Learning the basic characteristics of the essay

If you are reading this guide about the essay, this probably means that at school teachers are already requesting this kind of writing from you and your classmates. But, have you ever wondered what an essay really is? What is the point when writing one? Are all the essays the same? What is their structure like?
All the essays are not the same. For example, while Prep school students are given a topic by their teacher to write about, in academic writing the teachers ask students to demonstrate an argument, collect enough data to prove a point, or prove that they have understood the multiple meanings of a text they have assigned. But even when they seem different, in all cases, the writing process is the same. You, as the student, always need enough evidence and you have to make a conclusion in order to prove a thesis.