An essay is a piece of writing that is written to convince someone of something or to simply inform the reader about a particular topic. In order for the reader to be convinced or adequately informed, the essay must include several important components to make it flow in a logical way.

Essay writing is an important part of studying for a degree for three reasons: (1) It increases understanding and helps the process of learning because it pushes you, amongst other things, to clarify and sort out ideas and information, to analyse source material and to exercise critical judgement.

A basic essay consists of three main parts: introduction, body, and conclusion. This basic essay format will help you to write and organize an essay. However, flexibility is important. While keeping this basic essay format in mind, let the topic and specific assignment guide the writing and organization.

The following is a brief description of five qualities of good writing: focus, development, unity, coherence, and correctness. The qualities described here are especially important for academic and expository writing. An essay should have a single clear central idea.