The essay structure

I- How to write a good essay?

To produce a high quality essay you need to:
• understand the precise task set by the topic
• select the most relevant material to refer to in your essay
• construct an effective argumentation

Three steps are necessary not to be off topic:

Sticking to the topic
The most important starting point is to read carefully the topic. The guidance given to you in the topic is the
best clue as to what is required in the essay.
Brainstorming
To minimise the likelihood of a writer’s block, a useful exercise is to do a ‘brainstorm’ of all your ideas in
connection with the topic. You can catch all of your ideas, in no particular order, on a sheet.
Drafting an outline
Once the ideas are down there, it will be easier for you to start to review them critically and to see where
you need to focus and how to organize them.

II- The writing essay tour

• Analyse the essay question before you begin making notes.

• Be selective in your reading.
• Record only information that is directly relevant to your essay question.
• Use a plan to create a clear and logical sequence for your material before you begin to write.

III- The pre-writing steps

1. Analysing the question
Before you can begin to select material for your essay, you need to make sure that you understand the exact
requirements of the question. Break the topic down into clearly identifiable elements so that you can
accurately see what the question requires.
2. Selecting the material
Use your analysis of the question as a focus for the selection of materials. Begin with the basic reading:
• module material
• your own readings
Be selective, Use the essay question as a focus for note taking.
Be sure to use only information that is directly relevant to your essay question. This will save you time and
make the ideas easier to organize in an essay plan.
3. Organizing the material
Organize the ideas in a cohesive (relations between the different ideas) and coherent (easy transitions from
one paragraph to the other and between parts of the essay) way.

IV- The different parts of the essay

1. The introduction
A powerful introduction is very important. It can engage your reader, and can give him confidence that you
have thought carefully about the question, and about how you are going to address it. A useful generic
structure is to:
• begin with a general point about the central issue.
• show your understanding of the task that has been set.
• show how you plan to address the title in your essay structure while making a link to the first point.

2. The body of the essay

The middle part of the essay must fulfil the promises made in your introduction, and must support your final
conclusions. Failure to meet either or both of these requirements will irritate your reader, and will
demonstrate a lack of self-critique and of editing.
The central part of your essay is where the structure needs to do its work. The structure you choose needs to
be one that will be most helpful to you in addressing the essay title.
The content of this central part should contain: ideas, explanations and relevant examples.
It should be characterised by:
• an appropriate academic style
• an interesting and engaging writing
• a clarity of thought and expression
• a sensible ordering of material, to support and the development of ideas and the development of argument.

3. The Conclusion
A powerful conclusion is a valuable tool. The aim is to give your reader the feeling that you have done a
good job. A generic structure that you may find useful is:
• A brief recap of what you have covered in relation to the essay title
• A reference to the larger issue

Summary
• Select and order your material in an essay plan before you begin writing.
• Guide your reader by making the best use of the introduction (to introduce the question) and of the
conclusion (to conclude your analysis).
• Use paragraphs to present your points in a clear, linked sequence.
• Use evidence to support and examples to illustrate your points.
• Organize your brainstormed ideas in an outline to reduce the need for redrafting.
• After writing your essay, take a short break before checking it.
• Read your work to check your expression and sentence structure and correct the mistakes.

The most common essay types are:

• the expository essay where we analyse the given idea (1 part).
• the argumentative essay where we analyse the given idea and then put it into
perspective using contradictory arguments (2 parts).
 Essay terms defined and broadly divided into 2 types

One-part essay

Essay term Definition

Analyse Break an issue into its constituent parts. Look in depth at each part using supporting arguments
and evidence for and against as well as how these interrelate to one another.

Clarify Literally make something clearer and, where appropriate, simplify it. This could involve, for
example, explaining in simpler terms a complex process or theory, or the relationship between
two variables.

Demonstrate Show how, with examples to illustrate.

Describe Provide a detailed explanation as to how and why something happens.

Elaborate To give in more detail, provide more information on.

Clarify a topic by giving a detailed account as to how and why it occurs, or what is meant by
the use of this term in a particular context. Your writing should have clarity so that complex
Explain procedures or sequences of events can be understood, defining key terms where appropriate,
and be substantiated with relevant research.

A similar instruction to ‘explain’ whereby you are asked to show the workings of something,
Illustrate making use of definite examples and statistics if appropriate to add weight to your explanation.

Make a case by providing a body of evidence to support your ideas and points of view. In order
Justify to present a balanced argument, consider opinions which may run contrary to your own before
stating your conclusion.

Present, in a logical order, and with reference to relevant evidence the stages and combination
Show how of factors that give rise to something.

Two-part essay
Essay term Definition

Critically Give your verdict as to what extent a statement or findings within a piece of research are true,
evaluate or to what extent you agree with them. Provide evidence taken from a wide range of sources,
which both agree with and contradict an argument. Come to a final conclusion, basing your
decision on what you judge to be the most important factors and justify how you have made
Evaluate your choice.

Essentially this is a written debate where you are using your skill at reasoning, backed up by
Discuss carefully selected evidence to make a case for and against an argument, or point out the
advantages and disadvantages of a given context. Remember to arrive at a conclusion.

Evokes a similar response to questions containing 'How far’. This type of questions calls for a
To what thorough assessment of the evidence in presenting your argument. Explore alternative
extent explanations where they exist.
Opening sentence

Context

Thesis

Conclusion
Opening sentence

Context

Thesis
Conclusion