No doubt, an essay is the most popular type of homework as it allows teachers to check two things. The first is how the student navigates the subject, and the second is their ability to express and defend their opinion.
Of course, there are many requirements for different types of essays, be it formatting or structure. If you don’t have time to study the requirements and follow all the instructions, just forward them to the experts from the best AI essay writer and let them finish the assignment for you. Today, outsourcing is simply a magic wand that helps avoid great stress and anxiety.
So, how does an opinion essay differ from other formats? Below, you will find all the necessary answers and a guide on writing such an essay. Without further ado, let’s get started!
What Is an Opinion Essay?
In this type of work, the author expresses a clearly formed opinion based on research, logic, and evidence. The goal is to articulate a position, that is, to demonstrate what you think and why. The mark of a well-written essay is substantial evidence.
Typically, the topic encourages you to think critically and form your own opinions on various questions. Before you start writing your essay, it is important to understand the purpose. This is how you can select and research relevant sources to formulate a clear opinion. It will also help you discard unnecessary information and approach the topic from an unbiased point of view.
What Is Its Structure?
If you are writing an opinion essay for the first time, use a five-paragraph structure.
First, formulate a good hook in the introduction before expressing your opinion. Here is what you can use for hook writing:
- Amazing statistics;
- Unpopular opinion;
- A rhetorical question;
- A strange situation from real life.
The main part is the second, third, and fourth paragraphs. Use reliable and trustworthy sources. Basically, it’s not enough to share what you think ‒ indicate what evidence made you think that way. Provide facts and statistics from real life.
Of course, counterarguments are also useful ‒ why not debunk alternative opinions? This will show that you can take part in an argument and win it.
In conclusion, draw a logical thread through all the paragraphs, remind the reader of the evidence, and clarify your point.
What Are Your Guidelines When Creating an Opinion Essay?
- A clear opinion (thesis) can come to you either as an insight or gradually as you study the issue. In any case, your opinion should be perfectly clear from the very first lines of your work.
- Innovation is very important. Your opinion should become part of the discourse: perhaps it will be quite different from the accepted positions, or, on the contrary, confirm them, but it’s great if you base it on brand-new research.
- A semi-formal tone is necessary to increase credibility and reveal your stance on the topic.
- Facts, arguments, and evidence must be reliable and consistent.
- Clearly formulated thoughts are the key to a great essay. Avoid ambiguity: you must be open about your position and understand why you support it.
- When the work is written, give it to a friend to read. Be sure to ask their opinion about the work and whether they understood what you wanted to express.
Crucial Steps When Writing Your Essay
1: Brainstorm
Use mind maps to write down all the associations and clues that you have regarding a specific topic. Don’t rush ‒ let your subconscious also get involved in the work.
2: Research
This stage closely intersects with the previous one, so it’s better to bring a pen and paper with you. At this stage, you will form your opinion. As you shape it, keep asking yourself why. What arguments and evidence support your position? What sources confirm this?
Also, explore counterarguments and alternative points of view. This will emphasize that you approach your work responsibly and don’t take information from unreliable sources.
3: Plan
The ideal plan is an introduction, three paragraphs of the main part, and a conclusion, as we indicated above. Write a paragraph a day to distribute the load evenly.
4: Draft
Finally, the main stage is writing the text itself. Start with a draft: write down your thoughts in any order, as later you will still have time to organize them. Include any quotes or research you have collected and links to useful sources in your draft.
Don’t forget to use linking words.
To structure your ideas:
- First/First of all, …
- Second/Third, …
- Finally.
To add more points:
- In addition, …
- Moreover, …
- Also.
To express what you think:
- To my mind, …
- I truly believe that …
- I am convinced that …
- I disagree with/about.
To express:
- Contrast: although, however, despite.
- Purpose: to, in order to, so that.
- Reason: because (of), since, due to.
5: Revise
Now is the time to pay attention to a few key points. Make sure your essay is logical and all your evidence supports your opinion. A smooth transition from one topic to another motivates the reader to study your work further. Listen to how your essay sounds (literally, read it aloud). And double check that your opinion is crystal clear!
6: Proofread
During the proofreading stage, see whether your words are spelled correctly. Are commas and periods in the right place? If you’re not confident in your proofreading skills, use AI-based tools like Grammarly (which highlights misspelled words) and Hemingway (to check your text’s readability and make it easy to perceive).
To Wrap It Up
In fact, opinion essays have enormous benefits for our thinking, as they teach us to analyze complex topics and study various sources to support our ideas. The main thing is to maintain a logical structure and include the main points and supporting arguments.
By working on such an assignment, you will definitely improve your writing skills and maybe think about becoming a journalist; who knows?