How can I improve my essay structure?

The structure your essay is one of the first things examiners consider when grading your exams and coursework so it is vital you can do this well. One key part of a highly effective essay which I have now realised since being at university is the introduction. This part of the essay should outline exactly what it is you are going to explore in relation to the question. It is vital that your introduction closely relates to what is being asked in the question and that you then go on to address these issues in the rest of the essay – don’t mention something in the introduction that you don’t answer in the rest of your writing as this undermines the structure and quality of the essay. It’s also important not to make your introduction too long or go into closer analysis of what you want to say later in the essay, save the good stuff for later on! For the main sections of your essay, obviously their detail and content will depend on your word/time limit and the question. However, in general, it is important that these sections closely address the question of the essay, using all of your best language, structural and form analysis to build an engaging debate on the topic. If there are two sides or possible interpretations to the question, make sure you explore both of these with evidence from the text/s to back these points up to avoid making sweeping generalisations or the essay appearing too one-sided. Also, ensure that your points are concise and clear as you do not want to be appearing to waffle as this may undermine the effectiveness of your argument. To help this, you could keep your sentence lengths down where possible to ensure your points are sharp and concise; this will give what you say more weight, making your argument seem more decisive and ultimately stronger. Finally, the conclusion is the last thing the examiner will read so needs to be strong and leave no doubt as to whether you have properly addressed the question. To do this, try to sum up the main points and arguments which relate to the question without directly repeating yourself. Then, in the final lines of your essay, you can give an overall judgement based on the issues you have explored in your discussion. Be confident and trust in your final, overall judgement as this will show the examiner you have confidence in your argument and have answered the question effectively.