Lengua Inglesa: Essay Writing (WEEK 2):

An essay is a piece of writing, usually from a writer's personal point of view on a particular topic.

And, a discursive essay is a piece of formal writing which discusses a particular issue, situation or problem.

There are three main types of discursive essays.

For and against essays present both sides of an issue, discussing points in favor of a particular topic as well as those against, or the advantages and disadvantages of a particular question. Each point should be supported by justifications, examples, and/or reasons. The writer's own opinion should be presented only in the final paragraph.
Opinion essays present the writers' personal opinion concerning the topic, clearly stated and supported by reasons and/or examples. The opposing viewpoint and reason should be included in a separate paragraph before the dosing one, together with an argument that shows it is an unconvincing viewpoint. The writer's opinion should be included in the introduction and summarized/restated in the conclusion.
Essays suggesting solutions to problems, in which the problem(s) associated with a particular issue or situation are analyzed and possible solutions are put forward, together with any expected results/consequences. The writer's opinion may be mentioned, directly or indirectly, in the introduction and/or conclusion.

A good discursive essay should consist of:

a) an introductory paragraph in which you clearly state the topic to be discussed;
b) the main body, in which points are clearly stated in separate paragraphs and exemplified or justified: and
c) a closing paragraph summarising the main points of the essay

d) using a formal style

e) use topic sentences

f) justification of the main points

(Information extracted from the webpage: http://academicwriting.wikidot.com/what-is-an-essay ).

Here, there are other links that can be helpful in order to write essays:

From my viewpoint, the major difficulties I find when writing essays are:

Getting started, the thesis statements and sometimes citing sources.

Finally, this week in order to improve my English, I have spoken to Erasmus students and I keep watching several series, such as...