Essay Structure: Simple Quick-Reference Guide
The following is a handy quick-reference guide you can print and keep to assist you in writing essays.
Introduction:
-Thesis statement: Main idea you will argue in the essay
-Briefly expand on the thesis
-Name your texts and composers
-Outline the arguments you will be making in the essay
Body Paragraphs (May be more than one paragraph for each point):
-Thesis statement/topic sentence
-Explain your thesis for the paragraph
-Give evidence to support this in text one
-Discuss the relevance of the evidence (What it reveals/tells us/shows us about the topic you are writing on) and link it back to the question
If you have to write about a related text:
-Give evidence to support your thesis in text two
-Discuss the relevance of the evidence (What it reveals/tells us/shows us about the topic you are writing on) and link it back to the question
REPEAT for each point you will make
Conclusion:
-Restate essay thesis in different words
-Sum up the points you raise in the argument
-Rename the texts and authors which gave you the evidence to support your arguments
-End with a final remark about the topic and its significance/relevance
