How to Write a Compare and Contrast Essay – A Guide for Students

Students who are interested in learning how to write a compare and contrast essay, must first understand that writing this kind of essay requires research, note taking, and a pretty major time commitment. Fortunately, there are ways to break this process down into manageable steps that make writing this type of essay a little easier. Let us walk through each task that can lead to an excellent compare and contrast essay.

The Compare and Contrast Essay Outline

The most efficient way to begin the process is by writing an outline. It is usually best to begin by listing the attributes of each topic (the ones to be compared and contrasted with one another). Once that is done, the writer can begin identifying points of similarity and contrast. This information can be organized in an outline so that it is easily used later.

Determining the Compare and Contrast Essay Format

It is very important for students who are writing a compare and contrast essay to determine how the body of their essay will be sequenced and formatted. There are several options to choose. These include:

• Comparing and contrasting elements in each paragraph
• Alternating between comparing and contrasting
• Sticking with either comparing or contrasting, but not both

This is a challenging decision to make, but most students will fare well if they consider the best way for them to deliver well thought out information to the reader.

Writing the Compare and Contrast Essay Introduction

This is an extremely part of any essay, and the compare and contrast essay is no exception. The introduction must entice the reader to keep reading. It must include a well written thesis statement, and introduce readers, instructors, and peers to the concepts that will be covered in the body of the essay. It is often a good idea to find a compare and contrast essay introduction example to use as a reference.

Writing the Compare and Contrast Essay Conclusion

The conclusion paragraph of any essay is often where a student receives the most deductions from their grade. This is because the conclusion must be as well written as the rest of the essay. Here are a few tips about writing an excellent concluding paragraph:

• Avoid phrases such as ‘finally’ or ‘in conclusion’. Your readers know where your last paragraph is located.
• Use the introductory paragraph to set the stage. Use the concluding paragraph to grab the attention of the readers.
• The conclusion paragraph is a great place to suggest points of common ground or to suggest  which improvements can be made.

As a Final Note, Here is how we Define a Compare and Contrast essay

We define this as an essay assignment that requires students to write papers expanding on how two subjects are different and they are similar to one another. This essay can include only comparison, only contrast, or a combination of both. If students require additional help with compare and contrast essay assignments, we encourage them to explore the essay writing services of Pro Custom Writing.