The question of whether or not it is advisable to make an essay comprise of one thousand words is one that is central to the contents of that essay. This is so because simply ranting on for a thousand words may not serve the purpose of the contents of the paper is completely indifferent to the main heading and subject of the essay. On the other hand, it seems difficult to comprehend or imagine a scenario where a writer can put together one thousand words into an essay and still swerve off the main idea of the essay. In other words, at one point or the other, the writer may either find himself/herself inclined to put relevant material into the essay or end up doing so without actually knowing it. Of course, whether or not the paper holds comprehension is also based on the perception that the reader holds regarding the subject covered in the essay. If the reader is one who is well versed in it, then there is a very good chance that the one of two things may happen: The reader may find himself/herself appalled at the supposed degree of ignorance that the essay has exercised in covering the subject, or the reader may consider the essay to be one in which only external stimuli and interactions pertaining to the subject have been covered.
There is also the fact that different teachers possess differing concepts about the length that an effective essay should span. Some teachers may insist that it is essential for an essay to belong if it is to cover the relevant parts of a subject and is meant to do so concretely, while other teachers may be of the opinion that unless a student is capable of summarizing the essential aspects of a subject together, the student is still at a phase in the study of that subject where further study is required.
In terms of the student’s perception, if a generalization is exercised which pertains along the lines that students wish to avoid writing long essays, then it is deducible that an essay of 1,000 words would indeed help to make the students research into the subject to an extent where the knowledge required has been accumulated. However, if the essay is on a subject upon which students have already researched extensively and the credibility of their research has been proven through graded assessments, then the case may be somewhat different.
On the other hand, the fact remains that the exact subject of the essay also has a great degree of importance in determining the length that the essay on that subject should span. If the subject is one that has not been researched into in recent years, then the length of the essay becomes a question of the level of the class and the average level of the students in relation to that subject. However, if the essay is on a subject that has undergone extensive research in the past and the research material on it is available readily and comfortably, then the opinion regarding whether or not the length of an essay should be limited to 1000 words may tend to swerve in the opposite direction.
Assigning an essay to students that spans a length of 1000 words in a class of students that are already known for not performing well may be an action that may result in an unfavorable result being achieved. However, on the other hand, if the essay was to be made part of a series of essays, each spanning 1,000 words, upon the very same topic, then the outcome may be quite different.
It is also important to highlight at this point that the recommended length of an essay is directly proportional to the amount of data that is already available on the subject. If data on the subject is unavailable or if the students are of a level from which they are not capable enough to develop data on the subject, then assigning an essay that is of a 1,000-word length may cause the students to stretch the essay unnecessarily, thereby increasing undesired elements such as repetition and redundancy in the essay.
When an essay is assigned, the length of the essay is more than often perceived to be a measure of the relevance of that essay and the degree of importance that will be given to it. In this regard, it would be safe to assume that assigning an essay that is of a length of 1,000 words can have favorable outcomes. However, as highlighted in the above paragraphs, this factor depends highly upon not only the level of the class but also the actual average level of intellect of the students as well as the presently available research upon which the students can establish a foundation for their work or derive inference from to support their work.
The recommended length of an essay is a question that has continued to make intellectuals wonder over time. However, the fact remains that there is but one solution. The solution pertains that it is important that a generalization regarding the length of an essay is not developed. Instead, the length of an essay of the class should be an equation of sorts that takes into account the intellectual level of the class as well as the level at which the class is studying. This should be combined with the degree of insight that the essay assignment wishes to develop in the target students in relation to the amount of information already present on the subject.
Another important factor that determines whether or not an essay should be of a length of 1000 words is the length given to each individual component of the essay. For instance, various academic sources offer various opinions regarding the length that each component of the essay should stretch to (Roberts). Parts of the essay such as the introduction, the background, the body and the conclusion all require that they are covered in complimenting lengths within the frame of the subject of the essay.
The question of whether or not an essay should be of 1,000 words is also answerable through this understanding. However, it is necessary to point out that his is not an absolute equation and has been presented in this paper only as an anchor from which we can determine whether or not the length of an essay should be 1,000 words or not.
References
Roberts, A. Advice about writing an essay. 1999.