How to Create an Outline for an Essay Test

For many people, essay writing is a nightmare. Just the thought of dissecting a topic on paper sends a chill up people's spines. While there is no cure-all for essay writing, one exercise can help you create a stronger essay. Learning how to outline is the best way for you to prepare yourself to craft a well-prepared, understandable essay.

Instructions

1. Think about the topic of your essay. Depending on how much time you have to write your essay you will want to spend at the very least a few minutes brainstorming on the topic. Simply write down everything you can think about on a piece of paper. Hopefully, if you are knowledgeable about the subject, you will make connections.

2. Begin your outline by creating a topic sentence. This will be a single sentence that will encapsulate the entire essay. This normally will be read first, so it will take a great deal of thought. Write the topic sentence at the top of your paper as number one and make any important notes to yourself under this space.

3. Create separate entries for your support of this topic sentence. The basic framework of an essay is a declarative first paragraph where you state your case and supporting paragraphs where you show the reader what you proposed in the beginning. Create new, smaller headings for these ideas.

4. Feel free to make sub-headings under your various support statements. Many times this is necessary to describe bigger concepts that are crucial to the subject matter.

5. Conclude your outline and your essay with a closing statement. This will tie together your opening statement and your support in the body of the essay.