essay writing prompts

How To Write A 2 Paragraph Essay: Using The Specific Tips

A two paragraph essay is a particularly challenging form of academic assessment. It is designed to determine how specific you can be when deciding on what is and is not relevant material for the given topic. You need, in short, all the skills that a longer essay requires, but have only a fraction of the space to accomplish that. So, how do you go about writing the perfect two paragraph essay? Follow these tips.

  • Know Your Topic
  • The fundamental tip, requirement for any piece of writing, particularly academic writing, it to know ‘what is being asked of you?’ Unless you know, precisely, what is expected of a piece of writing, you cannot possibly provide it! Take time to think about this.

  • Narrow Your Thesis
  • Once you know what is expected, say, a discussion of the controversial nature of Iran’s foreign policy, or The Reign of Terror, now narrow down, an in one introductory sentence, express precisely how you will be approaching this, and what you will be arguing. i.e. ‘The Reign of Terror began as a positive attempt at revolution, but failed because of X and Y, as I will argue’.

  • Present First Example
  • Now is the time to demonstrate your evidence for the above mentioned fact of X as having an effect on the French Revolution. Use evidence, a piece of solid source material which concurs with your argument, and discuss how it does so.

  • Present Second Example
  • Bring this home with the use of a second example, hopefully from another source, which says a similar but not identical point. Ideally, evidence two will support and develop evidence one, and your discussion of factor Y will provide solid backing to your thesis.

  • Conclude in Style
  • Now, you can take one sentence to really bring home what you feel you have demonstrated. Keep to the point, and do not introduce any new material; simply sum up what you have done in the two paragraphs. If the two paragraph rule in your school is strict, both intro and conclusion can be placed within the first paragraph and final paragraph, as appropriate.

    With this method, knowing what is required, a two paragraph essay can be a pleasure to write, and it can actually hone your academic skills for future, longer work.
