Essay Structure

An essay is made up of three main parts. 

The introduction is the very first thing your reader will see, so it needs to be carefully crafted. After reading the introduction, your reader should have a clear sense of your topic, your argument, and how your essay will unfold (its structure). This implies that in your introduction you should:

1. Introduce your topic with some background information, to set the scene for the reader.
2. State the purpose of your essay and the argument you will make. This is your research question/thesis statement, and it should reflect the essay question to prove that you have understood it. Everything you write in the body of your essay will work towards proving this point.
3. Briefly introduce the main points you will discuss in your essay. Those main points will correspond to the headings developed in your outline.

Remember to keep your introduction concise: detailed information and supporting evidence should be given in the body of your essay, not in its introduction. That means citations are not usually included in the introduction.

The body of your essay is composed of a series of paragraphs that will prove the argument presented in your introduction. Those paragraphs represent the subheadings presented in your outline.

Each paragraph should focus on one point. Break the body up into paragraphs by separating your evidence into logical categories as per your outline. If your essay question has multiple parts, focus on each part in a different paragraph.

Use evidence and examples to support your argument and show that you have done your research. All your evidence should support the argument you are making. Evaluate every example or quotation that you use and delete it if it does not contribute to your argument. 

Tip: Quotations are there to support your argument, not to replace it. They should only be used if they bring something that you could not convey by paraphrasing or summarising the original source.

See: Paragraph Structure

Restate your thesis statement to bring the reader back to the big picture of your essay.

Summarise the main points discussed in the body of your essay, to show you have successfully proved your point. Do not include any new information or evidence at this point, the conclusion is a summary only, all evidence and quotations should be found in the body.

You may optionally, but ideally, include a final comment considering the implication of your argument. This may include suggestions for areas of future research.