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Length of essays - 9th grade?

regentrude

By regentrude , September 10, 2010 in High School and Self-Education Board

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We are doing Great Books and DD is writing literature analysis essays on topics related to the books (not research papers).

What length (word count) would you expect from a 9th grader?

Thanks - English is the one subject where I have no good feeling for expectations (I am not a native speaker and did not go through the US educational system.)

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Hmm.I don't think I would concentrate so much on word count as content.Things I would focus on

Having a strong thesis statement

Having examples (at least two) from the book.

Structure of essay- each paragraph states a point that supports my thesis and all sentences apply to that point (probably require 2-4 paragraphs) And an introductory paragraph and concluding paragraph

Pam L in Mid Tenn

I'm not into word count but quality count. :)

That said, I expect my high schoolers to write 2 to 3 pages for most writting assignments. (single spaced.... although my dd18's college papers are to be double spaced).

I go easy on the first paper. In fact, most "first" assignments this year will not be graded. I will use them to demonstrate expectations for the remaining papers.

From Ms. Bauer's writing overview pdf file she suggests 2 one-page pursuasive papers per week in history, lit, or science. and two 4 -8 page research papers for a 9th grader.

Things I would focus on   Having a strong thesis statement   Having examples (at least two) from the book.   Structure of essay- each paragraph states a point that supports my thesis and all sentences apply to that point (probably require 2-4 paragraphs) And an introductory paragraph and concluding paragraph

Thanks- I know about the basic structure of the persuasive essay, but I am wondering whether there really is only one kind, since most writing instruction I have seen focuses on this sort.

Right now DD is working on an essay about the use of epithets in Homer's Iliad. However, it is not intended to be a persuasive essay: she does not argue a thesis that can be right or wrong. She examines the recurrence of epithets, their function, where certain characteristics of persons come from, how it can be used to fix the meter - but it is more explanatory about a specific stylistic tool.

These may be dumb questions; however, in my home country the writing education was not as formulaic as in the US. I have never in my life written a 5 paragraph essay (I did not know such a thing existed until I started homeschooling) - even though I'm not an uneducated person. We certainly wrote theses essays, but we also wrote a lot of other stuff and the rules were never this rigid. - Just so you can understand why I am asking this stuff.

Thanks for all the help.

My dd just finished her first 5-paragraph essay for this year (9th). We started out "easy" (I'm NOT a good writer, so, sad to say, her writing experience hasn't been very strong), with a 350 word essay. From here on out they'll get longer/more in depth. The quality goes without saying. It's definitely required! But, for her, the length of what she had to write was important to know, so that's what we did. I know it's not long, but it was a great learning experience for her, so we're happy with it! :D

Thanks- I know about the basic structure of the persuasive essay, but I am wondering whether there really is only one kind, since most writing instruction I have seen focuses on this sort. Right now DD is working on an essay about the use of epithets in Homer's Iliad. However, it is not intended to be a persuasive essay: she does not argue a thesis that can be right or wrong. She examines the recurrence of epithets, their function, where certain characteristics of persons come from, how it can be used to fix the meter - but it is more explanatory about a specific stylistic tool.   These may be dumb questions; however, in my home country the writing education was not as formulaic as in the US. I have never in my life written a 5 paragraph essay (I did not know such a thing existed until I started homeschooling) - even though I'm not an uneducated person. We certainly wrote theses essays, but we also wrote a lot of other stuff and the rules were never this rigid. - Just so you can understand why I am asking this stuff.   Thanks for all the help.

Oh, I hope I didn't say something that made you think it was a dumb question. It was a very good question. If you wanted to say a specific amount I would say the essay you described would take 2 pages. But I would also focus on making sure she answered the questions completely.

I posted this almost a year ago. Perhaps some of it will help. Btw- Dd is now in her last year of undergrad school. She graduates in May as a Poli-Sci major. Her plan is to begin grad school next year and then do her PhD. She wants to teach college students.

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=139634

Guest

Thanks- I know about the basic structure of the persuasive essay, but I am wondering whether there really is only one kind, since most writing instruction I have seen focuses on this sort.   I have never in my life written a 5 paragraph essay (I did not know such a thing existed until I started homeschooling) - even though I'm not an uneducated person. We certainly wrote theses essays, but we also wrote a lot of other stuff and the rules were never this rigid. - Just so you can understand why I am asking this stuff.    

The five paragraph essay evolved as a pedagogical tool for teachers who had not had instruction on how to teach writing, and were not confident writers themselves. It also evolved hand in hand with the essay components of the SAT and similar tests. The nearly exclusive emphasis on this format in US schools is unfortunate, because it has shifted from being one tool, one approach, to being just about the only way many kids are taught -- not only to write, but to think about writing. And that is very limiting.

You might look at some college composition textbooks to get an idea of how other forms of essay writing are taught at the freshman level. Then you can play with these and adjust them for your daughter's age and schedule constraints.

Other things I've found useful include the freshman writing page on the University of Chicago's website, and the New York Times's educational section, which includes a number of examples of different kinds of essays that have appeared in the paper and lesson plans to go along with them.

I'll try to find and post these sites again, but I tend to lose my own post while searching -- so I'll do this first and then do the sites separately.

Another wonderful resource is the series put out each year: Best Essays of 2009 (or whatever year it happens to be). I also have Best Non-Fiction Writing of _____. Both have many very different examples of structure, form, style, etc.

A long time ago it seems to me I came across a lovely article called something like Reclaiming the Exploratory Essay... I'll have a look for that one, too. I kept it for years and loved it, but have no clue where it is now.

http://writing.program.uchicago.edu/resources/collegewriting

http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/08

If this link doesn't work (I just can't figure out the Times links), you can google the title: "Ten Ways to Develop Expository Writing Skills with the New York Times"

These two resources are wonderful.

And this may, or may not, be the article I remember:

Thomas Newkirk, Critical Thinking and Writing: Reclaiming the Essay

Eric ED 309457

Thank you so much for the help.

If anybody else is interested in the link: the address of the U Chicago writing program has changed a bit:

http://writing-program.uchicago.edu/resources/collegewriting/index.htm

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How Many Words Should Your Essay Have for Grading High?

How many words are in an essay?

This question bothers all students, whether in middle school or college. Two reasons:

They don’t have word count guidelines to know how long their essay should be to grade high. Or, they struggle with the word limit within a paper and wonder if they can go under the suggested length.

The essay length varies, depending on many factors: subject, purpose, and academic level. Essays are usually shorter than dissertations or research papers. The thesis is the longest one.

In this article, I’ll answer two popular questions: How long is an essay? How many paragraphs are in an essay?

Also, let’s learn how long each essay part is and if it’s okay to go beyond or under the suggested length.

How Long is an Essay, Depending on the Type?

High-school350-1,000Students learn to write standard 5-paragraph essays with an intro, core, and conclusion.
College admission250-650These are concise texts, with a word limit prescribed by admission officers. Applicants write essays expressing their motives to enter a particular college.
Undergraduate1,500-5,000The length depends on several factors: subject, paper type, and purpose.
Graduate admission500-1,000Like admission essays, these are statements about achievements and motivations to continue learning.
Graduate2,500-6,000These are enhanced research papers with more complex structures. You write them to prove your Bachelor’s or Master’s degrees.

The above rules are average. They may vary at different educational institutions. It stands to reason that elementary-level students write short essays. And their papers get longer in their middle 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th grades, etc.

Often, there’s no exact word number or page count for academic papers. Guidelines usually prescribe a supposed range: 500-850 words, 5-7 pages, and so on. When in doubt, you can ask your instructor.

How Many Paragraphs is an Essay? 6 Main Lengths

You won’t find any rule prescribing a set number of paragraphs for an essay. Five-paragraph essays are a standard, but it doesn’t mean ALL papers should follow it.

Each essay consists of three parts:

  • Introduction . Often, it’s one paragraph introducing your topic and thesis to readers. When writing complex papers like dissertations, your intro section can be 2-3 paragraphs.
  • Body. It’s a core section discussing the topic in detail. The number of paragraphs here depends on your paper’s type and complexity. This part is 1-4 paragraphs unless you write extended research papers.
  • Conclusion. Like intros, this section is often one paragraph summarizing the essay.

Below, I’ll cover the six main lengths to show how to balance a word count in essays.

One-paragraph essays

150-200Aimed at practicing the concepts of paragraph writing. It can be a summary or an extended definition. Common for elementary and middle school students.

Three-paragraph papers

500
– Intro paragraph = 25%
– Body paragraph = 50%
– Concluding paragraph = 25%

Assigned to practice cohesive and logical writing with introduction, body, and conclusion. The body section is the longest one here.

Five-paragraph essays

1,000
– Intro = 100-200
– Body paragraph 1 = 150-250
– Body paragraph 2 = 150-250
– Body paragraph 3 = 150-250
– Conclusion = 100-150

It’s a standard essay structure for high school students learning to build arguments. Most types of fall into this category.

Extended papers

1,500; 3,000; 5,000
– Check the guidelines
+/- 10% of the prescribed length allowed

Assigned in college to undergraduates getting their Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. Such papers need deep research and may be of a more complex structure.

Dissertation

10,000; 15,000
Paragraph length by section, in % of the total length:

– Abstract – 5%
– Intro – 10%
– Literature review – 25%
– Methodology – 15%
– Result – 20%
– Discussion – 15%
– Conclusion – 10%

It’s a final project for Bachelor’s and Master’s to prove they’re worth their degree. Dissertations have a complex structure and need original research.
40,000-60,000
Paragraph length by section, in % of the total length:

– Abstract – 5%
– Intro – 10%
– Literature review – 25%
– Methodology – 15%
– Result – 20%
– Discussion – 15%
– Conclusion – 10%

Assigned to doctoral students getting PhDs. Its structure is as complex as a dissertation but with more details. The focus is on the research and data analysis.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Is essay length important.

Yes, it is. Prescribing a length, instructors understand if you can organize thoughts and arguments. An essay of 1,000 words requires more research and effort than a 350-word paper, agree? The specified length also helps you understand how complex your work should be to grade high. Longer essays teach you to write cohesive texts, choose arguments, and think critically.

Don’t write essays for the sake of count. Quality matters, so please focus on arguments, evidence, and analysis. Avoid placing too many transitions, generic words, and lengthy expressions. Make your every word and sentence count.

How many words are in an essay sample?

350 words at least.

It depends on the essay type you write. Thus, a high school essay sample will be 350 words at least. If you need a college application essay, consider personal papers of 250-650 words. Check essay samples of 800-1,000 words if you need a standard college paper. More complex works like graduate school essays or dissertations will be 3,000+ words.

How long is each part of an essay?

Stick to the 80/20 rule when calculating the length of each essay part. An essay body is the core section of academic papers: Make it 80% of the text. The remaining 20% goes to an introduction and a conclusion.

Say you write a 1,000-word essay. It means you will have 800 words in the body; 100 words go to the introduction and 100 words — for a concluding paragraph. You can go 10% below or above the prescribed limit. (Unless your instructor sets specific limitations.)

How many sentences are in an essay?

21-34 sentences for a standard 5-paragraph essay.

It depends on your essay type and the required word count. I’ll take a standard 5-paragraph college paper as an example:

You have one introductory paragraph, which is 3-5 sentences average. Other 3-5 sentences go to your conclusion. The body consists of three sections, 5-8 sentences each (1). So, here we have it: 21-34 sentences in an essay.

How many words are in an essay introduction?

Take 10-15% of the total length required. Thus, if you need to write a 1,000-word essay, your introduction will be 100-150 words.

For advanced research papers, where intros are longer than one paragraph, stick to 100-150 words per paragraph average. Such texts are usually above 3,000 words, so you’ll follow the 80/20 rule anyway.

Can I go under the suggested length?

It’s not advisable. Please do your best to meet the minimum word count given in the assignment. If the guidelines say “350-600 words,” write at least 350 words in an essay. Sometimes, a 10% deviation is acceptable, but don’t take this rule for granted. Most instructors won’t appreciate your 315-word paper if they ask you to write 350 words at least.

How to make your essay longer?

  • Add more examples and evidence to the body paragraphs. 
  • Explain and analyze every argument in detail. 
  • Mention counterarguments if applicable.

Can I make my essay longer?

Yes, you can exceed the word limit by 10% if allowed by your course instructor. For example, if you get an assignment of 500-700 words, it’s okay to submit a 770-word essay for a review.

Important! Always ask your instructor if the 10% rule is available in their course. And exceed the word count only if you have critical information to add.

Academic writing is all about rules and instructions. Essay length isn’t an exception:

Every college paper has a prescribed, approximate word count to follow. When asking, “How long is an essay?” remember the answer will depend on several factors:

  • Academic level. (Middle and high school students write short essays. Undergraduates and graduates craft longer and more complex papers.)
  • Type and purpose. (Research-based essays are longer than reflective stories you write for college admission officers.)
  • Instructions you get from a teacher. (Check them: The supposed essay length is often there.)

How many words are in an essay? You can answer this question now.

References:

  • https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/paragraphs_and_paragraphing/paragraphing.html  
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  • Essay writing
  • Writing tips

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9th grade essay word count

How Long Should Your College Essay Be? What Is the Ideal Length?

What’s covered: , personal statement length vs. supplemental essay length, are college essay word limits hard, what if a college essay word count isn’t given, what if you need to submit a graded paper, where to get your essays edited.

Students often spend hours agonizing over the best topics for their college essays. While it’s natural to wonder whether your personal statement is original or compelling enough, there’s one aspect of the process that shouldn’t cause you undue stress—how many words should a college essay be? Fortunately, with a little research, you can uncover the ideal college essay length for all your applications.

Unlike high school assignments, which typically have a strict page requirement, most colleges provide a word limit or word range for their application essays. This practice helps ensure that essays are the same length regardless of font or formatting. A good guideline is that students should strive to get as close as possible to the upper limit of the word range without exceeding it. Keep reading to learn more about best practices for college essay length.

How many words should a college essay be? Personal statements are generally 500-650 words. For example, the Common Application , which can be used to apply to more than 800 colleges, requires an essay ranging from 250-650 words . Similarly, the Coalition Application , which has 150 member schools, features an essay with a recommended length of 500-650 words.

650 words is the most common limit for your personal statement, but some schools may ask students to write more or less. For example, ApplyTexas , a platform used to apply to Texas public universities and other select colleges, requests essays with requirements that vary by school. For example, students applying to UT Austin will need to submit an essay of 500-700 words, along with three short-answer questions of 250-300 words each.

On the other hand, the University of California (UC) application includes a Personal Insight section with eight prompts . Students are asked to respond to any four of these prompts, with each response topping out at 350 words.

Additionally, some schools request a few supplemental essays, which are typically shorter than a personal statement. These questions are designed to gain more information about a student’s interests and abilities, and may include topics like your reasons for wanting to attend their school, your desired major, or your favorite activity.

Most schools require 1-3 supplemental essays, though some may require more or none at all (see our list of top colleges without supplemental essays ). These essays tend to be around 250 words, but some may be just as long as your main essay. For example, Cornell requires applicants to write a second supplemental essay (of 650 words max) that is specific to the program they’re applying to. The exception to this is the Cornell College of Engineering, for which applicants are required to compose two supplemental essays of 250 words max each.

For best results, keep your essays within the word range provided. While you don’t have to hit the count exactly, you should aim to stay within a 10% difference of the upper limit—without including fluff or filler. For example, if the school requests 500 words, try to ensure that your essay is between 450 and 500 words.

For the Common App, try to stay within 550-650 words, even though the given range is 250-650. Any submission shorter than 500 words will make it look as though you simply didn’t care enough to give your best effort. An essay shorter than 500 words won’t be long enough to truly share who you are and what matters to you.

Exceeding the word count isn’t an option—the application portal cuts off anything over the maximum number of allowed words. This is something you want to be particularly careful of if you’re drafting your essay in a Word or Google document and pasting it into the application.

Although most schools provide applicants with a specific word count, some offer more general guidelines. For example, a college may ask for a particular number of pages or paragraphs.

If you aren’t given a word count, try to adhere to the best practices and conventions of writing. Avoid writing especially short or overly long paragraphs—250 words per paragraph is generally a safe upper limit. If you’re asked to write a certain number of pages, single- or double-spaced, stick to a standard font and font size (like 12-point Times New Roman).

In the event that the college doesn’t offer any guidelines at all, aim for an essay length of around 500 words.

While essays are the most commonly requested writing sample, some colleges ask for additional pieces of content. For example, Princeton University requires students to submit a previously graded paper for evaluation .

Princeton offers guidelines that cover length, but if another school requests an old paper and doesn’t offer length requirements, a paper ranging from 3-5 pages should yield the best results. The goal is to select a paper long enough to showcase your writing skills and unique voice, but short enough that the admissions officer doesn’t get bored reading it.

Is your essay effective while staying within the required word count? It’s hard to evaluate your own writing, especially after rereading it numerous times. CollegeVine’s free Peer Essay Review provides an opportunity to have your essay reviewed by a fellow student, for free. Similarly, you can help other students by reviewing their essays—this is a great way to refine your own writing skills.

Expert advice is also available. CollegeVine’s advisors are prepared to help you perfect your personal statement and submit a successful application to your top schools. Find the right advisor for you to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

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9th grade essay word count

Mr Salles Teaches English

9th grade essay word count

How Easy is a Grade 9 Essay?

(using an inspector calls).

9th grade essay word count

My book cover designer is killing me! I have 5 revision guides, stacked up and ready to publish - they’re just waiting on a cover.

The good news for you is that I get to bring you a grade 9 essay before it is published.

Normally, the examiner comments and my comments follow after the essay. But, free subscribers need to know what makes a grade 9, before they decide whether to upgrade.

Examiner Comments

The argument is very well structured

It is always conceptualised around Priestley’s ideas

The AO2 analysis of language is very perceptive

They deal with complex ideas

The answer considers what the play is like in performance, not just on the page

The student shows that characters are constructs

And explore this with STAGE DIRECTIONS, explaining how their behaviour affects how we understand them

My Comments

Explanations 32

Patriarchal 0

Thesis Statement Yes

Conclusion Yes

This student is just better at English literature. They know what to put into an Inspector Calls essay: capitalism, socialism , what things represent , and what acts as a symbol . These last two are relevant to every essay on every book, play, poem you ever study.

This means the student is able to gain the same marks with far fewer words and fewer explanations. They’ve been taught better, they’ve been shown what top grade essays look like.

Are they more intelligent? Almost certainly not. My way of measuring this is word count. This student wrote ‘only’ 741 words. I rewrote it at 557 words. So, a 25% reduction.

The student of response 25 wrote 1197 words which I reduced to 881. So, a 26% reduction. That student was probably smarter – they could think and write faster, which would normally make them less precise. They have less time to think about their sentences. But this led to only a 1% increase in unnecessary word choice.

Pay attention to this because it means something valuable. You don’t need to be extra smart to get grade 9.

You just need to pay attention to what makes a grade 9 essay.

What other ingredients did this response reveal? Methods. How many times have you read the examiner’s comment banging on about needing to write about more methods? Loads. Well, this is how to do it.

There’s no mention of the word society which, for a grade 9 essay, is simply astonishing. However, when you write about class, socialism and capitalism you are always writing about society. The students uses those three words often.

Now, go back and look at the references to the text. There’s virtually nothing from after the moment Sheila finds out about Gerald’s affair with Eva!

This student has got away with it. They should not be able to achieve Level 6 AO1 task for this – they haven’t completed the full task, as they haven’t looked at the full range of Sheila’s transformation.

They got away with it because of all the good stuff they crammed in and because, as time was very likely running out, they quickly smashed out a conclusion. That’s why it is so short compared to the brilliant thesis statement.

Mr Salles Teaches English is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts which help you get top grades, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Features of Grade 8 and 9 (but not Full Marks)

9th grade essay word count

What does it all mean?

Things have really ramped up for grade 9. Suddenly we have more quotes, from 9 to 12.

But a massive difference is in the number of explanations, 32 compared to 21.

How many words per explanation got a grade 7? 31.

How many words per explanation got a grade 9? 27.

So, grade 9 writers are a bit better at writing. But, their main difference is writing speed. They write 851 words, compared to grade 7 students who write 643.

Whenever someone says to you, quality is more important than quantity, they just haven’t understood what quality means.

Quality means quantity.

In particular it means the quantity of:

Quotes Explanations Uses of context words: society, capitalism, socialism, patriarchal, 1945 … Words which show the characters are constructs. So Priestley: creates, makes, uses constructs, represents, symbolises, teaches etc

Points make prizes! Quantity makes quality.

The Essay on Sheila (The most likely question in any year)

Sheila Birling’s character undergoes the greatest transformation in the play. Priestley USES her to present his hope for the future. She REPRESENTS the younger generation and Priestley’s socialist beliefs. Priestley highlights this when the Inspector tells her “ the young are more impressionable ” .

He FOCUSES on Sheila by opening the play at her engagement meal, and he presents her as immature and naïve . She speaks her first words “gaily and possessively” , STAGE DIRECTIONS which suggest an uneasy contradiction in her.

Gerald reinforces this with mock aggression in response to her , “go on, you just object!” This tension works as a SYMBOL of capitalism . The children of capitalist families act as though they sense something is wrong with the way they think, which leads to the discontent in their language. They try to hide this with a gloss of humour, which is why the STAGE DIRECTIONS use the word “mock” .

Sheila heightens the sense of tension when she probes her fiancé with “last summer, when you hardly came near me ”, delivered “half seriously, half playfully” . Their conversation unfolds with the same uneasy tone, building tension further.

Priestley also MAKES her interact with her mother in a childish and perhaps spoilt way, addressing her as “Mummy” . Sheila therefore REPRESENTS upper class women, but is also portrayed as a believable and relatable character.

Her interrogation follows Birling’s. She sympathises with Eva when she hears her father had sacked her, declaring “it’s a rotten shame” . She also defends the workers, exclaiming “they’re not cheap labour – they’re people” . This scene marks the beginning of her transformation from entitled, wealthy capitalist to supporter of social equality and socialism .

Her comments therefore become increasingly profound. She confesses to getting Eva sacked because she was jealous. Sheila reacts physically, beginning to cry when the Inspector points out this job was “the last steady job she had” . This reaction marks her out as different from her family.

She is angry at herself and projects this at Gerald, snapping at him. This is also SYMBOLIC , reminding us that capitalism is built on the exploitation of others . Here it is the search for someone else to blame, instead of accepting personal responsibility.

We realise that Sheila demanded Eva should be sacked out of vanity , because a dress suited her better than Sheila. Priestley USES this scene to demonstrate the callous cruelty of upper class thinking and behaviour. He will return to this with Sheila’s mother and her interaction with Eva. However, Sheila’s remorse appears real and she appears to break down. We feel sympathy for her because of this .

When Gerald tries to persuade her to hide his involvement with Eva from the Inspector she laughs “hysterically” and tells Gerald “he knows” . She has accepted that they must all share the blame for Eva’s death.

Gerald still wants to treat her as a child. He tells the Inspector that Sheila has “had a long and exciting day” to explain away her behaviour . But she stands up to him, rebuking him that she couldn’t possibly leave without hearing everything.

She has the air of someone wanting to find out the worst, or their fate. She is hysterical only in response to Gerald’s behaviour . He almost tries to distance himself from her by calling her “Miss Birling” .

In conclusion , Priestley USES this to REPRESENT the clash between capitalist and socialist perspectives.

Original 741 words

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9th grade essay word count

Ready for more?

How Long Is an Essay? The Ultimate Essay Length Guide

It’s safe to say that most students struggle with the word limit within an essay. Sometimes, it’s hard to find ideas for a text and meet the word requirement for every part of the paper. With so many factors influencing essay length, it’s easy to get confused.

The picture enumerates the factors influencing essay length.

Luckily, our custom-writing team has your back. In this article, our custom-writing experts will answer all your questions regarding essay length. We will also help you write papers with an ideal number of words!

📜 Is Essay Length Important?

📏 essay parts: recommended length.

  • 🤔 How to Make Essays Shorter or Longer
  • 📑 Essay Length & Formatting
  • ❓ Different Academic Levels FAQ
  • 📚 Essay Length: Different Types
  • ⭐ Other Aspects
  • 📝 Essay Examples

🔍 References

Often, the phrase “word limit” causes panic among students. After all, if an essay is too long or too short, your grade will be lowered. However, in reality, there’s nothing to worry about. When it comes to words, limitations are beneficial for both the students and the professors.

Let’s see what exactly it means.

Many people believe that the longer an essay is, the better. However, according to Frontiers, research shows that it’s a bias that couldn’t be further from the truth. A perfect-length paper is one that allows students to express their ideas and showcase their knowledge fully while keeping it clean and simple.

What Influences Essay Length

Various factors determine the length of an essay. Here are the most important ones:

Some themes may require more explanations and supporting ideas to prove a point or convey a message to the reader. 
For instance, if your topic is related to literature, you might need more words and descriptions to get the point across. Subjects such as science or management typically require shorter papers. 
Usually, the more advanced the students are, the more complex their papers get. For example, high school essays differ from ones for college and university in terms of length and presentation.
Students may be asked to write various types of essays—such as short, extended, narrative, or persuasive—throughout their careers. The essay’s type reflects in both its outline and length. 

Let’s start with the essentials. Usually, assignment length is given as a number of words rather than pages. Unless your supervisor or instructor mentions any specific limitations, it’s acceptable to be 10% below or above the word limit.

It’s also worth knowing the 80/20 rule . According to it, the body should constitute 80% of the text, while the intro and the conclusion take up the remaining 20%.

Keep reading to learn more about the recommended length of each essay part. The main numbers are shown in the table below:

3-5 sentences (50-80 words)
5-8 sentences (80-200 words)
3-5 paragraphs
3-5 sentences (50-80 words)

How Long Should an Introduction Be?

An introduction is the first section and the face of your essay. For that reason, it needs to be compelling and well-thought-out. Usually, it consists of 3 to 5 sentences or 50 to 80 words .

An introduction must have a hook, some background information, and a thesis statement. While the attention grabber and the thesis are usually brief, you may need 2 to 3 sentences for the background. To avoid going overboard, try to stay on topic and don’t add any filler.

How Long Is a Body Paragraph in an Essay?

The length of a body paragraph may vary. Sometimes, it can be limited to a single sentence. In other cases, it may take up a whole page. Usually, it’s recommended to have between 80 and 200 words (5-8 sentences) per body paragraph.

Since the paper’s body contains the most information, it’s necessary to explain and support your ideas properly. That’s why it’s no big deal if your body paragraphs go slightly over the word limit.

How Many Body Paragraphs Should Be in an Essay?

Like the word count, the number of paragraphs is determined by the type of paper and its topic. The minimum is 1. Generally, however, the body consists of 3-5 paragraphs , 1 for each argument.

To improve your paper’s structure, ensure that there are as many paragraphs as there are points in your thesis statement. Each one should have a purpose and support your arguments. If there’s any fluff, it’s better to get rid of it.

How Long Should a Conclusion Be?

Like the introduction, the conclusion consists of 50-80 words . It’s essential to keep it simple and only mention the central ideas. A weak concluding sentence may affect the reader’s understanding of the topic and spoil the overall impression of your paper.

🤔 How to Make Essays Shorter or Longer: Best Tips

Undoubtedly the essay’s content is more important than the number of words you use. But there are times when students go more than 10-15% below or over the limit. Is there a solution to this problem?

Yes, there is! In this section, we will share the most useful tips to help you stay on point with your paper’s word count.

How to Make Essays Longer

Since having enough words is essential for a good grade, we’ve collected the best tips that can help you lengthen your essay without teachers noticing:

  • Use relevant quotations.  You don’t need to litter your essay with citations, but using them whenever appropriate is a great idea. For instance, if you’re working on a book analysis, referencing a couple of direct quotes from the source text will make your essay more credible and increase the word count.
Original Revision
In Indian culture, hair symbolizes self-respect, a sense of belonging, and pride. In Indian culture, hair symbolized self-respect, a sense of belonging, and pride: ”Our mothers had taught us that only unskilled warriors who were captured had their hair shingled by the enemy.”
  • Give examples.  Go through the claims in your paper and provide additional evidence where possible. It will make your essay longer and more informative.
Original Revision
Directors considered the dark side of speed, driving, mobility, and all the other icons associated with the road. Directors considered the dark side of speed, driving, mobility, and all the other icons associated with the road. Some well-known examples are movies such as (1969), (1963), and (1963-64).
  • Use transitional expressions.  Adding transition words and phrases is a natural way of increasing the number of words. It will also improve your essay’s readability. 
Original Revision
The book’s author believes this is just a general misconception. However, the book’s author believes this is just a general misconception.
  • Add more references.  Providing references is always a good idea when writing a formal essay. That way, you will increase the number of words and make your paper more credible.
Original Revision
It is believed that writing, reading, or reciting poetry positively affects our psychological well-being. According to another article published in the  in 2014, the practice of writing, reading, or reciting poetry positively affects our psychological well-being.
  • Work on your descriptions.  If you struggle to develop new ideas, go over what you’ve already written and consider adding some descriptive words. It’s a great idea for creative essays to include more imagery. 
Original Revision
They believe that language is more than a communication tool and should be introduced in a playful way for most effectiveness. They believe that language is more than a simple day-to-day communication tool and that it should be introduced in a pleasurable and playful way for the most effectiveness.

How to Shorten an Essay

Another struggle of academic writing is cutting down the number of words in your essay to meet a set limit. We are here to tell you that it’s not that hard. Writing straightforwardly and keeping your sentences short is a key to concise content. Here are several strategies you may use to tighten a lengthy essay:

  • Choose the active voice.  It takes up less space than passive voice. Using it also makes your writing more professional and compelling.
Original Revision
The research was conducted by  .  conducted the research. 
  • Remove needless transitions.  Transitions can indeed maintain the flow of the paper. But some transitional phrases can be easily removed.
Original Revision
Furthermore, it has been discovered that children who play violin have stronger visual and verbal pattern abilities. Discoveries show that children who play violin have stronger visual and verbal pattern abilities.
  • Get rid of unnecessary adverbs and adjectives.  Some students tend to overuse adjectives and adverbs. It adds wordiness to their writing.
Original Revision
The whole article focuses on the mechanics of easily managing fear itself. The article focuses on the mechanics of managing fear itself. 
  • Avoid running starts.  Some students like to start their sentences with long phrases like: “there are,” “it is believed,” or “the fact that.” Getting rid of them makes texts much more concise.
Original Revision
The fact that the dialogue contains some Shakespearean elements emphasizes the protagonist’s longing for his lover.  Shakespearean elements in the dialogue emphasize the protagonist’s longing for his lover. 
  • Delete “that.”  In most cases, the word “that” can often be easily removed from texts.
Original Revision
The idea that was expressed in the novel translated well into the live-action movie. The idea expressed in the book translated well into the live-action movie.

Another cool trick is to use our summarizing tool as essay shortener. Try it out!

📑 How Long Is an Essay Depending on Formatting?

As we mentioned earlier, the essay’s length is usually limited by the number of words. But sometimes, a teacher may ask you to write a specific number of pages. This is trickier because the amount of text you can place on the page depends on the formatting. By using the font size and spacing properly, it’s possible to make the paper visually longer or shorter. Let’s discuss it in more detail.

The picture describes how formatting affects essay length.

Essay Spacing: How Does It Affect the Length?

  • Adjusting the spacing between lines.  Try to make the changes as slight as possible. For instance, if you were asked to double-space the paper, use 2.1 or 2.2 spacing instead. Another option is to slightly extend spaces between paragraphs.
  • Extending the margin size.  You can increase the right and bottom margins by a quarter to make very subtle changes in length. For example, if the margins are 1 inch , you can set them at 1.25 inches instead. 
  • Increasing the spacing between characters.  It is less noticeable than the line spacing. Still, try not to overdo it and keep the numbers between 1.2 and 1.5 . 
  • Adjusting the footer.  Add a footer with page numbers to stretch the bottom margin even further.
  • Lengthening the header.  You can extend your header by adding your name, e-mail address, or other relevant information. Another option is double-spacing it.

Length of an Essay: Font and Size

  • Using the right type of font.  If your instructor didn’t specify which font you should use, go for the bigger ones. We suggest Arial, Bangla Sangam MN, Cambria, or Quicksand. They will make your text look longer without being too on the nose.  
  • Using a bigger font size.  This is another technique that can come in handy. However, be careful and don’t increase your font by more than 0.1-0.5 pt.  
  • Increasing the size of periods and commas.   This is one of the less noticeable tricks you can use. For instance, if your paper’s font is 12 pt. , increase it to 14 pt. only for punctuation marks. Italicizing periods and commas will also add several lines of length to your essay. 

What to Do if There Are No Length Guidelines

Sometimes a teacher sets no word limit for a written work. What to do in that case? Well, first, you can ask your professor to confirm if they have simply forgotten to mention it. But if that’s not the case, here are a couple of helpful solutions:

  • Think of the paragraph number.  Sometimes, you may be given the number of paragraphs instead of words. In that case, you can decide on the number of words depending on how many paragraphs you have. 
  • Think about the topic’s complexity.  The length of your paper is also directly dependent on the theme. If the topic is simple, 4-5 paragraphs will be enough. A more complex issue may require an in-depth explanation, so your essay can be 6-8 paragraphs long.

❓ Essay Length for Different Academic Levels FAQ

The length of the elementary school essay is usually short. Usually, a paper needs to have around 3-5 paragraphs, with 4-5 sentences per paragraph. Primary school essays can be 1-2 paragraphs long.

The word limit for a middle school essay is usually between 300 to 1000 words. The most common essay length is 500 words, which is about 5 paragraphs. However, it may differ from school to school.

The length of the high school essay may differ depending on the school and the complexity of the task itself. Usually, however, a paper can be between 300 to 1000 words long.

The length of the undergraduate college essay often falls within the range of 1500 to 2100 words. It translates into roughly 5-7 pages. 5 pages is the most common essay length at this level.

When it comes to the graduate school admission essay, the word limit is usually between 500 and 1000 words. It’s possible to go slightly over or below the set limit; however, it’s best to stick to the requirements as close as possible.

📚 How Long Should an Essay Be: Different Types

Now, let’s talk about different types of essays. How long should they be? Keep reading to learn about the length of college essays, short and extended ones, scholarship essays, and research papers.

How Long Is a College Essay?

When it comes to a college essay, it’s more important to stick to the word limit than with any other paper. Some teachers may refuse to read it unless it meets all the requirements.

The shortest limit for a college essay is about 250 words which is the shortest length of a Common App personal statement. It’s also rare to see a good college essay with over 650 words . So, an average piece usually has between 150 and 650 words ; you can go over or below the limit by 50.

How Long Is a Paragraph in College Essays?

A college essay usually consists of 4-5 paragraphs . One paragraph takes about 1/3 of the page, which is roughly 5 sentences . Each sentence corresponds with one of the following components:

  • Topic sentence.
  • Explanation.
  • Transitions.

College Essay Length Requirements: Top 5 Schools

To understand the requirements for a college application essay even better, take a look at the table below. It showcases the top 5 schools and their length criteria for personal statements. Keep it in mind when writing your college essay:

HBS essay length 900-word limit
UC essay length 350-word limit
Chicago Booth essay length 300-word limit
UChicago essay length 650 suggested word limit
AMCAS essay length 5300 characters (spaces included)

How Long Is a Short Essay?

A short essay is usually 500 words long. Using 12pt Times New Roman font with standard margins and double spacing should result in about 2 pages of text.

Extended Essay Length

An extended essay is different from a short or a standard one. It requires extensive research and thorough explanation. That’s why the upper limit for this kind of essay is 4000 words . In this case, a typical essay length is 3500 words or 18 paragraphs .

Scholarship Essay Length

Generally, scholarship papers have a limit of 500 words , which is 1 page in length. Most scholarship programs provide additional requirements that indicate the minimum number of words or pages. If there are no set limitations, you can stick to the limit.

How Long Is a Research Paper?

Typically, a research paper is between 4000 and 6000 words long. Sometimes, there are shorter papers, which have around 2000 words, or in-depth ones with over 10000 words.

⭐ Other Aspects of Essay Length

When it comes to essay length, many different aspects come into play. Here, we’ve gathered all the essential information regarding an essay’s number of pages, paragraphs, words, and references.

How Many Paragraphs Are in an Essay?

Sometimes, it is more convenient to count paragraphs rather than words. Let’s now figure out how many paragraphs are in essays of different lengths. You may also check out the examples to see what such an essay looks like:

WordsParagraphs Example
250-word essay length 4
300-word essay length 4-5
500-word essay length 6 Water Cooling Tower Construction Site’s Problems
600-word essay length 7
800-word essay length 8-9
1000-word essay length 10
2000-word essay length 18-19

How to Count Paragraphs in an Essay Based on Word Count

You can also count the number of body paragraphs for your essay using the formula below:

Number of body paragraphs (average) = (TWC – TWC*0.16)/100

  • TWC – total word count
  • 0.16 – an average percentage of total word count for introduction and conclusion
  • 100 – an average number of words per paragraph

How Many Pages Are in an Essay?

The number of pages in your essay may vary from subject to subject. But it’s still possible to determine the number of pages based on word count. Check out the numbers below to see the conversions with bonus examples:

Pages (Double-spaced) Example
How many pages is a 200-word essay? 1 Food Safety: A Policy Issue in Agriculture Today 
How many pages is a 250-word essay? 1
How many pages is a 300-word essay? 1 The Major Causes of the Great Depression
How many pages is a 400-word essay? 1,5
How many pages is a 500-word essay? 2
How many pages is a 600-word essay? 2 Single-Parent Families: Source Analysis
How many pages is a 700-word essay? 2,5 CytoGainer Overview: Purpose and Results
How many pages is a 750-word essay? 3 Modeling Sustainable Food Systems
How many pages is a 800-word essay? 3
How many pages is a 900-word essay? 3,5
How many pages is a 1000-word essay? 4
How many pages is a 1500-word essay? 6
How many pages is a 2000-word essay? 8 Advocacy Campaign: the Problem of Childhood Obesity

You can also use a specialized calculator such as Word Counter to determine a number of pages in your essay.

What Does an Essay Look Like when Typed?

You might be wondering: what do essays of different lengths look like when typed? Well, here’s the table where you can find out the metrics for single- and double-spaced papers.

Single-spaced Double-spaced Example
What does a 200-word essay look like? 0,5 pages 1 page How Hate Took Hold of Him: Parrish Reflection
What does a 250-word essay look like? 0,5 pages 1 page What Social Factors Prevent Adolescents to Acquire Appropriate Education in Their Later Life
What does a 300-word essay look like? 0,5 pages 1 page “Racial Inequality, at College and in the Workplace” by Johnson
What does a 500-word essay look like? 1 page 2 pages
What does a 600-word essay look like? 1 page 2 pages “8 Million Have Slipped Into Poverty Since May as Federal Aid Has Dried Up” by Jason DeParle
What does a 750-word essay look like? 1,5 pages 3 pages Methods for Avoiding Relapse
What does a 1000-word essay look like? 2 pages 4 pages Heroin Distribution and Its Use Within the United States
What does a 2000-word essay look like? 4 pages 8 pages

How Many Pages Are in a Handwritten Essay?

In case you need to turn in a handwritten paper, you should check out the table below.

How many pages is 150 words handwritten? 0,5
How many pages is 200 words handwritten? 1
How many pages is 250 words handwritten? 1
How many pages is 300 words handwritten? 1,25
How many pages is 350 words handwritten? 1,5
How many pages is 400 words handwritten? 1,5-2
How many pages is 500 words handwritten? 2
How many pages is 600 words handwritten? 2
How many pages is 700 words handwritten? 2,5
How many pages is 800 words handwritten? 3
How many pages is 1000 words handwritten? 4

Counting Words in a Handwritten Essay

If you don’t have enough time to count the words in your handwritten essay one by one, here’s what you can do:

  • Count how many words there are in one line. Take the first and last lines and a line in the middle of a page. Let’s say there are 15, 14, and 15 words in them. Then, the average number of words per line is 15.
  • Next, count how many lines there are on one page. Let’s say there are 17 lines on a page.
  • Take the number of words per line and multiply it by the number of lines per page. In our case, we multiply 15 by 17. So, there are 255 words per page on average.
  • Finally, multiply the number of words per page by the number of pages. If your essay has 3 pages, it is approximately 765 words long.

How Long Does it Take to Write an Essay?

It is crucial to know how long writing will take you, especially if you are working on an exam essay or just short on time. Note that you need to consider the time for typing and researching necessary to complete a piece. Research time may vary. Usually, it’s 1-2 hours for 200-250 words .

The picture shows the fact about the average speed of writing.

Below, we’ve gathered the average writing time for average and slower writing speed:

Time (Slow) Time (Average)
How long does it take to write 250 words? 50 min 6.3 min
How long does it take to write 300 words? 60 min 7.5 min
How long does it take to write 500 words? 100 min 12.5 min
How long does it take to write 750 words? 150 min 18.8 min
How long does it take to write 800 words? 160 min 20 min
How long does it take to write 1000 words? 200 min 25 min
How long does it take to write 1200 words? 240 min 30 min
How long does it take to write 1500 words? 300 min 37.5 min
How long does it take to write a 2000-word essay? 400 min 50 min

And here are the results in pages:

Time (Slow) Time (Average)
How long does it take to write a 2-page paper? 200 min 25 min
How long does it take to write a 3-page paper? 300 min 37.5 min
How long does it take to write a 4-page paper? 400 min 50 min
How long does it take to write a 5-page paper? 500 min 62.5 min
How long does it take to write a 6-page paper? 600 min 75 min
How long does it take to write a 7-page paper? 700 min 87.5 min

How Many References Does an Essay Need?

Another essential part of any composition is the reference list. Different academic levels require different references. You’ll find out how many of them should be in your paper in the table below!

School College Bachelor Master Ph.D.
How many references in a 200-word essay 2 3 4 5 6
How many references for a 500-word essay 4 6 8 10 12
How many references for a 1000-word essay 8 12 16 20 24
How many references for a 1200-word essay 10 15 20 25 30
How many references in a 1500-word essay 12 18 24 30 36
How many references for a 2000-word essay 16 24 32 40 48
How many references for a 4000-word essay 32 48 64 80 96
How many references for a 5000-word essay 40 60 80 100 120

📝 Essay Examples: Different Length

Finally, we’ve gathered some excellent sample essays of different lengths. Make sure to check them out!

200-word essay example
300-word essay example Modifications of the Nomi Move
400-word essay example
500-word essay example
600-word essay example
700-word essay example Ethics, CSR, and Ignatian Values
800-word essay example
900-word essay example
1000-word essay example
1500-word essay example
2000-word essay example Research Critique: The Importance of Relationships in Mental Care
3000-word essay example
4000-word essay example

We also recommend you check out our free essay samples sorted by pages:

  • 1-Page Essay Examples
  • 2-Page Essay Examples
  • 3-Page Essay Examples
  • 4-Page Essay Examples
  • 5-Page Essay Examples
  • 10-Page Essay Examples
  • 20-Page Essay Examples
  • 30-Page Essay Examples
  • 40-Page Essay Examples
  • 50-Page Essay Examples

Now you know all about essay length, word limits, and ways to lengthen or shorten your text. If you know other interesting tricks, make sure to share them in a comment! Good luck with your writing assignments!

You may also like:

  • How to Write a Process Analysis Essay: Examples & Outline
  • How to Write a Precis: Definition, Guide, & Examples 
  • How to Write a Critical Analysis Essay: Examples & Guide
  • How to Write a Narrative Essay Outline: Template & Examples
  • How to Write a Formal Essay: Format, Rules, & Example
  • Word Limits and Assignment Length: Massey University
  • The Paragraph in the College Essay: California State University, Long Beach
  • Introductions & Conclusions: The University of Arizona Global Campus
  • How Long Should a Paragraph Be?: Daily Writing Tips
  • Paragraphing (Length Consistency): Purdue University
  • Hitting the Target Word Count in Your College Admission Essay: Dummies.com
  • How Long Should Your College Essay Be? What is the Ideal Length?: College Vine
  • Writing Personal Statements Online: Issues of Length and Form: Penn State University
  • Pen Admissions: Essays: University of Pennsylvania
  • Essay Questions: University of Michigan
  • Essay Structure: Harvard University
  • Components of a Good Essay: University of Evansville
  • Write Your Essay: UNSW Sydney
  • College Writing: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • 21 Helpful and Easy Tips to Make an Essay Longer: Seventeen
  • How to Make a College Paper Longer: ThoughtCo
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Essay Word Counter

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What Is Essay Word Counter?

An essay word counter is a simple yet powerful tool that has the ability to quickly count the number of characters and words within an essay. While the primary goal of an essay word counter is to measure characters and words, this tool allows you to determine the number of sentences and paragraphs that your essay consists of.

If you're tasked with reading your essay aloud in front of a classroom, this online word counter can help you prepare by providing you with an estimated speaking time and reading time. If you're asking yourself "How do I count the words in my essay?", plugging your essay into an online word counter will allow you to receive nearly instantaneous results.

Benefits of Using This Tool Compared to Alternatives

Online word counter tools offer the functionality you need to determine what your current essay word count is. There are several additional tools that can provide you with similar functionality, which include Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and PDF documents. Even though all of these alternatives allow users to measure the word count and character count for their essay, they lack many of the extra features that set the online tool apart from the competition.

Wordcounter vs Microsoft Word

When comparing this online word counter to Microsoft Word, the online word counter allows users to paste any kind of text into the box. Even if the text comes from a PDF file, it can be easily copied into the word counter. Among all of the alternatives for an essay word counter, Microsoft Word may be the most comprehensive of the three. Along with measuring the number of words, it can also count characters, pages, lines, and paragraphs. The main issue with Word, however, is that it's less intuitive than using an online tool.

When you click on word count in Microsoft Word, you'll be provided with data on the lines, paragraphs, words, and other aspects of your essay. However, the word count extends to every page of the Word document. To identify the number of words and characters in a specific section, you'll need to highlight the section and select the word count option again.

Wordcounter vs Google Docs

As for Google Docs, this tool doesn't display a status bar that tells you how many words are present in the document. To receive an updated word count, you must select the "Tools" tab that's found in the "Menu" section. From here, you'll be able to select "Word Count". When compared to the online word checker tool, Google Docs doesn't include information about how many sentences are in your essay or the frequency of a specific word.

Wordcounter vs PDF Tool

When it comes to a PDF document, you'll find that these documents are similar to Google Docs in that they don't include a status bar. You're also unable to access any kind of menu that allows you to view the word count of the essay you're writing. There are two distinct options for identifying the word count in your essay. First, you can convert the PDF file into what's known as the Rich Text Format, which makes it easier for you to count the words. You could also upload the file directly into this online word counter, which will give you an accurate word total.

The primary benefit of using the online word counter tool is that there are a number of exclusive features like speaking time and reading time that can't be found in other tools like Microsoft Word and Google Docs.

Essay Length Best Practices

Whether you're writing an essay for a high school class or for graduate school, there are some best practices that can guide you through the process and help you write the best essay. The most important element of writing an essay is getting the length right. If the essay is too long, there's a good chance it isn't as succinct and direct as it should be. The essay length guidelines you should adhere to include:

High school essay

The average essay word count for a high school essay is 300-1,000 words. Most high school essays are five paragraphs long with an introductory paragraph, three total body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph.

College admission essay

This essay should be around 200-650 words long. Along with having a set word limit, these essays should include a look at your motivations and interests.

Undergraduate essay

This essay can be around 1,500-5,000 words long. The content and length depend on the college and program you're entering.

Graduate admission essay

An admission essay should be 500-1,000 words in length. Make sure you include a lengthy personal statement that details your motivations and academic achievements.

Graduate school essay

This extended essay word count is usually around 2,500-6,000 words. The assignment you receive depends on the course you're in. Most graduate-level essays are lengthy and can involve research papers.

IB extended essay

The IB extended essay word count is 4,000 words. This essay is mandatory for every student of the International Baccalaureate program and is based on independent research.

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A guide to understanding essay length spectrum.

Lesley J. Vos

We all had those tasks where we spent hours and hours writing essays, trying to put together all our thoughts and available materials. Sometimes, even after an hour of writing you would find yourself sitting in front of a 350-word page, wondering how you could spend so much time only to write so little. Other times, you had so many ideas that could fit nicely into the topic that putting them all on paper would mean exceeding the intended word count. But have you ever wondered who sets those limits? And how long a normal essay should actually be and why? Well, we know this topic bothers many students, so we decided to finally address this issue and explore the spectrum of an average essay word count.

What Influences The Length of an Essay And Is It That Important?

There are a lot of various essays you can be asked to write: personal statements, literature analysis and reviews, persuasive and narrative essays, etc. And yes, the type of essay is one of the major factors that influence the word count set by your educators. After all, the number of paragraphs that you need to include also depends on the type of writing you are doing. Yet, it is not the only aspect that is considered, as other factors include topic, subject, and academic level. 

For instance, some themes might need more detailed explanations and supporting ideas, especially in subjects like literature, while topics related to science or management often require more concise writing. The academic level also plays a role. As you will see below, high school essays are generally shorter and less complex than those required in college or university. Additionally, different types of essays, like narrative or persuasive, have their own length requirements. 

❓Now, does the length of an essay determine its quality? 

Not necessarily. Short essays can be just as impactful and well-argued as longer ones, provided they cover the topic thoroughly despite their briefness. On the other hand, a lengthy essay filled with unnecessary information can detract from the overall argument and logic. As a whole, the quality of an essay is judged by how well it addresses the topic and supports its thesis, rather than its length. So yes, short essays can be good, and long essays can be bad—it all depends on the content and clarity of the writing.

How Many Words Should an Essay Be Depending on Its Type

As we have established, when it comes to essay lengths, it really depends on what type of essay you’re writing as well as the grade level you are writing for. 

High school essays typically range from 350 to 1,000 words. These are usually structured in the standard five-paragraph format, including an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Moving up to college admission essays, the word count is more concise, usually between 250 to 650 words. Here, applicants are expected to express their motivations and goals more briefly.

How Many Words Should an Essay Be

For undergraduate essays, the range broadens significantly, spanning from 1,500 to 5,000 words. The subject matter often determines the length here, the depth of analysis required, and the specific guidelines of the assignment. Graduate admission essays are similar to undergraduate admission essays but can be slightly longer, typically between 500 to 1,000 words. These essays often focus on the applicant’s achievements and aspirations for advanced study.

At the graduate level, essays can be much more extensive, often ranging from 2,500 to 6,000 words. These texts are usually research-heavy and demand a more complex structure to adequately cover the topic. It’s also important to note that these are general guidelines; specific requirements can vary by institution and discipline. Always check the provided requirements. When in doubt, consult your instructor to make sure you meet the expectations.

How Long is an Essay Introduction, Body, and Conclusion

Knowing the desired overall length of your essay is helpful and all, however, it is much better when you understand how much information you need to present in each of the separate paragraphs. Some essays may be just 1 paragraph long, so everything you need to write should be written there. Others are usually divided into 3,4, or even 5 parts, so knowing which ones to make shorter or larger can be rather useful. Besides, with this information, you are more likely to organize all the details logically and clearly.

🗣️Introduction

Typically, the introduction should be concise, usually, one paragraph for essays under 3000 words, providing a hook, background information, and a clear thesis statement (your key point or discussed topic). For more complex papers, the introduction might stretch to two or three paragraphs.

The body of the essay, being the core part, is the longest section, generally composed of 1 to 4 paragraphs, each developing a separate point or argument. In longer essays, the body might include even more paragraphs to cover the topic thoroughly. 

❗️Conclusion 

The conclusion, like the introduction, is usually brief, summarizing the main points in a single paragraph. It can be anywhere from 2 to 4 sentences, depending on how well you can condense the main points mentioned in the text above. 

Nonetheless, despite these guidelines, the number of paragraphs in an essay isn’t set in stone. The key is to write each section so it fulfills its purpose: 

  • the introduction to engage and outline
  • the body to argue and detail
  • and the conclusion to wrap up convincingly. 

Thus, whether your essay is short or long, clarity and coherence are what truly count.

How Long Should an Essay Be to Grade High

To score high on an essay, meeting length requirements is important but not the only factor. Essays at different academic levels come with varying expectations. 

A Guide to Understanding Essay Length Spectrum

First, your essay should have a logical flow, with each paragraph connecting smoothly to the next. Critical thinking and depth of analysis are also vital. Examiners look for essays that go beyond surface-level understanding, demonstrating your ability to engage with the topic critically. This includes analyzing different viewpoints, synthesizing information, and drawing insightful conclusions. Additionally, the quality of your research and the reliability of your sources can make a big difference. Using credible sources to back up your arguments shows that you have done your homework and understand the subject matter well.

Length matters because it allows teachers to assess whether you have enough space to develop your argument thoroughly. Each paragraph should have a clear topic sentence, supporting evidence, and a concluding sentence to tie the ideas together. While it’s important to meet minimum word counts, adding fluff just to reach a certain length isn’t the right way to do it. On the contrary, it can even weaken your essay. Focus on developing your ideas fully and use evidence and examples to support your points.

If you find yourself under the word count, try adding more detailed examples or exploring different aspects of your topic. On the other hand, if you exceed the limit, check if every paragraph is necessary to your argument. Keep your writing concise and to the point, so that each sentence adds value to your overall argument. Remember, a concise and well-argued essay will always score better than a lengthy, unfocused one. 

Working with Essay Length: What to Do to Make It Shorter or Longer

Sometimes you just need to hit a couple more words to make your essay a perfect length. Or, on the contrary, you may be just a few sentences longer than needed. But no need to worry here. There are handy strategies for both shortening and lengthening your paper to meet the requirements. 

If you need to make your essay longer:

  • Start by adding relevant quotations. They can improve your arguments and increase your word count without feeling like filler (besides, many professors actually like it when students properly use the given literature). 
  • Including more examples and detailed descriptions is another effective way to expand your essay. 
  • Don’t forget to use transitional expressions to connect ideas smoothly; they naturally add words and improve readability. 
  • Also, adding more references can make your essay more credible and longer. Just don’t forget to add a few informational details from those references, all right? 

On the flip side, if your essay is too long:

  • Try using the active voice instead of the passive voice—it’s more concise and makes your writing more direct. 
  • Remove unnecessary transitions that don’t add value to the flow of your argument.
  • Cutting out redundant adverbs and adjectives can significantly trim down your word count. 
  • Avoid long introductory phrases like “it is believed that” or “there are” to keep your sentences straightforward and to the point. 
  • See if you can remove the word “that” from your sentences without losing meaning.

Balancing your essay’s length with content quality can make your writing more effective and engaging and help you meet the requirements without sacrificing clarity or depth.

In wrapping up, hitting the right balance between essay length and quality is key for effective writing. Whether you need to add a few more words or trim down some excess, the tips we’ve covered can help without losing the essence of your essay. Focus on making your arguments clear and strong, and use the tricks for expanding or tightening your text as needed. Remember, a good essay isn’t just about hitting a word count—it’s about making your ideas come across well. Keep these pointers in mind, and you’ll find it easier to handle any word count challenges that come your way.

How long is a typical essay?

A typical essay usually ranges from 500 to 1,500 words. It really depends on the purpose and the guidelines provided. High school essays, for instance, are generally shorter, while college essays might require more in-depth analysis and therefore be longer.

How many paragraphs in an essay?

The number of paragraphs in an essay varies depending on its length and structure. A standard essay usually has at least five paragraphs: an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. However, longer essays will naturally have more parts to cover all necessary points.

Is a 1,000 word essay too long?

A 1,000-word essay is pretty standard, especially for college assignments. It’s long enough to explore a topic in depth but short enough to stay focused and concise. As long as you stay on topic and organize your thoughts well, 1,000 words is a great length.

How long is a 9th grade essay?

The length of the 9th-grade essay typically ranges from 300 to 800 words. This word count allows students to develop their ideas clearly and practice their writing skills without feeling overwhelmed. Teachers usually provide specific guidelines, so it’s always good to check those first.

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Word Counter Blog

How to Increase Your Essay Word Count

how to increase an essay word count

Add Examples

Skim through your essay looking for any place you have used an example to make a point. In most cases, you should be able to provide additional examples which will make your essay stronger by showing your understanding of the topic while also increasing the word count. You can also go through the essay and look for statements made where inserting an example would be appropriate to help support the statement.

Address Different Viewpoints

An effective way of increasing word count and improving your essay at the same time is to address different viewpoints to your own. You have the opportunity to discuss how these alternative viewpoints differ from the conclusions you have made, and it gives you an opportunity to explain why you believe your conclusions are superior. This shows you have considered a range of different opinions while coming to your conclusions, and in doing so make your essay stronger while adding more words.

Clarify Statements

When you find the statements in your writing, if inserting an example doesn’t make sense, then clarifying the statement may be appropriate. This can be achieved by inserting one or more specific statements to clarify the original one. A common way to do this is to follow the statement with, “In other words…” It’s important not to over-clarify statements or use this for every statement you write as it will begin to look like filler, but using it sporadically throughout your essay can increase the word count and show you perfectly understand the points you’re trying to make.

Find Additional Sources

Another way to improve your essay and increase word count is to find additional sources you haven’t previously mentioned which support the statements and conclusions you have made. The more sources you have, the stronger the essay will be in most cases. Spending some time searching for additional sources to add to the essay can be a great way to add quality content to it.

Use Quotations

Chances are you already have appropriate quotations in your essay, and if that’s the case, skip over this suggestion. Adding more will likely not add to your essay. If you haven’t used any, however, finding appropriate quotations from experts in the field that support your statements can be an excellent way to add words to your essay while improving it at the same time.

Rework Introduction and Conclusion

If all of the above haven’t enabled you to reach your word count minimum and you need some filler, look to put it in your introduction and conclusion rather than the body of the essay. Most teachers give more leeway with the introduction and conclusion to be wordy than the guts of the essay. This is something you should try to avoid if at all possible (it’s never good to be wordier than you have to be), but if you tried everything else, it’s better to do it in these two places than in the heart of the essay.

If you’re writing an essay which has a minimum page count instead of a minimum word count, the above suggestions will work, but you have a bit more wiggle room as well. You can make slight adjustments to the font and font size you use through a Words per Page Counter . As long as you don’t go overboard, this can be a relatively easy way to increase page count while not taking away from the essay.

(Photo courtesy of Caleb Roenigk )

I hate it when teachers give a word count. Word count shouldn’t matter at all. It should be the quality of the writing. If I can get my point across in 1000 words, why do I need to write 2500? It makes no sense at all.

You have never been a teacher. If you ever are, you will know why we give word counts.

That’s a lazy answer. Students who write well shouldn’t be punished with a word count because other students aren’t good students. It’s the teacher’s job to help those students who aren’t doing as well without forcing those good students to do stupid things that make no sense for them.

If you can make it more fun to read, this can also help with word count. Add emphasizes or explain something in more detail. There are so many great ways to increase your word count. It shouldn’t be too hard if you put your mind to it!

Word count never mattered as soon as I got to college, my professors used the “bikini rule,” short enough to keep it interesting, long enough to cover the important parts. Don’t use 2000 words to say what you can in 500

This isn’t the correct question to ask. It’s easy to increase word count on an essay, but it’s difficult to increase word count to make the essay better. So many people decide to increase their word count by inserting sentences, paragraphs, quotes and other non-necessary information simply to reach the word count. While it achieves the goal of increasing the word count, it doesn’t make the essay any better, and it usually makes it much worse. What you should always strive for is to increase the number of words in the essay while also making the essay stronger than it was before.

….Read the article you’re commenting on?

In my experience, college is even worse than high school in this regard. I regularly have to conform to word counts and page counts. Right now, I’m writing a research paper that has an 8 page minimum. Why? Because the professor said so. I could certainly be a lot more concise if I didn’t have to pad it out, but this is what’s required of me. The kicker is that the prof is DEFINITELY going to take off points due to obvious padding. DON’T FORCE ME INTO AN ARBITRARY LENGTH, THEN.

Just change the font style to a bigger one and then do the same with the size of the font but not too big or it will seem too obvious.

My professor requires Times New Roman

Really? Great!

LOL i hate Times New Roman, it’s so boring. There are so many interesting fonts out there, why should we have to make it boring? Plus, cool fonts catch your eye and draw you in. I get not wanting super crazy fonts but at least a little wiggle room here! C’mon!

try using Bookman Old Style

Your prof is stupid

My teacher wants me to write a 5 page essay and a 2 minute speech about the same book which is barely 200 pages

For me it’s either times new roman or arial

Mine too I just use it with other things I write now due to habit

bruh they LOOK at the word counts, just cuz the font will be bigger doesn’t mean that they’ll think you have gone over the limit

page counts tho

they are talking about page counts, not word counts

You’re a fuckin dumbass, increasing font size is too obvious

That’s mean

just make your periods a font style bigger, professors will notice a font style bigger for the text

Making a period a font size bigger isn’t going to do anything.

the teachers can see the word count so, there is no point in doing that

Teachers do check the font and word size y’know?

well, part of it is that you cannot be bothered to write out the word “professor” and… well let me show you a corrected version of your post.

*In my experience, college is even worse than high school in this regard. I regularly have to conform to word counts and page counts. Right now, I’m writing a research paper that has an 8-page minimum. Why? It was because the professor said so. I could be a lot more concise if I didn’t have to pad it out, but such are the requirements. The kicker is that the professor is going to take off points due to my padding. So don’t force me to an arbitrary length!

Don’t go ruining people’s self-esteem.

I’m only in Junior high and I have to write over that amount. Be grateful that your situation isn’t as bad as it could be.

That’s just nasty.

Yep, I agree!

I appreciate that I can put it to use when I tutor! Thank you.

LOL never heard of the bikini rule. I love it

Where did you go to college?

So basically you’re saying that you don’t trust your students to be able to write correctly in your class? Isn’t that more a reflection on your teaching than it is on the students who are writing?

See what you just did you got your point across in 18 words YOU JUST ARE STUPID! Anyways why are you on this web site if you are a teacher?

riiiight that’s what i was thinking like this is meant to help students lol

If it makes so much sense to give word count limits to teachers then please explain

but that makes no sense…there is no reason to do so if they are great at writing all ready…

what do i do if my word count is 800 and i only have 512

add another 288!

You keep going no matter what! Thats what i do!

This is a poor answer because it doesn’t give any reason for the word counts. The point was that they -don’t- know why the word counts are necessary, and just stating that “you don’t have my experience and if you did you’d know why” isn’t an argument or a good contribution to the discussion, when surely it would have been a better idea to just explain why word counts are necessary in the first place.

WHY DO YOU?

Care to explain? That was a super vague answer.

want to expand on that? XD

U realise this is an article for student right? u don’t need to be here dissing all of us. [EDIT]: so many dislikes on teach’s post. lmao

look, not. helping. this is why i hated a bunch of my professors, you all act like we should be overjoyed that you aren’t making us ruin our writing more because we have to stretch it out, you have students with real potential, why do so many ignorant professors waste that and take off marks for something the student cannot control? seems wrong huh?

I’m not a teacher but I do understand that word counts push students to do their best, although I according to everyone, have always been teacher’s pet, and I love to write so having a word count is an amazing way for me to experiment with my writing.

But I have an assignment in which they say use the set format, which doesn’t allow for many words, but they say it has to be 500. I physically can’t stick to the structure and the word count. I understand max word counts, but I can get my entire point across in 300 words, and I am seriously struggling to increase. I think that minimum word counts should not be put in place as I can get the point across in a lot less.

What is your essay’s point? Is it simple? I have to write 1250 word essays regularly, and I’m only on this article because I have 1156 and can’t come up with more. You sound lucky to me.

ill never be one so tell why >:(

it seems teach got the “nobody liked that” experience

We gotta keep this comment section going for 2020.

lol so many dislikes

Proceeds to not give the reason! just makes you sound like a moron with excuses. you have not proven her wrong in the slightest.

Oh my god, you are right.

Teachers too often tried to make things easier on themselves to the detriment of the students are trying to teach. I think making minimum word counts is one of those. On the other hand, I think that maximum word counts can actually be beneficial because it forces the students to better edit their writing.

“Teachers too often tried to make things easier on themselves to the detriment of the students [they] are trying to teach.” Are you making this very bold statement because you have experienced it as a teacher, completed an in-depth research on this topic, or are you just making your opinion seem like a fact? I ask simply because I am a teacher, a high school English teacher to be more specific, and I found your comment to be nothing but overblown opinion. I cannot speak for every teacher, but in my class, I have to put a minimum word count on my essay assignments or I would have the majority of the students attempt to turn in a paragraph and say it is an essay. It would not matter that I instructed them on the purpose of the essay, explained what an introductory paragraph, body paragraph, and a conclusion paragraph are and their individual purposes. It also would not matter if I also spent an entire six week grading period teaching, instructing, modeling, and practicing writing essay, I would still have some that would turn in a ridiculously short essay and argue that they have “gotten to the point.” However, any logical person would know that these student’s essays would not meet the required components of an essay and would not serve as evidence of mastery, which is what a teacher is suppose to do right? Help students master certain skills, regardless of what is “easier on” them?

Just grade them an F

Lol! Sorry to break it to you, but Z isn’t a grade. Sorry.

Lana! r/whooosh

yes it is, its a double f

nobody likes your long paragraphs.

Instead of using a minimum word count, say that you must have at least five paragraphs, and if they turn in 5 sentences, that’s on them. High school students know that a section is longer than a sentence. And if they pretend not too, that’s on them. And your problem that they turn in just a paragraph? They know what an essay is, they are lazy and, quite frankly, don’t care about the class. So give them an incomplete grade and the chance to rewrite it, if they decline, they have failed that assignment. It is harsh but necessary.

I don’t think you understand: if I can get it across in a short paragraph, and otherwise it would be graded well, then why should I have to write a three-hundred word long paragraph just to explain the same thing? I shouldn’t have to. That’s the answer.

I think that minimum word counts are fine with this reasoning, but I am very reluctant to agree with you due to your unnecessary rudeness. Also, teachers, please don’t make the minimum more than 800 words! For college, I understand, but not below college.

Exactly! 2000 words in 4 days! IMPOSSIBLE

2000/4 = 500/1

Just write approx 500 words per day; spend like 1-2 hours for the next couple day adding like 500 words every time. Or you could be a knucklehead like me and try to get it all done in one go, then me suffering the next morning because you fell asleep at 3:30

The only thing thats impossible is impossibility!!!

Hey you stole my Name!

Its Not Impossible, the only thing thats Impossible is Impossibility!!!

i agree 100%

Guidelines are so unaccepted. 🙁

I was researching but I got caught up reading you guys arguing

lmao yeah me too

Same here. Whoops.

Once more… same here.

I am supposed to be writing an essay then I just saw war in the comments so I had to read.

exactly, what is the point in a word count when you can make it easier on yourself and write shorter essays

i only have to write 400 words luckily, but it’s in a language im not great at 🙁 i only need 40 more but don’t have any ideass

Our teacher gave us a 20000 word count for the Australia Murray River Basin… I’d be lucky if my teachers ever give me a 2500 word count. Last year one of the students in our class scored a 38000 word count when the minimum word count was 25000. don’t complain. International School Of Hefei (CISH)

Just had to re-read that. Twenty THOUSAND word count? I was given that as a goal for a story in one of my classes, and we had the entire year to do it. I don’t know how long y’all had for it, but either way that’s too much for an essay.

yeah I’m in class right now in grade 8 and have to do a 250 word since assessment but I cant think of anything else to add because I stuck to the assessment sheet and used the teaches advise but I only have 227 words. (I will add my assessment below)

Energy comes in six basic forms that are chemical which is renewable, electrical, radiant, mechanical, thermal and nuclear. These types of energy are both renewable and nonrenewer, electrical, thermal and radiant are all renewable energy types but electrical, chemical mechanical and nuclear are non-renewable because there is not a infinite source of this type of energy. There are other types but these are the six basic types of energy that make up other types. Energy is the thing that powers most electrical items you can’t create and destroy energy but you can move it to an object like a light bulb or battery. Energy can be transferred by copper and other conductive materials. There are also materials that are nonconductive like wood and rubber. Energy is mostly transferred between thing with wires like when you charge you phone or turn on light. Energy can change form into other types of energy. for example if you turn on a light bulb the electric energy will turn into thermal energy and light energy. A car is also a good example of this because the car hold chemical bonds of fuel which later turns into several different types of energy and gases. The law of conservation states that every type of energy can not be created or destroyed it can and will only be transferred into other types of energy.

Now you need to write an article on how to decrease word count when you go hopelessly over the maximum allowed.

Yes! This is what I need. I don’t understand how people can write under the word count given. I’m ALWAYS over, and by a lot. I had a 1000 word paper to write and I wrote 2500. Teachers never give enough word count for writing.

I once had 200 word essay and i wrote 400!

I struggle to get to the word count, but once I’m there I go over and struggle to remove stuff without ruining it.

Here you go: https://wordcounter.net/blog/2016/01/26/101025_how-to-reduce-essay-word-count.html

The second link in the first paragraph is to just such an article.

A thesaurus is your friend when you are only a bit under word count. I’m glad to see you added one to your tool. it’s so much easier than going back and forth to another thesaurus website. Thank you for making this useful tool and not charging any money for it.

Adjectives and adverbs can help with this, but it won’t make the essay stronger. You usually want to eliminate adverbs and adjectives in your writing to make it better. You have to make a decision as to whether word count is more important or a better essay is more important before using these methods.

I’m 500 words short of the minimum word count my teacher assigned for my essay. What is the best way to increase word count fast without a lot of effort?

Did you even read the article?

Don’t use contractions.

Writing takes effort. If you want to write with no effort, your writing is going to suck.

I hate that I never seem to be able to write enough words for assignments. If I have answered a question, why do I need to write more meaningless words?

You should never write meaningless words. You would be much better off adding a different perspective or adding more support to your view. meaningless words will only lower your grade.

I have to write 7,000+ characters with spaces!!!! By thursday! I have 5,200 done. What should I do?

Write more… or put a ton of smiley faces in 😉

As a teacher, I’m glad to see legitimate ways for students to increase their essay word count instead of all the “tricks” students don’t think we know, but we do. Adding random words in white so it appears the word count is higher than it is doesn’t work because we know approximately how many pages the assignment should be. Best to actually do the work!

You are the exception. I have a great way to increase word count when I’m short on words. I will write a bunch of random text at the end of the essay, then change it to white so you can’t see it even though it’s there. Now the teacher thinks you have written the required word count. Brilliant! Teachers are so clueless that this works 100% of the time. Now you will never be under your word count and you don’t have to write a bunch of filler crap that isn’t needed. You can thank me later.

To add onto this, feel free to change the font size of the white text to fit in more words into less space.

There must be so many students who come to this article for the exact same reason as I did. (“hi” all you sleep-deprived people) I’m 500 words short on my essay and I need to figure out how to make it longer before tomorrow’s class. thank you for this list of ideas. I think I’ll be able to incorporate a few of them to make my essay long enough to reach the word count.

Yes, this is the exact reason I’m here, but I need to add 600 words to my essay. Why do teachers make the assignments so long when there is only a limited amount to say on the given topic?

I’m one of those looking for a way to extend an essay by 300 words when I’ve already said everything there is to say on the topic. I guess I’ll add a lot of useless quotes just to satisfy the teacher.

I think attitude has a lot to do with it. If you’re writing an essay you have little to no interest in writing, it’s much more difficult to write it and reach the word count. If it’s something you have a lot of interest in, then the issue is usually staying beneath the word count limit. One of the best ways to increase word count on essays is to take an interest in the topic. If you learn to become more curious and have an interest in things that may not at first seem to be interesting, you’ll be surprised at how much easier it is to write essays and to always reach the designated word count.

That easy to say and all, what if your teacher assigns you a topic? And what if that topic is totally boring? It’s hard to write about things that are boring and you have no interest in, so of course it’s going to be difficult to reach the word count. If you’re in school, you have to write with the teacher tells you to write, not what interests you. So your suggestion sounds good and all, but in reality we don’t have that choice.

I think the best way to increase the word count of an essay is to add more examples. This clarifies what you’re trying to say which adds value to the essay so anyone reading will understand exactly the point you want to get across. All my friends are bad at giving examples, but I am good and I’m always going over the word count while they are always under.

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. My entire essay is almost only quotes. This is the easiest way to make your essay meet word count. Just put in a lot of quotes and you’ll get there in no time.

It maybe the easiest way to increase your word count, but if your entire essay is all quotes you probably aren’t going to get a very good grade on it. Quotes should be used to support the points that you’re trying to make, but they shouldn’t be your entire essay. If you want to do well in school, you have to know the difference between these two.

This is lazy writing. It will not help you become better in the long run, and the teacher will see what you’ve done and mark down your paper. The easiest way is often not the best way to approach increasing an essay word count.

Cite every single quote in a bibliography at the bottom to make the word count huge.

This is really a skill that every teacher should teach their students. Not just assign an essay, but explain how the steps they need to take to reach a word count. It would be a great benefit to most students (I know some students are wordy and always hit their word count, but most of us don’t). I wish teachers cared enough to actually help us.

On almost any topic you care to mention volumes have been written. To imagine you have covered the topic fully and still be 500-600 words short of required count is ridiculous. The idea that the shortfall is due to the clarity of your arguments or exceptional command of language & vocabulary is laughable in most cases.

If it’s too short, it lacks content. Do more research.

The quality of your writing may suggest you are the love child of William Shakespeare and Jane Austen, but if it doesn’t cover the assignment material you won’t get the marks.

Teachers know the key points they expect to be covered on an assignment and allow a word allocation for each point, as well as marks allocation.

For example, a 1,000 word requirement may indicate a short intro and conclusion and 4 x 200 word key points.

You might be able to work out the scheme by reviewing assignments where you scored well. How many key points did you make, compared to word count?

Word count = 170.

Not everyone is born with the ability to write or enjoys writing, so sometimes it can be extremely hard to write a long essay. These tips surely did help a lot. I would also suggest learning enjoy writing more. If you like to do it, it should be easier to do.

how do you learn to like something? either you like it or you don’t.

HEy! you stole my name!!!

Any teachers out there? Why exactly do assignments have a minimum and maximum word count assigned? Is it for the students’ benefit or the teachers? I’m curious as it would seem that word count shouldn’t really matter, but that actual writing for the assignment. I waiting to hear a good answer to this question.

Word count forces students to be more concise in their writing and focus on the most important points. Minimum word counts make the student research more to find alternative supporting evidence they may have overlooked without it.

If you can’t increase your word count, you don’t know what you’re writing about well enough. There should be no issue writing about any topic up to 5000 words as long as you are familiar with the topic. If you find you don’t have enough to write about something, it’s because you haven’t taken the time to study the topic well enough.

This isn’t true. Sometimes you don’t need a lot of words to cover the topic at hand and adding more words just to increase word count does nothing but add unneeded words. Sure, you can add the words, but they are useless and don’t make the essay better. Why would anyone want to do that?

Where did you get this Bogus Idea, I’ve been trying to finish an essay and I love the topic we’re doing, but it’s almost impossible to write 2500 words on it, and according to your logic “There should be no issue writing about any topic up to 5000 words” that’s a lie.

I stumbled upon this and it’s been helpful, but are there other ways to increase word count? I still have about 500 more words to write.

Any teachers out there? Why exactly do assignments have a minimum and maximum word count assigned? Is it for the students’ benefit or the teachers? I’m curious as it would seem that word count shouldn’t really matter, but that actual writing for the assignment

As teachers, we know approximately how long an essay should be to get the points across for that particular assignment. That is why we assign a word count. If the student is well under they have not explored the topic in-depth enough and if they are well over, they are being too wordy.

Still you don’t need a word count, just let the kids try and let them be creative 😒!

But wouldn’t addressing the prompt in fewer words than assigned show that the student is smarter? Why spend 1000 words saying something that’s equally if not more so effective in 500 words?

“if they are well over, they are being too wordy.”

Now here’s something *I* don’t get. I can understand being “wordy” as something bad if it’s a student looking in a thesaurus to make every word more complicated, but I’ve done essays where I’ve covered all the points related to the topic I wanted to talk about, delivered them with examples and references where needed, and accidentally gone over the word limit to where I either have to make my essay weaker to not get points taken off OR get points taken off for being “wordy”? Why??

Hello Prince Charming! Come and Save Me from School Please! NOW!!!

The best way to increase a paper’s word count is to do more research. The more research you do, the more information you’ll have, and the more you can write on the topic.

Look, everyone has a different opinions about Word Counts, I really don’t like word counts but I do the essay anyways! So quit complaining!

Or at the bottom of your essay type a bunch of random letters like this mkfneofheoughero; then turn that to a white font.

LOL!!!!!!!!!!

you sir are a genius

well yes, genius solution, but uh— that’s cheating.

But like what if we have a page count minimum and the teacher can see if the page is full or not?

This helped a lot, thank you so much!! I don’t understand what it is with teachers and word-count. I’ve heard some teachers say, “When you become a teacher, you’ll understand why we give word counts” and I guess I do. It’s to make sure you covered all of the criteria and stuff. But If my essay word count is 800 words, and I’ve only written 300 and gotten my point across, why do I have to be marked down for it? I am in year 9 at school and I have a Geography essay due in last period today about biomes. I have gotten my point across and now I have to fluff about writing another 500 words. Thanks again, and wish me luck! 🙂

Bruh. You ain’t seen nothing yet. English 1301 has KILLED me. I’m 1500 words short….

bruh im currently 1500 words short on a 1500 word essay due tomorrow 🙁

All of you guys are complaining about essays of 2000 words or less, but I have to write a 25 000 word essay, in three weeks, which really isn’t that hard. I, for one, enjoy writing essays, but be lucky that you don’t have them of this length to write 😉

That’s not an essay it’s a book.

Actually, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s stone is 76,944, and that is the average length for a book so 25,000, is more like a 4 chapter fanfic…

I’ve never been a teacher but have been a university student. Personally, I get very uncomfortable when word counts aren’t given, because the fact is that the professor likely has a quiet expectation on the issue. I don’t want to try to have to hit that count by inference.

How one structures his essay depends on that word count (2000 v 3000 maybe not so much but say 1000 v 5000 is quite different). I’d like to know what kind of essay he wants.

heh, I once passed an essay online which had a minimum word count I just added random gibberish to the end in a white font to conceal it with tiny font size. try that if u really have to.

I have an idea – write a few words after each paragraph and make them white. The teacher will never know… 🙂

I think the refrigorator eat windows and the good skull

i’m 6 pages short on a compare/contrast religion paper focused around love that is due on tuesday. i have already gone over the five religions and though i need more substance (6 pages more), i don’t want to add so much that it’s just an information dump. my three options that i can see right now are: start over with a similar topic so i don’t have to just scrap everything, add more anyway, or just finish it and turn it in under the requirement but with good writing. what should i do?? do i have any other options??

use double space😂😁

i came across this because this is literally my problem now. well…

all i need is 12 more words! thats why i came to this website!

i only have 600 word for nuclear reactors i’m amazed how u guys can do 1000+ word without your brain exploding.

If i had a 2500 Word count minimum. I would die.

i love how everyone’s arguing on a blog. not complaining tho!

most of you are in college and are fussing about 1000 word essays meanwhile me still in middle school having to do 4-5 pages aka more than 1000 words

Word counts ‘work’ until students learn to hate writing, because only their word counts — not their points — matter.

UGH….. I’ve done this already and I still have 200 words to go! 🙁 It was pretty amusing to read through the comments saying someone is in Highschool or College and be like “Sucker, I’m still in Junior High”. RIP.

I had the best time reading your argument before I finished my essay thanks for the good times. 🙂

The word count at my University is a maximum word count, not a minimum. The word count is there to suggest the level of detail we’re expected to go into. For example, my last essay had a 2,500 word maximum. I could easily have written a 10,000 word dissertation or a 100 word summary. For the detail expected. I ended up with 2,464 words. If you’re writing 1,000 words for a 2,500 word essay, even if that seems OK to you, you’ve not added enough detail.

oh my god, this was SO helpful you dont understand how much this page helped me. Thank You!!!

if you have ever bean a teacher you would under stand why word counts exist jk I think text matters more than the amount of words

Im only in the 8th grade, we are righting an essay right now about the holocaust, we have to write 12 PAGES!! WHAT. i can explain it in a page or two😩

When writing a essay you got to stay on topic make sure you proofread and using correct grammar

word counts make me sad

me reading the comments in 2024 🙂 cuz i hate essay as well.

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How Long Should a College Essay Be? | Word Count Tips

Published on September 29, 2021 by Kirsten Courault . Revised on June 1, 2023.

Most college application portals specify a word count range for your essay, and you should stay within 10% of the upper limit. If no word count is specified, we advise keeping your essay between 400 and 600 words.

You should aim to stay under the specified limit to show you can follow directions and write concisely. However, if you write too little, it may seem like you are unwilling or unable to write a thoughtful and developed essay.

Table of contents

Word count guidelines for different application types, how to shorten your essay, how to expand your essay, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about college application essays.

Each university has a different suggested or required word count depending on which application portal it uses.

Some application portals will allow you to exceed the word count limit, but admissions officers have limited time and energy to read longer essays. Other application portals have a strict limit and will not allow you to exceed it.

For example, in the Common App , the portal will not allow you to submit more than 650 words. Some colleges using the Common App will allow you to submit less than 250 words, but this is too short for a well-developed essay.

Application portal Word count Strict limit?
Common App 250–650
Coalition App 500–650
UC App Four 350-word essays

For scholarship essays , diversity essays , and “Why this college?” essays , word count limits vary. Make sure to verify and respect each prompt’s limit.

Don’t worry too much about word count until the revision stage ; focusing on word count while writing may hinder your creativity. Once you have finished a draft, you can start shortening or expanding your essay if necessary.

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

On some application portals, you can exceed the word limit, but there are good reasons to stay within it:

  • To maintain the admissions officer’s attention
  • To show you can follow directions
  • To demonstrate you can write concisely

Here are some strategies for shortening your essay.

Stay on the main point

It’s good to use vivid imagery, but only include relevant details. Cut any sentences with tangents or unnecessary information.

My father taught me how to strategically hold the marshmallow pierced by a twig at a safe distance from the flames to make sure it didn’t get burned, ensuring a golden brown exterior.

Typically, my father is glued to his computer since he’s a software engineer at Microsoft. But that night, he was the marshmallow master. We waited together as the pillowy sugary goodness caramelized into gooey delight. Good example: Sticks to the point On our camping trip to Yosemite, my family spent time together, away from technology and routine responsibility.

My favorite part was roasting s’mores around the campfire. My father taught me how to hold the marshmallow at a safe distance from the flames, ensuring a golden brown exterior.

These college essay examples also demonstrate how you can cut your essay down to size.

Eliminate wordiness

Delete unnecessary words that clutter your essay. If a word doesn’t add value, cut it.

Here are some common examples of wordiness and how to fix them.

Problem Solution
We had done a lot of advance planning for our science project. We had done a lot of planning for our science project.
I didn’t know whether or not I should tell the truth. I didn’t know whether I should tell the truth.
When I was a child, I came up with an imaginary friend named Roger to get away from my parents’ fighting. When I was a child, I invented an imaginary friend named Roger to escape my parents’ fighting.
Unnecessary “of” phrases The mother of my friend was Marissa, who was a member of our church. My friend’s mother Marissa was a fellow church member.
False subjects “There is/there are” There are many large-scale farms in America, but there is a local sustainable farm preserved by my family. America has many large-scale farms, but my family preserves a local sustainable one.
Unnecessary qualifiers I pretty much just wanted a mint chocolate chip ice cream cone from Baskin Robbins. I wanted a mint chocolate chip ice cream cone from Baskin Robbins.
Passive voice Most of the German chocolate cake was eaten by me. I ate most of the German chocolate cake.
Unnecessary helping verbs I am going to be attending my school’s annual carnival. I will attend my school’s annual carnival.

Use a paraphrasing tool

If you want to save time, you can make use of a paraphrasing tool . Within the tool you can select the “short” mode to rewrite your essay in less words. Just copy your text in the tool and within 1 click you’ll have shortened your essay.

If you’re significantly under the word count, you’re wasting the opportunity to show depth and authenticity in your essay. Admissions officers may see your short essay as a sign that you’re unable to write a detailed, insightful narrative about yourself.

Here are some strategies for expanding your essay.

Show detailed examples, and don’t tell generic stories

You should include detailed examples that can’t be replicated by another student. Use vivid imagery, the five senses, and specific objects to transport the reader into your story.

My mom cooks the best beef stew. The sweet smell of caramelized onions and braised beef wafts from the kitchen. My mother attends to the stew as if it’s one of her patients at the hospital, checking every five to 10 minutes on its current state.
The shepherd’s pie reminded me of familiar flavors. Reminding me of the warm, comforting blanket from my childhood, the shepherd’s pie tasted like home.
His hands were cracked and rough. His hands were cracked and rough like alligator skin.

Reveal your feelings and insight

If your essay lacks vulnerability or self-reflection, share your feelings and the lessons you’ve learned.

Be creative with how you express your feelings; rather than simply writing “I’m happy,” use memorable images to help the reader clearly visualize your happiness. Similarly, for insight, include the follow-up actions from your lessons learned; instead of claiming “I became a hard worker,” explain what difficult tasks you accomplished as a result of what you learned.

After my best friend Doug moved away, it was really hard. Before, we used to always talk about video games, barter snacks during lunch, and share secrets. But now, I’m solo. Before my best friend Doug moved away, we used to do everything together. We would spend countless bus rides discussing and strategizing sessions. At lunch break, we would barter Oreos and Cheez-Its while confiding in each other about whom we wanted to ask to the school dance. But now, I’m Solo, like Han without Chewbacca.
My mother’s death was difficult. My father’s grief made it difficult for him to take care of me and my brothers, so I took care of them. After my mom passed, my grief was overwhelming, but my father’s was even deeper. At 13, I cooked, cleaned, and took care of my two younger brothers. Although the household responsibilities were tiring, I liked一and needed一the stability and purpose I derived from the new routine.

If you want to know more about academic writing , effective communication , or parts of speech , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

Academic writing

  • Writing process
  • Transition words
  • Passive voice
  • Paraphrasing

 Communication

  • How to end an email
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Most college application portals specify a word count range for your essay, and you should stay within 10% of the upper limit to write a developed and thoughtful essay.

You should aim to stay under the specified word count limit to show you can follow directions and write concisely. However, don’t write too little, as it may seem like you are unwilling or unable to write a detailed and insightful narrative about yourself.

If no word count is specified, we advise keeping your essay between 400 and 600 words.

If you’re struggling to reach the word count for your college essay, add vivid personal stories or share your feelings and insight to give your essay more depth and authenticity.

If your college essay goes over the word count limit , cut any sentences with tangents or irrelevant details. Delete unnecessary words that clutter your essay.

You can speed up this process by shortening and smoothing your writing with a paraphrasing tool . After that, you can use the summarizer to shorten it even more.

There is no set number of paragraphs in a college admissions essay . College admissions essays can diverge from the traditional five-paragraph essay structure that you learned in English class. Just make sure to stay under the specified word count .

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Courault, K. (2023, June 01). How Long Should a College Essay Be? | Word Count Tips. Scribbr. Retrieved September 23, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/college-essay/college-essay-length/

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Hey everyone, I'm trying to get a gauge on the typical length of college papers. I'm gonna be applying soon and I want to make sure my writing skills are on point. Does anyone know the average word count for papers in college classes? How varied can they get, depending on the course?

Typically, the length of college papers can vary greatly, and it's often dependent on the nature of the course and the specific assignment.

In general, you may see assignments that range anywhere from 1,000 words to 5,000 words, or about 3 to 15 double-spaced pages. For instance, in introductory or lower-level courses, common assignments might include short papers, response essays, or reflection papers that are around 1,000 to 2,000 words.

As you progress into more specialized and upper-level courses, research papers, literature reviews, or term papers might have word counts ranging from 3,000 to 5,000, or even more. Keep in mind that these are general estimations and can vary from instructor to instructor and course to course.

Also, consider that English or humanities-based courses might have more writing assignments when compared to courses in STEM where assignments might be problem sets or lab reports. It's important to know your audience, pay attention to the prompt's instructions, and stay within the suggested length to maximize your grade's potential.

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Tigers | Nonfiction Reading Test - Tigers are beautiful, deadly, and vanishing. Learn more about these ferocious felines and answer multiple-choice questions to demonstrate and improve your reading skills. View my readibility scores . Tigers | Nonfiction Reading Test | RTF Tigers | Nonfiction Reading Test | PDF Tigers | Nonfiction Reading Test | Preview Tigers | Nonfiction Reading Test | Answers Tigers | Nonfiction Reading Test | Ereading Worksheet

Idioms Worksheet 5 - This worksheet has another 15 idioms used in context-rich sentences. Students determine the meaning of each idiom based on how it is used. View my readibility scores . Idioms Worksheet 5 | RTF Idioms Worksheet 5 | PDF Idioms Worksheet 5 | Preview Idioms Worksheet 5 | Answers

Poetic Devices Worksheet 3 - This worksheet has 10 snippets taken from classic poems. Each is rich in poetic devices such as alliteration, consonance, onomatopoeia, repetition, rhyme, and rhythm. Students identify which techniques are being used in each question and then explain their answers. View my readibility scores . Poetic Devices Worksheet 3 | RTF Poetic Devices Worksheet 3 | PDF Poetic Devices Worksheet 3 | Preview Poetic Devices Worksheet 3 | Answers

Poetic Devices Worksheet 4 - This worksheet has five pages and 26 examples of poetry packed with rich language. Students determine whether each example is using alliteration, consonance, onomatopoeia, repetition, rhyme, and / or rhythm. View my readibility scores . Poetic Devices Worksheet 4 | RTF Poetic Devices Worksheet 4 | PDF Poetic Devices Worksheet 4 | Preview Poetic Devices Worksheet 4 | Answers

Personification Worksheet 7 - This worksheet features 10 more poetic examples of personification. Students identify what is being personified and then explain the human quality or trait that is given. View my readibility scores . Personification Worksheet 7 | RTF Personification Worksheet 7 | PDF Personification Worksheet 7 | Preview Personification Worksheet 7 | Answers

Genre Worksheet 2 - This genre worksheet has 17 short descriptions of different texts. Students identify the genre and subgenre of each text based on details in the descriptions. Then students explain their answers. View my readibility scores . Genre Worksheet 2 | RTF Genre Worksheet 2 | PDF Genre Worksheet 2 | Preview Genre Worksheet 2 | Answers Genre Worksheet 2 | Ereading Worksheet

Genre Worksheet 4 - This worksheet has 9 problems to help students become genre experts. Students read short descriptions of texts and determine the genre and subgenre based on textual details. Then they explain their answers. View my readibility scores . Genre Worksheet 4 | RTF Genre Worksheet 4 | PDF Genre Worksheet 4 | Preview Genre Worksheet 4 | Answers Genre Worksheet 4 | Ereading Worksheet

Genre Worksheet 8 - This worksheet has 8 more descriptions of texts. Students read the descriptions, identify the genre and subgenre of each text, and then explain their answers. View my readibility scores . Genre Worksheet 8 | RTF Genre Worksheet 8 | PDF Genre Worksheet 8 | Preview Genre Worksheet 8 | Answers Genre Worksheet 8 | Ereading Worksheet

Genre and Author's Purpose Worksheet - This worksheet features descriptions of 9 texts. Students determine the genre, subgenre, and author's purpose of each text based on these descriptions. Then students explain their answers. View my readibility scores . Genre and Author's Purpose Worksheet | RTF Genre and Author's Purpose Worksheet | PDF Genre and Author's Purpose Worksheet | Preview Genre and Author's Purpose Worksheet | Answers

Main Idea Worksheet 1 - This worksheet is great for giving students rapid-fire practice with main idea. It has seven problems. Students read a short passage and write the main idea in a single sentence. They also come up with a title for the passage. View my readibility scores . Main Idea Worksheet 1 | RTF Main Idea Worksheet 1 | PDF Main Idea Worksheet 1 | Preview Main Idea Worksheet 1 | Answers Main Idea Worksheet 1 | Ereading Worksheet

Main Idea Worksheet 2 - This worksheets has six more nonfiction passages. Students read each passage, interpret the main idea, and come up with a title for the passage that expresses the main idea. View my readibility scores . Main Idea Worksheet 2 | RTF Main Idea Worksheet 2 | PDF Main Idea Worksheet 2 | Preview Main Idea Worksheet 2 | Answers Main Idea Worksheet 2 | Ereading Worksheet

Main Idea With Robots Worksheet - This worksheet has six passages related to robots. Students read each passage, interpret the main idea of the text, and think of a title that expresses the main idea of each. View my readibility scores . Main Idea With Robots Worksheet | RTF Main Idea With Robots Worksheet | PDF Main Idea With Robots Worksheet | Preview Main Idea With Robots Worksheet | Answers

Main Idea and Text Structure Worksheet 1 - This worksheet contains 6 paragraphs about everything from rodeo clowns to machine guns. Students write a sentence explaining the main idea of each paragraph, create a title related to the main idea of the passage, and then create and use a graphic organizer to visually represent the structure of the passage. View my readibility scores . Main Idea and Text Structure Worksheet 1 | RTF Main Idea and Text Structure Worksheet 1 | PDF Main Idea and Text Structure Worksheet 1 | Preview Main Idea and Text Structure Worksheet 1 | Answers

Main Idea and Text Structure Worksheet | Amnesia - In this unforgettable worksheet, students read six amnesia-themed passages, explain the main idea of each passage, and create a graphic organizer that visually represent the structure of the text. This is one to remember. View my readibility scores . Main Idea and Text Structure Worksheet | Amnesia | RTF Main Idea and Text Structure Worksheet | Amnesia | PDF Main Idea and Text Structure Worksheet | Amnesia | Preview Main Idea and Text Structure Worksheet | Amnesia | Answers

Summary and Main Idea with Ninjas - Students read four short passages about ninjas. They summarize each paragraph and think of a title that expresses the main idea. View my readibility scores . Summary and Main Idea with Ninjas | RTF Summary and Main Idea with Ninjas | PDF Summary and Main Idea with Ninjas | Preview Summary and Main Idea with Ninjas | Answers

Summarizing Activity about the Lost Colony of Roanoke - Students read a text about the lost colony of Roanoke, the first English colony in America, and summarize each paragraph. There are seven paragraph in this text. View my readibility scores . Summarizing Activity about the Lost Colony of Roanoke | RTF Summarizing Activity about the Lost Colony of Roanoke | PDF Summarizing Activity about the Lost Colony of Roanoke | Preview Summarizing Activity about the Lost Colony of Roanoke | Answers

Text Structure Worksheet | Schooling - This worksheet has 5 paragraphs related to schooling. Students identify the text structure of each and place information from the passages into appropriate graphic organizers. View my readibility scores . Text Structure Worksheet | Schooling | RTF Text Structure Worksheet | Schooling | PDF Text Structure Worksheet | Schooling | Preview Text Structure Worksheet | Schooling | Answers

Text Structure Worksheet | The Revolutionary War - Students read 5 paragraphs about the American Revolutionary War. Students determine the text structure of each passage. Then they create and use graphic organizers to represent important information from each paragraph. View my readibility scores . Text Structure Worksheet | The Revolutionary War | RTF Text Structure Worksheet | The Revolutionary War | PDF Text Structure Worksheet | The Revolutionary War | Preview Text Structure Worksheet | The Revolutionary War | Answers

Those were the worksheets that I have written at or around the 9th grade reading level. I loved working with 9th grade students and I hope that you do too. If these worksheets and activities have helped you, then please tell me about it in the comments. I appreciate any stories, corrections, or feedback that you have to offer. Your words inspire me and make this website richer.

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Chess | Nonfiction Reading Test (Gr. 1-4) TV | Nonfiction Reading Test (Gr. 1-4) Metal Detectors | Nonfiction Reading Test (Gr. 2-6) Tetris | Nonfiction Reading Test (Gr. 2-6) Seat Belts | Nonfiction Reading Test (Gr. 2-6) The Coliseum | Nonfiction Reading Test (Gr. 2-6) The Pony Express | Nonfiction Reading Test (Gr. 2-6) Wintertime | Nonfiction Reading Test (Gr. 2-6) Reading | Nonfiction Reading Test (Gr. 3-7) Black Friday | Nonfiction Reading Test (Gr. 3-7) Hummingbirds | Nonfiction Reading Test (Gr. 3-7) Worst Game Ever? | Nonfiction Reading Test (Gr. 4-8) Carnivorous Plants | Nonfiction Reading Test (Gr. 4-8) Google | Nonfiction Reading Test (Gr. 4-8) Honey Badgers | Nonfiction Reading Test (Gr. 4-8) Hyperinflation | Nonfiction Reading Test (Gr. 4-8) Koko | Nonfiction Reading Test Ereading Worksheet (Gr. 4-8) Mongooses | Nonfiction Reading Test (Gr. 5-9) Trampolines | Nonfiction Reading Test (Gr. 5-9) Garbage | Nonfiction Reading Test (Gr. 5-9) Maginot Line | Nonfiction Reading Test Ereading Worksheet (Gr. 5-9) Asian Carp | Nonfiction Reading Test Ereading Worksheet (Gr. 5-9) A Tale of Two Countries | Nonfiction Reading Test (Gr. 6-10) Kevlar | Nonfiction Reading Test (Gr. 7-10) Tigers | Nonfiction Reading Test (Gr. 7-11) Statue of Liberty | Nonfiction Reading Test (Gr. 8-10) Submarines | Nonfiction Reading Test (Gr. 8-12) Castles | Nonfiction Reading Test (Gr. 9-13) Gutenberg | Nonfiction Reading Test (Gr. 9-13) Author's Purpose Practice 1 Author's Purpose Practice 2 Author's Purpose Practice 3 Author's Purpose Practice 4 Author's Purpose Practice 5 Author's Purpose Practice 6 Fact and Opinion Practice 1 Fact and Opinion Practice 2 Fact and Opinion Practice 3 Idioms Practice Test 1 With Long Responses Idioms Practice Test 2 With Long Responses Figurative Language Practice 1 Figurative Language Practice 1 With Long Responses Figurative Language Practice 2 Figurative Language Practice 2 With Long Responses Figurative Language Practice 3 Figurative Language Practice 3 With Long Responses Figurative Language Practice 4 With Long Responses Figurative Language Practice 5 With Long Responses Figurative Language Practice 6 With Long Responses Figurative Language Practice 7 With Long Responses Figurative Language Practice 8 With Long Responses Figurative Language Practice 9 With Long Responses Figurative Language Practice | Edgar Allan Poe Figurative Language Practice | Edgar Allan Poe With Long Responses Figurative Language Practice | O. Henry Figurative Language Practice | O. Henry With Long Responses Figurative Language Practice | Shakespeare Genre and Subgenre Practice 1 Genre and Subgenre Practice 2 Genre and Subgenre Practice 3 Genre and Subgenre Practice 4 View More Genre and Subgenre Practice Tests Irony Practice 1 Irony Practice 2 Irony Practice 3 Making Inferences Practice 2 Main Idea Practice 1 Main Idea Practice 2 Point of View Practice 1 | Multiple Choice Only Point of View Practice 1 | With Long Responses Point of View Practice 2 | Multiple Choice Only Point of View Practice 2 | With Long Responses Text Structure Practice 1 Text Structure Practice 2 Text Structure Practice 3 Text Structure Practice 4 Text Structure Practice 5 Story Structure Practice 1

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11 Comments

Very effective material

I find these worksheets effective. I focus on atleast one story per week to teach my kids correct reading skills and these worksheets has done wonders. My students confidence have risen tremendously.

These are all great! Thank you so much for these resources; how can we give you credit if we use any? 🙂

If you would like to do that, you can just link to my website or cite my authorship: Donald E. Morton.

Best wishes!

WOW… thank you for sharing your awesome worksheets….they are brilliant for my year 9 boy who I tutor once a week. He only reads when I am with him and I am sure these easy to follow worksheets will help him. again thank you…

Maaz Abobaker

I find these comprehensions effective

The materials are what it says, very effective for practices

I find the materials effective

Maria Belen Valendo Ragaza

Congrats EReading..this is significant for my learner’s and me.

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Journal Buddies Jill | July 8, 2024 February 14, 2022 | Prompts by Grade

31 Free High School Writing Prompts for 9th Graders

High School Writing Prompts & Fresh Writing Ideas for Teens— Freshman year of high school is all about new beginnings, new responsibilities, and new challenges.

High School Writing Prompts for Teens

Preparing for “Real Life” Beyond High School

Now, whether your students are excited or apprehensive about the coming year and their high school experience, one thing is for sure…

High schoolers are at an important crossroads, and the path they choose will have major ramifications on the rest of their lives.

That’s a big realization for most ninth grade students and it’s one that very few of them will be truly prepared to tackle.

Fortunately…

You can help your students begin to accept the significance of high school by encouraging them to reflect and write about their experiences in a daily journal this school year. 

Simple Yet Important Lesson

Regular journal writing is one of the absolute best ways for teenagers to sort through their experiences, learn critical thinking, and begin making better decisions. 

As your ninth graders write about topics like privileges and rights, peer pressure, daily life, and their greatest fears, they will start forming brand new opinions and learn how to better convey their thoughts and ideas.

Most importantly…

They’ll also develop the self-confidence and self-assurance they need to begin sharing their opinions with others and contributing to larger cultural discussions.

Use this wonderful list of writing prompts for ninth graders to get your students thinking about and reflecting on some of the biggest issues teens face today! 

31 High School Writing Prompts & Ideas for 9th Grade and Beyond

  • Since you’ve become a teenager, what is the greatest challenge you’ve faced?
  • What is the most important thing anyone has ever said to you? How did it make you feel?
  • What career are you best suited for? Write about one or two professions where you would excel.
  • Write about a historical figure who you believe truly changed the world. Why was this person so significant?
  • Is it important for students to learn in a physical classroom today or is an online classroom just as good?
  • Write about an object that you always have with you. Why is this object important?
  • Write about an experience or event that you always carry with you. Why does this instance stick in your mind?
  • What is the difference between a privilege and a right? Give examples of each.
  • What is the greatest compliment you could give someone else? Do many people in your life deserve this type of compliment?
  • Write about the most individual person you know—and describe what sets him or her apart from other people.
  • Do you have a curfew? Why or why not?
  • What do you think of government programs that promote healthy eating and nutrition? Should they be legal, or should the government not get involved in peoples’ diets?
  • Write about a time when you learned a hard truth about yourself. How did you feel afterward?
  • What type of weather best represents your personality? Why?

Writing Prompts for High School Students

  • What new roles and responsibilities do you have now that you’re in high school?
  • Are you for or against the death penalty? Why?
  • Write about a time when you succumbed to peer pressure.
  • Have you ever felt lonely? Write about an experience when you felt like you had trouble relating with other people.
  • What is your single greatest fear—and why are you afraid of it?
  • Write a short story or poem in the voice of your favorite author, favorite book, or favorite place.
  • Write about a time when someone sacrificed something for you.
  • Do you have a good relationship with your parents (and/or with other family members)? Why or why not?
  • What are the pros and cons of “social media activism”?
  • Write about a time when you had feelings for someone who didn’t feel the same way. What did you do?   How did you handle the situation?
  • What is the most influential book you’ve ever read? How did it affect you?
  • Should companies be allowed to conduct animal testing? Why or why not?
  • What do you imagine your life will look like in 15 years?
  • What do you think the legal driving age should be? Write a short essay defending your position.
  • What is the most important relationship in your life right now? Why is that person so special to you?
  • Are you planning on going to college? Why or why not? If so, what will you study? If not, what will you do instead?

I hope you enjoyed this list of high school writing prompts.

Now… see this bonus list of high school journal prompts.

“Favorite Thing” Journal Prompt List for High School Students

Perhaps you need some quick journal prompts for your high schoolers. If so, may we suggest the time-tested favorites-themed writing prompts? They are simple to use and wonderfully useful in many ways, including getting those creative juices flowing for those more challenging writing assignments to come.

Ask Your High School Students to Write About Their:

  • Favorite foods
  • Favorite place
  • Favorite book
  • Favorite toy
  • Favorite season
  • Favorite movie or television show
  • Favorite animal
  • Favorite pet
  • Childhood memory
  • Video games

You could also invite your writers to turn this list on its head and write about your least favorite instead.

A Few Final Thoughts…

We hope you enjoyed this list of writing prompts. Of course, they may be used with middle school students or students in other grades to encourage writing on a regular basis.

Whether you’re just starting writing, need the inspiration to write more, or want to instill good writing habits in the young people in your life, journal writing prompts can help.

Yes! Daily writing provides time for reflection and pushes creative thinking.

Try our journal prompts to help your students practice and improve their writing skills. Kids of all ages will see their creativity soar when they get into the habit of writing on a regular basis!

Links & Resources

  • 35 Good Research Topics for High School Students
  • 30 Creative Writing Prompts for High School Students
  • 9th Grade Writing Worksheets

Until next time, write on…

If you enjoyed these High School Writing Prompts for 9th Graders, please share them on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Pinterest. I appreciate it!

Sincerely, Jill journalbuddies.com creator and curator

High School Writing Ideas for Teen Writers

PS – Take a peek at this High School Writing Curriculum resource!

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Jill -- Owner and Curator of JournalBuddies.com

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9th grade essay word count

120 Words Every 9th Grader Should Know 

Vocabulary you need to succeed.

By analyzing student data and commonly taught texts, Vocabulary.com has compiled this collection of essential vocabulary for students in 9th grade. Master high-frequency, high-utility words that you'll encounter across the curriculum.

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Other learning activities, teaching tools, vocabulary lists in this collection:.

9th grade essay word count

  • comprehensive
  • implication
  • speculative
  • heterogeneous
  • homogeneous
  • multifarious
  • prerequisite
  • reverberate
  • altercation
  • disconcerting
  • fallibility
  • incredulous
  • irrevocable
  • consolation
  • industrious
  • implausible
  • inquisitive
  • reconciliation

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IMAGES

  1. Free Essay Shortener

    9th grade essay word count

  2. How To Put A Word Count In An Essay

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  3. Where To Include Word Count In Essay

    9th grade essay word count

  4. word count of Essay

    9th grade essay word count

  5. Essay Word Count Rules References

    9th grade essay word count

  6. Where To Include Word Count In Essay

    9th grade essay word count

VIDEO

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  5. Desperate measures to reduce word count

  6. Dad Stories #1: 9th Grade Essay, Babyhood to High Shcool

COMMENTS

  1. Length of essays

    Length of essays - 9th grade? Length of essays - 9th grade? By regentrude, September 10, 2010 in High School and Self-Education Board. Share ... What length (word count) would you expect from a 9th grader? Thanks - English is the one subject where I have no good feeling for expectations (I am not a native speaker and did not go through the US ...

  2. How Long is an Essay? Guidelines for Different Types of Essay

    Learn how long an essay should be depending on your level and subject of study, departmental guidelines, and specific course requirements. Find out how to use length as a guide to topic and complexity, and how to avoid going under or over the suggested word count.

  3. How Many Words Are in an Essay? The Length Guide

    Learn how many words are in an essay depending on the type, purpose, and academic level. Find out the average word count, paragraph number, and structure for different essay lengths, from 150 to 60,000 words.

  4. How Long Should Your College Essay Be? What Is the Ideal Length?

    Learn how to write essays that fit the word limits of different colleges and applications. Find out the ideal length for personal statements, supplemental essays, and graded papers, and how to avoid common pitfalls.

  5. How Easy is a Grade 9 Essay?

    The good news for you is that I get to bring you a grade 9 essay before it is published. Normally, the examiner comments and my comments follow after the essay. But, free subscribers need to know what makes a grade 9, before they decide whether to upgrade. ... My way of measuring this is word count. This student wrote 'only' 741 words. I ...

  6. How Long Is an Essay?: Word Count Tips & Essay Length Tricks [+Examples]

    Learn how to write essays with the ideal number of words for each part. Find out the factors that influence essay length, the recommended word count for different types and levels of essays, and the tips to make your paper longer or shorter.

  7. Essay Word Counter

    Use this tool to count the number of words, characters, sentences, paragraphs, reading time and speaking time in your essay. Compare it with Microsoft Word, Google Docs and PDF tools and learn the best practices for essay length.

  8. How Long Is an Essay Should Be: A Detailed Approach

    The length of the 9th-grade essay typically ranges from 300 to 800 words. This word count allows students to develop their ideas clearly and practice their writing skills without feeling overwhelmed. Teachers usually provide specific guidelines, so it's always good to check those first.

  9. Assignment Sheet for ENG 101 Essay One-1 (pdf)

    Assignment Sheet for ENG 101 Essay/Paper One: Examples Essay (employing Point- Illustrate-Explain) Instructor: Dr. Mary Payne Due Date: Draft: 9/8 (must meet full word count of 700 words); Final: 9/15 midnight Grade weight: 15% of overall course grade Assignment Outcomes: Write an essay that follows one of the writing prompts below, and which illustrates an understanding of basic essay ...

  10. How to Increase Your Essay Word Count

    This web page offers tips on how to add more words to your essay without weakening it. It suggests adding examples, addressing different viewpoints, clarifying statements, finding additional sources, using quotations, and reworking introduction and conclusion.

  11. Essay Terminology & Structure 9th grade Flashcards

    Essay Terminology & Structure 9th grade. Flashcards; Learn; Test; Match; Q-Chat; Get a hint. Introduction. The first paragraph of an essay; includes grabber, focus statement, and thesis statement. 1 / 20. ... A transition word phrase or sentence connecting paragraphs designed to help essay flow smoothly. Audience. The reader(s) of your essay.

  12. Common Core State Standards Writing Rubrics Grades 9-10

    These rubrics help instructors convey their expectations to students, grade submitted work against the CCSS, provide critical feedback, and track student progress. ... Common Core State Standards Writing Rubrics for Grades 9/10 by Turnitin is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License. Watch the 30-Minute ...

  13. How Long Should a College Essay Be?

    Learn how to write a concise and effective college essay within the specified word count range for different application portals. Find out how to shorten or expand your essay, and see examples of wordy and concise sentences.

  14. What's the typical word count for college papers?

    Typically, the length of college papers can vary greatly, and it's often dependent on the nature of the course and the specific assignment. In general, you may see assignments that range anywhere from 1,000 words to 5,000 words, or about 3 to 15 double-spaced pages. For instance, in introductory or lower-level courses, common assignments might include short papers, response essays, or ...

  15. 9th Grade Reading Worksheets

    Those were the worksheets that I have written at or around the 9th grade reading level. I loved working with 9th grade students and I hope that you do too. If these worksheets and activities have helped you, then please tell me about it in the comments. I appreciate any stories, corrections, or feedback that you have to offer.

  16. Essay Extender

    1. To Increase the Word Count. One of the most common uses of our essay extender is to increase an essay's word count. You add words to the entire text or a specific part, for example, introduction, conclusion, or body paragraphs.

  17. 32 Great Writing Prompts for 9th Grade » JournalBuddies.com

    32 Writing Prompts for 9th Grade: First Year of High School Journaling Ideas (that can double as Essay Topics) + a Bonus List of 9 Quick, Easy Writing Ideas.Enjoy! The first year of high school is one of the most significant times in a teenager's life. As students face new responsibilities and enjoy all new freedoms and privileges, they begin to renegotiate their personal identities and come ...

  18. Free Word Counter

    Hemingway Editor Plus is a free tool that counts words and characters in your text and estimates reading time. It also helps you improve your writing with AI tools that fix grammar, simplify sentences, and adjust tone and style.

  19. 31 Free High School Writing Prompts for 9th Graders

    Find fresh and engaging topics for your 9th grade essays, stories, and poems. Explore questions about your life, career, fears, relationships, and more with these high school writing prompts.

  20. Children's Books: Age Categories and Word Counts

    A general list of word counts for different age categories of children's books, based on research and experience. Learn the ranges and exceptions for picture books, early readers, chapter books, middle grade, young teen and young adult books.

  21. 120 Words Every 9th Grader Should Know

    By analyzing student data and commonly taught texts, Vocabulary.com has compiled this collection of essential vocabulary for students in 9th grade. Master high-frequency, high-utility words that you'll encounter across the curriculum.

  22. Reduce Word Count Generator

    A free online tool that summarizes texts and reduces sentence and word count. It cuts out unnecessary words, phrases, and sentences but doesn't change the sense of a text.

  23. Is 2,000 words too much to ask for 8th graders writing short ...

    First year teacher here. Although they're in 8th grade, my students are generally pretty advanced, l'd say around 9th grade reading and writing level practically. They're typically testing at or above the state average (with a few exceptions). They have a short story writing unit right now, and I'm second guessing myself on the requirements.