How to Write a Diagnostic Essay?

Among all essay types, a diagnostic essay stands out as one of the most creative and unfettered pieces of academic writing. Students of high schools, college freshmen, and even job applicants may all need to write a diagnostic essay at a certain point in time. If you find yourself tasked with such an assignment, don’t panic—we have you covered! This comprehensive guide will be your free source of knowledge and practical advice on writing a perfect diagnostic essay. Explore it at your own pace to get the maximum benefit.     

For students facing the challenge of writing a diagnostic essay, the task can seem daunting, leading them to think, “Maybe I should have someone write my paper.” This is where an assignment writing company can be a valuable resource. These companies provide expert assistance to students who are unsure about how to approach such a task. The professionals at these companies are skilled in guiding students through the process of crafting a diagnostic essay, helping them to showcase their writing skills effectively. They can offer insights into creating a well-structured essay that accurately reflects the student’s understanding and abilities. This support is particularly beneficial for diagnostic essays, which are used to evaluate a student’s writing level and inform future instruction. By assisting students in presenting their best work, assignment writing companies can help ensure that students are accurately assessed and placed in appropriate courses, setting them up for success in their academic endeavors.

What is a Diagnostic Essay

A diagnostic essay may sound scary, but let us assure you, that is only the first impression. The chances you’ll get a choice of an open-ended topic are very high, and in general, this is highly flexible and one of the least stressful tests one can get. 

The purpose of a diagnostic essay is to evaluate one’s writing skills. It is usually assigned at the very start of a course or program to understand a student’s knowledge and skills and to adjust the course material accordingly. No formal assessment or score will follow, the goal is for the teacher to collect information about the recruits’ writing proficiency and knowledge of the subject.

As a rule, upon submission and assessment of a diagnostic essay, students are provided with brief feedback on their performance. This information serves as a guideline and recommendation for students’ improvements and development.

Here are some common scenarios where students may be required to write a diagnostic essay:

• Beginning of a semester in a high school, college, or university. Students of English, writing, communication, public relations, and composition courses may be required to submit a diagnostic essay to assess their writing skills and to adjust the course materials early on.
• Placements tests. Diagnostic essays can be used to determine students’ placement in ESL (English as a Second Language) or specialized writing courses.
• Tutoring centers. Students seeking help with writing skills may be “diagnosed” to determine the optimal training program and level.
• Job applications. Sometimes, employers may ask their job applicants to provide writing samples. The purpose is the same – to assess their writing skills.

Similar to surveys and medical tests, diagnostic essays are used as assessment tools to inform instructors of the student’s writing proficiency and to tailor the training material accordingly. No formal assessment or grades will follow (except with the job application, when a failed writing test could mean a rejection of an application). 

Diagnostic Essay Format

A diagnostic essay belongs to a category of short essays. Similar to an admission essay, it is rarely longer than 350 words in length. This is because around 80% of all diagnostic essays are written in class, in an initial, so-called orientation meeting with the class and teacher/professor. Students are given around 30-45 minutes to complete this assignment.

For this token, diagnostic essays are usually handwritten or typed on the spot. The instructors are looking to assess students’ immediate writing skills and the ability to quickly generate and express thoughts. Besides, in such a short timeframe, there is zero to little room for plagiarism, and students need to approach this assignment cool-headed knowing that no formal assessment will follow.

Diagnostic Essay Topics

Most essays of this type come with open-ended topics, meaning that you will be free to write on your favorite topic. However, you may also get a fixed, but highly generic topic or a choice of several topics. There is a very high chance that you will be asked to write on one of the following or similar generic topics:

• Discuss a significant personal achievement and its impact on your life.
• Describe a person who has had a significant influence on your life.
• Explain the process of setting and achieving personal goals.
• Describe your favorite book and its influence on your mindset.
• Explain the role of education in shaping your future.
• Discuss a current social issue (of your choice) and its implications.
• Describe a challenging situation you’ve faced and how you overcame it.
• Tell us about your favorite hobby and its role in your life.
• Describe a historical event that you find interesting and its implications.
• Explain the concept of success/happiness and how it can be achieved.

Diagnostic Essay Outline Template

1. Title & Identification Information
   • A title provides extended context and identification for the essay.
   • On the same page as your main text, include the title (each major word starts with a capital letter). The title must be centered and use the same font size as the main text.
   • Down below the title, aligned on the left side, include your full name, and the course name/instructor’s name, followed by the current date – each piece of information on a new line.
2. Introduction
   • Must be one paragraph long.
   • Start with a hook – attention-grabbing information (can be an interesting fact about yourself or your topic, a provoking question, an anecdote, etc.).
   • In a couple of sentences, provide context information/background about the topic.
   • Finish the introductory paragraph with a clear thesis statement – your goal for the essay, what you intend to tell/share/describe.
3. The Main Body
   • Address your thesis statement by providing evidence, arguments, clear description, analysis, or any other appropriate technique.
   • Allocate every evidence piece or an argumentative point into a separate paragraph, and arrange all paragraphs in the order of importance, i.e., the main argument comes in the first paragraph, secondary and third in the second and third paragraphs respectively. 
   • Start each paragraph with a topic sentence – the description of your evidence or argumentative point.
   • Don’t forget to make in-text references if you need to cite external sources (mentioning the author’s name and work title is sufficient).
   • Address counterarguments, objections, and opposing viewpoints in a separate paragraph – your open and unbiased discussion of these will add value to your work.
4. Conclusion
   • Highlight your most important lesson learned/arguments for and against your thesis statement.
   • And/or briefly describe the key takeaway from your story for you personally or the wider community (a society) depending on the initial goal of your essay. 

How to Start a Diagnostic Essay

To speed up your writing process, take a minute or two to sketch a rough plan for your essay. Using the outline template provided above, formulate your thesis statement and the main arguments to support it. This will enable an easy start of your diagnostic essay saving on preparations, since your overall time for this assignment is extremely limited.

Similarly, don’t stretch yourself with the subject description in the introductory paragraph, especially if such a description doesn’t come easy. You can elaborate on your explanations in the main body. While for the introductory part of a diagnostic essay, it is sufficient to have an interesting hook and a clear thesis statement.

A thesis statement has to be articulated, though. It can be an explicit call to review/discuss the chosen topic, e.g., “Let’s see how the book by Stephen Hawking, The Brief History of Time, has changed the course of the contemporary scientific debate.” 

Alternatively, you can formulate your thesis implicitly, e.g., “The concept of happiness can mean various things to various people. Sometimes, what makes one person happy, can make another person deeply dissatisfied.”     

Diagnostic Essay Do’s and Don’ts

Every time you embark on writing a diagnostic essay, refer to the following Do’s and Don’ts checklists:

The Do’s

The Don’ts

The Key Takeaway

A diagnostic essay serves as a measure of your writing skills and abilities. It is not going to be strictly assessed and you will not receive a grade for your diagnostic paper. Instead, the teacher will use it to tailor the learning material to your skills and abilities to maximize the effectiveness of the studying program. Therefore, you should aim to be honest in your writing and take this test to the best of your current abilities, so that you will not happen to be placed in a beginner group or a low-performing student category, and will not waste your time and talents in school on something that you already know.