WRITING AN ESSAY. The book is addressed to the foreign students of humanitarian faculties. The purpose of the book is to give an idea of the basic types of the essay and to form the skills for writing an essay. It prepares students for the test in Russian (third certified level, aspect "Writing"). The theoretical material and the most tasks can be useful also for the Russian pupils to perfect their skills of writing the compositions (essay). The book is approved on the philological faculty of the St. Petersburg State University (chair for Russian as a foreign language and methods of its teaching).