how to write a recipe in essay form

Essay on My Favorite Recipe

By: Author Valerie Gray, From Val's Kitchen

Categories Mixing It Up

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If life could only be as simple as following a recipe, we’d all be much happier. However, unlike food based recipes, life doesn’t provide you with standardized ingredients as each lives their unique life.

It means we must ‘cook’ with what we have and see what we can come up with it. Depending on our knowledge of our ingredients and the objective we wish to will establish how difficult it would be to ‘cook up’ our desired results.

However, just like cooking…life has a lot of similarities. For instance, while some people like to follow the recipe to the core, others like to experiment with the ingredients creating their unique take on something that might have been passed down from generation to generation. We can see this as the traditionalist versus the progressive. One likes to keep the way things are while the other doesn’t fear to embark in new terrains.

Neither of these two options is necessarily wrong, especially if the final result remains a tasty dish that will remember.

Now, speaking about my favorite recipe, I think it’s difficult to pinpoint. Similar to life, I like variety however if I were forced to think of my absolute favorite recipe it would have to be my stew.

You see, a stew is just like life, a mix of different elements that come together to make something truly delicious. Additionally, making stew isn’t difficult. It’s almost like making soup except instead of leaving it watery we thicken it up with milk and flour.

Stew – The Dish of Life

I usually make my stew with a wide variety of vegetables, spices and tie it together with a thick sauce. So what you’ll need to make your very own stew will be the following:

• Two chopped Potatoes or 7 small full potatoes
• Corn on the cob
• Green pepper
• Knorr Beef Broth
• A half a kilo of beef (chopped in blocks)
• Assorted Herbs and Spices

The process is quite simple.

First, you fill up a big cauldron with water. Don’t fill it up too much because the vegetables will be taking up space.

Then, you’ll begin to through in all the plants based on how long they cook. I usually dump in the onions, zucchini, potatoes, carrots, corn on the cob and a block of beef broth at first. Then, I wait for about 30 minutes before I dump in the mushrooms, green peppers, garlic, and tomatoes in it.

At this stage, I take out a frying pan and start to brown the meat cubes. It’s recommended to spice the beef cubes before throwing it into the water. Some people like to skip this bit. However, I find that pre-spicing the meat makes it a lot tastier.

Once you have finished browning the meat, you throw it in with the rest of the mixture. Add some salt and pepper at this stage as well.

After about an hour or so, it’s time to thicken the entire dish. The way to do this is to take a bit of flour, like 1/8th of a cup and 3/4th of milk and mix it well. Be sure to get rid of all the clumps of flour in the mixture.

Once mixed, add it to the stew, and you’ll instantly see the color change to a light brownish color. If you want it thicker, just repeat the milk/flour mixture step and add it to the mix. Don’t overdo it either; it needs to be thick, but not so thick it’s solid.

And in about 20 more minutes you should be ready to eat your very own stew.

The Stew of Life

Why do I think stew is most representative of life? Because just like stew, life comes with different elements (people, places, opportunities) and they are all mixed. Some take longer to mature than others, meaning that you need to understand the purpose of each ingredient before cooking.

We learn that certain things synergize. We hear it takes patience to get the right things in life, just like a stew.

Each and every single ingredient is important to achieve the final result. A life fully lived is like a stew that has brewed to perfection, it’s a divine gift we should all enjoy.

I hope that throughout this essay, recipes help us achieve our goals, and while life doesn’t come with a recipe book, we do have teachers, masters, and parents that provide us with some insight. Sometimes we should follow their advice, and at other times we should simply do our own thing. If in the end, your stew tastes as magnificent as your life… you’ve done a spectacular job!

This recipe is provided by an anonymous writer who works at https://www.domyessay.net , an essay writing company.

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How to Write a Process Essay on Food

How to Write a Process Essay About Cupcakes

A process essay on food is either an essay that tells you how to make a recipe or one that tells you how a food product is made. Both essays are written in the form of step-by-step instructions. As you research and write your essay, you'll likely learn a lot, which can benefit you as the author, as baking brownies from scratch is time-consuming, but the final product is well worth the wait. It is important to keep your directions or process steps as simple as possible. If the process is a recipe, the article should teach the reader how to make it. If the process is how a certain food product was made, like name-brand factory products, the reader should understand all the steps that went into creating that food product.

Writing About How Food is Made

Find out everything there is to know about making the food product about which you are writing. Take notes, use legitimate sources and if possible, interview someone directly involved in the production of the food product. Consider all of the ingredients, staff and machinery necessary to make the food you are learning about. You may be writing about how a factory mass produces their brand of food, such as candy bars or toaster pastries, or how a private bakery is run. Ask questions appropriate to your topic.

Before you begin writing, first outline your essay. This will help plan everything you want to write about. Order everything in sequential order, so the reader will clearly understand how the food product is made. Next, write the body of your essay. Each paragraph should be one point or one step in the process to make the food product. Make sure the reader knows everything involved in the process you are writing about.

Finally, write the introduction and conclusion of your essay. It is best to write the introduction after the body, so you understand what you are introducing. An introduction should prepare a reader for your article and possibly give them some background information on the process. The conclusion should summarize all of your main points. Last but not least, go back over your essay and correct any grammatical or spelling errors.

Writing Recipes

Learn everything you can about the recipe you are writing about. Do some research and learn if there are different ways to make the food in the recipe. Make sure you are educated in the cooking methods required in the recipe. It's also important to cook or prepare the recipe yourself. When you have followed the steps you learned, you will understand how best to teach those steps to others, and you might pick up some new cooking skills as well.

Next, write down all of the steps to prepare the recipe. Be sure to write the recipe in chronological order. For example, for recipes that require baking, mention preheating the oven first, so it can be at the proper temperature when it's time to place your dish in the oven. Include a list of necessary ingredients.

Then, you'll be able to write an introduction to the essay. This is best done after you have written the steps, so you know exactly what you are introducing. Try to include background information on the recipe in question.

Finally, write a conclusion to the essay. In this section include any variations to the recipe. If certain ingredients can be exchanged for others, let the reader know. Also, don't forget to proofread your essay at least one more time for spelling and grammatical errors, and fix if necessary.

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Rhetoric of Food

Rhe 309k, the university of texas at austin, analyzing recipes (rhetoric of recipes).

The genre of recipe writing is usually thought of a very standardized, reliable set of instructions, always consisting of two parts: the ingredients and the instructions. However, this is an overly simplistic view of this genre. While most recipes are composed of ingredients and directions, sometimes, recipes only include directions (Canora). Additionally, a great recipe is not just a set of directions; instead, great recipes can even tell a story – about a grandma’s Christmas cookies, about a lovely Valentine dinner, or about new motherhood (Perelman).

Generally, though, the form of recipes are first, a set of ingredients, followed by a list of directions, but this has slightly transformed over time. For much of history, most recipes actually didn’t actually specify precisely how much of an ingredient was needed; instead, recipes would call for a “cupful” or a “drop” (Schofield). Nowadays, though, recipes, especially in baking, usually specify a precise amount needed for each ingredient. However, how these quantities are specified can also vary. For example, most of the world tends to use weight measurements (i.e. 400 grams of flour) in recipes while others (mostly the U.S.) measures by volume (2 cups of flour), and some recipes list both for universality. In regards to the preparation method, most directions are listed in short sentences in numerical format, while others prefer an essay method. Furthermore, some recipes’ layout may be vertical-down, while other recipes, especially in recipe books, may include ingredients on the left with the directions on the right. Other text features in recipes may include how much a recipe yields, cooking or prep time, optional ingredients, helpful tips, etc.

Some recipes include a short story or excerpt preceding a recipe, and I believe that this method really adds to the content of recipe writing. For example, Deb Perelman is famous for her cute, relatable family stories in her Smitten Kitchen food blog. Her stories make it clear that her themes in her recipe writing are familial, homey, traditional, and practical. Her writing style and content also makes it clear that her intended audience are parents, families, and practical cooks – both experienced and new. However, other recipes may not need a cute story before each recipe in order to target an audience. For example, in Leanne Brown’s book, she adds an interesting and very helpful feature for each recipe; she lists the total dollar amount needed to make each recipe and also the per serving dollar amount. This clearly targets people on a budget, college students, money-savvy cooks, etc. Thus, already, though there is some continuity in recipe writing, it is easy to see how the recipe genre, a seemingly homogenous form of literature, can actually take on various forms and even contradictions.

It also, therefore, makes sense that there are various reasons why authors write recipes. Some write recipes to pass on memories (perhaps a grandma passing on a family-secret biscuit recipe to her grandchild) or some write recipes to expose others to international cultures (perhaps a writer who blogs about her cooking experiences across Japan). The grandma recipe writer may just compose her recipe literature on a piece of napkin or in a family cookbook, while the travelling recipe writer may write weekly blogs and eventually publish a book. No matter the reason or the audience for a recipe, it is clear the recipe genre goes beyond a set of instructions; instead, it truly is a way to tell a story.

• Brown, Leanne. https://cookbooks.leannebrown.com/good-and-cheap.pdf
• Canora, Marco. http://luckypeach.com/how-to-make-gnocchi/
• Perelman, Deb. https://smittenkitchen.com/2009/07/best-birthday-cake/
• Schofield, Mary A. https://books.google.com/books?id=zvOppQPQxPgC&pg=PA8#v=onepage&q&f=false

One thought on “ Analyzing Recipes (Rhetoric of Recipes) ”

Thanks to the writer for sharing this recipe and I will try this

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How (and Why) to Turn a Recipe into a Story

Lauren Gray

This site runs ads and generates income from affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Take care to chop the onion fine. To keep from crying when you chop it (which is so annoying!), I suggest you place a little bit on your head. The trouble with crying over an onion is that once the chopping gets you started and the tears begin to well up, the next thing you know you just can’t stop. I don’t know whether that’s ever happened to you, but I have to confess it’s happened to me, many times. Mama used to say it was because I was especially sensitive to onions, like my great-aunt, Tita.

So begins Laura Esquivel’s novel Like Water for Chocolate, a book that has the power to make you laugh and weep at the same time it makes your stomach grumble. While this is a classic example of literature that integrates recipes, it’s not the only one.

Cooking and writing. Eating and reading. They’ve got a lot in common.

When we go into the kitchen and begin to prepare a meal for our friends and family, it’s not just about getting dinner on the table. It’s an expression of our love for them. Unless you’re using the meal to poison someone as happens so often in those popular culinary mysteries. But that’s a whole other kind of story, isn’t it?

Writing is the same. We don’t put pen to paper or fingers to keyboards just for the string of words. We do it because we’ve got something we want to share with others. Something that we believe will make them feel better or think about things differently.

Likewise, the best eating and the best reading are both done at a leisurely pace with attention to detail and a desire for satisfaction.

While it’s not necessary to tell a story with every blog post (and some very successful bloggers supply recipes only), food bloggers who engage us with the stories behind their recipes make us feel warm and fuzzy. It makes us feel as if we know the blogger, which creates positive feelings towards the blogger.

Keep it short

Good news! You don’t have to write a novel to be a riveting storyteller. In fact, shorter is usually better. If you don’t believe it, consider Ernest Hemingway’s tragic six word story:

For sale: Baby shoes. Never worn.

Adding words wouldn’t make that story any more heart-breaking. Keep your narrative to 500 words or fewer so it’s snappy and not a distraction from the actual recipe (since many of your readers may only be looking for a recipe). Try not to be so depressing though, right? Geez, Hemingway.

Make it emotional

Not Hemingway emotional – normal human emotional. Think about the stories that captivate you. They’re about love and betrayal, friendship and frustration, longing and denial. Can food possibly inspire those sorts of emotions? Ask my dad while he’s weeping over my mom’s heavenly scones. Ask any woman who has been denied her rightful lunch hour and is in the grip of the hangries.

Your stories don’t have to be epic to trigger emotions in the reader. Tell about the time you accidentally used salt instead of sugar in the brownie recipe or about how much your baby enjoyed spitting those garden peas across the room. Day-to-day emotion is just as powerful (and much more enjoyable) than once-in-a-lifetime, earth-shattering emotion. It’s a food blog, not a Harlequin romance.

Bring it to life

Use specific details and sensory descriptions to bring the narrative elements of your blog posts to life. People may not know your Aunt Sue, but they’ll feel like they know her if you name her. Your readers may not be able to visit your kitchen, but they can imagine the aroma of the molasses cookies baking on a December afternoon if you describe them.

Don’t be afraid to tell trivial stories

You might think no one would be interested in memories of your elementary school’s vegetable soup, but even seemingly trivial memories help us connect with one another. At least one person reading this blog post is now going to spend the rest of the day hungry for that delicious, magical elementary school soup. Because the simplest, most mundane details of our lives are the things that we all share.

Stay relevant

If you’re writing about cupcakes, focus on stories that center on baking, cupcakes, or cupcake-related events. Don’t mix cupcakes and goulash. Yech. And again, you don’t have to tell a story, so if there’s no relevant story to tell, just give the recipe and be done with it. Nobody’s judging.

Tell us a short story about your favorite recipe in the comments section!

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5 responses

As someone who regularly researches various recipes, I cannot tell you how off base this is. I’m looking for the story, not some anecdote about how the recipe, created by your late Aunt Susan made you feel on a cold winter morning.

If you want to add some quick history to the recipe, or a simple anectdote, fine- make it short and simple and relevant to the topic. Prattling on and on about how a step stool in the hall way made you think back to a time your kids were still in diapers, which then reminded you about that one time you got the flu and wanted Great Grandma Esther’s chicken soup is a turn off, and a sure sign I won’t read your recipe blog anymore.

We totally get it, Chris – sometimes recipes are best standalone and some of the best stories are short & sweet! Hopefully you’re able to find some recipe authors that are a good fit for you. ?

I think there is a huge difference between “prattling on” in the middle of a recipe, and telling a story using a recipe as the framework. This article talks about Laura Esquivel and Hemmingway, authors – not cooks. This is a genuine format for writing, and if done well it makes for an amazing story. This article hits it pretty well without giving an actual writing lesson. As someone who regularly writes, I wouldn’t call this “off-base,” and I would encourage Chris to take a more practical read of the article.

PLEASE do not do this. Nobody cares about your memoir, I just wanna know how to make dinner.

This was super helpful. thanks and Lauren, you’re really pretty.

Hey, we’re Once Coupled!  We empower publishers to create great content without tech headaches.

How to Write a Recipe: The Complete Guide

In this extensive guide, we’ll give you all the information on how to write a recipe.

• Choose the right recipe format
• Use structured data for recipes
• Include the necessary elements in your recipe
• Partner with technology that does the heavy lifting

How to create and optimize a recipe for SEO on Samsung Food

How to write a recipe that helps readers.

Recipes are the main source of inspiration for home cooks. In 2020 alone, there was a whopping 45% increase in “recipes and cooking” video views . And Samsung Food users agree that recipes are crucial. A recent survey shows that three-quarters of our users cook or bake with recipes at least a few times a week.

So what goes into a good recipe? We asked our users. Eight out of ten Samsung Food users define a good recipe as one with easy-to-follow instructions. Other requirements include easy to make or replicate and a detailed ingredient list.

When it comes to recipes, clarity trumps all. Your recipe needs to follow a recognized structure that gives readers immediate access to all the important information while they cook.

The Basics: Get Started

First step, of course, is to write down the recipe. Test your recipe multiple times (experts recommend at least twice) and make copious notes. Finally, build a clear draft that has all the information to help your readers cook it at home. Arrange your recipe in a format that readers can easily follow.

Choose the Right Recipe Format

There are many different ways to write a good recipe. But there are three recognized formats that you’ll find on recipe websites, cookbooks, and other media.

Standard format

The standard format begins with a list of ingredients listed in the order of use. Following that, the instructions are listed step by step.

Active format

This format takes up plenty of space. The ingredient list appears within the recipe directions. This makes it harder for the readers to instantly check if they have the ingredients on hand.

Narrative format

In this format, the recipe is written as a paragraph. There’s no separate ingredient list. Instead, the ingredients are included within the method in the order of use. This format is ideal for short recipes with few ingredients.

The Best Recipe Structure: The Standard Format

The standard recipe format is the most commonly used — and for good reason. This format checks all the boxes when it comes to what users define as a “good recipe.”

• It’s easy to follow.
• It gives users a clear list of ingredients that they can quickly reference as they shop and cook.
• It makes it easy for the users to execute every step of the recipe as intended, as all the information is readily available.
• It’s the most SEO- and tech-friendly of the three.

Next, let’s explore what a well-written standard recipe looks like from the technical point of view.

The Technical Details: Help Your Readers Discover and Use Your Recipe

Now that you’ve written your recipe, it’s time to upload it somewhere so that your readers can find and cook it. And writing a recipe is only half the battle; it’s also important to structure and format it the right way.

When you search for “chicken piccata recipe” on Google, you easily get more than 4.6 million results. How is the search engine collecting these relevant results? And how can you make sure your recipe has the right foundation to come out on top (i.e., on the first page)?

This is where structured data and search engine optimization (SEO) and come in.

What is Structured Data?

Structured data is data that is organized into a clearly recognizable, standard format.

Structured data involves implementing a markup on your web page, which provides additional information about a page and classifies the page’s content. This enhances search engines’ understanding of the content. The better search engines understand the content, the higher the chances are that you will rank in search. For this markup to be consistently recognized and parsed by search engines, it needs to follow certain universal conventions.

Use Structured Data for Recipes

A web page with recipe content should follow a specific format that helps search engines recognize it as a recipe page. Structured data, in this case, is crucial information such as ingredients, cooking time, temperature, nutrition, and so on.  

Platforms like Google and Samsung Food use microdata and microformat to add metadata to existing content. This metadata identifies the data mentioned above and pinpoints to automated systems that your content is a recipe.

When you provide these important information in the right format, search engines and other tech platforms like Samsung Food identify and better understand your recipe content. This helps them present your recipes to readers more easily and in visually appealing ways.

Some industry-standard microformats are hRecipe and Schema .

A sample recipe in Schema looks like this:

Using microformats on your recipe site can have significant benefits for recipe SEO. Structured data is not the only thing that helps your pages rank on Google’s search results. But it’s a great starting point.

Do not forget to format your mobile recipe pages as well.

Even though printed recipes remain common today, mobile content is slowly becoming just as critical.

When we asked our users how they read their recipes, we discovered that nearly 9 in 10 Samsung Food users use their mobile phones to read recipes while cooking.

This means your website must be optimized for smartphones and other mobile devices. Faster loading time and neat formatting to fit the mobile screen are critical to retain your readers.

So what do you include in your structured recipe? Let’s find out.

Include The Necessary Elements In Your Recipe

A standard recipe must contain the following data:

• Title 
• Description 
• Preparation and cooking time
• Number of servings and serving size
• List of ingredients with accurate measurements
• Step-by-step directions
• Accurate nutrition information
• Notes and FAQ
• Additional interactive features

When done well, this data also increases engagement and drives new traffic to your site.

Give Your Recipe an Effective Title

Your recipe’s title must be:

• Descriptive 
• Contain the most enticing and relevant keywords (texture, ingredients, techniques, etc.)

We found two effective titles that tell the reader exactly what to expect from the recipes.

Spicy Shrimp, Celery, and Cashew Stir-fry — the title tells you all you need to know about the recipe. It even lets you visualize the final dish.

Chicken carnitas is a popular dish. But this chicken carnitas recipe makes sure to hook your attention with the title.

The important thing to note here is that the recipe writer did not swap the “chicken carnitas” part of the title with something else. Even with its unique features, it’s still a chicken carnitas recipe. A reader who’s looking for Instant Pot, crispy chicken, or Latin American recipes will land on this page. But then, so would someone who’s looking for a chicken carnitas recipe.

Quick Tip: Try to visualize the title and any other subtitles in terms of HTML. Apart from improving search results, headings and subheadings (H1-H6) on your recipe page organize the content and help your readers scan quickly to find the most relevant parts first.

Provide Preparation and Cooking Times

When you add preparation time and cooking time to the beginning of your recipe, it gives the home cook a clear idea of how much time they need before they get the meal on the table.

These are the two things you need to include in your recipe:

• Preparation time: time needed to get the ingredients in order before cooking.
• Cooking time: time needed for the actual cooking process after preparation is complete.

Give Number of Servings (Yield) and Serving Size

Your recipe for cookies must tell the reader how many cookies are in a batch. Just as in the ingredient list, this needs precise measurements. Ensure that an individual portion size is reasonable.

Brownie points if you use a dynamic serving calculator that lets your reader easily scale the recipe up or down!

The Korean Vegan’s Kimchi Soondooboo Chigae recipe comes with a handy and printable recipe card.

• This recipe serves 4.
• When you change the number of servings (1x, 2x, or 3x), the ingredients dynamically change.
• When you click on Print Recipe, you can change the recipe servings to even more exact quantities (like 11).

Hook Your Readers with an Evocative Description

Also known as “romance copy,” this is the short hook that informs and persuades the reader. In a rich search result, this supports the title (and accompanying image) with interesting additional information.

An effective description gives the reader a snapshot of the key ingredients and encourages them to take action.

This spicy coconut chicken and noodle soup recipe has a short but inviting description that hits all the right notes.

List Your Ingredients in the Right Order

Here are some important pointers that help your recipe do well in terms of SEO, readability, and with tech algorithms:

• Separate your ingredient list from the method. 
• Every ingredient appears in the same order as it does in the recipe execution. 
• Each ingredient gets its own line. 
• Give accurate measurement for every ingredient with the right units. 
• Give exact preparation of ingredients in the list instead of cluttering the recipe (e.g., “cooked and drained chickpeas”)
• Be specific with ingredient names. (e.g., “canola oil” instead of “oil”)

This five-ingredient raspberry honey flapjacks recipe is successful in putting together a simple ingredient list.

• Each line is dedicated to only one ingredient.
• It specifies exact measurements for ingredients — and remains consistent.
• Where there’s flexibility, the recipe is transparent about the choices the writer made. It’s clear from the list that you can use any honey, but they made the recipe with heather honey.
• The ingredient list is specific. It tells you to use light brown soft sugar and frozen raspberries, not just “sugar” and “raspberries.”

Give Clear, Specific Directions

Effective step-by-step instructions are precisely structured.

• The method must list each step in the order in which it occurs in the execution.
• Every step must be as detailed as possible. 
• It must contain key information like oven or stove temperature, duration of marinating, etc.

The instructions in this Italian-American sausage and peppers bowl recipe captures all the steps thoroughly while also remaining concise.

• The steps are listed in the exact order you’d go about executing them. 
• Every step tells you exactly what you need to do with specific details — when you should execute a step (“once onions and peppers are soft”), specific heat (“medium heat”), and how to serve the dish, for instance. 
• It’s clear and uncluttered. It gives you just the right amount of information in simple language, without meandering and jargon. 

Include Accurate Nutrition Information

Nutritional data is another way to get Google to notice your recipe. But more importantly, this information helps your readers prioritize their health and dietary needs. You can perform this nutritional analysis using the USDA database.

Even a simple nutrition table like the one from this lamb shanks recipe goes a long way in informing the readers what they’re getting from the recipe. 

Quick Tip: Use Samung Food’s free Recipe Nutrition Calculator to unlock detailed nutritional information for any recipe.

Address Readers’ Questions with Notes and FAQ

Anticipate readers’ questions and concerns and answer them in a separate notes section. This is another form of structured content that would bump up your recipe in the search results as “helpful” to readers.

Here are some things you can include notes for:

• Storage instructions
• Possible substitutions 
• “Best before” date
• Allergy and avoidance information
• Food and beverage pairings

Include Additional Interactive Features

Readers expect to do more with recipes than just read and follow them. Some useful functionalities include:

• Email 
• Share 
• Shop ingredients

The right recipe structure acts as a strong foundation upon which you can build these features without friction. 

Partner with Technology that Does the Heavy Lifting

Instead of manually building out recipes for your website, you can rely on technology to do it. You don’t have to figure out the individual moving parts by yourself, like optimizing the desktop and mobile versions or calculating accurate nutritional values. An AI-powered platform could greatly simplify these tasks for you.

There are some advantages to using a tech platform like Samsung Food for Recipe Creators :

• It automates most of the tedious tasks, so you can save time and focus on creating recipes.
• It keeps track of all the moving parts and takes care of the complicated processes.
• You don’t have to manually update your content to keep up with changes in the industry and technology.
• With the right technology, you can elevate your recipes with thoughtful additions that engage readers, like personalized recommendations.
• You get access to advanced analytics and insights like the latest trends, better understanding of your target demographic, and evolving content categories (coming soon).

Want to learn how to effectively fill out our recipe builder and optimize it for SEO? Follow the steps below!  

Recipe Text

Title section.

• Use Clear, Descriptive Titles : Choose a title that clearly describes your meal, including the main ingredient or cuisine type. For example, “Hearty Beef Stew with Root Vegetables” instead of just “Beef Stew”.
• Incorporate Keywords : Use relevant keywords that people are likely to search for. Conduct keyword research using SEO tools to find the best terms.
• Keep it Concise : Be descriptive. But keep the title concise so that it doesn’t get cut off in search engine results.

Description Section

• Engage your Readers : Write a compelling introduction to your recipe. Mention your meal’s origin, special qualities, and/or any interesting personal anecdotes about your recipe.
• Include Keywords : Naturally integrate primary and secondary keywords within the description.
• Highlight Unique Aspects : Mention what sets your recipe apart, such as “gluten-free,” “no added sugar,” or “ready in 20 minutes”, “keto friendly”.

Image and Video Section

Adding images.

• Choose High-Quality Images : Select high-resolution images that best present your recipe. Ideally, include images of your finished meal, key steps in preparation, and ingredients.
• Use Descriptive File Names : Instead of default camera file names like “IMG_1234.jpg,” rename your image files to include relevant keywords, such as “easy-chocolate-chip-cookies-final.jpg”.

Adding Videos

• Create Engaging Videos : Produce a video that walks viewers through your recipe process. Keep it engaging and concise! 
• Video File Name : Like images, add relevant keywords to the name of your video file’s name. For example, “easy-chocolate-chip-cookies-final.”

Ingredients Section

• List Ingredients Clearly : List all ingredients in order of use. Be specific about quantities and states. For example: “1 cup chopped onions” rather than “onions”.
• Use Common Names and Variants : Include commonly searched terms and possible ingredient variants. For example “coriander or cilantro”.
• Optimize for Long-Tail Keywords : Where relevant, use long-tail keywords like “organic raw honey” instead of just “honey.”

Instructions Section

• Step-by-Step Format : Break down your instructions into clear, numbered steps.
• Use Action Verbs : Start each step with an action verb, such as “combine,” “whisk,” “fold,” etc.
• Integrate Keywords : If there are steps that are unique to your recipe, try to naturally integrate keywords. For example: “Sear the grass-fed steak on high heat.”
• Choose High-Quality Instruction Images : Select high-resolution images that represent your recipe well. Ideally, include images of key steps in preparation, and ingredients. Add devices, utensils and ingredients for each step.

Servings and Prep-Cook Time Section

• Prep time : Input the exact preparation and cook time needed before cooking begins. Prep time includes chopping, marinating, etc.
• Cook Time : Enter the time it actually takes to cook your recipe after prep. If there are different stages, give a total time.
• Serving Size : This is the average amount of food that is typically eaten at one time. For example, if a recipe’s serving size is “4,” this means that your recipe should produce enough food to serve four individuals. Knowing the serving size is essential for nutritional information calculations. It can also be useful for meal planning and portion control.

Community Collection Section

Categorize : Assign your recipe to a fitting collection such as “Healthy Meals” or “Weeknight Dinners”. It’ll make it easier for people in our community to find it.

Final Thoughts

The art of recipe writing may be difficult to master, but it’s definitely not impossible to get right. Today’s recipe content ecosystem is rapidly growing and incredibly competitive. To have an edge over other content creators and make your recipes your audience’s go-to, you need to not only write an amazing recipe but also optimize it for both readers and technology. However, the process of setting up your recipe website doesn’t have to be as daunting as it looks. With an AI-powered solution like Samsung Food for Recipe Creators , you can automate most of the tedious tasks, monetize your content, and gain deeper insights that will guide your content strategy.

Find out how you can easily share recipes that can be planned, shopped, saved, and more. Get started!

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Use our free Readability checker

A process essay is a type of expository writing that explains a series of steps or procedures to achieve a particular outcome or complete a task. It provides detailed, step-by-step guidelines for the reader to follow.

If you want to understand how to write a “how to” essay, the best solution is to turn for help to the professional academic essay writers with a rich writing experience. Review this article, which contains everything a student should know before writing your process essay. 

What Is a Process Essay: Definition

Before learning how to write a process paper of A level, it is critical to define the term. A process essay refers to the type of academic writing which contains a detailed description of the particular process in the shape of the step-by-step guide. This form of essay is popular in business & technical writing. Some of the best examples of process essays include:

• Instruction/owner’s manual;
• User’s guide;
• “How to…” articles;
• Security instructions;
• Recommendations.

Students should test the process themselves before writing an instruction or manual. It would be the best answer to the question “ what is a process essay ?”

Process Essay Outline: Structuring Your Paper

There is not much to say about the process essay outline because structure repeats steps required to complete a certain procedure. Having an outline is helpful in any situation associated with academic writing. Put down every stage in chronological order. Once the student has an outline, they may later add some details depending on the process development to come up with the whole body. Maybe you will ask " How to structure an essay of this type?" The structure of a process outline is common:

• Introduction paragraph (mention the process to discuss).
• Body paragraphs (list the stage and provide details).
• Conclusion (specify what the expected outcome should be + share some success indicators).

The length of a “how to” essay depends on whether the chosen procedure is time-consuming or not. Do not pick something extra fast not to have a few-sentence essay in the end.

Process Essay Introduction

Let’s talk a little about the process essay introduction. It does not matter whether an essay is describing the way to get chocolate out of milk and coconuts, explaining some procedure of vaccination, or interpreting steps required to write a book. It is important to identify the target audience from the start! If it is an average user, avoid difficult terms. In case you write to satisfy the curiosity of advanced users, do not mind including various professional terms to prove your competence in the chosen field. Do not worry about structure. The best thing about this type of academic assignment is that step-by-step process itself provides a student with correct structure. Still, experts recommend having an outline. Would you like to know good ways to start an essay of this type? Start an opening paragraph by determining an analyzed procedure and share personal ideas on why this specific process is interesting & important to observe. Formulate a process essay thesis. It is not necessary to cover history or background of some discussed procedure.

Process Essay Body Paragraph

Do not include any details that do not relate to the process itself. If some required tools & equipment are rare, tell readers some ways to get these resources. Write down warnings about possible safety hazards to prevent readers from falling into trap/injuring. Describing steps alone might be dull. To enrich your writing, add some common mistakes to avoid. And provide helpful tips to make this process simpler & quicker. Main body of a process essay is usually written in chronological order. Add every step in chronological order with the help of clear words. If there are similar steps or those that can be performed at different stages, mention it to acknowledge the reader. To prevent confusing situations/failures, experts recommend subdividing the steps of especially long processes (example: Step 1A, 1B, etc.) Professional hint from essay order experts!

“A good process essay always uses the second person – “you.” It sounds more personal, and readers trust its writer. Be ready to apply a plenty of transitional words & phrases! They make this procedure description logical and clear to every reader. Try to insert different transitions to prevent text from being repetitive. During the process of writing an instruction or manual, do steps described in text to check whether everything works the way it should before offering the same actions to your target audience.” Professor Pryce, academic counselor and online writing tutors at StudyCrumb

Writing Process Essay Conclusion

Let’s see how to end writing a how-to essay. By the end of an instruction, reader/user must be able to repeat provided actions to activate the process or solve some problem alone. If readers cannot do that, it means that writer failed giving clear, correct instructions. How to start a conclusion in an essay ? Do it with some short review of an entire process from A to Z. It will help readers recall what they were doing, how long, and what expected results should be. While body paragraphs provide detailed interpretation of each stage, a conclusion must contain a single short sentence summarizing every step of a process. It should look like an opening sentence of this article.  

How to Write a Process Essay: 10 Simple Steps

Process essay writing is not a difficult task. Even though a process essay is easy to write, it is crucial to know the essential steps of writing. Knowing all nuts and bolts will help you write an article quickly and correctly. Below you will find 10 basic steps you should know to write an outstanding process essay. Step 1:  Think of some topic you want to write about. What interests you most? What will be useful for your readers? Consider all these questions and create the best topic. Browse our process essay topics we prepared for our users.  Step 2:  Start your research. Look for some sources that have relevant information. Collect all important data. Step 3:  Read sources you collected carefully and analyze information. Make notes when reading and have quick access to needed information. Step 4:  Create an outline for your paper. Plan your future paragraphs beforehand. Step 5:  Collect all parts of your guide together and think what you may add to the main body. Write body paragraphs. Step 6:  It is not a good idea to compose your introduction at the beginning. Start writing your introduction paragraph only after you have main part. Step 7:  Don’t forget about a strong hook for your paper. It should be concise, informative, and grab attention of your reader. Step 8:  Finally, summarize all points you mentioned in your text and create your conclusion. Highlight the result again. Show readers what they will get after they follow all steps mentioned in your essay. Step 9:  After all these steps are done, create a catchy and informative title. It should not only display what your essay is about but also grab your reader's attention and make them want to read your guide. Step 10: Proofread your process essay and edit mistakes. Read your text again, check for typos and grammar mistakes. Make sure it is readable and understandable. Following these steps will help you create a truly brilliant process essay that you will get an A+ for. Buy essays papers to enjoy even higher odds to succeed with your submission.

Helpful Tips on How to Write a Process Paper

While writing this type of academic essay, recall these professional tips & tricks and earn A+!

• Say what you are doing to describe an action. It would be paper’s topic, precise, clear, and educating. Narrow down your topic if it sounds broad. Example: Instead of calling some instruction “How to Install Windows” make it “How to Install Windows 10 on the most recent Asus models (name them).”
• Get ready with outline of an essay , which is structure of your essay.
• Name requirements like resources, equipment, instruments, stuff, skills, and knowledge person will need to complete their process. If more than one person is required, mention it.
• Identify technical & professional terms in text. In case manual explains a procedure based on special, technical knowledge/skills, such as carpentry, it is better to include some definitions of some specific terms readers might not know. If your teacher allows, enrich your essay with images, signs, graphs, and tables to explain some word.
• Each good instruction should contain warnings/cautions. List all possible threats & security hazards. Along with some obstacles readers may face in the process. Use an active voice in this part.
• Finish manual/instruction with an explanation of what person should be ready to obtain once the procedure is over (stress the importance of experiment). It is important to list success factors. Example: “Cooked dumplings should not look tenderized/taste raw.”
• Add images & more techniques so readers follow instructions simpler. For instance, “peach color” may be perceived as various textures by various individuals.”

Interesting Process Essay Examples

Of course, we won’t leave you without a real example of a process essay. Only reading this article may not be enough. Before you start your writing, it is better to look at how other students organized similar works. Here is one of professional how-to essay examples shared by college students.

If you want a similar essay customized to your needs, just say " write my essays " and StudyCrumb will provide tailored assistance. Our writers prepare such orders daily and know how to make your process essay beautiful. 

How to Write a Perfect Process Essay: Final Thoughts

As you see, writing a professional essay is not as difficult as you might think. This type of essay does not require some special writing skills or use of high academic language . So following our simple tips we provided in our article will help you create an excellent essay that will guide readers through some steps easily.

Get in touch with our essay writing service and have your assignment done with great quality in mind.  

Frequently Asked Questions about Process Essay

1. what are good transition words for process essay.

The most appropriate process essay transition words are ones that help readers distinguish different stages of a guide described in your essay. To define stages of your paper try using following transition words:

• After that,
• Eventually,
• Afterwards,

2. How to write a thesis of a process essay?

Thesis statement for process essay should be clear, concise, and informative. In your thesis you should briefly inform a reader of result they will get after reading your guide and following all steps. Mention benefits readers will gain.

3. What is a process essay outline example?

Process essay outline example may look as follows:

• Prepare list of ingredients
• Prepare an oven
• Prepare chocolate chips or dried fruit
• Mix ingredients together
• Bake muffins
• Cool muffins
• Serve muffins.

4. What are final steps after finishing writing process essay?

After you finished writing your process essay, you still should edit and proofread your text:

• Read your text and correct mistakes and typos.
• Delete unnecessary words and sentences.
• Check your instructions again and make sure it is easy to read and understand.
• Give your paper to your friend and ask them to read it. After that ask if they fully understood all instructions. If not, make corrections.

Daniel Howard is an Essay Writing guru. He helps students create essays that will strike a chord with the readers.

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How to Write a Great Process Essay

Otherwise Known as a How-To Essay

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How-to essays , also known as process essays, are much like recipes: They provide instruction for carrying out a procedure or task. You can write a how-to essay about any procedure that you find interesting as long as your topic fits the teacher's assignment.

Start by Brainstorming

The first step in writing your how-to essay is brainstorming. Here are tips to help you:

• Draw a line down the middle of a sheet of paper to make two columns. Label one column "materials" and the other column "steps."
• Write down every item and every step you can think of that will be needed to carry out your task. Don't worry about trying to keep things in order yet. Just empty your head.
• Number your steps on your brainstorming page. Just jot a number beside each item/step. You may need to erase and scribble a few times to get the order right. It's not a neat process.

Create an Outline

First, determine the format required for your essay; ask your teacher if you are unsure. Your essay could contain a numbered list (like the one in the previous section), or it could be written as a standard narrative essay. If you are instructed to write a step-by-step without using numbers, your essay should contain all the elements of any other essay assignment, including an:

• Introductory paragraph : the section that identifies the  topic , arouses interest, and prepares the audience or readers for the development of the thesis
• Body : the part of an essay that develops the main idea
• Conclusion : the sentences  or paragraphs that bring the essay to a logical end

Regardless of the essay format—whether your teacher allows for numbered paragraphs or sections or simply wants you to craft a narrative report—your outline should center on these three areas.

Creating the Essay

Your introduction will explain why your topic is important or relevant. For example, your paper about "How to Wash a Dog" would explain that dog hygiene is important for your pet's good health.

• Your first body paragraph should contain a list of necessary materials. For example: "The equipment you will need depends somewhat on the size of your dog. At the very minimum, you will need dog shampoo, a large towel, and a container large enough to hold your dog. And, of course, you will need a dog."
• The next paragraphs should contain instructions for following steps in your process, as enumerated in your outline.
• Your summary, or conclusion, explains how your task or process should turn out if it is done correctly. It may also be appropriate to restate the importance of your topic.

Topics to Write About

You may believe that you are not expert enough to write a process essay. This is not so. There are many processes that you go through every day that you can write about, including:

• How to make a perfect paper airplane
• How to dye your hair
• How to wear makeup
• How to survive a weekend with your family
• How to play basketball
• How to play (a popular video game)

The goal in this type of assignment is to show that you can write a well-organized essay and clearly explain to the reader how to do what you are instructing.

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How to Write a Process Essay

Last Updated: December 6, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Jake Adams . Jake Adams is an academic tutor and the owner of Simplifi EDU, a Santa Monica, California based online tutoring business offering learning resources and online tutors for academic subjects K-College, SAT & ACT prep, and college admissions applications. With over 14 years of professional tutoring experience, Jake is dedicated to providing his clients the very best online tutoring experience and access to a network of excellent undergraduate and graduate-level tutors from top colleges all over the nation. Jake holds a BS in International Business and Marketing from Pepperdine University. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 169,456 times.

A process essay, otherwise known as a how-to essay, tells a reader how to perform a particular task. The best process essays follow a clear step-by-step organization. Start by providing your reader with a time estimate and general summary of the task. Then, move on to a more detailed explanation of each and every necessary step. When you are finished with your essay, read it over carefully to ensure that you haven’t left anything out.

Getting Ready to Write

• For example, a process essay intended for professional chefs could probably skip a description of how to chop carrots and just say, “Finely chop the carrots,” instead.

• You could also include a comprehensive “Things You’ll Need” section at the beginning of the paper. Or list the materials needed after the introduction.
• If an item on the list is a bit unusual, such as a particular type of hand tool, then make sure to clearly introduce it within the text. For example, “The pin hammer has a finer tip than a standard hammer, making it suitable for more detailed work.” You can also include a picture of the item, particularly if the essay will be published online.

• If you are writing an essay about how to cook lasagna, your initial outline might just state, “Mix in basil.” Before you start writing, you could expand your outline to say, “Briefly mention taste differences between dried and fresh basil.”
• Note that the more specific your article or essay topic, the more specific your details needs to be.

Crafting an Introduction

• For instance, you might write, “The process of preparing lasagna has a rich heritage all of its own.”

• If your process essay focuses on a cooking task, this is where you might advise your readers to consult the ingredients or materials list and put every item on the counter.
• For example, you might write, “This recipe requires 30 minutes of active preparation time, along with 45 minutes of baking time.”

• For example, your thesis might be, “This essay will explore how to create a complicated lasagna dish in a short period of time by preparing the noodles and sauce in advance.”

Writing Your Body Paragraphs

• Be especially careful with items that contain multiple steps. Make the transitions clear and acknowledge prior steps regarding a particular item, if applicable.

• For instance, when making pasta, consider writing a paragraph on how to boil pasta and another paragraph on how to make the sauce. This separates the ideas for easy clarification.

• For instance, you could write, “Next, place the pot on the stove,” to move from one paragraph to the next.

• For example, you could write, “This essay shows…” instead of “I’ll show.”

• For example, you might caution a reader to, “Cook the meat until it is no longer red in the center.” This advice will help them to avoid a foodborne illness.

Wrapping It Up

• In the case of the recipe, you could write something like, “You now have a bowl of boiled pasta and finished Bolognese sauce. Serve up plates of pasta and sauce to your family, topping them with parmesan, if desired. You can serve garlic bread or a side salad with this dish, too.”

• A simple example for our newly-made dinner might be, "And there you have it! A delicious yet quick meal fit for the entire family that you can make over and over again without complaint. Next time, experiment with different herbs and spices to find your own spin on this classic dish."

• Look to see if there are places where you can eliminate steps or condense your instructions. A reader is more likely to finish directions that they can easily skim through.
• Ask someone to read through the essay to see if they can understand the process. If possible, pick someone from your intended audience demographic.

• Don’t rely on spell-check alone, as it cannot account for context and doesn’t catch every error.

Expert Q&A

• If there are alternative ways to do a particular step in the process, make sure to mention these as you go along. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

• Give your readers pacing instructions as well. If they need to go slowly while performing a certain task, tell them early on. The same rule applies if a task requires speed for success. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

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• ↑ Jake Adams. Academic Tutor & Test Prep Specialist. Expert Interview. 20 May 2020.
• ↑ https://www.grammarly.com/blog/essay-outline/
• ↑ https://www.georgebrown.ca/sites/default/files/uploadedfiles/tlc/_documents/hooks_and_attention_grabbers.pdf
• ↑ https://courses.lumenlearning.com/atd-clinton-englishcomp/chapter/2-the-process-essay/
• ↑ http://www.butte.edu/departments/cas/tipsheets/style_purpose_strategy/procress_paper.html
• ↑ https://www.grammarly.com/blog/readability-scores/

About This Article

To write a process essay, begin by writing an introduction that grabs the reader’s attention so they’ll want to keep reading. Then, end the first paragraph with a thesis statement presenting a problem for which you are offering a solution. Next, explain the process, making each step its own paragraph, and using transitions like "next" or "then" to move from one task to another. As the final step, let the reader know what to expect from the finished product and what to do with it. Finally, close your essay by reiterating why the process is helpful to the reader. For tips from our Education reviewer on how to proofread for common errors in a process essay, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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• What is an essay? 

What makes a good essay?

Typical essay structure, 7 steps to writing a good essay, a step-by-step guide to writing a good essay.

Whether you are gearing up for your GCSE coursework submissions or looking to brush up on your A-level writing skills, we have the perfect essay-writing guide for you. 💯

Staring at a blank page before writing an essay can feel a little daunting . Where do you start? What should your introduction say? And how should you structure your arguments? They are all fair questions and we have the answers! Take the stress out of essay writing with this step-by-step guide – you’ll be typing away in no time. 👩‍💻

What is an essay?

Generally speaking, an essay designates a literary work in which the author defends a point of view or a personal conviction, using logical arguments and literary devices in order to inform and convince the reader.

So – although essays can be broadly split into four categories: argumentative, expository, narrative, and descriptive – an essay can simply be described as a focused piece of writing designed to inform or persuade. 🤔

The purpose of an essay is to present a coherent argument in response to a stimulus or question and to persuade the reader that your position is credible, believable and reasonable. 👌

So, a ‘good’ essay relies on a confident writing style – it’s clear, well-substantiated, focussed, explanatory and descriptive . The structure follows a logical progression and above all, the body of the essay clearly correlates to the tile – answering the question where one has been posed. 

But, how do you go about making sure that you tick all these boxes and keep within a specified word count? Read on for the answer as well as an example essay structure to follow and a handy step-by-step guide to writing the perfect essay – hooray. 🙌

Sometimes, it is helpful to think about your essay like it is a well-balanced argument or a speech – it needs to have a logical structure, with all your points coming together to answer the question in a coherent manner. ⚖️

Of course, essays can vary significantly in length but besides that, they all follow a fairly strict pattern or structure made up of three sections. Lean into this predictability because it will keep you on track and help you make your point clearly. Let’s take a look at the typical essay structure:  

#1 Introduction

Start your introduction with the central claim of your essay. Let the reader know exactly what you intend to say with this essay. Communicate what you’re going to argue, and in what order. The final part of your introduction should also say what conclusions you’re going to draw – it sounds counter-intuitive but it’s not – more on that below. 1️⃣

Make your point, evidence it and explain it. This part of the essay – generally made up of three or more paragraphs depending on the length of your essay – is where you present your argument. The first sentence of each paragraph – much like an introduction to an essay – should summarise what your paragraph intends to explain in more detail. 2️⃣

#3 Conclusion

This is where you affirm your argument – remind the reader what you just proved in your essay and how you did it. This section will sound quite similar to your introduction but – having written the essay – you’ll be summarising rather than setting out your stall. 3️⃣

No essay is the same but your approach to writing them can be. As well as some best practice tips, we have gathered our favourite advice from expert essay-writers and compiled the following 7-step guide to writing a good essay every time. 👍

#1 Make sure you understand the question

#2 complete background reading.

#3 Make a detailed plan 

#4 Write your opening sentences 

#5 flesh out your essay in a rough draft, #6 evidence your opinion, #7 final proofread and edit.

Now that you have familiarised yourself with the 7 steps standing between you and the perfect essay, let’s take a closer look at each of those stages so that you can get on with crafting your written arguments with confidence . 

This is the most crucial stage in essay writing – r ead the essay prompt carefully and understand the question. Highlight the keywords – like ‘compare,’ ‘contrast’ ‘discuss,’ ‘explain’ or ‘evaluate’ – and let it sink in before your mind starts racing . There is nothing worse than writing 500 words before realising you have entirely missed the brief . 🧐

Unless you are writing under exam conditions , you will most likely have been working towards this essay for some time, by doing thorough background reading. Re-read relevant chapters and sections, highlight pertinent material and maybe even stray outside the designated reading list, this shows genuine interest and extended knowledge. 📚

#3 Make a detailed plan

Following the handy structure we shared with you above, now is the time to create the ‘skeleton structure’ or essay plan. Working from your essay title, plot out what you want your paragraphs to cover and how that information is going to flow. You don’t need to start writing any full sentences yet but it might be useful to think about the various quotes you plan to use to substantiate each section. 📝

Having mapped out the overall trajectory of your essay, you can start to drill down into the detail. First, write the opening sentence for each of the paragraphs in the body section of your essay. Remember – each paragraph is like a mini-essay – the opening sentence should summarise what the paragraph will then go on to explain in more detail. 🖊️

Next, it's time to write the bulk of your words and flesh out your arguments. Follow the ‘point, evidence, explain’ method. The opening sentences – already written – should introduce your ‘points’, so now you need to ‘evidence’ them with corroborating research and ‘explain’ how the evidence you’ve presented proves the point you’re trying to make. ✍️

With a rough draft in front of you, you can take a moment to read what you have written so far. Are there any sections that require further substantiation? Have you managed to include the most relevant material you originally highlighted in your background reading? Now is the time to make sure you have evidenced all your opinions and claims with the strongest quotes, citations and material. 📗

This is your final chance to re-read your essay and go over it with a fine-toothed comb before pressing ‘submit’. We highly recommend leaving a day or two between finishing your essay and the final proofread if possible – you’ll be amazed at the difference this makes, allowing you to return with a fresh pair of eyes and a more discerning judgment. 🤓

If you are looking for advice and support with your own essay-writing adventures, why not t ry a free trial lesson with GoStudent? Our tutors are experts at boosting academic success and having fun along the way. Get in touch and see how it can work for you today. 🎒

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How to Write a College Essay | A Complete Guide & Examples

The college essay can make or break your application. It’s your chance to provide personal context, communicate your values and qualities, and set yourself apart from other students.

A standout essay has a few key ingredients:

• A unique, personal topic
• A compelling, well-structured narrative
• A clear, creative writing style
• Evidence of self-reflection and insight

To achieve this, it’s crucial to give yourself enough time for brainstorming, writing, revision, and feedback.

In this comprehensive guide, we walk you through every step in the process of writing a college admissions essay.

Table of contents

Why do you need a standout essay, start organizing early, choose a unique topic, outline your essay, start with a memorable introduction, write like an artist, craft a strong conclusion, revise and receive feedback, frequently asked questions.

While most of your application lists your academic achievements, your college admissions essay is your opportunity to share who you are and why you’d be a good addition to the university.

Your college admissions essay accounts for about 25% of your application’s total weight一and may account for even more with some colleges making the SAT and ACT tests optional. The college admissions essay may be the deciding factor in your application, especially for competitive schools where most applicants have exceptional grades, test scores, and extracurriculars.

What do colleges look for in an essay?

Admissions officers want to understand your background, personality, and values to get a fuller picture of you beyond your test scores and grades. Here’s what colleges look for in an essay :

• Demonstrated values and qualities
• Vulnerability and authenticity
• Self-reflection and insight
• Creative, clear, and concise writing skills

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

It’s a good idea to start organizing your college application timeline in the summer of your junior year to make your application process easier. This will give you ample time for essay brainstorming, writing, revision, and feedback.

While timelines will vary for each student, aim to spend at least 1–3 weeks brainstorming and writing your first draft and at least 2–4 weeks revising across multiple drafts. Remember to leave enough time for breaks in between each writing and editing stage.

Create an essay tracker sheet

If you’re applying to multiple schools, you will have to juggle writing several essays for each one. We recommend using an essay tracker spreadsheet to help you visualize and organize the following:

• Deadlines and number of essays needed
• Prompt overlap, allowing you to write one essay for similar prompts

You can build your own essay tracker using our free Google Sheets template.

College essay tracker template

Ideally, you should start brainstorming college essay topics the summer before your senior year. Keep in mind that it’s easier to write a standout essay with a unique topic.

If you want to write about a common essay topic, such as a sports injury or volunteer work overseas, think carefully about how you can make it unique and personal. You’ll need to demonstrate deep insight and write your story in an original way to differentiate it from similar essays.

What makes a good topic?

• Meaningful and personal to you
• Uncommon or has an unusual angle
• Reveals something different from the rest of your application

Brainstorming questions

You should do a comprehensive brainstorm before choosing your topic. Here are a few questions to get started:

• What are your top five values? What lived experiences demonstrate these values?
• What adjectives would your friends and family use to describe you?
• What challenges or failures have you faced and overcome? What lessons did you learn from them?
• What makes you different from your classmates?
• What are some objects that represent your identity, your community, your relationships, your passions, or your goals?
• Whom do you admire most? Why?
• What three people have significantly impacted your life? How did they influence you?

How to identify your topic

Here are two strategies for identifying a topic that demonstrates your values:

• Start with your qualities : First, identify positive qualities about yourself; then, brainstorm stories that demonstrate these qualities.
• Start with a story : Brainstorm a list of memorable life moments; then, identify a value shown in each story.

After choosing your topic, organize your ideas in an essay outline , which will help keep you focused while writing. Unlike a five-paragraph academic essay, there’s no set structure for a college admissions essay. You can take a more creative approach, using storytelling techniques to shape your essay.

Two common approaches are to structure your essay as a series of vignettes or as a single narrative.

Vignettes structure

The vignette, or montage, structure weaves together several stories united by a common theme. Each story should demonstrate one of your values or qualities and conclude with an insight or future outlook.

This structure gives the admissions officer glimpses into your personality, background, and identity, and shows how your qualities appear in different areas of your life.

Topic: Museum with a “five senses” exhibit of my experiences

• Introduction: Tour guide introduces my museum and my “Making Sense of My Heritage” exhibit
• Story: Racial discrimination with my eyes
• Lesson: Using my writing to document truth
• Story: Broadway musical interests
• Lesson: Finding my voice
• Story: Smells from family dinner table
• Lesson: Appreciating home and family
• Story: Washing dishes
• Lesson: Finding moments of peace in busy schedule
• Story: Biking with Ava
• Lesson: Finding pleasure in job well done
• Conclusion: Tour guide concludes tour, invites guest to come back for “fall College Collection,” featuring my search for identity and learning.

Single story structure

The single story, or narrative, structure uses a chronological narrative to show a student’s character development over time. Some narrative essays detail moments in a relatively brief event, while others narrate a longer journey spanning months or years.

Single story essays are effective if you have overcome a significant challenge or want to demonstrate personal development.

Topic: Sports injury helps me learn to be a better student and person

• Situation: Football injury
• Challenge: Friends distant, teachers don’t know how to help, football is gone for me
• Turning point: Starting to like learning in Ms. Brady’s history class; meeting Christina and her friends
• My reactions: Reading poetry; finding shared interest in poetry with Christina; spending more time studying and with people different from me
• Insight: They taught me compassion and opened my eyes to a different lifestyle; even though I still can’t play football, I’m starting a new game

Brainstorm creative insights or story arcs

Regardless of your essay’s structure, try to craft a surprising story arc or original insights, especially if you’re writing about a common topic.

Never exaggerate or fabricate facts about yourself to seem interesting. However, try finding connections in your life that deviate from cliché storylines and lessons.

Admissions officers read thousands of essays each year, and they typically spend only a few minutes reading each one. To get your message across, your introduction , or hook, needs to grab the reader’s attention and compel them to read more..

Avoid starting your introduction with a famous quote, cliché, or reference to the essay itself (“While I sat down to write this essay…”).

While you can sometimes use dialogue or a meaningful quotation from a close family member or friend, make sure it encapsulates your essay’s overall theme.

Find an original, creative way of starting your essay using the following two methods.

Option 1: Start with an intriguing hook

Begin your essay with an unexpected statement to pique the reader’s curiosity and compel them to carefully read your essay. A mysterious introduction disarms the reader’s expectations and introduces questions that can only be answered by reading more.

Option 2: Start with vivid imagery

Illustrate a clear, detailed image to immediately transport your reader into your memory. You can start in the middle of an important scene or describe an object that conveys your essay’s theme.

A college application essay allows you to be creative in your style and tone. As you draft your essay, try to use interesting language to enliven your story and stand out .

Show, don’t tell

“Tell” in writing means to simply state a fact: “I am a basketball player.” “ Show ” in writing means to use details, examples, and vivid imagery to help the reader easily visualize your memory: “My heart races as I set up to shoot一two seconds, one second一and score a three-pointer!”

First, reflect on every detail of a specific image or scene to recall the most memorable aspects.

• What are the most prominent images?
• Are there any particular sounds, smells, or tastes associated with this memory?
• What emotion or physical feeling did you have at that time?

Be vulnerable to create an emotional response

You don’t have to share a huge secret or traumatic story, but you should dig deep to express your honest feelings, thoughts, and experiences to evoke an emotional response. Showing vulnerability demonstrates humility and maturity. However, don’t exaggerate to gain sympathy.

Use appropriate style and tone

Make sure your essay has the right style and tone by following these guidelines:

• Use a conversational yet respectful tone: less formal than academic writing, but more formal than texting your friends.
• Prioritize using “I” statements to highlight your perspective.
• Write within your vocabulary range to maintain an authentic voice.
• Write concisely, and use the active voice to keep a fast pace.
• Follow grammar rules (unless you have valid stylistic reasons for breaking them).

You should end your college essay with a deep insight or creative ending to leave the reader with a strong final impression. Your college admissions essay should avoid the following:

• Summarizing what you already wrote
• Stating your hope of being accepted to the school
• Mentioning character traits that should have been illustrated in the essay, such as “I’m a hard worker”

Here are two strategies to craft a strong conclusion.

Option 1: Full circle, sandwich structure

The full circle, or sandwich, structure concludes the essay with an image, idea, or story mentioned in the introduction. This strategy gives the reader a strong sense of closure.

In the example below, the essay concludes by returning to the “museum” metaphor that the writer opened with.

Option 2: Revealing your insight

You can use the conclusion to show the insight you gained as a result of the experiences you’ve described. Revealing your main message at the end creates suspense and keeps the takeaway at the forefront of your reader’s mind.

Revise your essay before submitting it to check its content, style, and grammar. Get feedback from no more than two or three people.

It’s normal to go through several rounds of revision, but take breaks between each editing stage.

Also check out our college essay examples to see what does and doesn’t work in an essay and the kinds of changes you can make to improve yours.

Respect the word count

Most schools specify a word count for each essay , and you should stay within 10% of the upper limit.

Remain under the specified word count limit to show you can write concisely and follow directions. However, don’t write too little, which may imply that you are unwilling or unable to write a thoughtful and developed essay.

Check your content, style, and grammar

• First, check big-picture issues of message, flow, and clarity.
• Then, check for style and tone issues.
• Finally, focus on eliminating grammar and punctuation errors.

Get feedback

Get feedback from 2–3 people who know you well, have good writing skills, and are familiar with college essays.

• Teachers and guidance counselors can help you check your content, language, and tone.
• Friends and family can check for authenticity.
• An essay coach or editor has specialized knowledge of college admissions essays and can give objective expert feedback.

The checklist below helps you make sure your essay ticks all the boxes.

College admissions essay checklist

I’ve organized my essay prompts and created an essay writing schedule.

I’ve done a comprehensive brainstorm for essay topics.

I’ve selected a topic that’s meaningful to me and reveals something different from the rest of my application.

I’ve created an outline to guide my structure.

I’ve crafted an introduction containing vivid imagery or an intriguing hook that grabs the reader’s attention.

I’ve written my essay in a way that shows instead of telling.

I’ve shown positive traits and values in my essay.

I’ve demonstrated self-reflection and insight in my essay.

I’ve used appropriate style and tone .

I’ve concluded with an insight or a creative ending.

I’ve revised my essay , checking my overall message, flow, clarity, and grammar.

I’ve respected the word count , remaining within 10% of the upper word limit.

Congratulations!

It looks like your essay ticks all the boxes. A second pair of eyes can help you take it to the next level – Scribbr's essay coaches can help.

Colleges want to be able to differentiate students who seem similar on paper. In the college application essay , they’re looking for a way to understand each applicant’s unique personality and experiences.

Your college essay accounts for about 25% of your application’s weight. It may be the deciding factor in whether you’re accepted, especially for competitive schools where most applicants have exceptional grades, test scores, and extracurricular track records.

A standout college essay has several key ingredients:

• A unique, personally meaningful topic
• A memorable introduction with vivid imagery or an intriguing hook
• Specific stories and language that show instead of telling
• Vulnerability that’s authentic but not aimed at soliciting sympathy
• Clear writing in an appropriate style and tone
• A conclusion that offers deep insight or a creative ending

While timelines will differ depending on the student, plan on spending at least 1–3 weeks brainstorming and writing the first draft of your college admissions essay , and at least 2–4 weeks revising across multiple drafts. Don’t forget to save enough time for breaks between each writing and editing stage.

You should already begin thinking about your essay the summer before your senior year so that you have plenty of time to try out different topics and get feedback on what works.

Most college application portals specify a word count range for your essay, and you should stay within 10% of the upper limit to write a developed and thoughtful essay.

You should aim to stay under the specified word count limit to show you can follow directions and write concisely. However, don’t write too little, as it may seem like you are unwilling or unable to write a detailed and insightful narrative about yourself.

If no word count is specified, we advise keeping your essay between 400 and 600 words.

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The Best Recipe Writing Strategies

Sharon Palmer

Published on March 14, 2023

You can bring your recipes to life with good recipe writing. Learn the rules for writing a good recipe, including recipe writing tips, writing strategies, styling tips, photography ideas, and food photography backdrops.

Today, many people are interested in adding a number of skills to their resumes, and good recipe writing may be a valuable one. Whether you’re a blogger, book author, newsletter editor, chef, dietitian, social media influencer, or home cook, there are many reasons why becoming a great recipe writer can further your success. “Writing recipes that are clear, easy to follow, tailored to a specific audience, and well tested and work as promised really matters. Bringing them to life visually is the icing on the cake,” says Liz Weiss , MS, RD, book author, blogger, and recipe developer.

Writing your own recipes can be a tool for providing your own unique perspective on cooking, meal planning, and healthy eating. However, recipe writing is an art, though one that you can easily learn with a bit of education. You can learn how to create and write recipes with a few important writing strategies.

Recipes: Essentials in Writing

The rules for recipe writing are pretty intuitive and straightforward. Yet, if you don’t practice them, you can leave a cook confused, hopeless, and with a batch of inedible food. Likely, you’ve tried to follow a poorly written recipe, and you know just how frustrating it can be. Try my writing tips for recipes worthy of a best-selling cookbook author.

1. Know Your Audience.

Is the recipe for a children’s cooking class, or for a group of chefs? Is it a 5-minute recipe or a culinary masterpiece? Understand your audience before you sit down to write the recipe.

2. Use Descriptive Recipe Titles.

Just the title of a recipe can invite you in…or out. What would you rather make: Mushroom Bomb Lentil Pasta or Pasta with Mushrooms? Use descriptive words, without creating an excessively long title—it’s not necessary to list every ingredient in the title.

3. Add a Recipe Description.

Just one or two sentences with your personal take on the recipe can go a long way to encouraging someone to try it. Descriptions can include background or personal history of the recipe (was it your grandmother’s recipe?), the flavor and aroma qualities (does it have spice, zest, or umami, for example?), suggestions for serving (does it pair well with a crisp coleslaw or hearty soup?), and cooking tips (can you substitute one ingredient for another?).

4. List the Preparation and Cooking Time.

The addition of preparation times can be invaluable to cooks who are rushing to get dinner on the table. Total preparation time refers to how much time it takes to do everything from start to finish, including cooking time. Active cooking time refers to how much time is actively needed to prepare the recipe, not including waiting around time when a recipe is baking or chilling. If you plan on including preparation times in a recipe time yourself while testing it.

5. Provide the Number of Servings and Serving Size.

In order to determine serving size and number of servings, measure your recipe when it is finished—using tablespoons, cups, ounces, or grams—and determine your desired serving size and total number of servings per recipe. For example, if a soup recipe makes 1 quart of finished product, you may decide that the recipe makes 4 (1-cup) servings.

6. List Ingredients in Chronological Order.

The ingredients list is one of the most important parts of a recipe, and it should be listed in the order that it will appear in the directions list. That way the reader can follow along with the ingredients and instructions in an organized fashion.

7. Be Specific.

Make sure to be specific and list exact amounts needed. Include the state of ingredients (i.e., frozen, fresh, thawed, canned), size of cans or packages, and complete name of the ingredient. For example, “1 package of tofu” isn’t specific; a better listing might be “1 (14-ounce) package firm tofu.”

8. Spell Out Measurements and Amounts.

While some recipe formats allow for uniform abbreviations for units of measurement, you are better off spelling them out. This applies to teaspoons, tablespoons, cups, quarts, gallons, ounces, pounds, grams, and liters. And if the ingredient is used more than once be sure to indicate “divided” on the ingredients list, so that the cook knows that it will be used at least twice. Try to avoid unnecessary ingredients and keep them simple and accessible.

9. Separate Ingredients for Major Steps in a Recipe.

If the recipe is a salad with a dressing, for example, it will be easier to follow if you indicate a subhead for “salad” and “salad dressing” with the respective ingredients grouped in the categories. This should follow through to the instructions list, too.

10. List the Utensils Needed, If Unique.

Consider including a list of utensils needed, especially if they are unique, such as cheesecloth, an immersion blender, or food processor.

11. List Steps In Order, Keeping Instructions Short and To The Point.

The instructions should match the same order as the ingredients list. And they should be as short and simple as possible. Try to describe the easiest way possible to accomplish the steps in the recipe.

12. Indicate Size of Bowls and Cookware.

Don’t assume the cook will know what size a “baking dish” or “casserole dish” is. List common sizes, such as 9 x 13-inch, or 9 x 9-inch.

13. Give Specifics About Doneness.

Avoid using terms like “cook until done”; how does one know when it is done? Provide a cooking length and indicator for doneness, such as “tender when pierced with a fork”.

14. Test Your Recipe.

A recipe must be thoroughly tested (some suggest two to four times) before it is written.

15. Include Storage Suggestions.

Include directions on how to store leftovers, such as temperature and containers.

16. Offer Extras.

For extra credit, offer additional information, such as gluten-free and vegetarian methods or substitution ideas for ingredients.

17. Include Nutritional Information.

It’s always a good idea to include nutritional analysis using the USDA database based on the serving size of your recipe. Many nutrition software programs can perform this function.

18. Add Quality Food Photography.

In the social media era, people really do eat with their eyes. It’s essential to provide good quality food photography of your recipe, including recipe preparation shots and styled finished recipe shots, which can be accomplished with even a smart phone. Try food photography backgrounds to help make your recipes look even more polished.

More Recipe Writing Tips from Dietitians

There is much more to writing a good recipe beyond the basic rules. I asked several recipe writers to weigh in on their best advice.

• Keep a journal. Abbey Sharp, RD, blogger at Abbey’s Kitchen , suggests keeping a journal in the kitchen to keep track of “accidental creations”. “Sometimes a recipe I whip up without any intention of it going on the blog becomes a huge hit, and if I haven’t tracked the exact ingredients I then have to start from scratch. After that initial idea of a recipe works out, I take my notes, think about what may work better and then re-write and test it,” says Sharp.
• Test, test, test. Elizabeth Shaw, RD, blogger at Shaw’s Simple Swaps , suggests, “I recommend testing a recipe at least twice before publishing it, and re-reading your recipe instructions. I’ve definitely messed up on this and then am notified by a reader, which is totally embarrassing.”
• Be prepared when testing. Amy Gorin , RD, writer and blogger, says, “I typically buy double or triple ingredients for a recipe so that I have everything on hand to re-test a few times. The other thing I’ve learned is to have a good camera on hand in the kitchen, and extra lighting if you need it. I can’t tell you how many recipes I’ve created that I haven’t posted because the pictures aren’t good enough.”
• Enlist taste testers. Kim Melton , RDN, nutrition consultant, says, “I always ask several people to taste a recipe after I make it. There are some things I love the taste of but someone else might not like it. I love really spicy, hot food and most others wouldn’t like how hot I make something. Also, I have found other people can sometimes detect subtle flavors that I may not.”
• Keep it simple. “Don’t assume that people have the same cooking skills that you, someone who spends a lot of time in the kitchen, has. Try to explain what to do in the directions as explicitly as possible and write like you’re talking to a friend. Beginner cooks want, and need clarity, so don’t be vague,” says Elizabeth Ward , MS, RD, nutrition consultant.

Best Recipe Writing and Food Photography Tools

Here are some of my favorite recipe writing and food photography tools and gadgets:

• Measuring cups and spoons  to ensure your recipe is accurate
• Baking dishes  in a variety of sizes to be specific in recipe writing 
• Kitchen scale  to provide accurate measurements 
• Recipe journals can help you detail your recipe development process
• Food Photography Backgrounds 
• Food Tweezers 
• Pasta Bowls  make good containers for food photography
• Linen napkins  in various colors add texture to food shots
• Ring lights  can add easy light sources to food photography sets

Check out some of my most popular recipes of all time:

Mofongo with Caribbean Vegetable Stew Noodle Bowl with Thai Tofu and Vegetables Thai Tempeh Noodle Skillet Vegan Bolognese with Lentils and Walnuts Corn and Potato Boil Chipotle Black Bean Quinoa Veggie Burgers Chia Seed Pudding with Berries

Image: Pistachio Turmeric Rice Power Bowl , Sharon Palmer, MSFS, RDN

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information click  here .

More Tools for Eating and Living the Goodness

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17 thoughts on “ The Best Recipe Writing Strategies ”

A couple of comments… First, I think grams / metric system measurements are way better than spoons and cups.

Second, an annoying way I’ve had people describe recipes is something along the lines of: “1 can of this brand of whatever. It HAS to be THAT brand.” It’s impossible to follow recipes when you would rather cook from scratch and the recipe writer insists on processed food in a can or a bag or whatever.

Thank you Sharon for these beautiful tips on writing a recipe. I will use them on my recipes.

This was amazing! My family loved it.

These are great tips, will definitely implement on my recipe writing

If you are writing a recipe from scratch and you know the ingredients you want to use, how do you know the quantities? this is what I am struggling with. For example, I want to create a beef pie. I want to use 500 g of meat, how would I know the quantities of the herbs and spices to add to this.

This is a good question. A lot of times I get ideas for quantities from standard basic recipes. For example, if you are making mashed potatoes, looking up the ratio of potatoes to liquid can be helpful. But then the other thing you can do is taste and experiment and add more if needed. That’s easy with plant-based cooking, because you can generally taste a lot of things raw, except grains and beans. A lot of times when I’m working with spices and herbs, I add those at the end so I can experiment and start with a smaller amount, then build up, tracking how much I add to get desired result. I keep a journal of what I’m doing to the recipe. Sometimes it takes a few times to get it right.

I found it helpful when you said that recipes must contain descriptive words. As you said, the title of the recipe can either invite you in or out. This is something that I would give my agreement to since I am planning to look for recipes cooking blogs. I am getting married in December, and I want to be a good and caring wife. It will surely make sense for me to find cooking blogs that can interest me.

Shammy! Get off the computer, you’ve got recipes to make!

this post is really very useful, I will try it, thank you very much, success always

Learning a lot through your blog is really great. It gave me the confidence to write so accurately. Thank you very much

I learned a lot from it

Thank you Sharon, this really helped in

I always like having other people taste my dishes before I try it myself. It gives me ideas on what to improve for the next time.

testing recipes multiple times before getting it right.thanks for this article

It’s really great to learn many things through your blog. It gave me confidence to write so precisely. Thank you so much.

You are right about testing recipes multiple times before getting it right. My sister is planning to give Russian cuisine a try. I will give her the confidence to continue cooking and to not give up when she gives it a try.

It’s great to learn that you should list ingredients in chronological order when making a recipe book. My wife is wanting to help our future children and she was wondering how she should make an effective recipe book for them. I’ll be sure to tell her to list the ingredients in chronological order when making the recipe book.

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• Essay Editor

How to Write a History Essay: A Guideline for Non-Historians

History is a difficult discipline, no one can argue with that. It is especially challenging to write a history essay when you have zero historian bone in your body. That’s why today our goal is to teach you how to write a history essay.

What is history essay?

A historical paper is a classic instance of a scholarly work that seeks to examine and give answers to questions about long-gone factual incidents and their consequences. Unlike a simple narrative or description, a history paper demands a critical approach to the past, where you must utilize historic proof to defend your stance.

Yet, it is not that simple. Your task is not just to recount what happened, but to explore why it happened, how it happened, and what its significance is within a broader historical context.

History paper format

Making a history essay entails using a particular format to maintain transparency. Below is a comprehensive guide to a standard history essay outline:

• Introduction . Every history research paper outline begins with an introductory paragraph which sets the stage for the essay by offering contextual background and the presentation of the central argument.
• Body .  In the main part of a historical essay, the focal argument is developed and reinforced with proof. Each new paragraph must concentrate on defending the main stance from different angles.
• Conclusion . This part revisits the central points and connects them to the thesis. It exists to briefly answer why the topic is still significant to the academic community. 
• Citation list . This part includes all references used to create the paper.

The history essay format you use depends on your teacher’s preferences and requirements. However, if none are provided, the most common writing style used for historical papers is the Chicago style.

This history paper outline will help you create a convincing scholarly work that clearly conveys your insights and analysis of past events.

How to choose sources for a history essay

To ensure credibility and impartiality, a historical paper must be based on reliable and thoroughly selected information. Here’s what you must include to guarantee trustworthiness and objectivity:

• Credible central sources . Use original paper documents and other direct evidence belonging to the period you are studying. They often contain firsthand eyewitness accounts and are invaluable for understanding historical events through the viewpoints of those who experienced them.
• Objective secondary sources . Include works by reliable historians and scholars who have analyzed central sources. They offer interpretations and analyses that help contextualize historical incidents.
• Up-to-date research . Use the most relevant studies available. Historical interpretations can evolve, so relying on recent scholarship can provide the most accurate analysis of the topic.
• Neutral point-of-view . Choose sources that are recognized for their neutrality and scholarly rigor. Avoid references that have an obvious political or ideological bias unless you aim to study the bias itself as part of your work. Present multiple opinions on the topic when applicable.
• Credible information. Evaluate the reliability of each source by analyzing each author's qualifications, the reputation of the publication, and the quality of the referenced materials. Be wary of sources that lack proper citations, have a clear agenda, or are published in non-peer-reviewed outlets. For instance, basing your research on a Wikipedia article is not ethical since it is not peer-reviewed and can be edited by anyone in the world.

Always remember that history essays must contain reliable and neutral information based on well-documented sources. Maintaining an objective tone and accurately citing all sources will help you construct a credible and compelling historical argument.

How to write a history essay: An easy guide

Writing a history essay goes beyond merely recounting events; it demands in-depth analysis, a logically constructed argument, and skillful use of evidence. Here is a simple guide to help you begin crafting a history essay.

Analyze the assignment

Determine what the essay assignment or topic requires. Identify the specific period of history, famous historical events, or persons you need to cover. Ensure that you comprehend all requirements or formatting guidelines provided by your teacher.

Find relevant information

Use authoritative publications, scholarly articles, and reputable online databases. Central references (letters, official documentation, and contemporary records) and secondary references (like historical analyses and scholarly articles) are important for a comprehensive overview.

As you progress through your study, record bibliographic data for each reference. This will come in handy when you track where your information comes from and avoid unintentional plagiarism.

Formulate your defense

Drawing from your conducted research, determine the precise argument or standpoint you wish to present regarding the factual topic.

Begin your paper introduction

Begin your history essay with an engaging opening that draws the reader in. Provide necessary additional information to clarify the context of the event you’re examining. This might include a brief explanation of relevant historical background or key concepts. Finally, finish your introduction with the thesis statement you have formulated previously.

Develop body paragraphs

Develop your main defense by giving evidence and analysis to support your idea. Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence that directly connects to your thesis. Then, include evidence from main or secondary sources — like quotes, statistics, or specific examples — that underline your point.

After presenting your proof, include analysis to explain how this proof is connected to your defense. This allows you to demonstrate analytical skills, showing how the facts fit together and what they reveal about the broader historical context. 

Conclude your paper

Restate the central reasonings given in the main part of your paper. Summarize your thesis and connect it to the aforementioned proof, demonstrating how your argument has been supported.

By following these steps, you can make a successful historical composition that effectively demonstrates your proficiency in the topic. Always remember about the significance of credible studies and expressing your ideas in a transparent and logical manner.

Entrust your history essay to Aithor!

Aithor is an AI generator created specifically for academic purposes. Use Aithor to search for history essay sources, make a plan, prepare citation lists, and much more!

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• Tags: Academic Writing , Essay , Essay Writing

Knowing how to write an essay can help you out significantly in both, your academic and professional life. An essay is a highly versatile nonfiction piece of writing that not only tests your knowledge of a topic but also your literary and argumentative skills.     

Each essay requires the same basic process of planning, writing, and editing. Naturally, we’ve used these stages to group our steps on how to write an essay. So w ithout further ado, let’s get into it! Here are the eight steps to write an essay:

Stage 1: Planning

1. Pick an appropriate research topic

In certain cases, your teacher or professor may assign you a topic. However, in many cases, students have the freedom to select a topic of their choice. Make sure you choose a topic that you’re well versed in and have significant knowledge of. 

Having prior knowledge of the topic will help you determine the subsequent steps to write an essay. It will also make your research process considerably easier.

2. Form an appropriate thesis statement

A thesis statement is the central idea or premise your essay is based on. It is usually a sentence or two long and is included in the introduction of the essay. The scope of your thesis statement depends on the type of your essay and its length.

For instance, the scope of the thesis statement for a 500–1000 word school essay will be narrower than a 1000–5000 word college essay. A rule of thumb is that your essay topic should be broad enough to gather enough information, but narrow enough to address specific points and not be vague. Here’s an example: 

The invention of the airplane by the Wright Brothers in 1903 revolutionized transportation and paved the way for modern aviation. It represents a monumental achievement in human history that forever changed the course of human civilization.

3. Create an essay outline

Creating a well-organized essay outline not only gives structure and flow to your essay but also makes it more impactful and easy to understand. The idea is to collect the main points of information that support or elaborate on your thesis statement. You can also include references or examples under these main points. 

For example, if your thesis statement revolves around the invention of the airplane, your main points will include travel before the invention of the airplane, how it was invented, and its effects on modern-day travel. Take a look:

The Wright Brothers’ invention had a massive impact on modern-day travel. The subsequent growth of the aviation industry led to increased accessibility of air travel to the general public.

Stage 2: Writing

4. Write a comprehensive introduction

After creating the basic outline, it is important to know how to write an essay. Begin your essay by introducing your voice and point of view to the reader. An introduction is usually a paragraph or two long and consists of three main parts:

• Background information
• Thesis statement

Let’s better understand this with the help of an example:

The Wright Brothers’ invention of the airplane in 1903 revolutionized the way humans travel and explore the world. Prior to this invention, transportation relied on trains, boats, and cars, which limited the distance and speed of travel. However, the airplane made air travel a reality, allowing people to reach far-off destinations in mere hours. This breakthrough paved the way for modern-day air travel, transforming the world into a smaller, more connected place. In this essay, we will explore the impact of the Wright Brothers’ invention on modern-day travel, including the growth of the aviation industry, increased accessibility of air travel to the general public, and the economic and cultural benefits of air travel.

Let’s understand how to construct each of these sections in more detail.

A. Construct an attractive hook

The opening sentence of an essay, also known as the hook, should include a powerful or startling statement that captures the reader’s attention. Depending on the type of your essay, it can be an interesting fact, a surprising statistic, or an engaging anecdote. 

B. Provide relevant background information

While writing the introduction, it’s important to provide context or background information before including the thesis statement. The background information may include the time before a groundbreaking invention, the pros and cons of a significant discovery, or the short- and long-term effects of an event.

C. Edit the thesis statement

If you’ve constructed your thesis statement during the outlining stage, it’s time to edit it based on the background information you’ve provided. Observe the slight changes we’ve made to the scope of the thesis statement in the example above. This accommodates the bits of information we’ve provided in the background history.

5. Form relevant body paragraphs

Body paragraphs play a crucial role in supporting and expanding the central argument presented in the thesis statement. The number of body paragraphs depends on the type of essay as well as the scope of the thesis statement.

Most school-level essays contain three body paragraphs while college-level essays can vary in length depending on the assignment.

A well-crafted body paragraph consists of the following parts:

• A topic sentence
• Supporting information
• An analysis of the information
• A smooth transition to the next paragraph

Let’s understand this with the help of an example. 

The Wright Brothers’ invention of the airplane revolutionized air travel. They achieved the first-ever successful powered flight with the Wright Flyer in 1903, after years of conducting experiments and studying flight principles. Despite their first flight lasting only 12 seconds, it was a significant milestone that paved the way for modern aviation. The Wright Brothers’ success can be attributed to their systematic approach to problem-solving, which included numerous experiments with gliders, the development of a wind tunnel to test their designs, and meticulous analysis and recording of their results. Their dedication and ingenuity forever changed the way we travel, making modern aviation possible.

Here’s a detailed overview of how to construct each of these sections.

A. Construct appropriate topic sentences

A topic sentence is the title of the body paragraph that elaborates on the thesis statement. It is the main idea on which the body paragraph is developed. Ensure that each topic sentence is relevant to the thesis statement and makes the essay flow seamlessly. 

The order of topic sentences is key in creating an impactful essay. This order varies depending on the type of essay you choose to write. These sentences may be arranged chronologically, in the order of importance, or in a cause-and-effect format.

B. Provide supporting information

It is necessary to provide relevant supporting information and evidence to validate your topic statement. This may include examples, relevant statistics, history, or even personal anecdotes.

You should also remember to cite your sources wherever you use them to substantiate your arguments. Always give researchers and authors credit for their work!

C. Analyze the supporting information

After presenting the appropriate evidence, the next step is to conduct an in-depth analysis. Establish connections and provide additional details to strengthen the link between your topic sentence and the supporting information. 

Depending on the type of essay, this step may also involve sharing your subjective opinions and key takeaways.

D. Create a smooth transition

In case you plan to create multiple body paragraphs, it is crucial to create a seamless transition between them. Transitional statements not only make the essay less jarring to read but also guide the reader in the right direction.

However, these statements need not be too lengthy and complicated. Use words such as “however”, “in addition to”, and “therefore” to convey transitions.

6. Construct an impactful conclusion

An impactful conclusion creates a lasting impression on the mind of the reader. Although it varies in length depending on the specific essay, the conclusion is typically a paragraph long.

It consists of

• A restated thesis statement
• Summary of the main points
• The broader implications of the thesis statement

Here’s an example of a well-structured conclusion:

The Wright Brothers’ invention of the airplane forever changed history by paving the way for modern aviation and countless aerospace advancements. Their persistence, innovation, and dedication to problem-solving led to the first successful powered flight in 1903, sparking a revolution in transportation that transformed the world. Today, air travel remains an integral part of our globalized society, highlighting the undeniable impact of the Wright Brothers’ contribution to human civilization.  

Let’s take a closer look at how to construct each of these sections.

A. Restate the thesis statement

Your conclusion should call back to your original argument or thesis statement.

However, this does not mean repeating the thesis statement as is. The essence of your argument should remain the same, but it should also be modified and evolved as per the information presented in your essay.

B. Summarize important points

A powerful conclusion not only lingers in the reader’s mind but also provokes thought. You can create a strong impression on the reader by highlighting the most impactful points of your essay.

C. State the greater implications

End your essay with the most powerful and impactful part: the larger perspective. This can‌ include a question you’d like to leave the reader with, the broader implications and impact of your thesis statement, or the long-term, lingering effects of your experience. 

Make sure to include no new evidence or arguments, or to undermine your findings in any way. 

Stage 3: Editing

7. Review your essay

Knowing how to write an essay is just one part of essay writing. Properly reviewing and editing your essay is just as important. Make sure to spend enough time going over your essay and adding any bits of information that you’ve missed. 

This is also a good time to make minor structural changes in your essay.

8. Thoroughly proofread your essay

After making the necessary structural changes, recheck your essay word by word. It is important to not only correct major grammatical and spelling errors but also minor errors regarding the phrasing or tone of voice.

You can either choose to do this by yourself, ask a friend for assistance, or hire an essay proofreading service to go over your writing. To construct a fool-proof, error-free essay, it is helpful to have a trained pair of eyes go over it. Professional proofreaders can spot errors that are not visible to most people and set the right tone for your essay. 

Now that you know the basics of how to write an essay, it’s time to learn about the specifics. Feel free to dig into the articles below and keep reading!

• How to Write an Essay Header in 4 Steps
• How to Write an Essay Outline
• What is an Expository Essay?
• How to Start an Essay

Frequently Asked Questions

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Speaker 1: Hello, everyone. This is David Taylor, and I'm here to talk to you today about this thing right here. The five-paragraph essay. The five-paragraph essay goes by a lot of different names. Some of them you've probably heard. Let's see. You could call it the basic essay. You could call it the academic essay. You could call it the 131 essay, and that 131 is going to be important for us in just a moment. But no matter what name you call it, no matter what name you've heard about it, there's one name that I want you to remember and to use throughout this lesson, and that name is the easy essay. Because once I show you these three formulas for this five-paragraph essay, you're going to know that it's something that is easy for you to write and easy for you to deploy and use in all your other courses. Not that everything that you write in life is only going to have five paragraphs. That's not the point. The point is you're learning something basic that can be applied in various permutations in a variety of courses. So let's talk about the five-paragraph essay and talk about the three formulas that I'm going to give to you to produce the five-paragraph essay. And that first formula is the magic of three. You know, three has an important place in our culture, kind of a magic place in our culture, whether it's something like the three little pigs or the three wishes that you get from a genie or sayings like three times a charm or three strikes you're out. Three seems to have an important place in human memory. And we're going to use that important place and the role it plays in human memory to help create our five-paragraph essay. And this is how we're going to do it. Let's pretend that you're given, oh, a general topic like this one. What are the essential characteristics of a good parent? Okay, before you do anything else, you apply the magic of three. Boom. One, two, three. In other words, you're going to come up with three things and three things only. Sure, there are more than three characteristics of good parents, let's hope. But the point is, when writing this five-paragraph essay, you're going to limit yourself to three. And they can be the three you consider most important. Something like patience. Something like respect. Something like unconditional love. Again, there can be more, but limit yourself to three. Let's take another kind of topic. Let's take a more controversial topic. Something like, should women in the military be given front-line combat duties? Very controversial. You're going to read about it. You're going to talk about it. You're going to listen to your professor lecture on it. You're going to consult sources on it. And after you do all that, you still do one thing and one thing only. One, two, three. You come up with a position, because you've got to have a position. That's what being in college is all about. You're able to take a position, state an opinion, and then support it in a logical, acceptable way. And we're going to do it with three main points. Our three main points could be something like, well, the first reason would be women can be assigned to combat is equality. The second reason is their great teamwork. Or the third reason is their proven courage. Now, if you notice something repetitious there, and you're asking yourself, wait a minute, is this repetition good? The answer is yes, it is very good. Because although something might seem repetitious when it's close together in these sentences, remember, these are your main points. And they're going to be separated by paragraphs. So by the time your reader looks at them, they're not going to seem repetitious at all. As a matter of fact, they're going to seem clever. They're going to seem like a student who really knows how to organize an essay, and more importantly, use certain kinds of words, first, second, and third, to signal organization to their reader. So in this case, repetition is a manifest good thing. Okay, let's take one more topic, an academic topic. Why do so many students fail to complete their college degree? What are you going to do? Boom. One, two, three. And you're going to use that formula. That's something like, well, first, students often. Second, many students cannot. Third, third students find that, you see what I'm saying? No matter what the topic is, general, controversial, academic, you're going to apply one, two, three, and you're going to apply the repetition of those words to signal your structure. And that's called the academic expository essay structure. Fill it in with whatever you came up with in your reading, in your thinking, in your discussion, in listening to your professor. Fill in with whatever you want to, but use the structure. Okay, that's secret number one. Now let's go to the next secret, and that secret is the essay formula for the thesis. Every essay has to have a thesis, and a thesis can be written with a formula. You know, these thesis statements sound kind of intimidating. They go by names like controlling idea, overall point, the position statement. Okay, fine, position statement, fine. But you know what? They're all the same thing. They're all your opinion on the topic. Your position on the topic. And more importantly, there's a very set formula for producing that position on your topic, that thesis statement. Let's go over that formula. First, you take a topic that we've already looking at, that we've already seen, and then you add to it your position or your opinion. Remember, you've got to have one in college, and you have to be able to defend it. And then you put those two together, and you will get your thesis. Let's take an example. Let's take a topic we've already used. What are the essential characteristics of a good parent? There's our topic. We know our opinion on that topic. It was patience, respect, and love. All you have to do is add those two things together, and you get your thesis. The essential characteristics of a good parent are patience, respect, and love. You see how simple it is? Add together the words of the topic with the words of your opinion equals your thesis statement. Now here, it just so happened our opinion contained our three main points, and that's great. When it happens, don't avoid it. Don't resist it. Go with it. But there are other ways of doing it. Let's take a more broad, general way of doing it with this topic. Let's say in this topic, we're going to have, should women be assigned combat duties in the military? Again, you do your reading. You do your discussion. You do your note-taking. You listen to your professor, and you come up with an opinion. You say, yes, they deserve it. That's a position, and that's a great position to have. And that is your opinion. And now, and you're allowed your opinion, and now all you have to do is support it. But before you do that, let's put together the topic with your position into the thesis statement. Thesis, and that would be women deserve front-line combat duties in the military. See what you did? The topic. Should women be assigned? Yes, they should. They deserve it. And we added those two together, and we got our thesis statement. Now comes those three main points that we came up with earlier. They deserve it because of equality, because of teamwork, and because of their courage. So that's how it works. Now, for the thesis statement, it's a simple matter of adding the topic to your position into a single sentence equaling your thesis. Now, one last formula that I want to show you. And that formula is the 1-3-1 outline. What does the 1-3-1 outline look like? It looks exactly like this. One paragraph for your introduction, three paragraphs for your body. And remember, you can have more than three sometimes, but we're just playing with three. And then one paragraph for your conclusion. 1-3-1. Looks like we're doing the YMCA song at a wedding. Now, the main points and the main sentences that we've been coming up with go in special places in this outline. The first is the thesis statement. Let's remind ourselves of our topic. What are the essential characteristics of a good parent? Remember our thesis. Look where we're going to put that thesis. We're going to put it as the last sentence of that introduction paragraph. Why? Because it is the purpose of the introduction paragraph to introduce the thesis. Not the entire essay. Most people think the introduction paragraph introduces the essay. Not really. The introduction paragraph's purpose is to lead up to, provide context to, and then provide a position for the thesis statement. And it's the thesis statement that acts as the umbrella or the introduction to the entire essay. So that's why you want to put that thesis statement as the last sentence of your introduction or near the last sentence of your introduction. Now, as far as those three main points, you put those three main points as the three topic sentences or three first sentences of your three body paragraphs. And there they are. The first, the second, and the third essential characteristics. Patience, respect, and love. So, your three main points become your three main topic sentences of your three body paragraphs. And then at the end, you're going to have a conclusion. Conclusion, you revisit your thesis in a special way, kind of telling the overall importance of what you've written. So, those are the three formulas. The magic of three, always come up with three somethings. Three reasons. Three causes. Three effects. Three whatevers. The second formula was to produce that thesis statement, combine your topic plus your position on that topic, combine them into one sentence, and it's your thesis sentence. And then the last formula you see, the one, three, one outline. And once you've got that outline, and once you've got the thesis statement stated in the introduction, you've got your three main points in your three body paragraphs, all you've got to do is fill it in with your intelligence, your words, your thoughts, your opinions. Follow those three formulas, and you'll be producing a good, tight, organized essay. Okay, good luck on them, and I'll talk to you later.

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GRE Analytical Writing Overview| Syllabus, Examples & More

The GRE Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) is a vital part of the GRE, assessing your ability to think critically and write analytically. Aiming for a GRE Analytical Writing score above 4.5 is crucial if you’re targeting top universities. The updated format features just one task: Analyze an Issue , giving you 30 minutes to write a concise, well-structured essay.

To excel, focus on writing between 500 and 600 words across 4 to 5 paragraphs, ensuring clarity and adherence to the GRE Analytical Writing word limit . Reviewing GRE Analytical Writing examples and GRE Analytical Writing PDFs can provide essential practice and insight, helping you achieve a strong score and boost your overall GRE performance.

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GRE Analytical Writing

Gre analytical writing pdf, gre issue essay format, gre analytical writing samples, gre analytical writing score.

The GRE Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) now exclusively features the Analyze an Issue task. This section is designed to evaluate your critical thinking and analytical writing abilities. Unlike other sections, there is no fixed pattern for GRE AWA topics , making it essential to familiarize yourself with a wide range of issues. Staying updated on the latest GRE exam pattern is crucial to understanding the recent changes in this section.

Common GRE AWA Topics

The following are some frequently encountered themes for the GRE Analyze an Issue task:

Unlock your potential for success in the GRE with our comprehensive GRE Analytical Writing PDF guide. Designed to help you excel in the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA), this resource offers essential insights and strategies to master the GRE essay tasks. The GRE AWA section assesses your ability to think critically, develop well-structured arguments, and express your ideas clearly and effectively.

Our PDF guide includes detailed explanations of the GRE Analytical Writing format, tips for crafting compelling essays, and sample prompts with high-scoring responses. Whether you’re aiming for a top score or simply looking to improve your writing skills, this PDF provides the tools and knowledge you need to succeed in the GRE Analytical Writing section. Download now to start your journey towards GRE success!

GRE Analytical Writing PDF- Free DOWNLOAD!!!!

Important GRE Issue Essay Format are as follows:

GRE AWA Essay: Essential Tips for Success

The GRE AWA essay on an issue should be approximately 500-600 words in length, focusing on topics of general interest that can be analyzed from multiple perspectives. Remember, there are no absolute correct answers in the GRE AWA ; instead, the test evaluates your critical thinking skills and your ability to present a well-reasoned argument. The GRE Analyze an Issue task challenges you to take a stance on a given topic, providing compelling reasons and evidence to support your position.

Before you begin writing, carefully review the instructions and plan your response. Instructions typically fall into the following categories:

• Agree/Disagree with a Statement : Explain why you agree or disagree with the given statement, considering different perspectives that may support or challenge the statement.
• Position on a Recommendation : Articulate your stance on the provided recommendation, backing it up with reasons and examples.
• Extent of Agreement/Disagreement : Craft a response that discusses the extent to which you agree or disagree with a given claim.
• Balanced Argument : Write a response that discusses both sides of the argument, then explain your position.
• Consequences of a Policy : Discuss the consequences of a policy and how they influenced your decision.

Tips for Writing a Strong GRE Issue Essay

To excel in the GRE Issue Essay , consider the following tips:

• Practice Regularly : Start by practicing writing GRE Issue Essays . Writing at least three essays will help you manage your time, familiarize yourself with different prompts, and understand the factual support needed for a strong argument.
• Pick One Side : Choose one side of the argument to support. Avoid trying to argue both sides, as this can weaken your essay and make your position unclear. The examiners assess your ability to defend your chosen stance effectively.
• Use Relevant Examples : Provide relevant examples to bolster your argument. Use examples from diverse fields such as business, arts, or history, but ensure they serve to support your essay rather than dominate it.
• Follow a Structured Pattern : Organize your essay in a clear, structured manner. A well-structured essay not only provides clarity to the reader but also helps to increase your GRE AWA score .

By following these tips and practicing regularly, you’ll improve your ability to write a compelling GRE AWA essay , enhancing your chances of achieving a high score. Incorporate these strategies into your preparation to present clear, well-supported arguments that will impress GRE examiners.

Here are some examples of high-quality GRE Analytical Writing essays for the “Analyze an Issue” task. These examples illustrate how to effectively develop and present arguments, supporting a high score in the GRE AWA section:

Example 1: Technology and Society

Prompt: “Technology has made our lives easier but has also made us more isolated from each other.”

Essay: In today’s fast-paced world, technology undeniably simplifies many aspects of life, from communication to information access. However, it also contributes to a sense of isolation. For instance, while social media platforms facilitate instant communication, they often replace face-to-face interactions with impersonal digital exchanges. This shift can lead to superficial relationships and a lack of genuine human connection. Moreover, the rise of remote work, enabled by technology, has reduced daily interpersonal interactions, potentially weakening social bonds. Nonetheless, technology also fosters global connections and allows for virtual communities that can provide support and shared experiences. Balancing the benefits of technology with its potential to isolate individuals is crucial for maintaining meaningful personal connections.

Example 2: Education

Prompt: “A college education should emphasize practical skills rather than theoretical knowledge.”

Essay: The debate between practical skills and theoretical knowledge in higher education is crucial for preparing students for the workforce. Advocates for practical skills argue that such training equips students with job-ready abilities, making them more competitive in the job market. For instance, courses in coding, data analysis, and project management directly align with industry demands and provide tangible benefits. Conversely, theoretical knowledge fosters critical thinking and problem-solving skills that are also essential in any profession. For example, understanding foundational theories in economics or psychology can enhance analytical abilities and adaptability. A balanced approach, integrating both practical skills and theoretical knowledge, ensures that students are well-rounded and prepared for diverse challenges.

Example 3: Government and Power

Prompt: “Governments should prioritize economic development over environmental protection.”

Essay: The debate over whether governments should prioritize economic development or environmental protection is complex and multifaceted. Economic development fosters job creation, infrastructure improvement, and overall societal prosperity. For example, industrial growth often leads to higher employment rates and improved living standards. However, prioritizing economic growth at the expense of environmental protection can lead to long-term damage, such as climate change and loss of biodiversity. Sustainable development practices, which balance economic growth with environmental stewardship, are crucial. For instance, investing in green technologies can stimulate economic growth while preserving natural resources. Hence, a strategic approach that integrates both priorities is essential for achieving long-term prosperity and ecological balance.

GRE scores will be accessible on the official ETS website within 8-10 days following the exam date. The Analytical Writing GRE score falls between 0 and 6.0. Valid for five years, candidates must submit or send their additional score reports to their chosen institutions within this timeframe for a successful admission process. Now, let’s explore the criteria ETS considers when evaluating your AWA essays.

Here’s a brief table summarizing the GRE AWA score and its corresponding explanation:

GRE Analytical Writing- FAQs

How to write analytical writing in gre.

The Analytical Writing section of the GRE includes a 30-minute “Analyze an Issue” task. In this task, you are given a statement or opinion on a particular topic along with guidelines for your response. Your goal is to assess the issue, explore its various aspects, and construct a well-reasoned argument supported by relevant examples and explanations.

Is 3.5 a good score in analytical writing in GRE?

A score of 3.5 in GRE Analytical Writing is considered below average. Top-ranked universities generally look for higher scores, typically 4.0 or above, to meet their competitive admissions standards.

How many words should your GRE Analytical Writing essay be?

For the GRE Analytical Writing section, it’s recommended that your essay be between 500 and 600 words. Aiming for this word count ensures that you have enough space to develop your arguments fully while adhering to the GRE Analytical Writing guidelines. Keeping within this range helps demonstrate a well-structured, coherent argument and allows for a thorough analysis of the issue. Properly managing your word count is crucial for scoring well on the GRE Analytical Writing Assessment.

What is a good AWA score in GRE?

A GRE AWA score of  6 to 5  means the candidate has proper writing skills. The average AWA cutoff for US universities ranges from 4.5 and above. The average AWA score in GRE is 3.5.

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A Good Appetite

All Hail Farro, Queen of the Make-Ahead Salad

This colorful grain salad is laced with juicy stone fruit and milky burrata cheese.

By Melissa Clark

Melissa Clark contributed one of the first farro salads to New York Times Cooking in 2013. She’s been perfecting them every since.

Of all the grains you can use for salads, farro is the absolute queen. It is elegant, chewy and inherently complex, and that’s before you add any seasonings. It’s also simple and quick to cook, needing about 20 minutes, and the nubby grains stay separate rather than clumping like barley or couscous.

There was a time when farro was a seldom seen in North America, a rarity found mostly in gourmet shops and specialty Italian markets, but now it can be found in supermarkets rubbing shoulders with the quinoa and bulgur, and not a bit less regal for it.

All of this means that you can stop reserving your farro salads for parties, and put them into regular rotation. Healthful, hearty and ripe for variation, the farro salad is ready for weeknight prime time.

Recipe: Herby Farro Salad With Stone Fruit and Burrata

In this simple recipe, a colorful jumble of sliced stone fruit and herbs makes for an especially jubilant presentation. You can use any stone fruit you have, pristine or not; all of those wilting, weeping, less-than-perfect specimens are magnanimously invited to join the bowl.

Actually, let’s face it, the softer and gushier the better, because that tangy fruit nectar gives the dressing a sweet-tart depth. To bring out the most juice, the fruit is briefly marinated in lemon juice, salt and a pinch of sugar, which you can do while the farro cooks.

Then dress the grains immediately after draining so the warm farro can absorb as much flavor as possible, and fold in the fruit along with a handful of herbs for freshness and zip. Once assembled, the salad can sit for hours with no ill effects, making it perfect for picnics, potlucks or lunch at your desk the next day.

There is one more element that I sometimes like to add to this salad, which raises it from a side dish to a light summer meal. In the center of the farro, almost like an egg in a nest, I place a milky ball of burrata drizzled with more of the stone fruit juice, some good olive oil and a sprinkle of flaky salt. The burrata adds richness to the mix, and provides a mellow contrast to the lemony fruit. But in the end, a stately farro salad doesn’t really need that — or anything extra — to shine and to reign.

Follow New York Times Cooking on Instagram , Facebook , YouTube , TikTok and Pinterest . Get regular updates from New York Times Cooking, with recipe suggestions, cooking tips and shopping advice .

Melissa Clark has been writing her column, A Good Appetite , for The Times’s Food section since 2007. She creates recipes for New York Times Cooking, makes videos and reports on food trends. She is the author of 45 cookbooks, and counting. More about Melissa Clark