No matter the chosen academic field, all students are expected to complete at least a couple of written assignments. And as such, every student needs good essay writing skills to boost their academic writing performance.
However, essay writing skills do not come naturally for everyone. The problem is that by the time students reach the college level, professors already assume that they have a good grasp of different essay styles and formats. And the first thing to get right is the basic essay structure.
In this guide, we will explain how you can structure an essay to make it compelling and convincing.
The Basic Structure of an Essay
If you look at it, the structure of all academic essays is the same. It has three components:
- Introduction
- Body
- Conclusion
Now, depending on the type of essay, students can take different approaches to all three components. For instance, how you write a narrative essay will be entirely different from how you take on an argumentative essay. Similarly, research papers and dissertations will have multiple sections within the body when compared to a typical college paper.
Therefore, the structure might vary slightly from one paper to another and from one topic to another.
If you need guidance, there are several ways to get it. Sometimes, you will need more help than essay guides like ours can provide. A paper writing services might be a better choice for those who prefer a more tailored solution. Platforms like Writepaper have highly experienced writers who can guide students through challenging writing assignments.
Get Started With an Outline
Before you can get started with the structure of an essay, you need two things – a thesis statement and an outline. The thesis statement summarizes the focus of your essay. The rest of the paper will include points that will support your thesis, and as such, it would be best to nail down your thesis first.
After finalizing your thesis, think of what you will put into the essay. This might require you to do some literary research beforehand. Next, you can create a bulleted list of the information you have and split them into paragraphs.
This will give you a clear idea of the direction of your essay and what content should go where.
Write the Introductory Paragraph
The first paragraph of your essay is perhaps the most important. This is where you introduce the topic and try to grab the reader’s attention. The key is to be clear about the thesis statement and the focus of the essay without giving too much away.
While this might sound simple, many students struggle with writing the introduction. However, rather than spending hours on getting the introduction right, you might want to dive straight into the body of the essay.
Once you have completed the body paragraphs and the conclusion, you might have a better idea about how to write a perfectly good introduction. So, we suggest you write the body and conclusion and then come back to the introduction.
Structure of a Body Paragraph
Next comes the body of the essay – which is the main part of the paper. Each paragraph in the main body of your essay should have three components.
The Topic Sentence
This will be the first sentence that prepares the reader for the information to come. This is particularly crucial for paragraphs that offer new information.
Supporting sentences
This part backs up the topic sentence with supporting points, statistics, studies, and more. The amount of information you put into the body paragraphs can make your research paper more informative. However, at the same time, you don’t want to add phrases simply to increase the word count. Instead, you should focus on providing the ring combination of substance and analysis. The main points of your paragraphs would be supported with factual evidence rather than opinions and comments.
Concluding Sentence
Every paragraph should also have a sentence that concludes the particular idea or train of thought before moving on to the next one. For instance, at the end of each section, you can briefly summarize the information you mentioned above.
How to Write a Body Paragraph
Even with a proper structure, body paragraphs might come across as too muddy unless written carefully. When writing, it is easy to lose sight of the main point and get carried away with the train of thought. This is why it’s important to remember that all body paragraphs should ultimately serve the main thesis of your essay.
You can do this by providing background information and by providing contrasting viewpoints. Making a case for any counter arguments can help explain why your thesis is stronger. You will need to consider the topic from every angle, which can add to the credibility of the essay and help you gain the reader’s trust.
Moreover, it is also important to add paragraph breaks where necessary. This will help to take the reader from one topic to another by giving them a pause. It is also best to avoid cramming too much info into a single paragraph. Paragraph breaks can be a great way to control your essay’s pace.
All that being said, writing the body paragraphs can be challenging, especially if you don’t have sufficient literary research to back up your thesis. For this reason, many students end up using essay writing services to get help with the research. Indeed, outsourcing parts of your essay can be helpful if you do not have the time to do extensive research on the essay topic.
Conclude Your Essay
The last paragraph of your essay should reiterate the thesis statement and the supporting points. Bear in mind to refrain from introducing any new points or concepts here.
Instead, focus on writing an efficient close to the essay. You can also suggest further reading or a CTA if that serves the purpose of your essay.
Edit the Draft
After finishing the essay, you might feel that the initial outline is no longer the best way to approach the topic. So, editing the draft is of utmost importance.
Start by reading the draft to ensure that there are no spelling or grammar mistakes. Next, make sure that the sentences are cohesive and the paragraphs have smooth transitions. It would work better if you take a break from the essay and come back to it after a while.
You can also try reading the essay out loud or ask someone else to read the essay for you. These days, it is also possible to outsource the editing of your writing assignment. This way, an expert will look at your essay and tweak it to make sure that it reads well.
How to Make Essay Structure Ideal – Conclusion
As you have read above, there are a lot of elements that come together in order to create a good essay. Getting everything right on the first try can be tricky. However, students can indeed improve their essay structure by practicing writing.
There are several sample essay writing templates available that can help you prepare for college assignments. However, it can turn out to be quite a time-consuming step. So, you might want to consider getting the help of essay writing services until you are confident with your own skills.
