How do I write a good introduction?

Introductions are notably tricky part of the essay to get right. Examiners tend to place a significant amount of emphasis on them. They are sometimes able to predict how highly the essay will score by reading the introduction alone, which makes it a vital part of your essay that should not be rushed. While it's important not to make them too formulaic, it does help to have a rough set of guidelines to follow in order to make the writing process smoother under exam conditions. First of all, it is important to get to the core of what the question is asking. Many students tend to go about this by rephrasing the question in the opening lines of their essays. However, examiners are marking these essays on their originality and therefore just rephrasing the question won't make your essay stand out from the rest, it will simply tell the examiner what they already know. Instead, you might try and captivate your examiner's attention by making a strong statement that links directly to your argument. For instance, if you were given a question on how suffering was presented in Shelley and Coleridge's poetry, your opening lines could argue that 'Human anguish and suffering lie at the very heart of the Romantic Movement'. This is an example of a strong statement that links to the wider argument of the essay as a whole. Furthermore, it helps pave the way for the context that you will write about next.
Context is a crucial part of your essay which is why your introduction is the best place to include it. Candidates who explore the question in relation to context within their introduction, have been awarded more AO4 marks in Examiner's reports. This therefore demonstrates how much of a necessity it is. It is important to keep this part of your introduction brief, use your historical and social understanding of the time period to flesh out your argument. Alternatively, you could consider the biographical context of the author and use that to evidence your point. Finally, sum up your introduction by telling your examiner exactly what your answer is and how you will explore it within the main body of your essay. By being explicit, you allow the examiner to award marks for clarity of argument. Furthermore it will help you focus your own mind for the remainder the essay, which in turn will prevent any waffling later on.