The essay structure
A standard essay is expected to have an introduction, body and conclusion. Your
introduction should be the length of a paragraph where you provide background in
relation to the question, together with your thesis statement. This not only shows whether
you are going to argue for or against the standpoint reflected in the rubric (where such an
approach is relevant); it also uncovers the direction your essay is going to take. Once you
have completed your introduction, the next step of your essay is the body.
The second paragraph marks the beginning of the body of your essay. This consists of
paragraphs between the introduction and conclusion. This is where you present your
argument, directed by your accurate breakdown of what the assignment question requires
you to focus on. Each paragraph in the body of an essay represents an idea that justifies a
thesis statement. Once you are done with presenting your well substantiated
ideas/analyses/observations organized into paragraphs, you go to the last step, the
conclusion.
In your conclusion, you are expected to summarise your main points/ideas, arrived at in the
body, where you would have quoted from the primary text in order to convince the reader
that what you said about the work had a basis in cogent evidence. You thus demonstrate
how you arrived at the conclusion that you are making in relation to the essay question.
A standard essay is expected to have an introduction, body and conclusion. Your
introduction should be the length of a paragraph where you provide background in
relation to the question, together with your thesis statement. This not only shows whether
you are going to argue for or against the standpoint reflected in the rubric (where such an
approach is relevant); it also uncovers the direction your essay is going to take. Once you
have completed your introduction, the next step of your essay is the body.
The second paragraph marks the beginning of the body of your essay. This consists of
paragraphs between the introduction and conclusion. This is where you present your
argument, directed by your accurate breakdown of what the assignment question requires
you to focus on. Each paragraph in the body of an essay represents an idea that justifies a
thesis statement. Once you are done with presenting your well substantiated
ideas/analyses/observations organized into paragraphs, you go to the last step, the
conclusion.
In your conclusion, you are expected to summarise your main points/ideas, arrived at in the
body, where you would have quoted from the primary text in order to convince the reader
that what you said about the work had a basis in cogent evidence. You thus demonstrate
how you arrived at the conclusion that you are making in relation to the essay question.
