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Remember
Essay structure – introduction / body / conclusion. The body is likely to have a large number of well-developed and linked paragraphs.
Planning – do an initial outline based on an analysis of the essay question; a more detailed one can be done after the research.
Introduction – includes an explanation of the situation and its importance, as well as a statement of the aim of the essay and an indication of its structure.
Conclusion – includes a summary of the main ideas, a review and evaluation of the evidence, and an answer to the question.
Paragraphs have a three-part structure with their own introductory and concluding sentence(s), and analysis, evidence or detail in between; they often refer forward and backwards to other paragraphs.
Readability becomes very important in long essays. The reader needs to find the right information where they expect it; they also need to be told about the structure of the essay and find cohesive text, divided into paragraphs and signposted throughout.
Linking words need to be used in longer text; they need to be chosen carefully and used only where necessary.
Aims
explain the time frame, situation and certainty
indicate the importance of the topic and organization of the essay
use organizational patterns and visuals
understand the language of conclusions
Quiz
Self-evaluation
For each statement below, circle the word which is true for you.
| 1 I know how to write an outline for an essay based on an analysis of the essay title. | agree | disagree | not sure |
| 2 I know what I am normally expected to include in the introduction to an essay. | agree | disagree | not sure |
| 3 I always write my introduction first. | agree | disagree | not sure |
| 4 I know what to include in the conclusion of an essay. | agree | disagree | not sure |
| 5 I know how to use signposting and cohesion to guide the reader through my essay. | agree | disagree | not sure |
| 6 I know what the parts of a paragraph usually are. | agree | disagree | not sure |
Content and language
In Chapter 2, we discussed how your essay question can be analysed to produce an outline that shows in which section of your essay you will discuss each part. Here we look at the content and language of introductions, the main body and conclusions.
The beginning of the essay
The essay has to introduce the topic, so must start with a relatively general comment. The trick is not to over-generalize, otherwise the comment becomes meaningless. For example, the following first sentences of an essay are too vague or general.
| First sentence of essay | Comments | Possible improvement |
| 1 Most people hold firmly to the belief that the English language is one of the most popular languages in the world. | English being ‘one of the most popular languages in the world’ is a fact, not a belief. The student wanted to use ‘hold firmly to the belief’, but this language is not right for the content. The statement also seems to be too general: it is not clear what this essay will be about. | The English language is spoken as a first or second language by millions of people, and is becoming even more popular because of its use in electronic communication. |
| 2 Nowadays, many people spend their time watching TV or surfing the internet. | As in the previous example, this sentence says something that most people know, but it does not clearly introduce the topic of the essay. The word ‘nowadays’ is over-used at the beginning of essays. | In the past few decades, traditional pastimes such as reading books have become less popular than technology-based activities such as watching TV and surfing the internet. |
| 3 The need to have a higher degree has often been debated recently. | The student says something that perhaps is not really true: has this really often been debated recently? It looks as if she wanted to use the language ‘has often been debated recently’, which could be said about any topic (the need to use cleaner energy, the need for more public transport, etc.). Even if it is true about the debate, the sentence is not saying much. | The recent rises in tuition fees for first and higher degrees have led to sharp drops in student numbers. |
The following examples get it just right: they are not too general, nor too specific.
| 4 Globalization, a 21st century phenomenon, is having a great impact on countries, not just economically, but also culturally, educationally and socially. |
| 5 Compared to the past we are living in an educated era, with more people attending universities and increasing numbers going abroad to study. |
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