How to write an essay

(220 to 260 words)

First thing’s first, we need to follow a structure. A good structure to follow could be:

 1st paragraph: Discuss the topic of your essay in your introduction, in a general
way.
 2nd and 3rd paragraphs: Discuss each bullet point in a separate paragraph.
 4th paragraph: explain which of the two points discussed is more important and
therefore make a conclusion. (this would make it the classic for and against essay)

ACTION PLAN
1. Highlight the significant points of the question that you must include in your
answer.
2. Choose TWO of the three listed points.
3. Think about what you can say about the listed points. Remember, you can always
use your own ideas, but you don’t have to. They are judging you on HOW you write,
not WHAT you write.
4. Think about how you’re going to compare these two points, and which you will say
is more important and why.
5. If you write less than 220 words, you haven’t developed the topic enough. Work
through some of the ideas of the bullet points.
6. If you want to make a correction, do so as neatly as possible.
7. You want to write in a neutral or informal register. You can use the first person, ‘I’
but avoid a conversational style. Don’t use contractions
8. You should aim to spend around 45 minutes on your answer, including time for
planning and checking.

ADVICE
When looking at the exam questions think of which topic will be harder to write about, and
that is the one you should avoid.
Try and think of specific examples when it comes to explaining the bullet points.
INTRODUCTION
Useful language
It is often said that…
Unquestionably…
Without a doubt…
In this day and age…
… is a hotly debated topic that often divides opinion.
… is a growing issue in today’s society
We live in an age when many of us are…
Hardly a week goes by without another report of ................. appearing in the media.
Although most people would generally agree that ............... few would deny that ...

 You can end your topic with a rhetorical question so that you can introduce the
next two paragraphs.

BULLET POINTS

Remember to support your choices with reasons and examples. Reasons can be given
before OR after the ideas expressed. It is a really good idea to vary the word order as a
way of making the text seem more complex and less repetitive.
You are going to have a topic sentence at the start of each paragraph. That means that you
will have a sentence which introduces and shows the idea of the paragraph.

Language for topic sentences

2nd paragraph:

 …. clearly/undoubtedly has an impact on…

 It is common knowledge that… plays a crucial role in…
 It is undoubtedly the case that…
 There is little doubt that…
 … is widely believed to contribute to…
 It is generally considered that…
 Recent research suggests that…
 Studies have shown that… has an impact/influence on…
 Few people would contest/dispute the fact that…
3rd paragraph:

 Another factor to consider is…

 On the other hand/In contrast…
 It is often claimed that…
 All the evidence suggests that…

Linking ideas
To exemplify:

 For instance,
 An obvious example of this is…
 A clear example of this is…
 To put it another way
 That is to say
Adding additional information:

 Moreover
 Furthermore
 Similarly
 Another key thing to remember (instead of also)
 As well as (instead of and)
 Firstly, secondly, thirdly…
Phrases demonstrating contrast:

 However
 On the other hand
 Conversely
 By contrast
 That said
 While…

Signifying importance:

 Significantly
 Notably

CONCLUSION

On balance, I feel that…

Taking all the arguments into account, I would say that…
All things considered…
…seems more persuasive/compelling