How do I structure my essays to best present my argument?

Your essay should move from an introduction, through an argument to a relevant conclusion.

In the introduction it is highly important that you both name the authors and/or texts under discussion. You also need to give a general overview of what the argument of your essay will be. If you want to go into more detail, I find it useful to open with a simple yet captivating statement. For example: “In literature, as in real life, character is shaped by ideology.” The introduction should get more specific from then on, although you may want to widen your focus in the final sentence.

When presenting the argument of your essay, you need to put your writing into neatly separated paragraphs. While there is no official way to organise the points in your essay. Ideally you should adapt the structure of each essay to the evidence you can provide from the text, as well as the nature of your argument. This will enable the clear and logical progression of each individual essay. But if you are unsure, then it is often recommended that you spend the first section giving some context/background. This means that you ought to group the points that give a strong idea of the context of your texts/authors at the beginning of the essay. From there you could move into a more detailed close examination of the text. If you have time them perhaps give a more creative interpretation in the final paragraphs.

The conclusion is the least important section of the essay. It should not say anything that hasn’t already been described in full. It is important that you do not simply reiterate what was said in your introduction. Instead, you may want to highlight the point in your preceding essay that you feel most supports and exemplifies your argument. It is then standard to end by alluding towards something bigger to do with the texts. This could be a topic for further discussion/another essay. If you widen out perspective in the final line, it will reconnect your essay back to the rest of the texts. Always keep in mind that you are being tested on your knowledge of the whole text, even when the subject under discussion is only a tiny part of it.