Basic Guide Of Essay Writing

Basic Structure Of An Essay

Most essays have the basic structure of introduction, main body and conclusion

Introduction

The introduction contains two main topics

1. Any information that will make sense to your reader.

2. A map of how you are going to answer your questions including your main points and and basic conclusion.

It is often easy to write map of your introduction at the end, when you know what your main points will be.

Main Body Paragraph

The main body of your essay is made up of many paragraphs; the number of paragraph will depend on the count of the words and how complex your argument is. Academic paragraphs are generally longer then you can expect general rule of thumb, one paragraph = one count.

• The paragraph should start with the topic paragraph which should list the point of paragraph clearly. A good way to write an essay is to write down all the topics of your sentences.

• The topic should be followed by the sentences containing evidence to back up your point. You can not say something is true without any supporting evidence. Remember as an undergraduate your word is not enough you are not an expert.

• Evidence will be generally in other forms like books, academic papers or reputable websites. This could be direct quotation but could be written in your own words. When providing information from other sources, you must provide in-text citation that link to your bibliography.

• The last section of the paragraph should be your own analysis of why the point is relevant to the essay. How does it help you answer the question? How does it develop your argument? Basically – ‘So what?’ It is here that you develop criticality and your own academic voice (and so achieve higher grades).

Conclusion

After you have done your research and have idea of your main arguments, it is worth writing a simple draft conclusion before you can write It is easier to plan a journey if you know where you are going. This stops you going off on tangents - you can ask yourself "Is this point relevant to my conclusion?" If not, ditch it!