What is the best way to structure an essay?

A good essay consists of an introduction, usually three to four paragraphs, and a conclusion. In terms of paragraph structure for each point, there are various acronyms students can use to ensure they have fulfilled the mark scheme requirements. The first is the well known PEA paragraphs: Point, Evidence, Analyse. The first sentence of the paragraph should be the student's new point in regards to the question, and should be no more than one or two sentences. Then the student must choose a relevant quotation from their given text to support their point; ideally a short quote as this allows for close-word analysis. Then the student must explain their point by analysing their chosen quotation, exploring themes, techniques and the author's methods. Another useful acronym is PETER paragraphs: Point, Evidence, Technique, Explain, Reflect. Generally, PETER paragraphs are similar to PEA paragraphs except that they specifically reference the literary techniques employed by the author while using the correct and consistent subject terminology. Additionally, PETER paragraphs emphasise the importance of referring back to the point at the beginning of the paragraph and commenting on the point in reference to the whole text. PETER paragraphs are usually recommended in order to achieve the highest levels as they help students to achieve the top-band requirements in the marking criteria.