We’ve taught you how to lengthen an essay with the intent of making sure your work is as comprehensive, relevant, and in-depth as possible. However, that doesn’t rule out that essays can also be short.
So the question is this:
How long is a short essay exactly?
Let’s get one thing out of the way first:
There isn’t a strict rule on word limit in essay writing. How much you can write depends on the prompt, the complexity of the topic, the depth of your research, the type of the essay, or your professor’s preferences.
But can an essay still be as short irrespective of these conditions? Yes, it can.
How Long Is A Short Essay And How Many Words Should It Be?
A short essay should be at least 500 words long.
That’s a one-page document single spaced, or two pages with double-spacing, provided you use the standard formatting required in academic writing.
You go over 3 pages, and your paper is no longer a short essay.
Keep in mind that even shorter essays must adhere to the standard outline for it to be considered at essay.
A writer must include an opening paragraph, a body section, and a conclusion.
For a 500-word essay, you’ll end with about 3 to 5 paragraphs. There’s a lot you can write in 500 words. Split into 5 paragraphs, you do have ample space to state your claim, defend and prove it, and provide a reasonable conclusion.
Since a short essay is by no means an extensive paper, it should be to the point.
Start with a hook; let your reader know what to expect from the paper even before getting to the body paragraphs. Follow up with background information and lay a framework for effective investigation of a topic or claim.
You won’t go deep into research because you don’t have enough room to introduce, develop, and summarize your ideas, but you still should remain as relevant and accurate as possible.
When it comes to writing 3 to 5 paragraphs, it’s important to find a good balance between sections so that you end up with a well-written paper.
It makes a lot of sense to write about the same word count for the opening paragraph and the concluding statement, keeping in mind that both cannot be more than one paragraph. Then throw a big chunk of the word count to the body paragraphs.
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Short Essay vs Short Answer
While not a concrete conclusion, some students can easily confuse a short essay with a short answer. But there are differences between the two, as illustrated in the table below.
Header | Short Essay | Short Answer |
|---|---|---|
Format | 5 paragraphs | 1 paragraph |
Length | 500 to 600 words | 150 to 250 words |
Audience | The target audience for a short essay is someone who isn’t already familiar with a topic in question yet | Written to either an admissions board or someone already familiar with the subject in question |
Content | While you can collect data from different sources, your short essay will focus on one central theme. Therefore, the content you write should reflect your understanding and analysis of the topic | Short answers talk more or less about your personal experiences. It focuses on many issues, with the goal being to express your expertise in a particular field of knowledge |
Writing either of these shouldn’t be difficult or intimidating. The secret to getting the writing right is to not overthink what to write.
Write naturally instead.
Let your ideas flow naturally, so you can provide valuable information that will be hard for a reader to resist.
Does Short Mean Low Quality?
No, just because an essay is short doesn’t mean it’s a low quality assignment.
As long as you can make every word count and pay close attention to sentence structure, tone, grammar, and writing style, your short essay should tick.
Remember, the guide for writing a comprehensive essay remains the same. Therefore with a short essay, the only difference is the length of the paper.
While it’s a challenge explaining your ideas broadly to explain your ideas or defend your claim in a short essay, you can summarize your thoughts and still communicate your message.
If it helps, go straight to the point, by providing a clear, immediate response to a question asked or the argument presented.
Can The Body Section Of A Short Essay Be One Paragraph?
Short essays, especially the ones that are only 300 words long can have at least 3 paragraphs. For you, this means having an opening paragraph, a body paragraph, and a concluding paragraph.
It’s fine to make the body section of such a short essay one paragraph, not the entire assignment. Provided you stick to the outline, all you have left to do is to present your claim, defend it, and summarize it in a way that makes sense.
We still recommend breaking the body section into paragraphs if you have more than one idea to present. This ensures clarity throughout your document.
Conclusion
Short assignments are the kind of response papers that you’ll write often in college.
Your professor will teach you something in class, and then you’ll have to write a response to what they’ve taught or what you’ve read.
Although a short essay won’t demand that you do a lot of in-depth research, your instructor still expects you to demonstrate your knowledge of the topic. This begs for some research, although not as extensive as you would when writing a standard (old /regular), 3 to 6 pages.
Then when introducing, supporting, and summarizing your ideas, do so only in a few words as this is mandatory.