An opinion essay is a piece that shows the author’s perspective on a specific subject. The author supports their views with relevant examples and reasoning. This kind of essay allows for the writer’s personal response. They feel free to express their feelings on the issue. However, the writer should also explain why they favor that particular view. They need to explain their reasoning logically. So, they should support their point with relevant ideas or facts. In this article, you’ll understand this essay type in greater detail. You’ll also find various on which you can prepare this essay.

Also, read: Common Essay Mistakes Students Make

What is an Opinion Essay?

As a student new to essay writing, you might naturally wonder, what is an opinion essay? It is a writing piece that has questions that allow you to share your views on a specific subject. So, to write it well, you must express your thoughts precisely and give opinions on the subject with proper logic. In some cases, you might require to refer to the claims of the writer. Thus, it makes the whole assignment evidence-based.

In opinion writing, your point of view is segregated into a point. It is then backed by relevant examples. As a writer, you’ll address your reader by stating something like “Dear Readers.” In the opening part, you’ll give a reference to a speech, novel, or play. You will follow it with a rhetorical question. For instance, you can write something like “Are the teachers educated?” Usually, students pursuing the International English Language Testing System and Cambridge Assessment English need to learn how to write an opinion essay. It enhances English language skills and that of communication.

 

How to Write an Opinion Essay?

Students generally wonder about the exact process of writing an opinion piece. They frequently get confused about the way it differs from other types of essays. So, it’s essential for you to know the basics of writing this essay type. The good part is that writing an opinion piece is not very tough. On the contrary, it is easier than other types of essays in which you need to provide counterpoints.

While writing an opinion paper, you don’t have to delve into the advantages and disadvantages when comparing. Rather than that, your entire focus should be on your opinion about the subject. However, many students hesitate in taking a stand. They don’t know what to say or find it tough to make their own argument. But you don’t need to worry about it if what you are saying is grounded in deep research.

Before writing the essay, always choose a topic that engages you and you have strong opinions about it. Many students also find it tough to come up with essay topics. In the following sections, you’ll discover how to create the outline of this essay, format it, and some of the best topics you can explore.

Outline of an opinion writing piece

Creating an outline will make the writing process much easier. It’s because you’ll now have a list of ideas to work with. Thus, you’ll be able to complete your assignment faster. An example of an outline of this essay is as follows.

• Introduction – Here, you should create a thesis statement and give the reasons that back your opinion. It’s best to provide your readers with a hook, so they can engage better.
• The body – You can break the main body into various paragraphs. In these sections, you give your arguments and relevant facts, statements, and examples that support them.
• Conclusion – When you are ending your paper, restate your main thesis. In conclusion, you should also write the primary points of your essay briefly.

Create an outline while you research your topic. When you come across various pieces of evidence, place them where they fit the best. There’s no need to compose the whole essay at once. Just put relevant facts and examples where they make the most sense.

Did you know that a well-prepared outline will finish almost 70 percent of your actual essay work? After you’ve prepared a good outline, all you require to do is just join your main arguments.

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Essential pre-writing tips to ensure you write a great essay

Before composing this essay, you must gather data to support your view. Check that the evidence you gather matches your point of view. Try to answer these questions:

• What questions do you need to respond to in the paper?
• What does my audience want to know?
• What major points should I cover in my writing?
• Are there any inconsistent points?
• Can I enhance a specific argument?

The Format of an Opinion Essay

If you want to know how to write an opinion essay correctly, you must know about the right format. After making the outline, you will have all the facts with you. Now, you will develop the introduction, body, and conclusion part of the essay.

The introduction of this essay describes the path of your writing. So, its primary goal is to make your readers ready to explore your text. After introducing the topic and briefly explaining supporting reasons, you can start writing the body paragraphs. Here you must give evidence for every claim that you make. In the concluding part, you’ll wrap up you’re writing. Put simply, it’s a summary that covers your points and enables the readers to understand them. Here is the format you should follow while writing an opinion piece.

1.    Introduction

In the introductory section, you should present your topic. Here you should mention your opinion on it clearly. Ensure that the introductory para has a thesis statement. It refers to a sentence that presents your main point in brief.

A few techniques to start your essay for addressing the readers include the following:

• You can either directly address the reader.
• Include a direct speech, a quotation, and a sentence from a play or a book.
• Ask your readers a rhetorical question.

2.    Body

In your essay’s main body, you have to give support to your thesis statement. In the main body, write various paragraphs. Each of them should present a different viewpoint supported by facts and reasons.

Begin every section with a topic sentence. It refers to your primary idea that you’ll support with arguments. Don’t just begin a new para because the previous one is too long. Only begin it when you want to introduce a new idea. Pay attention to the following while writing.

• Tense – It’s best to use present tense in an opinion paper.
• Linking words – Use various expressions for providing reasons. For example, ‘One reason for… is,’ ‘I am convinced that….’
• Use formal vocabulary – Avoid using any colloquial expressions or idioms.
• Use formal punctuation – Don’t use unnecessary exclamation marks, contractions, and parenthesis.
• Cite sources – Wherever necessary, you should always cite sources.

3.    Conclusion

In the concluding portion of an opinion essay, you must write a paragraph where you state your opinion. But use different words than what you used earlier. Don’t introduce any new ideas. Make your conclusion engaging by ending with a surprising fact, consequences, or a question.

It’s also important to proofread your entire essay after you complete it. While proofreading, keep the following in mind.

• Grammar – Ensure that you use the same tense throughout your work.
• Vocabulary – See if you are using enough linking words. Also, check for any slang. If there are any, remove them.
• Capitalization and spelling – Capitalize words wherever necessary. Also, ensure that you have spelled all the words correctly.

Don’t present your ideas in a list format. After all, this is an opinion paper, and you should express yourself in paragraphs.

Also read: Essay Format Guidelines That Students Must Learn

Some Examples of Opinion Essay

You can understand more about this kind of essay by going through its examples. When you carefully read the following opinion essay examples, you will become clearer on framing them.

Example 1

The USA is a multi-cultural country wherein many sectors are highly advanced. It includes healthcare and technology. However, some studies, such as the syphilis research analyzed in this paper, demonstrate that it is still trying to surpass racial segregation and social inequality. Discussing these researches leads the topic of research ethics to the surface. More importantly, participants of these studies were not informed correctly about their health status. The study group found how they experienced the symptoms of the ailment till death. There are several conditions that have not been investigated sufficiently. The experience acquired from the research in Tuskegee must be applied to get rid of any likelihood of unethical conduct.

 

Example 2

To effectively combat cyberbullying, it’s essential to understand what it exactly is. After that, its understanding must be imparted to children who can become participants in it. In the USA, cyberbullying can seek legal protection. So, it’s crucial to find harassment cases. To this end, it’s the duty of teachers and parents to cooperate. They should develop trustworthy relationships, so the child can open up to them for help. It is why a greater level of emotional support from friends and parents is vital to combat bullying even before it happens.

Some Good Topics on Which to Write an Opinion Essay

You must pick an exciting theme. It should be one that you are passionate about learning. Otherwise, you will find the writing process becoming boring. Fortunately, selecting a good theme is very simple. After you understand how to create an outline and structure of this essay, you can explore the various opinion essay topics. Here are some areas you can study about.

• How do sports differ from an average board game?
• What are the reasons for being honest with our friends?
• Should people be entitled to a four-day working week?
• Is it necessary for everyone to become a vegetarian?
• Should teenagers not be allowed to have sleepovers?
• Is it necessary for every person to vote for their leader?
• Should animals be used in circus performances?
• The positives and negatives of daylight saving hours.
• Which are the most energy-efficient vehicles of 2019?

Mistakes to Avoid While Composing an Opinion Essay

Students often commit some common mistakes while creating an opinion piece. So, you need to become aware of them to avoid making them.

• Don’t mention your opinion till it’s necessary if it’s not the focal point of a particular essay. Don’t express your personal anecdotes without giving relevant supporting evidence to your claims.
• Do not state the obvious when you need to state why a particular thing is immoral or moral. Rather than that, put necessary examples to establish your point and provide more clarity. It will help the reader to better know exactly what you want to convey throughout your opinion work.
• Don’t use any unnecessary abbreviations. If you really want to use abbreviations, explain them properly. Otherwise, your readers will not understand your point of view.
• Never address your audience as ‘You.’
• Avoid repeating arguments. In case you have a few facts that are similar, group them into one argument.
• Stay away from overgeneralizations.
• Avoid using emotive language. It refers to the language where you deliberately use words to elicit emotions. You should use this type of writing in an academic opinion essay.
• Ensure that you are making any grammatical mistakes. Although a few teachers can allow for some minor errors, it’s best to read your work thoroughly before submitting it. It will ensure that it is free of grammar errors. If you need additional help making an opinion piece, seek expert assignment help services.

Final Words

Go through the article at least two times so you can understand well how to write an excellent opinion essay. Using the tips in this post, you’ll become efficient at creating some of the most high-quality papers. Still, if you get stuck in any area, reach out to professional academic help services. The expert writers will help you to prepare a remarkable essay.

Also read: Write an Impressive Essay