An essay should be written in a flowing manner with each sentence following on logically from the previous one and with appropriate signposts to guide the reader.
An essay usually takes the following structured format:
The introduction
The main body: a development of the issues (organised in paragraphs)
A conclusion
The function of the introduction is simply to introduce the subject, to explain how you understand the question, and describe briefly how you intend to deal with it.
You could begin by defining essential terms, providing a brief historical or personal context if appropriate, and/or by explaining why you think the subject is significant or interesting.
Essays are generally a blend of evidence (e.g. from additional reading) and your own comments and analysis.
Some students' essays amount to catalogues of factual material or summaries of other people's thoughts, attitudes, philosophies or viewpoints.
At the opposite extreme, other students express only personal opinions with little or no researched evidence or examples taken from other writers to support their views. What is needed is a balance.
The balance between other researchers’ and writers’ analysis of the subject and your own comment will vary with the subject and the nature of the question. Generally, it is important to back up the points you wish to make from your experience with evidence.
You should construct your essay as a sequence of distinct points set out in a rational order.
The main body of your essay will usually be divided into paragraphs that are organised by arguments, points, themes or topics. It is important that you signpost to your reader what the paragraph will be about in your opening sentence (see signposting below). You may also wish to return or link your paragraph to the overall essay question at the end of a paragraph to strengthen your argument.
At the end of an essay you should include a conclusion, the purpose of which is to sum up or draw a conclusion from your argument in relation to the question or topic.
In other words, indicate what has been learned or accomplished. Generally you should avoid including any new information in your conclusion although you may use it as a place to mention questions that are left open. The main objective is to summarise your argument and give a clear response to the essay question or topic.
It is helpful to keep the reader informed as to the development of the argument. You can do this by using simple statements or questions that serve to introduce, summarise or link the different aspects of your subject.
Here are a few examples:
There are two reasons for this: first,... second,...
The first reason to consider is...
Moreover, it should not be forgotten that...
With regard to the question of...
Another important factor to be considered is...
How can these facts be interpreted? The first point...
There are several views on this question. The first is...
Finally, it is important to consider...
Overall...