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How to write an essay?

The Five Paragraph Essay

Paragraph 1: Introduction

Paragraph 2: Body 1

Paragraph 3: Body 2

Paragraph 4: Body 3

Paragraph 5: Conclusion

Though it may seem formulaic – and, well, it is - the idea behind this structure is to make it easier for the
reader to navigate the ideas put forth in an essay. You see, if your essay has the same structure as every other
one, any reader should be able to quickly and easily find the information most relevant to them.

The Introduction

The principle purpose of the introduction is to present your position (this is also known as the "thesis" or
"argument") on the issue at hand but effective introductory paragraphs are so much more than that. The
thesis should be a clear, one-sentence explanation of your position that leaves no doubt in the reader’s mind
about which side you are on from the beginning of your essay.

Following the thesis, you should provide a mini-outline which previews the examples you will use to support
your thesis in the rest of the essay. Not only does this tell the reader what to expect in the paragraphs to
come but it also gives them a clearer understanding of what the essay is about.

Finally, designing the last sentence in this way has the added benefit of seamlessly moving the reader to the
first paragraph of the body of the paper. In this way we can see that the basic introduction does not need to
be much more than three or four sentences in length. If yours is much longer you might want to consider
editing it down a bit!
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The Body Paragraphs

The middle paragraphs of the essay are collectively known as the body paragraphs and, as alluded to above,
the main purpose of a body paragraph is to spell out in detail the examples that support your thesis.

For the first body paragraph you should use your strongest argument or most significant example unless some
other more obvious beginning point (as in the case of chronological explanations) is required. The first
sentence of this paragraph should be the topic sentence of the paragraph that directly relates to the examples
listed in the mini-outline of introductory paragraph.

You need to include 2 or 3 analysis per paragraph:

1. Example
2. Technique
3. Analysis
a. The effect the techniques
b. For the readers
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A Word on Transitions

You may have noticed that, though the above paragraph aligns pretty closely with the provided outline, there
is one large exception: the first few words. These words are example of a transitional phrase – others include
"furthermore," "moreover," but also "by contrast" and "on the other hand" – and are the hallmark of good
writing.

Transitional phrases are useful for showing the reader where one section ends and another begins. It may be
helpful to see them as the written equivalent of the kinds of spoken cues used in formal speeches that signal
the end of one set of ideas and the beginning of another. In essence, they lead the reader from one section of
the paragraph of another.

To further illustrate this, consider the second body paragraph of our example essay:

In a similar way, we are all like Edison in our own way. Whenever we learn a new
skill - be it riding a bike, driving a car, or cooking a cake - we learn from our
mistakes. Few, if any, are ready to go from training wheels to a marathon in a single
day but these early experiences (these so-called mistakes) can help us improve our
performance over time. You cannot make a cake without breaking a few eggs and,
likewise, we learn by doing and doing inevitably means making mistakes.

Hopefully this example not only provides another example of an effective body
paragraph but also illustrates how transitional phrases can be used to distinguish
between them.
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The Conclusion

Although the conclusion paragraph comes at the end of your essay it should not be seen as an afterthought. As
the final paragraph is represents your last chance to make your case and, as such, should follow an extremely
rigid format.

One way to think of the conclusion is, paradoxically, as a second introduction because it does in fact contain
many of the same features. While it does not need to be too long – four well-crafted sentence should be enough
– it can make or break and essay.

Effective conclusions open with a concluding transition ("in conclusion," "in the end," etc.) and an allusion to
the "hook" used in the introductory paragraph. After that you should immediately provide a restatement of
your thesis statement.

This should be the fourth or fifth time you have repeated your thesis so while you should use a variety of word
choice in the body paragraphs it is a acceptable idea to use some (but not all) of the original language you used
in the introduction. This echoing effect not only reinforces your argument but also ties it nicely to the second
key element of the conclusion: a brief (two or three words is enough) review of the three main points from the
body of the paper.
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How to Write a Year 11 and Year 12 HSC Essay?

Structure of your Essay:
· Avoid repetition of the same argument and evidence
· Provide appropriate evidence to support your point
· Avoid generalisations and retell
· Provide analytical discussion
· Focus on how language shapes meaning

Introduction:
1. Answer question and thesis statement
2. Introduce texts (prescribed 1, prescribed 2 and related)
3. State concept 1 and concept 2

Body paragraphs of your Essay:

· Topic sentence
· Context sentence
· Core Text
· Related Text
· Concluding sentence

Conclusion:
1. Topic Sentence
2. Evaluative sentence on concept one
3. Evaluative sentence on concept two
4. Final sentence that presents the overall strength of your thesis

Focus of your response:

The focus of your answer should not be on discovery per se but instead the ways in which discovery is represented in
the text. What texts have to say about discovery is of interest but how they represent discovery is the true focus of
study.
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Sample Question
“The most valuable discoveries are often unexpected”
Introduction
The unexpected and challenging confrontations of discovery stimulate valuable ontological experiences, which form a
transformative awareness of oneself and the world. In Ernesto “Che” Guevara’s political memoir The Motorcycle Diaries
(1995), Guevara’s immersion into the socio-inequality of 1950s South America provokes his self-actualisation of Marxist
identity. Analogously, Guy de Maupassant’s realist short story The Necklace (1884), Mathilde’s discovery of the moral
reprehensibility of greed in a materialistic zeitgeist catalyses a spiritual transformation of self. By exploring the valuable
repercussions of discovery in redefining an individual’s preconceived values, both texts represent the capacity of
discovery to enrich our understanding of self and the world.
Topic Sentences
The most valuable discoveries challenge an individual’s established ways of thinking and values by offering new insights
on self and the world.
Similarly in The Necklace, Mathilde’s immersion into the working class challenges her pre-conceived bourgeois values of
wealth and social acceptance as she discovers the moral reprehensibility of greed.
Furthermore, both texts explore how an individual’s accretion of experiences with unexpected discoveries precipitate
their spiritual transformation and contextualise their understanding of self and the world.
Comparatively, Mathilde undergoes a spiritual transformation as she acquiesces the ephemeral value of wealth ensuing
from the blurring distinction between self-awareness and pursuit of social acceptance.