How to Write a Critical Thinking Essay? Prep, Structure and Tips
A critical essay is a piece of writing in which the author freely expresses his or her thoughts on a given topic. The critical essay should be a text in which well-structured and well-argued personal reflections on a topic are presented. The aim is not that the reader agrees with what the author says (for example, about a book) but that he/she can read in the text the care and mental skill with which he/she has elaborated their ideas and approaches.
Preparation for critical thinking essay writing
Before you start writing an critical thinking essay you need to think well about the topic you want to write about, and you need to research the issue well and do some analysis in that area. For those students who need a hand from experts, there is a critical thinking essay writing service that will be able to help you research and analyze the topic well before writing your critical thinking paper. It may seem like a complicated way of writing when it comes to writing a critical essay, but rest assured, it is easy.
Below are step-by-step guidelines for writing a well-structured critical essay that captivates the target audience.
1. Think about the topic of your critical thinking essay
No matter how well-structured your critical thinking essay is, the main topic has to be developed clearly. It does not only matter how well your words are written, but also think about your target audience and write for them.
2. Analyse the subject matter
Take advantage of reliable sources on the internet to get good information to write your essay. You can also get information from a library. This way, you will have a critical thinking essay based on accurate and complete information.
3. Take a look at other critical thinking essays that have been written on your topic.
A good practice is to review essays written by experts on the topic you are working on to help you get inspired and create a critical thinking essay in your style.
4. Focus on the main topic.
A topic can be covered broadly and lead to other aspects that stray from the main topic. Therefore, it is advisable for every student to focus on the topic of the essay without getting sidetracked into similar issues that will make the reader lose the thread.
Focusing on the main topic clearly and concisely without filling in the text is the best way to write an excellent critical thinking essay.
5 Take care of grammar
Once the essay is finished, reread the whole text to correct grammatical errors.
6. Write short paragraphs
It is recommended to write short paragraphs that help comprehension and make reading easier.
7. Reflect on the topic of the critical thinking essay
As a final point, the critical thinking essay has to reflect on the topic that helps to create new points of view and make the reader think, make a critical analysis that allows them to think.
Characteristics of critical thinking essay
The critical essay has its own characteristics that need to be taken into account when writing an critical thinking essay:
- A free and personal style; what is essential to this type of essay is the writer’s mark, his or her thinking with regard to the subject it deals with.
- A series of elaborated arguments and not simply opinions.
- A series of bibliographical quotations if the author considers it relevant to demonstrate his point of view by drawing on what others have already said on the subject. These are used to complement the approach but are not always necessary.
- A free subject matter; critical essays are concerned with social, cultural, economic, etc.
- A free but coherent form and length.
It should be emphasized that the essay’s structure is as per the absolute writer’s choice in both language and format. However, the classic essay form (introduction, development, and conclusion) can be used to write it.
How to start your introduction?
The introduction should have a brief description of the topic to be discussed. The opening statement should be precise and straight to the point but long enough to let the target audience know what area of focus you are addressing.
The following are top tips for writing a compelling thesis statement:
- Be clear with your description
- Avoid repetition
- Embed the thesis statement in the last sentence of your introduction.
- Always specify your work and deliver a description of the central purpose of the paper
What about the body?
This is the actual content of the text, where the student makes the central statement of the subject and establishes his position on it. To do this, he/she usually makes use of what has been referred to by other authors through quotations that will later allow him/her to argue his/her point of view.
The development of an essay can be long or short, this will vary according to the subject matter, but especially according to the author’s style, there are those who write extensively and others who develop their ideas in a short space.
In the development of the essay, the author’s ideas, both for and against the topic, are presented. Finally, all reasons are argued so that the author himself can question them.
A characteristic of the essay is that it challenges the reader and has the capacity to make him/her question what he/she reads and even raise questions about the subject so that he/she can give an opinion in favor of the author’s thesis.
How to write a conclusion?
Conclusions are not only a summary or synthesis of what has already been said but should also be fertile ground for reflection for the readers.
The thesis that the author developed in the body of the essay should, by now, have been made clear and proven. It also has to be supported by the information provided. This is the right way to conclude things in the paper.
For a short essay the conclusion should be brief; for a longer and more elaborate essay, it is worthwhile to take up point by point the arguments that were presented, taking care not to be repetitive or to detract from the dynamic of the text.
Ready to write a critical thinking essay?
To sum up, writing critical essays enables you to develop critical thinking skills, including close reading, analysis, academic writing skills, reference book research and editing.
Grasping these skills will help you conduct a scientific conversation and enable you to communicate and think more productively.
