Legitimate Ways to Boost Your Assignment’s Word Count

One of the worst things that can happen when you work on a writing assignment is completing the paper having said everything you intended to say, only to realize that you have only reached about half of your necessary word count.

No amount of editing can expand your text enough to reach the desired value, and you have no idea what else you can say. So, what are you to do?
One way to expand your essay would be to use as many filler words as possible, assume a verbose, cumbersome style and try to bloat what you have already written.

It is not a very good idea – any rater will immediately see what you are trying to do. In this article, we will cover a few legitimate ways to achieve the same goal.

1. Add Examples

Essays often use examples to illustrate the points they make, and you should not miss this opportunity.

Go through your writing and check the examples you have already made. Quite often, you will find it possible to add extra examples to further prove your points.

Look for any statements that are not yet supported by examples, then do some research and find some facts to back them up.

2. Clarify Your Statements

Sometimes, what you have already said can use some explaining and clarifying, especially if supporting it with an example is not appropriate for some reason.

In such situations, you can safely increase your word count by adding a few specific statements, and explaining the original one in more detail. Feel free to use phrases like “In other words…”, “Specifically…” etc.

Just make sure you do not overdo it, or it will look like filler. Later you will have to proofread your writing carefully to see if it looks natural in this respect.

3. Add Quotations

Depending on the size of your assignment, it may call for a few or multiple quotations.

A thesis, for example, is almost guaranteed to have quite a few. It is important to know when enough is enough. E.g., if you write an essay and have already introduced a few quotations, skip this step.

If, however, there is not a single quote, take some time looking for appropriate ones online. There are many websites where you can find useful expressions depending on the topic.

4. Explore Different Viewpoints

Most topics can be viewed from multiple standpoints. If your essay is not long enough, use it as an opportunity to take a look at the subject of your paper from another point of view.

In addition to increasing your word count, it will have the added benefit of addressing some points that you may have missed so far.

It can also motivate you to visit an additional website or two in search of extra information, which in turn can lead you to more thoughts on the topic.

5. Hire an Editor

Sometimes you need another person to show you the way. You may be too familiar with your own writing to see effective ways of expanding it. In this case, it may be a good idea to look for services where you can hire a corrector for proofreading essay online.

This will not just improve the quality of your English, but give you access to the insights of somebody who is getting paid for this sort of work. Simply contact a relevant service and ask the proofreader to look for ways to increase the word count of your writing as they go about it.

Some such services even offer a special app where you can place an order for proofreading and specify the details, so keep an eye out for the variant that works best for you.

6. Use More Sources of Information

If you do not want to spend any money on proofreads, here is another effective approach. Look for some sources of information on your topic you have not used yet.

Check out the bibliography sections of the sources you have already studied, run searches in academic databases, go through a few encyclopedias. If you study another book on the subject of your paper, perhaps you will find something else you can say about it.

Perhaps you will discover a point of view you have not covered yet or additional details that explain something that remained obscure so far.
Whether you write an essay at home or during the IELTS test, knowing how to increase the word count of your paper without it looking artificial is a useful skill.

Try out our suggestions the next time you find yourself struggling to achieve the required essay length, and you will see that with a certain practice, they work perfectly. As long as you remember that your essay should have a substance of its own, they will help you get the desired effect.

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