Writing essays is an essential skill, especially for students. As an academic discipline, critical thinking essay poses an immense challenge for students. A critical thinking essay requires a student to employ a high level of thinking that opens unimaginable dimensions. It allows a student to not only process information but also questions it. A critical thinking essay allows the discovery of the reasoning behind a phenomenon. A critical thinking essay allows you to answer questions like why, how, what, and when. Writing a critical thinking essay can be daunting, especially because it involves much of your cognitive function. Often students will find themselves embroiled in this seemingly untenable conundrum. This blog will be invaluable as I embark on answering some of the questions students encounter while writing critical thinking essays. What is a Critical Thinking Essay? A critical thinking essay is a paper that seeks to analyze, conceptualize and evaluate pieces of information. This type of essay enables a student to approach an issue holistically. A critical thinking essay is derived from critical thinking, which entails pursuing appropriate and reliable knowledge through objective analysis of facts to form a judgment. Critical thinking is invaluable as life is full of problems that require solutions. Critical thinking encompasses five core skills;

1. Reasoning
2. Analyzing
3. Decision making
4. Problem-solving
5. Evaluating

Steps of Writing a Critical Thinking Essay.

1. Identify a Topic- select a topic with a clear argument that can be objectively evaluated. The topic can range from current affairs to philosophy or literature. The professor might select your topic if you are in an institution like a college or university. Materials from which topics can be extracted include novels, movies, books, art, or law. It would be best if you were bold enough to select topics from controversial subjects and shed light on them. As a student, you should express honest opinions based on understanding devoid of prejudice.
2. Conduct research- a critical thinking essay is about more than meeting the expected word count. You should provide your essay with detailed and relevant information that is factual. This goal can only be achieved through intensive research of your selected topic. While writing your essay, you should explore both the selected topic's positive and negative sides. As a writer, try as much as possible not to skew the critical thinking essay to fit a particular agenda.
3. Identify the predominant features- while researching your topic, you will notice peculiar features about your topic of interest. A predominant theme may surface and should be explored completely. How special is your theme? This question should be answered in your critical thinking essay. Using the comparison technique, you can make your critical thinking essay more thrilling. This entails displaying how similar or distinct your topic is about other subjects.
4. Write an outline – Any essay has a train of thought and trajectory that it seemingly appears to pursue. An essay should express ideas sequentially and should build up as it progresses. An outline helps you organize your thoughts. You should develop a rough outline to ensure your critical thinking essay flows smoothly. The best way to achieve this is by jotting down the main points as they come to mind. You can then rearrange them in a specific order.
5. Develop a thesis statement- A thesis statement should be added to your introduction as it is the fabric that holds your essay together. It should reflect the main argument and provide enough reasons that support your answer. This means the thesis statement should be informative and capture the reader's attention. A thesis statement determines whether the reader will proceed to read your essay or not.
6. Which evidence best supports your thesis? Which of the pieces of evidence is primarily supported by most authors? In answering these questions, an appealing form of evidence will emerge. Select the compelling evidence- you should be able to select the most appropriate and relevant evidence from your gathered research work.

Format of Writing a Critical Thinking Essay. A critical thinking essay consists of 3 main parts: the introduction, body, and conclusion. Introduction The preliminary step of writing any essay is the introduction. The introduction should be concise and capable of capturing the reader's attention. You could use a hook statement to help accomplish this goal. It is important to remember to mention the name of the author of the subject matter you are about to discuss. Remember to include the author's intentions in writing the theme about to be evaluated. In the introduction, it is also important to ensure the reader will have a preview of what the critical thinking essay is about. Body The body is the descriptive part of the essay. It involves expounding on the main ideas accumulated during extensive research. A good body should have at least three paragraphs. The first paragraph introduces the theme and gives some background information about it. The second and third paragraphs should be dedicated to evaluating and analyzing the theme in the discussion. All controversies and biases throughout should not be overlooked but elaborately discussed to invoke the reader's mind. It will be helpful to point out any fallacies or inconsistencies elicited throughout the themes. Conclusion. The conclusion is a synopsis of the work that you have evaluated. The conclusion can be critical of the theme or one that illustrates inspiration. A conclusion can also be used to point out the strengths and weaknesses of the theme. The use of a quote can also be employed. You could end with a personal opinion or by discussing the agenda of the evaluated theme. With the application of the ideas in this well-elaborated blog, I hope you will find it illuminating and helpful in your studies. Learning how to write a critical thinking essay will make you a better student. With all the insights this blog provides, you may still need help writing an outstanding critical-thinking essay. Lucky for you, Essayloop.com is endowed with writers replete with experience and may be useful. All you need to get started is with the click of the button below.