Structuring the essay Identifying and ordering elements to

include Selecting and evaluating evidence to

back your argument Showing the direction of your

argument and expressing it clearly Making your conclusion explicit

Introduction Outline key issues, without reaching a conclusion Set out the parameters you will be working within Body of the essay Write a paragraph on each of the related issues,

giving and evaluating supporting evidence from primary and secondary texts/materials and relating it to central proposition or question

Conclusion Having evaluated all the evidence, answer your

question directly

Spend time researching and assessing what is not relevant and what is

Ring key words/concepts in essay question or title

Take one concept at a time and break down into sub-concepts (think about the various things implied by that concept)

Make connections between sub-concepts that deal with similar or related issues: discuss these in paragraphs that follow on from one another

Delete any sub-concepts that are not directly relevant to your central argument

Order remaining items into a sensible sequence: each paragraph is a logical move, or next step, to take you to your ‘endgame’

Decide what evidence you need to support each stage of your argument: analyse and evaluate that evidence

Use library, taking careful notes of everything read and of all sources (author, date, title, publisher, place of publication)

Use numbering and/or ‘colours’ system to organise evidence into sections that correlate with stages of argument

Rely on first sentence (topic sentence) of each paragraph to ‘signpost’ the way your argument is heading

Check clarity of signposting by using coloured font for topic sentences, then scanning through from one to next

Make sure the right bits of evidence are under the right topic sentence

How would you construct a sequence of logical moves in response to the title below?

Try writing five or six ‘topic sentences’ that could begin each subsequent paragraph in a short essay.“Oranges are juicier than apples and therefore more useful when making fruit punch.” Discuss

Oranges have been shown to be this juicy… (include evidence)

Apples have been shown to be this juicy… (include evidence; state whether more or less juicy than oranges)

Fruit punch has the following characteristics & requirements in relation to fruit juices…

The term ‘useful’ can be considered in these ways…

On balance, oranges are juicier than apples, but their degree of usefulness depends on the type of fruit punch needed.

Keep sentences fairly short Don’t use a long word if you can find a

better short one Make friends with useful constructions

around words and phrases such as Whereas…, However…, For example…, It could be argued that…, This evidence suggests that…, Another example to support this is found in…

Include short quotations within one of your own sentences

Place longer quotations (more than a line) on separate lines from your own, indented at each margin

Always give the source of a quotation (e.g. Brown,1999:245)

Ensure that all texts referred to are listed as a final Bibliography

In your final paragraph, have you used the key terms of the title or question?

Have you weighed up and evaluated the evidence you have given, and used it to reach a conclusion?

Have you expressed that conclusion straightforwardly and directly?