During your student years, you will write numerous essays of different types and on a wide variety of topics. You will be asked to prepare a quality paper based on specific instructions and general academic standards. In this article, we will focus on the latter and will discuss elements and characteristics of a good 1200 word essay.
First of all, you should understand that essay writing is a complicated and high-profile assignment. Therefore, it is to be faced with due responsibility and diligence. Of course, writing a few hundred words seems not a big deal; however, explaining your opinion holistically and logically in a limited number of words is much more difficult. In a good essay, all sentences are connected, and each one adds sense and contributes to the thesis. As a result, to come up with a quality piece, you might need to spend a couple of hours or even days.
The task is not only to inform your reader but also to engage and entertain them. The text must be easy to read and coherent. Therefore, consider using well-structured paragraphs and transitions. Usually, it is difficult to explain your opinion in 1200 words only; therefore, we believe our advice will make the task a bit easier.
How to Write a 1200 Word Essay
Keep writing is the first and the soundest advice. In the stage of the first draft, do not think about the word limit, just note down everything you want to tell the reader. In the future, you will have to review the piece and shorten it; of course, it will take you more time. However, only in this case, you will be able to see a complete picture and choose only the best parts to be included in the final version.
Freewriting is a convenient and beneficial approach. Even if the rough draft is 600 words longer than the limit, you can always get rid of certain sentences and paragraphs. It is much more difficult to add anything new when you already have a logical piece with a well-developed structure. In the next stage, you will easily fit your text in 1200 words and will have only to add connections and proofread your paper before submission.
Developing a Clear Structure
Many students ignore the structure, and it is their main mistake. Your 1200 word essay is not a fiction story but a piece of academic writing and thus should have an attention-grabbing introduction, insightful body paragraphs, and logical conclusion.
How Long Is a 1200 Word Essay?
Obviously, such an essay should contain no less than 1200 words and no more than 1300 words. Words should be distributed between parts in the following manner.
A good introduction (150-200 words):
- Is interesting and catchy;
- Provides background;
- Includes a strong thesis.
A good body (700-900 words)
- Consists of at least three paragraphs;
- Each paragraph has a topic sentence and transitions.
A good conclusion (150-200 words)
- Restates the thesis;
- Lists the main points of discussion;
- Sums up the whole piece.
How Many Pages Is a 1200 Word Essay?
Your professor might ask you to write a 1200-word essay or a five-page essay. Is it the same task? There is no specific answer since the number of words per page depends on a few factors, including the font size, spacing between lines, and page margins.
As a rule, you will be asked to use 12-point font. The font must be readable; therefore, Arial or Times New Roman will be a perfect choice. 1-inch margins on all sides are also a golden standard requested by most educational institutions. In most cases, you will use double spacing. With these parameters, a page will contain approximately 300 words. If you use single spacing, the number of words will reach 600 per page. Therefore, 1200 word essay double-spaced will fit four pages, and the same essay single-spaced will fill only two pages. When you increase the font size, the number of words per page will decrease. All in all, it is always better to count words (most word processors have an automatic tool for this task) than rely on the number of pages only.
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Final Recommendations
As we have already mentioned, to prepare a good essay, you will have to spend a lot of time addressing each detail and polish your paper to make it a worthy piece of writing. With this task, haste is your main enemy. In other words, to succeed, allocate enough time for the assignment. Do not focus on the number of words but on the content. Before submitting the paper, you should proofread your text a few times to ensure that all pieces fit together. It is always better to ask a friend or professor to have a look at your essay and provide feedback. In such a manner, you will be able to fix mistakes or improve weak elements before grading.
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