Essays - Structuring the essay
Advice LeafletsAdvice leaflets originally produced for the Study Advice Service in the University of Hull, which holds the copyright:
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Most essays need an introduction and a conclusion. The introduction presents to the reader a situation to be considered. It needs to be fairly short in relation to the rest of the essay – don’t bore your reader from the start! It may include an explanation of terms, of how you are going to treat the topic and perhaps the line of argument you will follow. The main body of the essay should provide a clearly structured, coherent argument and/or exposition. The conclusion also needs to be short but remember not to repeat at length what you have already said but to summarise and draw conclusions. Here are some examples: the list is by no means exhaustive and you should feel free to devise your own plan, as long as it is logical and coherent.
Simple
Introduction
Main body
Conclusion
Serial (where aspects or arguments for and against can be considered, the most important first):
Introduction
Aspect / argument 1
Aspect / argument 2
Aspect / argument 3
Conclusion
Chronological (where a historical - and present and future - consideration of the topic might be appropriate):
Introduction
Date 1
Date 2
Date 3
Conclusion
Parallel (where you are considering how well a theory would map onto various real or possible situations):
| Introduction | ||
| Situation 1 | Theory 1 Situation 2 | Situation 3 |
| Situation 1 | Theory 2 Situation 2 | Situation 3 |
| Situation 1 | Theory 3 Situation 2 | Situation 3 |
| Conclusion |
Or, conversely…
Parallel (where you are considering how well various situations illustrate different theories):
| Introduction | ||
| Situation 1 | ||
| Theory 1 | Theory 2 | Theory 3 |
| Situation 2 | ||
| Theory 1 | Theory 2 | Theory 3 |
| Situation 3 | ||
| Theory 1 | Theory 2 | Theory 3 |
| Conclusion |
