How to Write a 500 Word Essay

Written by

Nancie Atwell

August 1, 2023

7 min read

It is quite difficult to find a more popular and widespread task than a 500 word essay. It is often assigned at high schools and colleges, and almost every student faces it throughout studies years. It doesn’t have any general direction, so you can show all your potential and fantasy not depending on the subject and topic.

Unfortunately, widespread doesn’t mean easy and many scholars call such a paper catastrophic. However, you shouldn’t panic! It is quite a simple assignment to complete once you get familiar with its demands and peculiarities.

There may be days when you are snowed under other tasks, when you don’t feel like doing anything or you find a topic too boring. In all of these cases or if you simply want to learn how to write a 500 word essay, just go on reading and we will give you the fullest answer!

Many students leave such a task to the last minute, making the most common mistakes: being late with the delivery, copy-pasting samples online, not reading the essay aloud or simply adding too much slang and clichés.

If you want to avoid all of them, here are some of the tips you need to consider to get the highest grades:

• Choose your topic properly. Such an assignment has no topic restrictions, so if your professor does not indicate it, you may feel puzzled, which subject to choose. First, you need to make sure that it is interesting and keeps your inner fire burning. You should start discussing only the matters, which you find engaging and important because you risk losing interest in your essay;
• Research the matter. Once you know what you are going to write about, you need to study sources online or at the library and find credible background for your story. Believe us, your professor will be amazed to see what profound work you have done! However, you need to cite all the sources properly if you insert them into the text;
• Use your own style. The best part of writing is that you are able to use your personal style, provide a unique approach and share your views with the world. However, you need to make your style appropriate for a particular subject. Always provide details, describe everything in bright colors and don’t forget to make your lexis colorful and vivid.
• Make your voice heard. There are thousands of essays delivered on daily basis, so you need to make sure your ideas stand out from the rest and that you can contribute to the audience. Don’t be afraid of making a loud statement or generating brave and unusual ideas;
• Devote enough time to editing and proofreading. Although you may think that eliminating typos and other sorts of errors is not important, they may greatly reduce your final grade. Leave a day or two to read every line several times and correct all types of imperfections;
• Follow the structure. Although such an essay is quite loose, you need to stick to the common pattern to make your paper simple to read;
• Avoid plagiarism. You may feel tempted to use someone else’s words or ideas but modern professors are able to detect copied parts using latest plagiarism software. Even if you use essay samples, try to write your paper on your own.

Now you know what does a 500 word essay look like and you will no longer have to struggle to complete it in the best possible way!

500 Word Essay Example

500 word essays greatly differ in structure, style, and topics, so it may be difficult for a student to understand what their professor expects. In such a situation, examples of essays can become a pure salvation.

You can simply choose a sample, which suites your needs, write down useful tips and common structure, and base your own work on it. In such a way, you will save lots of time and nerves, avoiding a fear of getting started.

500 Word Essay Format

Your 500 words essay is an example of your writing skills, talent and a thorough research, so it is necessary to know its common structure to be able to present yourself in the best light.

The first thing you need to know, apart from a 500 word essay length, is that it requires an outline. It is a skeleton of your future work, where you make a list of all the things you want to include to your paper. In such a way, you get a chance to structure your thoughts and present them in a clear manner.

Your essay should consist of such parts, as:

• Introduction, where you should introduce the reader to the topic, explaining your main ideas. Don’t forget to close this paragraph with a thesis statement, which contains a hook;
• Main paragraphs. Here you need to describe all of your thoughts and evidence, supported by facts. Don’t forget that all of the sources should be properly sited and placed along the text;
• Conclusion. In this section, you need to shape your thoughts into a clear statement, summing every part of your work. Don’t forget to paraphrase your thesis statement and make prognosis for the future. A great idea would be to encourage the reader to dive deeper into the subject and learn more about the topic from various sources.

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How Long is 500 Words Essay

Many students wonder how long is a 500 word essay, what paragraphs it should consist of and what fonts they need to use. Luckily, this assignment is perfect for those, who want to add some individuality to an accepted structure, as you can tailor your work to the common demands.

First, any word processor is able to calculate the number of words for you, so you don’t have to do it manually. For example, if you are using MS Word, the word count is visible in the bottom of the screen, in the left corner. In such a way, you can be sure that you don’t exceed the required amount of words.

However, in most of the cases students have a chance to exceed the length of an essay on around 100 words. You can also make your paper 30-40 words less without a fear of being punished. However, it is always better to consult your teacher and get specific recommendations in your particular situation.

If you decide to use double spaces and a font of 12 pt size, your essay will be around a page and a half long. If you want to reduce it to a single page, you should use single spaces. Try to stick to the widely accepted fonts, like Times New Roman or Arial. In such a way, your audience will concentrate on the plot and not on the visual side of your work.

Once you have chosen a topic for your 500 word paper, you can select the type of your future work. It may be a definition essay, a persuasive or a descriptive one. They all differ depending on the goal you are chasing: to define a term, to persuade the reader or to describe an event or matter from your own life.

Selection of the essay type will greatly influence the structure you will need to use in your work. However, you should always stick to three main parts: introduction, body paragraphs and conclusion.

Remember, this task may not be the most interesting one and it may not show your potential but it is a good basis for your future writing experience, as you may also be asked to write a 1000-word or a 3000-word essay in the future.

Just make sure you select an interesting topic and have enough time in advance to polish your essay! If you have any questions left, don’t hesitate to contact us and we will gladly help you to improve your academic performance.