Thesis writing skills What is an essay? The essay is a writing method used to assess your understanding of other concrete arguments and your ability to interpret these ideas in your own language. Papers are usually presented in a style of prose, combining ideas, evidences and arguments to solve a specific problem. The essay follows a specific structure: you will state your argument in the introduction, establish and state your argument in the subject, and summarize all the key messages or arguments in your conclusion. The essay takes time to complete. You need to allow time to complete the following writing stages: Thinking about the problem. Gather information and ideas. Organize your thoughts. Write something on paper.