How to Write a Short Essay, with Examples – Step-by-Step Guide

If you’ve ever had a friend tell you, “Just get to the point already!” while you were narrating a story, then you probably know what it feels like to go off-topic. There might be a million thoughts and ideas in your head, but the moment you try to focus on everything at once, you lose the plot.

That’s why you’ll never find good storytellers diverging from the plot too much, especially if they are narrating something to a live audience. Brevity is the key, the storytellers would say. Take this advice to heart because brevity and unity are the two vital components of any short essay.

Such assignments rarely exceed 800 words. You might think it’s impossible to discuss any topic within 300 words, especially if you’ve managed to find lots of information to discuss. However, professors assign short essays to hone students’ abilities to convey their ideas succinctly. It’s your responsibility to –

• Understand which information to prioritize
• Figure out how to compress information without leaving crucial details out
• Demonstrate your knowledge in a concise manner
• Stick to the topic without divulging other aspects

These might seem easy when you read them, but the first time you try to write a short essay is going to be an eye-opener for you. Being concise and maintaining unity of thought within a restricted word count isn’t a walk in the park.

That’s why this blog is going to be your best friend. At MyAssignmentHelp, we have consulted top literary scholars to come up with a comprehensive guide to help you write effective short essays with ease. Keep reading to discover the secrets!

What are Short Essays?

The name is self-explanatory, but let’s break things down so that everyone is on the same page.

The short essay is like any other essay that you’ll encounter, with one key defining characteristic – its length. While typical essays can exceed 2000 words, this type of content is short in length (surprise, surprise!).

How short are we talking about here?

Well, based on approximate word counts assigned to students for tasks appropriately deemed as “short essays,” the range is 250-750 words. Now, that doesn’t mean a 100-word essay or a 1000-word essay doesn’t count as short. The range has been set based on the average word count professors assign.

Now, what’s the point of such a task?

Isn’t it better to assign long essays to students so that they can go into detail and show their research skills, critical thinking abilities, and the lot?

Short essays can do that, too, and it’s always good to know how to communicate effectively in fewer words. When you move on from your academic life and enter the professional field, you’ll understand how important it is to articulate your messages clearly and quickly. No one has the time or patience to read through paragraphs’ worth of information when things could have been cleared up in a few sentences.

You can master this skill only when you’ve mastered the art of writing short essays. Besides that, you also get to polish the following:

Writing Skills	Know how to apply imagery, allusions, oxymorons, and more literary techniques to keep your writing concise yet interesting.
Research Skills	Develop the skills to know which aspects to address and which ones to ignore.
Analytical Skills	Learn to analyze which examples or evidence will have more impact on the readers.
Critical Thinking Skills	Understand how to connect your points together to form a cohesive argument.

The short essay story that you would narrate should be able to present a coherent argument within a limited scope. To be successful in this venture, you need to ensure that you’ve got all the elements of the short essay down pat.

Elements of a Short Essay

Think about the most complex dessert that you’ve ever had. Now, look up its recipe. It’s amazing how just some cream, sugar, eggs, and other ingredients that you can find lying around in your house (or maybe after a trip to the supermarket) are all the basic elements that you need to whip up something so amazing.

Well, keep in mind that knowing the elements isn’t enough.

You need to know the measurements of the elements, which one to add first, which requires more time, etc. In other words, you need the specifics.

Now, thankfully, the essay-writing process is much simpler than a dessert-making process. However, if you have a keen eye, you’re bound to notice some similarities.

For starters, let’s identify the main elements of a short essay:

I. The Introduction

The introductory paragraph is where you focus on creating a strong opening that’s going to capture the reader’s attention. Since this section is usually 10% of your total essay length, you won’t have much scope to go into details, especially if your task is less than 500 words. In that case, make sure your introduction includes the following elements:

Hook	• Can be a rhetorical question, an anecdote, statistics, or a striking paradox • The objective is to grab the reader’s attention.
Context	• Gives the readers a broader contextual understanding of the topic • Used to inform the readers of critical information that will improve topic comprehension
Thesis Statement	• Expresses the purpose of the entire essay • It is usually specific, debatable, and evidence-based.

II. The Body Paragraphs

The majority of your word count is going to be focused on the body paragraphs. So, make sure you structure this section properly so that readers have no issues following the development of ideas that take place. The main elements of a body paragraph are:

Topic Sentence	• Usually the first sentence of a body paragraph • The objective is to state the main idea that the paragraph will cover.
Evidence Cycle	• Includes the assertion, the evidence, and the commentary • This cycle makes your arguments stronger by offering credibility.
Transition Sentence	• Can be present at the end or beginning of a body paragraph • Ensures smooth flow from one point to the other without breaking unity

III. The Conclusion

Just like the introductory paragraph, the conclusion will take up 10% of your total word count. So, you have to make it count. While summarization of the key points that have already been discussed in the essay is a part of this segment, make sure you’re not repeating the same things. On that note, avoid adding new points because you won’t have any scope to discuss them.

Some fundamental elements of a good conclusion are –

Restatement of Thesis	• Remind the reader of the main purpose of the essay. • Provides an opportunity for revision of the earlier thesis statement
Summary of Main Points	• Offer a synthesis of the main points instead of listing the main ideas discussed. • Explain the connections between the major points.
Call to Action	• A direct message to the readers in order to elicit a strong response • Lets your audience become active participants instead of being passive readers

What is the Short Essay Format?

Now that you know the main elements of an academic essay, mastering the format is going to be a piece of cake. Whether you choose to go along with the APA format for short essay papers or the MLA format, you won’t notice much difference (unless it’s the way you cite the references, but that’s for later).

Check any short essay example on MyAssignmentHelp, and the first thing you’ll notice is that the format is the same for most. What is this format? Let’s check the details:

I. The Introduction – One Paragraph

Your reader is going to encounter the introductory paragraph first, and you know what they say about first impressions, right? Your objective is to grab the reader’s attention with a hook, which can be in the form of –

• A paradox – “The laws of the land that were supposed to be fair for all citizens couldn’t be more discriminatory against the poor.”
• A rhetorical question – “Is it possible for anyone to love a child more than their mother?”
• An interesting statistic – “Almost one in every three children have ADHD, yet more than 80% remain undiagnosed.”

Once you’ve caught the attention of the readers, provide them with some background information. Context goes a long way in helping them figure out why your argument matters and the relevance of your topic in contemporary times. Finally, you’ve got the thesis statement – perhaps the most important part of your introduction.

What is this thesis statement?

• It is the main argument of the entire essay summarized in a sentence. It’s as important for the reader as it is for you. Here’s why –
• The statement helps the readers identify the topic that’s going to be explored.
• It takes a strong stance on the topic. It tells readers what to expect and helps writers ensure that they stick to the same stance during further discussions.
• The narrow scope and specific nature of the statement help writers stay on the topic without straying into other aspects of the topic.

Here’s what a subpar thesis statement looks like –

“Imposing the death penalty is wrong.”

This statement doesn’t cut the standards because it is vague and too broad to really put a finger on what the writer wants to focus on. Now, make some adjustments to this sentence and rephrase it as –

“The imposition of death penalty is morally questionable and violates the most basic human right – the right to life.”

Notice how the second thesis statement is more specific. Instead of leaving a vague comment that the death sentence is wrong, it goes into the specifics to highlight why it’s wrong.

II. The Body – Three Paragraphs

The body paragraphs are where you’ll get to show off the evidence cycle. After you’ve established your thesis statement, you need to prove the claim with supporting arguments. Let’s take a closer look at how you can structure this segment – 

• Topic Sentence – Usually, every paragraph begins with a topic sentence that introduces the reader to the point that will be discussed in that paragraph.
• Supporting Evidence – If your topic sentence was “Social media has restricted young adults from developing meaningful hobbies,” then you can spend the rest of the paragraph providing examples supporting this claim.
• Objective Opinions – Remember, an essay is not just a compilation of facts, data, and evidence. The reader wants your perspective on the matter as well. Just make sure your opinions are not biased and that you have evidence to prove that your opinion is logical.

III. The Conclusion – One Paragraph

The concluding paragraph is often neglected because students seem to believe it’s just a simple summarization of the points discussed in the essay. However, there’s more to this section than that.

The conclusion is where you –

• Restate your thesis statement
• Synthesize the main points
• Demonstrate the importance of your discussion
• Explore the larger meaning or impact of the topic

Your concluding segment should give your readers a sense of completion. So, make sure you don’t introduce any new points. Instead, you can highlight the shortcomings or mention avenues that are yet to be explored.

How to Write a Short Essay? Tips for Writing a Short Essay

You’ve covered the important elements and the structure. So, there’s nothing stopping you from exploring short essay questions and answering them promptly.

Worried that you’re going to mess things up?

Have faith in yourself! You’ve got this in the bag!!

Still hesitant?

Fortunately for you, our top literary experts at MyAssignmentHelp have compiled a few suggestions just to get rid of your nervous jitters –

Understand the Prompt Thoroughly

Imagine you are asked to write a short essay on the negative impact of social media on students’ mental health. Now, instead of focusing on the key limiting keyword here, i.e., “mental health,” you go into a detailed discussion of all the challenges students face due to social media. The focus from “mental health” is removed, and technically, you don’t end up answering the prompt correctly. So, a lack of comprehension of the prompt can result in poor grades.

Plan Your Writing with an Outline

An essay outline is practically the same as a skeletal structure. Jot down the points that you want to discuss in the paper, make a note of the evidence you’ve gathered, and arrange all points in a logical sequence.

Create a Strong Thesis Statement

Make sure that your thesis statement isn’t so vague that your readers can’t even figure out the main point that you want to discuss. Your statement should be –

• Concise
• Precise
• Arguable

You can search “short essay scholarships” on MyAssignmentHelp and review some samples of strong thesis statements for scholarship essays and the like.

Stay Focused on the Main Argument Throughout

There’s no chance for you to take any detours as you write your assignment since you’ll be restricted by the short word count. Stick to the main argument and keep going back to your thesis statement to check if you’ve gone off-topic or not.

Proofread for Clarity and Coherence

Confusing or illogical arguments that are not backed by hard evidence won’t do you any favors. So, before submitting your paper, make sure to proofread the content multiple times to ensure clarity and coherency.

Common Mistakes to Avoid While Writing Short Essay Papers

As helpful as tips can be to ensure you write a compelling short essay, you should also update your knowledge of the common pitfalls that students encounter while writing such papers. Knowledge is power. Ask any scholar, and they’ll double down on the fact that knowing what mistakes you can make gives you better chances of avoiding them.

On that note, let’s take a closer look at some of the most recurring issues that prevent students from writing top-notch short essays –

Being Too Vague/Broad	• Weakens the persuasive arguments • Isolates the readers
Exceeding the Word Limit	• Goes directly against the academic instructions • Removal of important points affect the continuity of thought
Unclear Structure	• Lack of logical sequence confuses the readers • Incoherent arguments weaken readers’ trust

Examples of Short Essays

“When writing a short essay, how many paragraphs should I include?”

“How can I make sure my short essay has all the information?”

It’s natural that you’ve got questions about this task now that you’ve covered some of the essential elements of it. However, instead of answering everything, we believe in letting you figure out the answers by yourself.

Want to know what’s the best way to achieve this goal?

The answer is by getting you to read some sample papers.

Example I: Of Revenge by Sir Francis Bacon (approx. 460 words)

Summary – In his short essay, Francis Bacon argues against revenge taken privately. He explains that such acts of vengeance are unlawful and do the person seeking revenge more harm than good. However, Bacon does acknowledge the existence of public revenge which proves to be beneficial under rare circumstances.

Bacon’s ‘Of Revenge’ is the perfect short essay as it –

• Explores one main idea (why seeking revenge is wrong) throughout the essay
• Uses vivid imagery to stimulate the reader’s mind (“wild justice,” “for it is a prince’s part to pardon,” etc.)
• Makes the most use of straightforward and concise language

Example II: Short Essay Samples of Personal Statements & Application Essays (approx. 500 words each)

You’ve gone over one example of a literary short essay. Now, let’s click on the link to access essay samples for personal statements and application essays. If you look closely at all the samples, you’ll be able to point out a few common characteristics in them all, such as the following –

• Paints a vivid picture of the student experiences
• Provides minute details that showcase a student’s unique quirks
• Presents unity of thought throughout the essay

Review these examples (both literary and non-literary) carefully because soon, you’re going to have to get right to picking out a topic for your paper. If you need more samples, feel free to connect to our experts ASAP.

Topic Ideas for Short Essays

Inspiration can come from anywhere. You might be walking home after completing a chore, and inspiration for a short essay topic might strike you out of the blue! Or, perhaps, if you aren’t so lucky, you can consider the topic ideas personally handpicked by MyAssignmentHelp’s top literary scholars.

Short Essay Topics on Personal Experiences

1. The Time When You Felt Most Scared
2. A Memorable Experience with Your Friends
3. The Best Day of Your Life
4. Ways to Stay Motivated Before Your Final Assessment
5. Challenges of Learning an Instrument for the First Time
6. Your First Day as a Senior in High School
7. An Embarrassing Experience You Wish to Forget
8. The Impact of Your Parents in Your Life
9. The Day You Met Your Best Friend
10. An Experience Where You Felt Proud of Yourself

Short Essay Topics on Social Issues

1. Role of the Government in Encouraging Citizens to be More Proactive About Climate Change
2. Coercion of Women to become Organ Donors for Distant Family Members
3. Impact of Free College Education on the Economically Weaker Section of Society
4. Discrimination Against Domestic Workers in Asian Countries
5. The Leading Causes Behind Superstitions in Indonesia
6. The Major Issues with the Internet-Obsessed Generation
7. Ways to Improve Old Age Care with Advanced Medical Knowledge
8. Importance of Making LGBTQA+ Friendly Laws in All Countries
9. The Evolving Feminist Ideologies throughout the Ages
10. The Psychological Impact of Abortion Bans in the USA

Short Essay Topics on Literature

1. The Impact of Dystopian Literature on Young Adults
2. Has Booktok Ruined Reading for People?
3. Agatha Christie’s Use of Mystery vs. Arthur Conan Doyle’s Use of Mystery
4. Importance of Symbolism in Post-Colonial Literature
5. John Keats’ Exploration of Death in His Works
6. Are Bestsellers Truly Impactful as Literary Works?
7. Discuss Shakespeare’s Exploration of Friendship in Hamlet.
8. Why is Romance One of the Most Popular Literary Genres?
9. What Does the Racism Portrayed in Othello Reveal About Contemporary Society?
10. Foreshadowing Done Right – Discuss in Terms of Literary Works.

Short Essay Topics on Technology

1. Copyright Issues Arising Out of Increased AI Usage in Creative Fields
2. Use of Bots to Manipulate Public Opinion Against Celebrities
3. Impact of AI Tools on Jobs for Future Generations
4. Is Social Media a Good Place to Gather Information?
5. Do the Risks of Geoengineering Outweigh the Benefits?
6. Art and Technology – How Do These Coexist in the Contemporary World?
7. Do Neurodivergent People Benefit from Virtual Gaming?
8. Discuss Current Performative Arts Issues that Technology Might be Able to Solve.
9. What Does a Future with Deepfakes Hold for Human Beings?
10. Discuss How Technological Advancements Benefit Governments.

Short Essay Topics on Education

1. How Does Parental Absence from Children’s Education Affect Mental Development?
2. Effects of Trauma on Students’ Ability to Study
3. Will Reducing Detention in Schools Encourage Students to Be on Their Best Behavior?
4. Is the One-Shoe-Fits-All Approach Best When Educating Diverse Groups of Students?
5. How to Use Technology in the Classroom Without Being Disruptive?
6. Are Professional Courses Better than 4-Year Degree Courses?
7. Ways to Encourage Students to Visit the Library More Often
8. Teaching Techniques to Apply to ADHD Students
9. Should All Teachers be Fluent in ASL?
10. How Can International Institutes Make Their Courses More Inclusive?

Did any of these catch your fancy? You don’t have to pick one exactly as it is. Even if one of these topics inspired you to come up with your own ideas, then our work has been successful!

Editing and Proofreading Tips

During the writing process, it’s easy to overlook a few spelling and grammatical errors because you’re just in the zone. Even if you check the content yourself later, you might miss out on a few. So, how do you guarantee an error-free essay? Let’s find out!

Use Tools for Grammar Checks

It takes mere seconds to upload the file on Grammarly and check your content for spelling and grammatical errors.

Use Advanced Tools for Plagiarism Checks

Checking the originality of your short essay is pretty easy when you can just use a tool like Duplichecker to assess the uniqueness of the content.

Read the Content Aloud

Sometimes, when you read your essay out loud, it becomes easier to detect the sections with awkward phrasing and errors. Our experts recommend reading the text from back to front for easier error detection.

If push comes to shove, you can always reach out to professional editors and proofreaders if you think your essay needs polishing of the logical sequencing of arguments and the like.

In Conclusion,

A short essay might seem easier to write because…it’s short, right? Well, hopefully, after reading this blog, you won’t make the mistake of thinking like this again.

Despite the short word count, the complexity of the task does not diminish. In fact, you might argue that structuring the paper, logically arranging the arguments, and applying literary techniques to pack as much information as possible within a limited word count is more challenging than writing a long essay.

Now that you’ve read this blog, you should have a better understanding of how to go about all these challenging steps. Our experts have even come up with topic recommendations for you! So, pick a topic and try writing a short essay on it right now! The more you practice while adhering to the suggestions provided here, the better your content will be.

Enhance Your Writing: Access MyAssignmentHelp’s Resources and Services

Feel free to share your writing experiences with us! If you encounter any problem during the writing process or need help understanding a suggestion, reach out to our experts. We offer various resources that you might find helpful, such as the following –

• Plagiarism checker
• Essay grader
• Proofreading tool
• Grammar checker
• Essay writing help

So, share your problems with us! We promise we’ll offer the best solutions without a moment’s hesitation.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is considered a short essay?

Any interpretative, analytic, or even speculative piece of content ranging from 250 to 750 words is a short essay. It highlights the most important details of a topic since there’s no scope for fluff. The scope of the topic is usually narrow to make things easier, but professors also assign short essays with wide topic scope to assess whether students can figure out which information to prioritize over others.

2. How can I structure a short essay effectively?

Since the short essay length doesn’t give you enough scope to explore any topic in depth, you should keep these points in mind when structuring your paper –

• Add an interesting hook and thesis statement in the introduction
• Identify the strongest points you’d need to include to justify your statement
• Stick to the five-paragraph structure (one for the introduction, one for the conclusion, and three for the body paragraphs)
• Add a topic sentence for each point covered in the body paragraphs

3. What are some tips for writing a strong short essay?

Here are some short essay writing tips that can help you craft a top-notch paper –

• Figure out what the topic wants you to cover
• Ensure that your thesis statement is concise and arguable
• Conduct in-depth research on the topic to shortlist the points to discuss
• Come up with an outline to ensure logical flow between the points
• Develop strong arguments for each point while including examples
• Always proofread and edit your content before submission

4. How long should the introduction and conclusion be in a short essay?

Set aside 10% of your total word count for the introduction and the conclusion. The major chunk of your content should be dedicated to the body paragraphs. So, for a short essay of 300 words, your introductory and concluding segments should be approximately 30 words each.

5. Can I include references in a short essay?

References are always welcome in academic content. After all, you want to build credibility as much as possible. If you’re following the APA short essay format, then keep these in mind –

• Include the author’s surname and date of publication in parenthesis within the text.
• List the references in alphabetized order at the end of the essay.

6. How can I make a short essay engaging?

Despite the short length of your content, you have the scope to make your paper engaging by following these tips –

• Come up with a thesis statement that will pique the reader’s interest
• Stick to concise phrasing instead of lengthy descriptions
• Use vivid descriptions or draw examples to stimulate the reader’s imagination
• Stick to using the active voice while writing

7. How important is the thesis statement in a short essay?

The thesis statement never really loses its significance, whether it be for a long or short essay. Since this sentence usually states the purpose of your essay, consider it to be a sort of guide for the readers. It gives them the roadmap and builds up their expectations of what they can look forward to in your content.

8. Where can I get help with writing a short essay?

MyAssignmentHelp.com is your answer. On our website, you’ll find hundreds of short essay examples to use as references. You can also connect with our experts to get help with the following –

• Brainstorming interesting short essay ideas
• Coming up with the first draft of your paper
• Conducting in-depth research into the topic
• Editing and proofreading the final draft

9. How long is a short essay?

A short essay typically ranges from 250 to 750 words. However, it’s not that an essay of 100 words won’t count as short. On that note, even a 1000-word essay is considered short if you recall that academic essays can extend to more than 3000 or 5000 words. The 250 to 750 range is just the average length that students are assigned in most colleges and universities.

10. How many sentences are in a short essay?

It is difficult to specifically ascertain how many sentences there are in any short essay. Usually, the length is measured in words and not sentences. However, here’s an approximation based on a few of our samples –

• 250 words – approx. 20-40 sentences
• 750 words – approx. 70-100 sentences

This approximation is based on the assumption that the average length of a sentence is 10 words.