Essay Structure

ESSAY STRUCTURE

Title

INtroduction

Body Paragraphs

Clear, concise, engaging. Make sure it reflects the selected topic.

Define key terms, provide the background, thesis, main arguments and conclusion.

The main body of your essay is where you deliver your arguments.

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Experimental evidence

DIAGRAMS

CONCLUSIONS

In point 3 you presented arguments based on published literature, here you present your own data and evidence.

Figures, charts, tables, schematics, timelines, maps, drawings that help to clarify your points or present data.

Your conclusion is the whole point of your essay. It should include a clear link back to the question/title.

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Your own research data

In this section you will include original research related to your topic, for example:

• Consulting experts and running interviews;
• Collect data with a survey;
• Run a focus group;

Make sure this section integrates and links directly with the topic, thesis and essay content.

Setting out your essay

Pick up any scientific textbook and you’ll see it’s divided into sections with subheadings and is illustrated with diagrams. It’s a good idea to try to emulate this layout in your writing. By using subheadings to separate sections, you’re not only helping yourself to structure your writing, but also making it easier for your audience and teachers to follow your argument.

Your essay must contain diagrams.

These can be schematics, flow diagrams, maps to connect the arguments, timelines, tables, etc. Diagrams are particularly helpful when it comes to presenting experimental data – it’s very easy to plot bar charts, scatter plots, and other simple charts to summarise data. Diagrams help to communicate some ideas more efficiently than a paragraph of writing.

• Only add figures or diagrams that are relevant and help explain a point.
• Add a clear caption.
• Mention the image in the text.

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