Rosli bin Saidin

Extended or continuous writing has been a much feared task among students. Most find it difficult to even start writing. This happens when students are assigned to write factual essay. They are at lost after reading the given topic. This is due to their ignorance in the organization of the essay, the knowledge on subject matter and finally the language.
I could safely say that the organization of the essay play a vital role in writing a factual essay. Ideas on the topic must be properly organized to produce coherence. Coherence emerge from logical connection of ideas which are then elaborated to produce details. Failure in presenting a piece of essay in a proper or acceptable format will result in lack of cohesion, inconsistency and order. So, mastering the simple format will ensure comprehensiveness and intelligibility of a piece of writing.

--Mohd Rosli bin Saidin

   MUET Tutor

   SMKA Al-Irshad

The Organization of an essay The factors to consider when writing a factual essay are the subject matter, main ideas and  conclusion. The format is mainly divided into three parts, which are the introductory  paragraph, body paragraphs and the conclusion. Conforming to this format will guide the  writer to present his thoughts in an orderly manner. There is no critical need for the students  to write using impressive words to catch the readers’ attention. As long as the piece of writing  is coherent and comprehensive, it should be acceptable. To credit, students should read  extensively for more information on various themes or subject matter. This would enable  students to deal with any kind of topic in question. In short, proper organization of an  essay controls the flow of ideas to be delivered. The Simple Three Paragraph Format: Figure 1 illustrates the basic format of an essay. Next, I shall discuss the components of the  introductory paragraph. What should the introduction made up of? Ideally, it should contain  the background of the topic in question. Following this is the statement of main ideas.  No elaboration should be done in this paragraph. Introductory Paragraph Introductory paragraph should contain the background of the topic and the statement  of three main ideas. No elaborations should be made here. Stating the ideas will  establish the direction of subject matter. The flow of ideas will be determined by  the sequencing of main points. As an example, I shall write down a question for extended writing. ‘Failure is the first step to success’ Writing the background The background should reflect the matter in question. It should lead the reader to what is going  to be discussed in the piece of writing. Also, by reading the background, the audience knows  the nature of subject matter. In this way, they would be able to interact literally with the matter  in question. e.g.   i) Each and every one must have experienced failure. Some stand up and continue while  not a few are broken down with frustration and live with it for the rest of their lives. If one  just realizes that failure is just part and parcel of life, he will be able to overcome frustration  and live on. ii) Failure is an experience in life. It should be taken optimistically to ensure success. One who  treats failure as a beaten path towards victory is wise. Quite a few public figures have  endured failure in their undertakings and came out successful in various walks of life. iii) Have you ever experienced failure in life? I believe everyone has. There are quite a  number of people who have undergone the agony of failure but survived and come out  successful. This has to be taken as a motivation to succeed in future undertaking.  Failure in another sense is optimistically leading us to be more realistic in action and  decisive in management.  Brainstorming for main ideas. i)                    The keywords underlined in the question must be the guidance to generate main ideas.  This is to avoid misleads. So, as in the question ‘Failure is the first step to success’, the key words are failure,  first step and success. To brainstorm for main ideas, the key words must be constantly referred to avoid  misleading points. ii)                  To start generating main ideas, the key-words will guide us to construct factual  statements relating the given topic. Below are some relevant examples: Writing the introductory paragraph Now, let us write the introductory paragraph using the background statements that we have created  and also the main ideas that we have generated. Below is a sample paragraph.   Let’s Try 1 Writing the Background ‘Education comes not from books but practical experience’. What do you think? *the underlined words are your vital references 1. .....................................................................................................................................................     .....................................................................................................................................................     ..................................................................................................................................................... 2. .....................................................................................................................................................      .....................................................................................................................................................      ...................................................................................................................................................... 3. ......................................................................................................................................................     ......................................................................................................................................................     ......................................................................................................................................................    Suggested Answers  1.       Some people obtain their knowledge from books while others got theirs from life experiences.  It is very usual that most of us read to obtain information. It is rather indirect but it is a very popular  form of knowledge quest. So, it is true if one says that reading is the best way to get a lot of  information. In fact, reading is a very common activity among us but real life experiences  seem to be more effective in educating many. 2.   It is true if one says that real life experience is the best way to be educated but a lot of people  are educated from reading. Many people are educated from reading. Many people are educated from schools  which teach them to do a lot of things. Some  schools carry out formal education which mostly comes from reading but there are also  educational institutions that teach the students to experience hands on knowledge. 3. How many of us are educated from knowledge gained from books? Most of us have u ndergone this kind of education and we managed to lead our life quite well. Many others  are trained or educated from real life or hands on experiences like those from vocational or  technical institutions. How far these are true is yet to be justified by our arguments. Let’s Try 2 Writing the background ‘Parents know best as far as their children’s careers are concerned’.  What do you think? *the underlined words are your vital references 1. ..................................................................................................................................................................     ..................................................................................................................................................................     .................................................................................................................................................................. 2. ..................................................................................................................................................................     ..................................................................................................................................................................     ................................................................................................................................................................... 3. ...................................................................................................................................................................     ................................................................................................................................................................... Suggested answers: 1.       Parents are people who know best about their children. So, they in the position to decide what is best for them. This includes what  they are going to be when they grow up or in short, their career. The decision to take up careers is a very serious business. So, considerable  amount of wisdom is needed to make this decision and parents are the most rightful people to do this. 2.   We have often heard that parents interfere with their children’s life when it comes to choice of careers. They believe that they know  what is best for their children. Some end up successful in their life but some find it rather frustrating when their career is not compatible with  their interests. So, they have to pave their way up again in their new career 3. Career undertaking is a serious business. So, a decision to take up any career has to be made with some considerations in mind. Parents  are most probably the most eligible party to seek for advice. They will definitely choose what is best for their children. So, security in future  life is almost guaranteed. Let's try 3 Writinthe background ‘Meeting someone for the first time through the internet is never a good idea’. Do you agree? *the underlined words are your vital references  1. ....................................................................................................................................................................................... .    ....................................................................................................................................................................................... .    ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 2. ...................................................................................................................................................................................... .   ......................................................................................................................................................................................... .   ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 3. ........................................................................................................................................................................................ .   ...................................................................................................................................................................................... Suggested answers: 1.  To get acquainted virtually is unwise. One could easily be conned through the internet. It is best to be cautious        and aware of the consequences. There are many cases where teenagers are involved in this cybercrime. So, the best thing       is to keep track of their online activities before it is too late. 2.   People who are shy usually love being connected through social media. But it is not always safe to do so. They can expose       themselves to some sorts of cybercrime. They could be criminals out there on the prowl. So, they might fall victim to these       cyber predators. 3.  Making friends through social media has become a fashion nowadays. Getting access to facebook, twitters and other social      media is almost a routine for everyone; young and old. New words like netizens, pinterest have been ‘coined’ to describe      global social activities. Not many realize that there are potential web hazards to deal with if they are not aware of the consequences. Let’s Try 4 Brainstorming for main ideas. ‘Education comes not from books but practical experience’. What do you think? State your opinions with examples. You should write at least 350 words. *the underlined words are your vital references Write four main ideas from the motion above (you may agree or disagree) Suggested answers