Essay Structure...

Contents

Essay Structure

The following is the basic essay structure or discernible pattern, which should help you plan your essay and organize your material, expanding the three elements that constitute any essay.

INTRODUCTION - to identify the main issue(s), explain and justify the methods(s) of analysis to be use, and assess the quality of the evidence available.

MAIN BODY - where the evidence is presented, examined, arguments put forward and supported or refuted.

CONCLUSION - where you sum up and draw the threads together.

1. Introduction

Your introduction should:

(a) Comment on the title or topic of the essay

(b) Define or explain any difficult or ambiguous terms in the title; plus keywords

(c) Direct the reader by stating which aspects off the topic you intend to cover and why

The introduction should be roughly 5% of the total length of your essay, generally one paragraph.

2. Body

The main body of the essay should develop your argument or theme. Take each of your main points and support them with examples and illustrations. Break your materials down into paragraphs; one paragraph for each aspect of the topic.

A paragraph may:

(a) raise a particular issue, or

(b) develop a particular issue.

Often the first sentence is the topic sentence - that is, it explains what the paragraph is about.

As you develop your argument, you must move from point to point and from paragraph to paragraph. This involves transitions to smooth the way for the reader. It is important to remind the reader where you have been and where you are going.

Linking words are used as 'signposts' to help the reader make the transition from one paragraph to the next. The linking words you use will depend on the way you are developing your argument.

The following are ways to develop your essay from one paragraph to the next, and common linking words for each.

1. Cause and Effect: You can discuss the cause in one paragraph and the effect in the next one, or the other way round. In this case you are expressing a relationship or drawing a conclusion.

(Linking words: 'as a result', 'thus', 'therefore', 'consequently',' thus', 'for this reason', 'because of'.)

2. Positive and Negative Aspects: You can contrast the positive and negative aspects of something. You might discuss the positive aspects in one paragraph and the negative in the next.

(Linking words: 'but', 'however', 'on the other hand', 'although'.)

3. Sequence of Events, i.e. before and after: You can show the next step or the previous step to the event you are discussing.

(Linking words: 'then', 'after that', 'finally', 'ultimately', 'following', 'before', 'first', 'previously', 'firstly', ' ...secondly ', ' ... thirdly'.)

4. Illustration: You can illustrate or give an example of what you have been talking about.

(Linking words: 'for example', 'for instance', 'such as', 'that is'.)

5. Extension: You can extend an idea, add weight to your argument, give further examples.

(Linking words: 'similarly', 'moreover', 'furthermore', 'in addition', 'not only'.)

3. Conclusion

Your conclusion should:

Summarize your main ideas.
Answer any specific questions which were asked, through your answer may be tentative.
Draw a general conclusion from your argument.
In your conclusion you may also, discuss the wider implications.

You should not introduce any new arguments or information.

The conclusion should make up about 7-8% of the total length of your essay.

It is useful to check the essay for basic errors a day or two after writing it, if you have allowed time for this and you are not then tempted to start re-writing bits of it!