Basic Essay Structure

Basic Essay Structure Your assignment task may require you to make a recommendation about the suitability of the items you are comparing. Sentences giving further explanation and providing evidence from both the literature and the data, e.g. the case study to support the topic sentence . Examples of this include questions which ask you to discuss, analyse, investigate, explore or review. In an analytical structure you are required to break the topic into its different components and discuss these in separate paragraphs or sections, demonstrating balance where possible. An idea or a claim, which is supported by logic and/or evidence. You will note that this second example is far more concise yet none of the meaning is lost. It also uses present tense, and avoids informal terms. Clear, concise, and precise language is a hallmark of academic writing. Sometimes, conclusions attempt to connect the essay to broader issues or areas of further study. Each paragraph is a point that you want to make that relates to the topic. Logically structured body paragraphs which include supporting evidence from academic sources. If you're really struggling - or just curious - you can also look into the Essay Writing Service from ourselves here at Oxbridge Essays. In general, a short essay will have at least three full paragraphs; a long essay considerably more. Think of your introduction as a thumbnail picture of the whole essay. Anyone, but especially the marker, should know the essay subject and how you intend to prove or disprove it, just from having read just the introduction. You should already know this, but most professors and instructors will start grading your work in their head as soon as they begin reading it. They will be sorting your essay, maybe not in terms of a grade, but most definitely in terms of strong/weak, interesting/dull, or effective/ineffective. Every once in a while, I would write a really good essay, but mostly I skated by with B’s and A-minuses. Examples of this type of essay include compare, compare and contrast or differentiate questions. In this structure the similarities and/or differences between two or more items, for example, theories or models, are discussed paragraph by paragraph. And most will have some notion of where your essay falls on that scale before they even finish the introduction. It will be the rarest of markers who withholds judgement until the end. The introduction is something you absolutely must start strong. Now, by argument we don’t mean a slanging match between two angry people. Before you start, it is important to understand what type of essay you are required to write. The language of the question, especially the directive words, will indicate the type of essay and suggest an appropriate structure to follow in your essay. More information on directive words is contained in the QUT cite|write booklet . We can put together a comprehensive essay plan for you, which maps out your essay and outlines the key points in advance, and in turn makes the writing process much easier. Now you should have a solid grasp of a typical essay structure, but might not know how to actually begin structuring your essay. Make sure you remind them of your argument by very concisely touching on each key point. Every well-structured essay ends with a conclusion. Its purpose is to summarise the main points of your argument and, if appropriate, to draw a final decision or judgement about the issues you have been discussing. Some people have no trouble thinking everything out in their head, or putting together an outline, and starting with the introduction and finishing with the conclusion. It is important not to introduce any new ideas in the conclusion â€" it is simply a reminder of what your essay has already covered. It may be useful again to refer back to the title in the conclusion to make it very clear to the examiner that you have thoroughly answered the question at hand.