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If you are at College or have spent any time at College, you will be aware of the importance of learning how to research, write and present a good essay. The ability to do this can be the difference between success and failure. If you are having problems writing a good essay and you want to achieve higher grades then try to follow the advice in this article.

The most important factor in writing a good essay is to start the project early. If you follow just one part of the advice in this article it is this. Always give yourself enough time to prepare for the essay, to carry out the necessary research and time to write and rewrite it. If you do not learn to start the essay early you are immediately reducing the possibility of achieving a good grade.

Everyone likes to tell themselves that they work well when put under pressure. In practice this is rarely true. A person who leaves the essay until the last minute will make more mistakes, will do little or no research, is more likely to plagiarize and more likely to hand in the essay late. Discipline yourself to start the essay early.

The best college essays are usually written by someone who has an interest or passion about the subject matter. In college it is not always possible to choose your essay title but if you are able to, you should write about something that interests you. When you do this you will find that the research is easier and the writing flows quicker. This can also positively influence your grade, as the lecturer is more likely to get pleasure from reading an essay that someone clearly has enjoyed writing.

Before you begin the essay, plan a basic structure that details the argument and the key points of the essay. Then try to write as much as possible without a break. If you can get into a state of flow then your productivity levels will soar. Do not worry about spelling or grammar at this stage. You can correct this during the proofreading stage.

At some point during your college days you will probably be tempted to copy a few good lines from a text or website. Students will often convince themselves that nobody will notice. Let me tell you now that the lecturer will notice. There are plenty of tools available for the modern teacher to check if material online is the same as the content of an essay. It is OK to reference somebody's work and to write about there viewpoint, but make sure it is in your own words.

Once you have written the essay, be sure to get a second opinion. You will be amazed at what one person sees that another does not, particular if you are the author. Be prepared to accept criticism. However remember that it is OK to stick to your point of view, provided you have argued the case logically and supported it with credible reasoning.

Before submission, you should leave yourself enough time to check your essay. Proof read the document for spelling and grammatical errors. Check that the argument flows coherently and ensure that the essay uses paragraphs correctly. Do not lose easy marks by ensuring that the essay meets the college guidelines for formatting.

Following the steps outlined above can make a big difference to your college essay grades. Next time you have a deadline remember to prepare early, write about something interesting to you and check the essay for errors. Do this and I am confident that your grades will soar.