Basic Essay Writing: The Role of Teaching Writing to Students

When referring to basic essay writing, the main aspect implied is the focus on the main elementary skills required to write an essay. As the title implies, basic essay writing is concerned with the simplest types of assignments, in which the writing skills are taught rather than developed. This article outlines the main area of focus in teaching basic essay writing.

Organization vs. Grammar

One could argue that basic essay writing is about teaching to write grammatically and error-free. The latter is only partially true, as grammar is an important element, although not a priority in basic essay writing. The main point in teaching basic essay writing is teaching clear and organized structuring of ideas.

No wonder that one of the first models of essays taught in schools is the five-paragraph essay. It can be noticed that the focus on the number of paragraphs implies focusing on structure as a core component of an essay. Thus, setting the priorities in basic essay writing, organization and structure comes before grammar.

Differentiation Based on Essay Type

Another aspect in basic essay writing is setting the differences between different essay types. In addition to the differences in the structure and the organization, the differentiation between various essay types will set specific requirement to the content of the paper, which basic essay writing should accordingly outline.

The differences between argumentative and descriptive essays can be reflected in the flow of ideas, although such elements of structure as introductions and conclusions are not changed. Thus, the role of basic essay writing is to outline the main differences between the main types of essays, providing theoretical foundation as well as various assignments for practice.