Video summary

Redacta un Ensayo en 3 sencillos pasos

Main summary

Key takeaways

Educational

Main ideas and lessons

  • The video teaches how to write an essay and emphasizes that a good essay depends on clear scope, research, and structured sections.
  • An essay is defined as a text where a topic is analyzed, interpreted, or evaluated briefly.
  • To make an essay “perfect,” the writer should focus first on good research and then narrowing the topic—especially when the topic is broad (e.g., “love”).
  • Essays should be clearly structured into three core parts: introduction, development (body), and conclusion—even though each part may contain more than one paragraph.

Methodology / steps for writing the essay

1) Do good research and narrow the topic

  • Conduct good research on the topic.
  • If the teacher gives you freedom:
    • Choose a narrow topic, because the teacher likely wants to evaluate your writing ability.
  • If the teacher provides a topic:
    • Do not broaden it.
    • Example guidance: if the topic is “love,” don’t try to cover everything (e.g., love for family, animals, etc.) because it becomes too broad.
    • Instead, select a specific angle (e.g., love for a particular group or theme) so you don’t get lost while writing.

2) Structure the essay into the required sections

An essay has three main parts:

  • Introduction
  • Development / Body
  • Conclusion

Each part can have multiple paragraphs, but the key is that the content matches its purpose.

Introduction (how to write it)

  • Keep it generally short, depending on the scope.
  • Purpose:
    • Introduce the topic to the reader.
    • If needed, inform what has already been said about the topic.
  • Include the hypothesis (the central idea you will clarify or support):
    • The hypothesis is described as the “seed” of the essay and must be established early.
  • Specifically include:
    • The topic
    • The social and cultural context
    • The objective of the essay (the word “objective” is not required, but the goal must be stated clearly)
    • Background information
  • Support with research:
    • Mention that other authors have discussed the topic.
    • Identify which other authors addressed it and why.
    • This shows the issue matters to others and strengthens your essay.

Development (body) (how to write it)

The development/body is:

  • The largest portion of the essay.
  • Where you present arguments that clarify and support the hypothesis.

Requirements:

  • Use academic rigor.
  • Include the critical apparatus, such as:
    • citations
    • notes
    • references

Purpose of the critical apparatus:

  • Ensure the arguments are credible and not “made up.”
  • Show that claims are supported by research and other sources.

To strengthen the arguments, include:

  • What you researched
  • Who you consulted or asked
  • If applicable, whether you conducted surveys
  • Data presentation such as graphs or tables, if relevant, to support your conclusions

Conclusion (how to write it)

  • The conclusion is the final part of the essay.
  • It has two parts:
    1. Recap
      • Briefly summarize the main lines of argument.
      • Reference the hypotheses mentioned earlier.
    2. Reflection / final resolution
      • Provide your point of view and/or final answer regarding the topic.
  • Emphasis:
    • Because the essay is “yours,” after writing the introduction and development, you should create a conclusion that reflects your own interpretation.

Speakers / sources featured

  • Professor Monica (speaker)

Original video