The English term “essay” has roots in the French verb “essayer,” which roughly translates to “to attempt.” Writing an essay allows us to attempt to present our idea or belief, exhibit emotions, or spark a debate. While there are many different types of essays, the most common types assigned to students in higher education are “expository” essays and “argumentative” essays. Improving essay writing skills will lead to academic success and gaining analytical thinking skills, which are both essential to our lives.
An “Expository” essay requires you to provide a neutral view of the topic with accurate facts in a logical way. You can create a good expository essay if you understand how to write in a clear and simple manner without providing your opinion or argument. In contrast, an “argumentative” essay requires you to provide your own argumentative thesis regarding the issue, which readers can debate, agree with, or disagree with from their own perspective. A good argumentative essay can only be prepared if you can persuade readers by establishing your thesis with correct information in a logical manner based on sound research. In short, writing an argumentative essay is possible through the development of a strong and appealing thesis statement as well as the skill to write an expository essay, something I terribly struggled with throughout my college years.
For me, the most difficult aspect of writing an essay is developing an argumentative thesis statement. When I was in my first academic writing course at Langara College, I went to office hour almost every day because I couldn’t figure out what an argumentative thesis was. Every time I returned with a thesis, my English teacher informed me, “Natsuki, it’s just a fact.” There is no debate.”
For example, “K-pop is globally popular” is just a fact. (The entire course’s theme was music,” so this is an actual conversation between me and my instructor.)
This statement cannot spark any debate, as everyone knows K-pop is globally popular. I asked if “J-pop is more popular than K-pop” could be a thesis, and he replied that it would be difficult as no one would agree to it. He advised that a thesis should be practical and realistic. Then how about “K-pop is the music genre that has grown in popularity the most in the last ten years”? He stated that it may be a good thesis to have a narrowed-down point in a specific period so that the readers are persuaded by being supplied with strong facts.
To summarise, I had no prior experience presenting an argument in public. I observed that most Japanese students had significantly less experience expressing themselves and arguing in school settings. (I’m working on another article about the value of analytical skills in Canadian higher education.)
One of my professors once told me that the thesis statement serves as the “foundation” of the “building.” This construction process necessitates our undivided attention to brainstorming, extracting the most effective essential ideas, and establishing a well-designed framework so that the suggested concepts are convincing to the readers. Writing an essay is painful, at least for me and probably for most students.
A solid essay writing skill, however, not only allows us to be analytical but also to appraise any challenging problems from multidimensional perspectives.
About Cloud Nine College
Cloud Nine College is a premier vocational (Co-Op) college offering a range of specialized co-op courses and comprehensive Intensive English Programs, including test preparation courses for IELTS and general and business ESL courses to international students. It coordinates its programs uniquely in such ways that students can advance their education to the next level at universities and job opportunities.
CNC is also an online education platform offering online certificate, diploma, higher diploma, and postgraduate diploma programs progressing to online and offline undergraduate and postgraduate degrees awarded by various educational institutions and universities around the world.
Cloud Nine College started as a language training institution back in 2010 and now has expanded into providing career training programs:
- Hotel and Restaurant Management Co-op Diploma
- Hotel and Restaurant Management Co-op Certificate
- International Trade and Business Management Co-op Diploma
- Professional Sales Co-op Certificate
Learn more about CNC at www.cloudninecollege.com/
