The first thing your essay should have is an introductory paragraph. This paragraph has to be able to show exactly what your essay is about in only a couple of sentences. A great opening paragraph of an essay will show the reader exactly what they are going to read about and capture their interest straight away. This paragraph is also known as a thesis statement.

The next parts of your essay are the supporting paragraphs. These particular paragraphs make up the formation and the body of your written essay, and should be able to link together the different points you are making. A good tip here is to make a simple list of the points you are making in your essay. You can then develop your essay from this list by creating a supporting paragraph for every point made.

The final part of your essay should be the summary. This summary will conclude everything you have just written about in a few sentences. It differs from the introductory paragraph as that tells you what you are going to read; the summary paragraph tells the reader what they have already read.

You may already have your topic assigned to you for your essay or you may have to choose yourself. If you choose yourself, it is very important to be able to write fluently and confidently about your subject. Don't pick a subject you know nothing about or are not very confident of. So, brainstorm a few ideas and pick your topic for your essay.

Then, prepare an outline or a diagram of your topic and any ideas you have for your specific essay. This structures your ideas and your essay by giving it a clear and well defined path to follow. If you feel that the structure you have prepared doesn't work, don't be afraid to tweak it here and there to make it work for you and your topic.

Write your thesis statement/opening paragraph and tell the readers what you as the writer are going to be showing them throughout your essay. What they will learn from it and the point you are trying to make within your essay.

Then you write your supporting paragraphs that make up your points list that you made earlier. Make a paragraph for each point and show your findings clearly and with solid facts, and possibly quotations or interviews.

Write the conclusion at the end, not during or at the beginning. Many people make the mistake of writing the conclusion before they have even finished and read through the final draft of the essay. Never do this as you may have written something else or become aware of other facts and figures later on in the essay writing process.

Once you have done all of this, you can go on to proofread what you have written. If you have the ability to do so, leave the essay overnight or for a couple of days and back to it with fresh eyes. This makes it easier to spot any spelling, grammatical or any other errors you may have made. If you can, let someone else go through it and proof it for you.