If you are reading this article, then you have probably procrastinated for a long time and now realize your deadline is coming up. Most us know how hard getting to work might be and how your paper due date often feels so far away.
But suddenly the thought of the day X hits you, and your hands start sweating because you have so little time to do everything your teacher or professor expects you to do.
Two Options
You can still sit and wait for a fairy to come and complete your assignment for you, or you can quickly read our useful tips and get your work done – even if an hour is all you are left with.
1 — Get Professional Help
Magic indeed exists! We have fairies – often referred to as writers – working on our team, who are more than happy to help you with our essay writing service, and can hand a paper over to you within a short period.
2 — Write on Your Own
If the topic doesn’t seem too difficult for you, you can knock it out by yourself in an hour with the useful tips we have written below.
So, how to complete a one-page essay in one hour?
Step 1 – Avoid Distractions
Okay, so you’ve already procrastinated enough. That’s why it’s time to focus, no matter how hard it is for you. Turn off your TV, phone and close all the tabs with videos of dancing kittens. It’s time to start!
We also recommend turning off music. However, if you feel it helps you to focus, keep it at a low volume. If you like to listen to music while studying, it’s better to choose music without lyrics, as lyrics tend to distract our thoughts.
A note: Classical music or sounds of nature are the best background music for productive writing.
Avoid chatting with your friends on the phone and don’t take calls. You can get back to them after you have finished your work. For now, just leave your phone muted in another room.
Step 2 – Set the Right Atmosphere
Now it’s time to clean your space and find the most suitable place for you to work. Some students love to study while lying in bed or sitting in the window sill. Find the most comfortable position for you.
Some students say that scented candles can boost your productivity and concentration. For example, to wake up your brain, and start writing your essay, use scents like:
- Lemon
- Peppermint
- Cinnamon
- Jasmine
How to focus more?
If you’re sitting at your desk, free it of textbooks, and unwashed dishes. Messes lead to chaotic thinking. Organized spaces organize thinking.
Step 3 – Make Sure You Understand the Topic
This might seem obvious, but you should start writing your essay from the beginning around the question or a problem to be discussed in it.
Many essays have failed just because students misunderstood the given topic, and went off from what they should have been saying about it.
You don’t want to fail this way, right?
That’s why you have to read questions attentively and think through the general direction of your work.
Even an urgent essay requires some groundwork and preparation. Start searching for the right material and sources that will help you to understand what your professor teacher is expecting. Often topics are written in a confusing manner, and sometimes even a single word can completely change the whole direction of your answer.
A note: Be attentive to details and find a few different sources to compare given information.
Step 4 – Develop a Thesis Statement
A thesis statement is basically the answer to the essay. It is a quick summary of your essay that has been shortened down into a single sentence in your introductory paragraph. Usually, thesis statements are hard to come up with, especially for those students who don’t know how to write it well.
A thesis is a statement about what you wish to say in your academic paper. It tells your reader what they should expect to take away from it.
For example, if your essay theme is: The Influence of Napoleon Bonaparte on Warfare, Culture, and Politics.
Your thesis statement might be:
Although Napoleon Bonaparte was often called “an enlightened despot” he made a significant input in many spheres of life by spreading metric system, reforming French laws and promoting a movable type of warfare.
Need examples?
Take a look at our essay examples to understand how to create accurate and informative thesis statements.
Step 5 – Create an Outline
For now, you should have next to you all your necessary materials and a clear understanding of what your essay should be about. Now it’s time to start planning your essay.
A rough outline is the basis of your essay. Any piece of academic writing goes through developing an outline and building your work around it.
The standard plan for 5-paragraph essays looks something like this:
- Introduction: the starting point (a quote/statistics/question,) thesis, and transition.
- Three body paragraphs: with examples, explanations, and thoughts.
- The final conclusion: thesis restatement, summary, and closure.
Let’s take a look at the same topic as in our previous example. Here, the essay outline about Napoleon Bonaparte’s influence on different spheres of life would be:
- Introduction with thesis statement included.
- Body paragraph #1: legal reforms, and the Civil Code – both of its positive and negative impacts.
- Body paragraph #2: metric system spreading; making the Louvre into an imperial art gallery.
- Body paragraph #3: changes in warfare, fast marches, effective usage of mobile reserve batteries.
- Conclusion.
Attention: This was an example of a rough outline. If you have more than an hour, it’s better to create a more extended outline. The more effort you put in your outline, the less time you will spend tailoring your essay.
As you have already planned your essay and thought it through, this step won’t be difficult for you:
- Make short notes or bullet points on each paragraph.
- Make sure you have enough examples or data to support your statements.
- Reread it again.
Think about what kind of hook to begin your essay with. Even a one-page essay should catch the attention of the reader within the first few words. It should also convince others to continue reading your paper by using interesting facts or anecdotes (where appropriate).
Teacher’s advice: Many high school teachers admit that by the end of the first paragraph, they can tell whether or not an essay is good. So, do your best to write a compelling essay worth an A.
Step 6 – Write Your Paragraphs
If you followed all the previous steps, the rest of your paper shouldn’t take more than twenty minutes. Follow your outline and check the sources from which you pool your information, examples, facts, and statistics.
Every one of your body paragraphs should be written in the following scheme:
- Start with the topic sentence that defines the paragraph and helps the rest of the text shine.
- Explain this sentence.
- Give one or several examples.
- Explain the examples.
- Make your transition to the next paragraph.
While writing your paragraphs, stick to these simple and effective rules:
- Use clear and simple language.
- Create a catchy and compelling introduction.
- In body paragraphs, focus your text on facts.
- Pay attention to your conclusion — it must summarize the whole essay, be brief, concise, contain all your facts, and restate your thesis.
A pro tip: Write the middle of your essay first, before writing your introduction and conclusion. It will be easier for you to follow this logical flow, while not missing any important information.
Step 7 – Edit and Proofread
This is a significant step; insufficient concentration while editing and proofreading – or even skipping it – can lead to low grades. Every paper you write should be thoroughly checked for any grammatical errors in punctuation, and edited according to the standards of your learning institution.
Many students underestimate the importance of proofreading. And as such, they tend to hand in lackluster papers, despite the great information they might contain.
- Read the whole text — including the title page and headings.
- Run your text through grammar-checking software, like: Grammarly.
- Make sure to follow the guidelines provided by your teacher or professor.
Don’t feel sorry for the time you spend on this step, as it might let you avoid pitiful mistakes, and increase your chances of receiving a higher grade. Moreover, it will probably take you no more than 5-10 minutes.
Do you want to get help from a professional editor?
You can ask our writing team to help you with editing and proofreading your essay. It is a convenient option that will come in handy if you’re not sure about grammar, punctuation or word choice in your essay. You can send your request here.
Checklist
We’ve made a brief checklist for you. Follow these points and you won’t forget any of the essential components of your essay.
Introduction
- Did you start with a catchy sentence, a quote, statistics, an interesting fact or an anecdote?
- Did you fall into details, when your text was meant to provide further explanation?
- Did you choose a thesis statement, which you have significant material to support?
Main Body
- Do each of your paragraphs start with a controlling idea?
- Is each of your claims supported by concrete evidence?
- Do your paragraphs end with transitional sentences?
- Is your strongest evidence in the first paragraph of your body?
Conclusion
- Did you restate your thesis?
- Did you explain your findings?
- Did you end with a strong point, suggestion, quote, or rhetorical question?
General
Do you have everything done? Don’t forget a few finishing touches:
- Run your essay through the plagiarism checking software to make sure it is unique and satisfies the requirements of your learning institution.
- Print your paper or send it directly to your teacher or professor.
- Hand it in on time.
- And rest because you deserved it.
Plagiarism checking is an important step, as your learning institution might also do this check to confirm if you didn’t copy your work from an outside source.
So, these were our tips for anyone asking “How to write an essay in one hour?”
We hope these tips are useful for you, and that they will help you to write your essay on time. However, if you feel uncertain about your time-management skills, or the motivation to get up and work on your essay, consider the option of getting help with writing your essay. You can order essays on any topic you need, and receive them as fast as you need.
Wrapping Up
We know that forcing yourself to start working on your assignment is the hardest part of this process. However, once you have started, you can complete it in just one hour by using our helpful tips.
Don’t procrastinate, and good luck!
Karen Palmer
