essay structure presentation

No Frills Study Skills

From the skills team at the university library, assessed presentation learn from your essay structure.

Many students panic when they first have to create an assessed presentation. For some this is because they are unfamiliar with the software needed, but for many it is because they are unsure how to structure a presentation and what makes effective slides.

In this post we look at the similarities in structure between presentations and essays – which for many are a more familiar prospect.

Overall structure

The basic structure of an essay is an introduction, followed by a main body and finishing with a conclusion. Presentations are just the same. Your first few slides should be an introduction, the bulk of your presentation represents the main body and then the final few slides are bringing everything together just like a conclusion.

Presentation introduction

We have already written a blog post all about what goes into an essay introduction so you should see some similarities.

Here is a breakdown of a typical presentation introduction:

• A really well designed title slide that grabs the attention
• A slide that gives the audience the big picture
• A slide that shows what you will be focusing on
• A slide that tells the audience what is to come in your presentation (its structure)
• A slide that uses the word ‘you’ or ‘your’ in the title to connect with the audience

The main difference is the last point mentioned above (this doesn’t have to be the last slide in your introduction by the way, it often works best after the ‘focusing on’ slide). By having a slide that uses the word ‘you’ or ‘your’ in its title you show why the people in front of you should bother paying attention. Unlike an essay, it is a lot more noticeable if they stop doing so and it can really affect your confidence – so you want to do everything you can to maximise their engagement. Here are a couple of examples from my own presentations:

Presentation main body

The slides in the main body of your presentation should take a lesson directly from essay paragraph structure. In essays, we emphasis PEEL structure – Point, Evidence, Explanation and Link. This exact same structure works perfectly for presentation slides:

To look at each of these elements in a little more detail:

Making a point

Just like the ‘point’ sentence in an essay paragraph, the heading of every slide should actually assert something – giving information rather than just introducing a topic. Look at the example below:

Providing evidence

In an essay, you would normally follow your point by providing evidence from your reading that backs it up. On a slide, it is best if the evidence that supports or illustrates the point is visual because presentations are in essence a form of visual communication. Still working with the slide from the previous example, you can see how this works:

Explain it to the audience

Detail can go into your verbal narration. For example, the written information on the above slide is not needed on the slide itself because you can verbally give it in the narration.

This is very important, first because it stops you putting too much text and detail on the slide (we don’t need more bullet points!); and secondly, because it is actually impossible to listen and read simultaneously – so by taking the text away, your audience may actually listen to what you are saying.

Your narration is a crucial and integral part of your presentation, just like your critical explanations are essential throughout your essays.

A good essay paragraph will either end by linking the point back to the essay question or link it to the following paragraph. In the same way, part of your presenatation narration could show why the point of the current slide is important to the presentation as a whole and/or make a link to the next slide.

Presentation conclusions

As with introductions, you can look at our previous blog post on essay conclusions and see similarities with what is here.

You should always reserve the last few slides of your presentation to conclude things satisfactorily. You will need at least:

• one slide that summarises your main points 
• one slide that connects your presentation back to the wider topic
• one slide containing the most important point of your presentation

I usually make the ‘most important point’ slide the final one in the presentation. The final slide is on screen as you answer questions so it is searing itself into your audience’s conscience for a long time and should stay with them when you have finished.

Don’t waste your final slide with “Any questions” or “Thanks for listening”. These can just be verbal, they don’t need illustrating and would be a waste of your most important slide.

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Organizing Your Argument Presentation

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This presentation is designed to introduce your students to the elements of an organized essay, including the introduction, the thesis, body paragraphs, topic sentences, counterarguments, and the conclusion.

Basic Essay Structure: Introductory and Concluding Paragraphs

Introduction.

By Karen Christie, Ph.D. Department of Cultural and Creative Studies National Technical Institute for the Deaf Rochester Institute of Technology

Extended "discourse," such as class presentations or essays written as school assignments, has a particular structure arising from particular expectations and standards. Such structure, expectations, and standards vary across languages and modes. For example, the organization of information to be communicated through written English essays differs from spoken English presentations, presentations in American Sign Language (ASL), and essays written in French or Chinese.

Research has indicated that deaf students may not be fully aware of the audience expectations, cultural conventions, or standards by which their essay writing is judged. Like many nonnative users of English, deaf students may create essays which are viewed as having weak organization and a lack of flow. Specifically, one researcher has noted that the conventions for opening and closing academic essays differ significantly across various language groups, and difficulties are evident in these areas when non-natives begin composing essays in English ( Kaplan, 1966 ).

This module focuses on two aspects of the development of a basic essay: the introductory and concluding paragraphs . It describes academic conventions and expectations in writing introductions and conclusions. The goal is to clarify the cultural conventions-audience expectations and the expectations of teachers-that must be demonstrated in order to be a successful writer.

The module also briefly delineates the writing of the thesis statement , the statement that includes the main point of the essay. Although thesis statements can be implied and can appear truly anywhere in an essay, it is suggested that basic writers begin with a directly stated thesis statement which appears in the introduction. As students become more experienced with writing and the purpose of thesis statements, they may demonstrate skill in communicating implied thesis statements or in incorporating thesis statements in the body of their essays.

In the Research Findings and Implications section of this module, a summary of studies which have addressed the above-mentioned aspects of essay writing is provided. In addition, the module offers Guided Practice in developing introductions and conclusions for various essay topics. Lastly, Action Steps are included which teachers can employ to support their students' learning of the cultural conventions of basic essay structure.

Major Considerations

1. Strings of communication, whether spoken, written, or signed, have basic rules for being used and understood. These rules are sociocultural conventions which establish expectations and provide structure for the information being communicated.

2. In addition to restricted access to linguistic features of English, Deaf students, like nonnative users of English, lack access to the cultural conventions for organizing their writing. This becomes particularly evident when one looks at their writing for academic purposes.

3. For some deaf students who have acquired ASL as a native language or primary language, these students may bring to the task of writing a different set of expectations for organization of information than what is expected for writing in an academic setting.

4. While deaf students tend to have a basic awareness of introductory and concluding paragraphs as part of the development of a basic essay, they frequently feel at a loss for any strategies helpful for creating openings and closings in written English.

5. Instruction in which students are given examples to analyze various approaches to writing introductory and concluding paragraphs, as well as direct teaching of cultural conventions, assists students in developing their essay writing skills.

Process Summary

Basic Essay Structure

Most written English essays follow a particular structure which instructors use to evaluate their students' writing. The basic structure consists fundamentally of three parts:

1. An introductory paragraph 2. One or more body paragraphs 3. A concluding paragraph

One of the purposes of the introductory paragraph is to house the main point of the essay. This point, or the thesis statement , often occurs at the end of the introductory paragraph. In addition, the point often reappears and is summarized at the beginning of the concluding paragraph. Support for and elaboration of the point appears in the middle, or body, paragraphs. The configuration below represents basic discourse structures.

This configuration illustrates three different discourse structures ---ASL discourse, spoken English discourse, and written English discourse (see Christie et al., 1999 ). These structures are visual representations of the framework or schemata people use for communicating information. They also represent the expectations of the audience.

The first structure in the configuration shows that a person giving a presentation in ASL directly states the point or topic of the presentation at the beginning. This point is fleshed out, explained, and repeated in closing the presentation.

The second structure , which represents a spoken English presentation, in contrast, gets to the point much later. The speaker often will begin with a personal anecdote and give information to the audience which will lead to the points of the presentation. Thus, in this type of presentation, the speaker allows the audience time to think about inferring the points from information being presented.

The third structure shows that the point of a written English essay often occurs at the end of the introductory paragraph. The introductory paragraph is represented by the first triangle, which begins generally and leads to a specific point. The next two boxes are the body paragraphs. This is where the support for the point is organized. Finally, the conclusion is represented by an inverted triangle, showing a restatement of the point and a gradual fading of the specifics of this topic into greater generalities.

There are also a variety of "rhetorical modes" (types of essays) used in essay writing such as comparison/contrast, process, definition, and argument. Note that the topic of the essay and the rhetorical mode need to be compatible. The type of rhetorical mode will influence both the content and organization of the essay. Since basic essay structure is often taught using the modes of narration and exposition , these types of essay will be utilized in this module.

Following prewriting activities such as clustering and outlining (see the SEA Site module Reading and Writing in Content Areas ), students will need to develop both the subject/topic of the essay and the thesis statement.

The Thesis Statement

While various "rules" abound for creating a thesis statement in basic writing and composition texts, a thesis statement is generally viewed as a sentence in which the writer asserts the main point the essay will make about the topic. (See also the SEA Site module Paragraph Structure .)

A thesis statement may be a statement that identifies the topic and indicates how the writer has decided to limit or focus the topic. The following thesis statement outlines the limited focus of the topic:

My most valued possessions are those which spark memories of significant past events.

Another type of thesis statement structure is used as an organizing guide with the inclusion of supporting points. These supporting points will be developed in the body paragraphs. The following is a thesis statement with organizing subpoints :

My most valued possessions consist of my photo albums, my postcard collection, and my box of mementos.

Finally, a thesis statement may be a broad identification of the topic which indicates the writer's opinion , such as the following:

The necklace my grandmother gave me for my 16th birthday is the most valued of all my possessions.

In creating a thesis statement, the degree of specificity used in the introductory paragraph of the essay may be a writer's prerogative. Since a similar statement may be used in the concluding paragraph to summarize the main point, students may use one type of thesis statement in the introduction and a different type in the conclusion.

Introductory Paragraphs

In focusing on introductory paragraphs , it is clear that the cultural expectations in written English are that the writer introduce the topic or subject of the essay and then proceed to a statement of the main point of the essay. In introducing the topic, it is important that the writer engage the attention or curiosity of the reader .

Often, students are not expected to write a fully developed introductory paragraph in their first drafts of an essay. In these drafts, students should be honing in on their basic point and fine-tuning their supporting ideas.

The challenge of introducing a particular topic comes with a set of reader expectations . One way in which writers create introductions is to begin with a broad approach to the topic. For example, when introducing the topic of "my most valued possessions," one could describe the valued possession(s) of a number of people (for example, Elvis Presley, Hillary Clinton, or one's grandparents) before focusing on one's own possessions.

Another way to introduce the topic would be to offer snapshots of one's many possessions before finally focusing on the most valued possessions. Introducing this topic could begin with a description of funky things one owns or the most expensive things owned. This could lead to the most valued things one owns.

Sometimes, writers will create an introduction which leads to a shift in expectations . A long diatribe about all the worthless things that are cluttering up one's life may lead to an ending concerning the valuable things one cherishes most.

Some topics naturally lend themselves to particular types of introductory paragraphs. In content areas, students are often asked to create essays about topics in which they may need to write an introduction giving the reader background information on the topic. An essay about perceived dangers in American culture may begin with statistical information on violent crimes.

All of these various strategies may be used alone or in combination. In the aforementioned topic concerning dangers in American culture, one may also use questions or quotations related to this topic. Quotations may stimulate readers' background knowledge regarding the topic, and posing questions to readers gives them a sense of how they would approach the topic.

Langan (2001) lists various strategies for creating introductions . A number of strategies can be used in one introductory paragraph. An adapted list includes the following:

A. Begin with a broad approach to the topic and narrow it down. B. Begin with an opposite idea you will develop or one that leads to a shift in expectations. C. Give important background information or create a brief story. D. Utilize surprising questions or quotations related to the topic.

Transitions and Thesis Statements

While students often have developed a thesis statement prior to the fleshing out of their introductory paragraph, thesis statements sometimes need to be changed to fit into the introductory paragraph. Frequently, a transition will assist the student in creating coherence in the introductory paragraph (see the SEA Site module Expressing Logical Relationships ). Transitions also serve to alert the reader to the importance of the sentence. In the basic essay sample provided later, note how the "skeleton" thesis statement given in examples above has a transition which facilitates the flow of the introduction.

Concluding Paragraphs

In writing a concluding paragraph , one typically begins with a transition , which alerts the reader to a statement summarizing the main topic or subpoints of the essay. The goal now is to lead the reader to a satisfactory closing. This occurs in several ways.

Frequently, a writer will recall the subpoints of the essay for the reader and hint at points beyond the scope of the essay. The paragraph below illustrates this type of concluding paragraph.

As you can see, my photo albums, postcard collection, and box of mementos are irreplaceable. If there were a fire in my house, these would be the things I would grab first. When I settle down, I should put them in a safe deposit box in the bank. Without these valued possessions, I would feel that parts of my life were missing and I would be unable to share them, and the memories they inspire, with my great grandchildren.

Conclusions to narrative essays often point out for the reader the lesson learned or the understanding achieved by the event recounted. The following concluding paragraph exhibits features of this strategy.

Thus, the confusion I experienced related to the number of laps I was swimming led to my most embarrassing moment. After some teasing by my family and teammates, the coach talked with me about how I could be certain about the number of laps. After this, one of my teammates always wrote the number of laps I had left to swim on a clipboard and had it ready for me to see. While I lost other races, none were ever again due to the confusion in lap counting.

Finally, a concluding paragraph often has a sense of the future about it-the next logical step to consider or a new topic that has arisen. An essay about how technology is being slowly accepted concludes in this manner.

Therefore, computers have sneaked into my life. Both at play, at home, and at work, I now depend on computers. Not only that, I am becoming more dependent on technological things every day. I guess you really can't stop technology from becoming an important part of your life when you learn how much easier life is with technological advances. In fact, this holiday season I may be buying a pager and a DVD player!

To summarize, the basic strategies for concluding an essay include the following:

A. Recall/summarize the subpoints. B. Tell the long-term outcome or lesson learned. C. Give a sense of the future.

Openings and Closings

The introductory paragraph and concluding paragraph serve as buffers -a slow preparation of the readers for the meat of the essay and the gradual moving away from the topic. In truth, only the thesis statement and the concluding statement directly address the topic of the essay.

An additional consideration in writing introductions and conclusions is the relatedness of the two paragraphs . While an introductory paragraph might consider valuable possessions one had as a child, the concluding paragraph might consider valuable possessions one may have in the future. Thus, a writer may strive to think about how the introductory paragraph and concluding paragraph work together. In this way, the student can view the essay now not as composed of various parts but, rather, as a whole.

It is a good practice for students and teachers to read a number of essays and analyze the strategies a writer used when introducing and concluding the paper. There are quite a number of other strategies beyond those presented in this module. "Model essays" written by former students as well as published professional essays are good sources of basic essays for reading and analyzing.

Basic Essay Sample

In reading below a sample of a personal example essay , you may wish to note the strategies used for writing the introductory paragraph and concluding paragraph . In addition, the thesis statement appears in these paragraphs in two different forms. It may be helpful to introduce the student to the diagram provided at the beginning of the Process Summary section and then analyze the sample essay together.

Type of Essay : Personal example essay Assigned Topic : People you would like to meet

Desired Meetings

I've been fortunate to have met many wonderful people. I have had the chance to meet some elderly family members before they died and also some well-known people. When I was young, I met my great grandfather, which is nice because my mother talks about him so much. I've met I. King Jordan, who became president of Gallaudet University following the "Deaf President Now" protest. I've also met famous people such as Maya Angelou, former U.S. President George Bush, and Terry Bradshaw. However, three people I wish I could have met are Emeline Pratt, Zora Neale Hurston, and Laurent Clerc.

One person I would like to have met is Emeline Pratt, who was my great great grandmother. I have recently done some family history research with my mother and found out a lot about this amazing woman. I would love to be able to meet her to ask her about her life. For example, I know that her parents died when she was still young and she went to live with another family. I wonder why the other family didn't adopt her legally? How did the family agree to take Emeline and raise her? Also, Emeline had 10 children and moved a lot when she was in her childbearing years. I wonder how she did it and why they moved so much. Meeting Emeline Pratt would answer many of my questions. It would be interesting to get her views on her life and find out what she was like as a person.

Another person who would be fascinating to have met would be Zora Neale Hurston. Ms. Hurston, who died about forty years ago, wrote one of the best books I have ever read. The book, Their Eyes Were Watching God , was not recognized as a great book while Ms. Hurston was alive. I would like to have told her how important her book was to me and ask her about how she wrote it. Often, when I read a book, I feel I get to know who the writer is. I would be curious to see if Ms. Hurston is like I imagine or if she was different. It would also be interesting to know what Ms. Hurston thinks about contemporary African American women writers such as Maya Angelou, Alice Walker, and Toni Morrison.

Finally, I think that most Deaf Americans would like the opportunity to shake hands with Laurent Clerc. I would like to thank him for agreeing to come to America with Thomas Gallaudet and tell him how much Deaf people, even today, appreciate him. Because Clerc grew up in France and later moved to the United States, I would love to chat with him about differences between the two cultures. Clerc also could share with me his experiences with Abbe de l'Epee, who founded the first Deaf school in the world, and Jean Massieu, the first Deaf teacher of the Deaf. I think that if Clerc allowed me to watch him teach a class of Deaf students, I would still learn a lot from him. I wonder what Clerc would think of mainstreaming, cochlear implants, and TTYs. Just meeting him would be a great honor.

Thus, the three people I would like to chat with include a family member, a writer, and an educator of Deaf people. These people reflect my interests and my love of history. All these people have been dead for many years. However, if they could come back to life for just a brief meeting with me, I think that would be a dream come true.

Strategies Used

In the essay "Desired Meetings," the writer used several strategies to introduce the topic and lead her readers to the thesis statement. The opening sentence "I have been fortunate to have met many wonderful people" is a much more general statement that the closing sentence of the introduction which mentions three particular people. Thus, there is an overall sense of beginning with a broad statement and leading to a more controlling statement- broad to narrow .

The writer then gives snapshots , that is, brief examples of various people she has had the opportunity to meet. These snapshots also provide a bit of background information about the writer and her interests. This use of background information , while not a prominent strategy, does allude to the type of people the writer will focus on.

The concluding paragraph of this essay offers a summary of the subpoints of the essay. The first sentence refers to each of the three people who appear in the previous body paragraphs. Clearly, it is also the sentence in the conclusion which relates most directly to the body of the essay. One could argue that there is a sense of the future about the ending of this essay even though it has a greater sense of fantasy.

Research Findings

In analyzing 600 compositions from nonnative English writers, Kaplan, (1966) noted that the paragraph development of these writers followed different organizational formats depending on their language background. One research study has shown that Deaf writers have some basic knowledge of discourse rules but apply them in writing less frequently than hearing writers ( Marschark, Mouradian, & Halas, 1994 ). However, both Deaf writers and nonnative English writers with basic writing skills need to be specifically taught how paragraphs and essays are expected to be developed and constructed.

Ball (1991) reported that African American students typically prefer to use different organizational patterns for academic writing tasks than the organizational patterns American mainstream teachers expect and reward. Therefore, teachers with basic writers from diverse cultural backgrounds should also directly teach about the organizational structure expected.

Livingston (1989) studied the revision strategies of Deaf writers and found that teachers tended to ask Deaf writers for more information and indicated the need for additions and elaborations following their first drafts. In addition, Deaf writers were able to improve their initial drafts with subsequent revisions although the revisions seemed to be focused on grammar. Thus, Livingston suggested that teachers form their questions on students' drafts by looking at the writing from a whole (that is, discourse-based instead of sentence specific) especially during the initial drafts.

Bienvenu (1993) , Bienvenu and Colonomos (1989) , and Roy (1989) described the structure of an ASL lecture or presentation. Deaf students may follow this type of structure when writing their early drafts in English. One researcher ( St. Clair, 1980 ) found that the written compositions of Native American students also used structures influenced by features of their culture's rules for storytelling or public speaking. For deaf students who use ASL, directly teaching an awareness of the ASL structure and contrasting it with the written English structure may be helpful.

Guided Practice

Guided Practice Strategies  

Action Steps

1. While students often find strategies helpful, an instructor can best assist a student by giving examples and explaining the purpose of these strategies (see the "Basic Sample Essay" section). Without understanding the purposes of these strategies , a writer may use them haphazardly. Basic writers often feel pressured into writing to prove what they know and disregard the fact that they need to write so that readers can easily follow their information flow and so that the essay communicates as a whole piece.

2. Before assigning a topic or guidelines for topic selection, review basic English texts to determine the type of essay you will expect students to write (that is, example essay, argumentative essay, etc). Clarifying the type of essay will assist students in their organization and thinking.

3. After you assign a topic or students select a topic, discuss the limitations of the topic . For example, "a point will need to be made and supported in 3-5 body paragraphs."

4. Give students time to think about the topic by discussion, making webs, outlines, or free-writing These pre-writing activities allow students to search for ways to limit their topic, group similar ideas, and create a main point (thesis statement).

5. Have students "talk through" their papers : retell the story, free-write it, or create a videodraft. In this way, students have the information they are planning to use already thought through. Thinking and writing at the same time often requires a lot of cognitive energy. In this way, much of what students want to say is already clear in their minds. Everhart and Marschark (1988) have shown that frequently the complexity of Deaf student's productions is greater in sign language than in their written productions.

6. If students are using a videodraft , it may be beneficial to show them contrasts between an appropriate ASL presentation and the structure of an English essay (see Christie, Wilkins, McDonald, & Neuroth-Gimbrone, 1999 ). In this way, a positive transfer of knowledge of discourse structure can occur across the presentation of information in two different ways.

7. Often, when students retell a story, create a videodraft, or begin their first draft(s), they do not include a formal introduction and conclusion. Familiarize them with the basic format of the essay and the general conventions for writing an academic essay. Allow the students to note the lack of introductory and concluding information included in their own initial drafts.

8. Have students develop several thesis statements in appropriate form from the main point.

9. Introduce students to examples of basic essays to read and analyze . Note the strategies used for introducing and concluding the essays. In general, students often feel that this introductory and concluding material is a bit "off the point" of their main point. Discuss the expected functions of introductory and concluding paragraphs.

10. Allow students to practice writing introductory and concluding paragraphs using various strategies. You may suggest that the students create one or more introductory and concluding paragraph pairs before discussing which pair fits a holistic reading of the essay.

11. Meet individually with students to discuss the early drafts of their papers. Often teachers' written comments are misunderstood or contain assumptions which could be clarified during one-on-one meetings. Refrain from grammatical correction in the early drafts (see Livingston, 1989 ). This often interferes with the student's ability to focus on the structure of the essay as a whole.

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9.4 – How to structure your presentation

Learning objectives.

• organize your presentation into a clear, simple structure
• use valid resources and avoid plagiarism

There are lots of ways to structure a presentation, but we like this one best. It’s clear, simple and fits most presentations. This structure has 10 parts:

• Grabber/hook: A very brief and interesting statement or question that grabs the audience’s attention
• Self-introduction including full name & credential: Who you are and why you’re qualified to present this content
• Thesis: What you’re going to speak about
• Overview of main points
• Key point 1
• Key point 2
• Key point 3
• Conclusion: Restate the thesis
• Summary of main points: Restate the overview
• Call to action: What you want the audience to do

In this part of your presentation, you’ll capture the audience’s attention, tell them who you are, and give them a preview of your presentation.

• Grabber/hook   (Goes before or after the self-introduction) A very brief and interesting statement or question that grabs the audience’s attention. See Grabber Types below for more details.
• Self-introduction  (Goes before or after the grabber ) Tell the audience your name and credentials. For example: I’m Minh and I’ve been a professional presenter for 10 years.
• Thesis   The main point or argument of your presentation. Be brief and precise, not general or vague. For example: I’m going to show you how practicing your presentation 10 times will improve your grade by 20%.
• Overview of main points  Briefly outline the main points that you’ll cover in your presentation. To help your audience, do list these in same order that you’ll deliver them later on. For example: First, we’ll talk about what makes presentations great, then I’ll share some data on how practice affects your confidence and performance, and finally we’ll look at how to practice.

In this part of your presentation, you’ll deliver the detailed information of your presentation.

• Key point 1   A major point that supports your thesis and may have supporting sub-points
• Key point 2   Another major point that supports your thesis and may have supporting sub-points
• Key point 3   The final major point that supports your thesis and may have supporting sub-points

In this part you’ll remind the audience of what you told them, and tell them what to do next.

• Summary of main points   (Can be merged with your conclusion) Clearly restate your three main points in the same order you delivered them. It’s the same as your overview but in past tense. First, I described what makes presentations great, then I shared data on how practice affects confidence and performance, and finally we looked at how to practice.
• Conclusion   Restate your thesis in past tense. For example: I’m showed you that practicing your presentation 10 times will improve your grade by 20%.
• Call to action   Give your audience clear, active and compelling direction, based on what you told them. For example: Practice your presentations ten times and start collecting those A-plusses!

Grabber types

Remember that the grabber’s job is grabbing the audience’s attention, so it must be surprising, fascinating or intriguing. It must also be related to your presentation’s topic. Here are some descriptions and examples:

• An opinion or view that may be extreme, perhaps even shocking. “Gambling in all forms should be completely banned!”
• A strong statistic is a fact from a reputable source. “More Canadians die each year as a result of a tobacco-related disease than due to traffic accidents in Canada and the US combined.”  Source:  The Canadian Lung Association [New tab]
• A story is a great way to capture your audience’s imagination and get them to “project” themselves into your presentation. Powerful stories are often emotional. They could be about you or someone else, or may be allegorical. In 1964, I was a little girl sitting on the linoleum floor of my mother’s house in Milwaukee, watching Anne Bancroft present the Oscar for best actor at the 36th Academy Awards. She opened the envelope and said five words that literally made history: “The winner is Sidney Poitier.” Up to the stage came the most elegant man I had ever seen. I remember his tie was white, and of course his skin was black. I’d never seen a black man being celebrated like that. And I’ve tried many, many, many times to explain what a moment like that means to a little girl — a kid watching from the cheap seats, as my mom came through the door bone-tired from cleaning other people’s houses. … In 1982, Sidney received the Cecil B. DeMille Award right here at the Golden Globes, and it is not lost on me that at this moment there are some little girls watching as I become the first black woman to be given this same award! ~ Oprah Winfrey accepting the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 2018 Golden Globe Awards
• Rhetorical: you ask a question without expecting an answer. For example: Have you ever wondered how electricity works?
• Closed-ended: you ask the audience to respond. For example: Raise your hand if you’ve ever wondered how electricity works.
• Open-ended: where you don’t give options to the audience and they can answer freely. For example: What’s your favourite candy?
• It’s important to consider that they audience might not respond exactly as you expect. So prepare responses for what you’ll do based on a variety of responses.
• Similar to a story, an invitation to imagine something is powerful because it gets the audience to use their imaginations, and can transport them “into” your presentation. You could ask the audience to imagine something extremely positive, or could have them imagine something very negative.Example : “I want to invite you all to close your eyes and imagine that the term is over. You earned an A+ in 1500, Covid is over, and you’re on vacation on a lovely tropical beach. You can hear the soft ocean waves and feel the warm breeze as you sip an ice cold drink. You’re in paradise, and think to yourself… I don’t have a care in the world… everything is perfect.” 

A quote is something that a famous person said. The person should be credible / well known.

Example : “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.”  John Lennon Example : “You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take .”  Wayne Gretzky

• A proverb is a common saying. These can be somewhat cliché, and less than exciting because we’ve heard them a lot. To keep things interesting, you could consider introducing a foreign proverb to the audience:Example : “the first pancake is always ruined” (Russian proverb conveying that things might not be perfect at first, but will improve as you continue to practice. Used in a presentation designed to convey that you should never give up)
• Alternatively, you could “twist” a common proverb and contradict it:Example : “I’m here to tell you that an apple a day doesn’t keep the doctor away!” (Used in a presentation on diabetes and being mindful of sugar intake)
• A prop is a physical item that you can show to the audience. Make sure the item is large enough to be easily seen.Example : Wearing a jersey and showing a basketball for a presentation on Michael Jordan
• In presentations that include slides or other media, you can briefly show or play video, audio or images. Make sure the media isn’t too long – remember the audience is here to see you speak.Example: A short drone video of beautiful Thai beaches for a presentation designed to convince people to visit Thailand
• You can use humour or a joke as a grabber, but be careful that that everyone will get the joke and it won’t offend anyone.
• Example : Playing a guitar and singing (for a presentation on the mental health benefits of music)
• Example : Beatboxing (for a presentation on the basics of beatboxing)
• Example : Describing a lovely scene, then making a shocking noise (at the start of a presentation on the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster)

You can also mix and match grabbers. For example, you could show an image and ask the audience to guess what it is.

The length of your grabber is relative to your total presentation time. For a 2-minute presentation, it should be quite brief – maybe one sentence. For a 16-minute team presentation, a 45-60 second grabber would be appropriate.

Outline your presentation

The fastest way to create a successful presentation is to start with an outline.

Use an outline, not a script; this will allow you to be more natural and let you look at the audience or camera. Reading is a guaranteed way to make your presentation boring.

The easiest way to create your outline is to work in this order:

• Determine your thesis and write this as a full sentence
• Determine your 3 Main Points
• Add key supporting points for each of your Main Points
• Complete the other parts – introduction, grabber, call to action, etc.

Working in this order is fast because it’s easier to create the conclusion and grabber when you’ve already decided on the content. Also, after you have the main structure it’s easy to add details, examples and stories that make your presentation interesting and convincing.

Another benefit of outlining is that you can use the outline as your presentation notes.

Presentation Model – Test your Knowledge

Label each part of the presentation correctly.

• Call to Action
• Key Point 2
• Key Point 1
• Key Point 3
• Introduction

Presentation part

• Hello, my name is Sarah Green and I have been a barista for two years
• There is a famous company that was founded in Seattle, has a mermaid for its logo, and has over 31,000 stores worldwide. Can you guess which company it is?*
• I am here today to tell you why you should patronize Starbucks Coffee*
• because of convenience, quality, & amazing food
• Starbucks is Convenient~ many locations, mobile app, quick service*
• Starbucks has Quality~ arabica beans, top ingredients, staff trained to make drinks and food properly*
• Starbucks has amazing food~ grab and go, hot food, prepackaged meals*
• Today I told you why you should patronize Starbucks*
• because of its *convenience*, *quality*, and *amazing food*
• So, what are you waiting for? Go to a Starbucks store today and order an amazing coffee!*

Check your Answer: [1]

Activity source: “ How to structure your presentation ” In Business Presentation Skills by Lucinda Atwood & Christian Westin licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0 .

Attribution & References

Except where otherwise noted, this chapter (text & H5P activities) is adapted from “ How to structure your presentation ” In Business Presentation Skills by Lucinda Atwood & Christian Westin licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0 . / Grabber types converted to HTML from H5P.

• 1. j, 2. g, 3. c, 4. f, 5. e, 6. b, 7. h, 8. i, 9. d, 10. a ↵

Communication Essentials for College Copyright © 2022 by Jen Booth, Emily Cramer & Amanda Quibell, Georgian College is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Essay structure is the overall organization of ideas in writing. It is a framework that helps students to sort out their ideas and express them clearly. A clear essay structure is essential to ensure a logical flow of arguments, which in turn, makes it easier for readers to follow the discussion.

Understanding how to structure an essay is crucial to communicate your arguments effectively. In this article, we'll guide you through various essay structure examples and offer practical tips to help you structure your essay effortlessly.

By having a good grasp of essay structure, you can improve your writing by creating essays that are both organized and captivating, leaving a lasting impact on your readers.

What Is an Essay Structure?

A structure of an essay serves as a roadmap that directs how ideas are arranged and communicated within all parts of an essay to convey a message or argument in a clear, effective manner.

In essence, an essay structure definition refers to your writing plan that generally consists of an introduction, body, and conclusion.

An introduction establishes the tone and purpose of your writing. It includes a thesis statement, which is the central idea to be explored.

The body presents evidence, analysis, and supporting details to back up the thesis statement.

Finally, the conclusion provides a summary of key points by offering a fresh perspective on the thesis presented throughout the essay.

Making sure that each section of your work is well-organized and flows smoothly is essential in creating an effective structure.

Essay Structure Purpose

The goal of essay structure is to organize and present ideas consistently. A clear and systematic essay writing structure ensures that ideas are communicated in a straightforward and engaging manner.

This holds readers’ attention and persuades them toward the intended message. Ultimately, a strong structure of an essay elevates the quality of writing by promoting clarity, conciseness, and coherence.

Basic Essay Structure: Main Parts of an Essay

Basic structure of an essay comprises three parts:

•  Introduction

The introduction sets the stage by providing an opening statement, background information, and a thesis statement, which serves as the central argument or key point.

The body of an essay consists of multiple paragraphs that present supporting ideas or arguments, each backed up by evidence and analysis to strengthen your viewpoint.

Finally, in an essay basic structure, the conclusion summarizes main points, providing a unique outlook on your thesis statement.

These 3 parts of an essay are crucial for creating an effective work, therefore all of them will be described below.

Introduction 

The introduction is the first part of an essay structure designed to introduce the topic by grabbing readers’ attention. The main purpose of an introduction is to: 

• Hook your audience
• Provide background information
• Establish the tone and focus
• Introduce a thesis statement.

Your thesis statement is where you present your central argument or key ideas. It must be concise, engaging, as well as, give readers an idea of what to expect in the essay.

Introduction is essential for creating a strong first impression by setting the stage for a successful essay. It should be in proportion to the essay length , with longer papers needing more detailed introductions.

>> Read more: How to Start an Essay Introduction

Thesis Statement

A thesis statement is a key argument or primary concept that an essay is built upon. It is typically presented in the introduction of an essay structure and serves as a roadmap for the rest of your writing.

A proper structure of a good essay requires a strong, concise thesis statement because it helps to stay focused and organized while presenting a clear argument to a reader. 

It is important to ensure that the thesis statement is relevant, specific, and debatable to make an essay more engaging.

All content in your essay must directly relate to your thesis statement. Every paragraph should contribute to your overall argument as well as reinforce your central idea. Extraneous information has the potential to distract your reader or undermine the impact of your essay. It is, therefore, essential to ensure that each section is closely linked to your thesis.

Body Paragraphs

Body paragraphs are critical to a good essay structure as they provide the main section where you present your argument or analysis. 

To create an effective body paragraph, it's crucial to begin with a clear topic sentence that introduces the main idea or argument. The paragraph must include supporting evidence, analysis, along with explanations that add weight to the topic sentence. 

An effective body paragraph should not only be well-organized but also transition seamlessly to next paragraph. Here’s what a basic body paragraph structure should include: 

• Topic sentence
• Supporting evidence
• Smooth transitions.

Effective essay body paragraphs should also:

• Use strong, varied sentence structures
• Avoid repetition
• Include proper citations to support the evidence presented.

While writing an essay structure, you should remember that body paragraphs are critical for developing a strong and persuasive rough draft .

Arranging your arguments in an essay requires strategic progression starting from the simplest claim to the most complex one. This means starting with the most basic, straightforward points and gradually building up to more intricate and complicated arguments. By doing this, you can guide your reader through your thought process by presenting a logical and coherent argument.

Conclusion marks the end of an essay with a summary of main points and a restatement of a thesis presented earlier.

It is a critical part in the structure of an essay as it offers closure to argument and strengthens the significance of main idea presented. Furthermore, a carefully crafted conclusion should make a strong impact on a reader by providing insights or recommendations for future research.

Your conclusion should be brief and concise. Avoid introducing new ideas or evidence that may distract from your main argument. 

Wrapping up, a conclusion is a vital component among essay parts, which summarizes all central ideas together with arguments while delivering a powerful final message to readers. You may use our Paraphrase Tool if you need to rephrase a sentence or a whole section quickly. 

>> Read more: How to Write a Conclusion For an Essay

Essay Structure Types

Essay structures refer to different organizational patterns used in writing an essay. Here are some of the most common types of  an essay structure used to convey ideas and arguments effectively:

• Chronological
• Cause and effect
• Compare and contrast
• Problem-solution.

Each essay structure has its characteristics and is suitable for specific types of essays. 

Choosing the right structure can help you convey your ideas to readers.

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Chronological Essay Structure

The chronological essay structure arranges essay parts in order of time, presenting information in a sequence it occurred. It is often used when writing about historical events or recounting personal experiences. A chronological approach is common in expository writing or narrative essay .

A template for this type of essay layout usually includes an introduction that sets the context and explains an essay's purpose. The body paragraphs then follow a logical order reflecting the chronology of all discussed events.

When using this structure type, it is essential to ensure that all events are presented logically.

Overall, the chronological essay structure is an effective way of presenting information in a clear, organized manner.

Chronological Essay Structure Template

• Context and background information
• Purpose and thesis statement
• Event or situation in chronological order
• Supporting evidence or details
• Next event or situation in chronological order
• Summarize key points
• Final reflection or insight

Chronological Structure of an Essay Example

• A brief overview of internet and its importance
• Thesis statement: This essay will explore the history of internet, from its origins to its current state.
• Early stages of internet, including its development by the US government
• ARPANET and email development
• Emergence of the World Wide Web as a platform for information sharing
• Development of HTML and launch of the first web browser
• Current state of internet, including its widespread use together with impact on society
• The rise of social media and mobile technology
• Recap of the history of internet and its significance
• Discussion of potential future developments along with their implications

Compare and Contrast Structure

The compare and contrast essay structure is an organization technique that seeks to clarify both similarities and differences among two or more subjects.

This essay structure can be used for analyzing different types of literature, historical events, or scientific phenomena.

There are primarily two ways to organize a compare and contrast essay :

• Alternating method
• Block method.

The alternating method  involves discussing similarities and differences between two subjects in a structured and concise pattern. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of comparison and contrast. For example, a paragraph may discuss a parallel between two subjects, while the following paragraph may discuss a difference. 

The block method involves discussing one subject's similarities and differences before moving on to the next. 

Both approaches have advantages and disadvantages.  Therefore, your choice of method depends on the specific purpose of your writing as well as your preference.

Alternating Essay Structure

The alternating essay structure is a method of organizing an essay where you compare two or more topics by alternating between them in each paragraph.

Each paragraph discusses a specific aspect or point of comparison/contrast between two topics. 

The alternating structure is useful for presenting a balanced argument by highlighting both similarities and differences between two topics being compared. 

This method helps to keep readers engaged. It allows a clear and organized presentation of ideas.

Alternating Essay Structure Template

• Hook statement
• Brief background information
• Thesis statement
• Significance
• Restate thesis statement
• Summarize all main points
• Concluding thoughts or future implications

Alternating Essay Structure Example

• Hook and background information about living in a city and living in a rural area
• Thesis statement: While both living in a city and living in a rural area have their advantages and disadvantages, the best choice for an individual depends on their lifestyle preferences and needs.
• City offers a better access to essential services
• Living in a rural area offers a quieter, more natural environment
• Cities offer more job opportunities
• Rural areas often have fewer but may offer opportunities in agriculture or natural resource industries
• Living in a city offers more diverse leisure and entertainment options
• Rural area offers more opportunities for outdoor activities and connection to nature
• The decision to live in a city or rural area depends on an individual's personal preferences and needs
• As technology advances and remote work becomes more common, the traditional city vs. rural divide may become less stark

Block Essay Structure

The block essay structure is an effective way to organize the structure for an essay.

It presents information about a particular topic in a single block, with each block containing an individual discussion point.

This structure is ideal for comparing and contrasting two topics, making it easier for readers to understand their differences and similarities. Discussing one topic in detail before moving on to the next, or alternating between them throughout, creates a clear as well as dynamic structure.

Block Essay Structure Template

• A brief overview of a topic
• Main idea and analysis
• Contrasting idea and analysis
• Summarize key points for Subject 1
• Summarize key points for Subject 2
• Final thoughts and call to action

Example of a Block Essay Structure

• The food we eat has a profound impact on our health and well-being
• Thesis statement: While fast food is a convenient and quick option, healthy eating is essential for maintaining good health and preventing chronic diseases.
• Appeal of fast food as a quick option and variety
• Low nutritional value
• Perceived low cost of fast food
• Hidden costs in terms of health consequences
• Has all essential nutrients for good health
• Lower availability of healthy food options in low-income areas
• The cost is higher
• Better option in the long run
• While fast food is convenient and quick, it can be detrimental to our health, and it is important to make informed choices about our diets
• By making a conscious effort to choose healthy food options, we can take control of our health and lead happier, more fulfilling lives

Problems-Methods-Solutions Structure 

The problems-methods-solutions essay structure helps writers organize their thoughts into a cohesive essay. 

This format is designed to break down a problem and solution essay into three sections, each focusing on a specific element.

The first section is where you outline all issues or challenges being addressed. The second section is where you discuss various approaches or methods to address these problems. In your final section, present a solution or series of solutions to the problems identified in the Problems section. 

Using this structure, you can present a clear and concise argument while providing a well-reasoned solution.

Problems-Methods-Solutions Structure Template

• Briefly introduce the problem/topic
• Identify the problems related to your topic
• Use supporting evidence, examples, statistics
• Discuss main methods or approaches used before to address the problems
• Discuss the potential solutions or approaches
• Summarize all main points of your essay
• Restate your thesis statement
• Provide final thoughts or recommendations

Problems-Methods-Solutions Structure Example

• Briefly introduce the problem of climate change
• Causes and effects of climate change
• Thesis statement: This essay will examine the problems related to climate change, the methods used to address the issue, along with potential solutions to mitigate its effects.
• Rising temperatures, sea-level rise, as well as extreme weather events
• IPCC reports or NASA data
• Kyoto Protocol, carbon taxes, and renewable energy development
• Evaluation of the effectiveness of these methods
• Transitioning to renewable energy sources, implementing carbon capture and storage technologies, and adopting sustainable land use practices
• Statistics on the impact of implementing proposed solutions
• Importance and urgency of addressing climate change
• Need for collective action and policy changes to address the issue

Signposting to Clarify Essay Structure

Signposting is the process of using clear and concise language to guide readers through the structure of an essay. It will help you to structure your essay effectively by clarifying key points, arguments, and transitions between different parts of an essay. 

By using signposting, you can make your works more organized and easy to follow. Signposting also ensures that your piece has a clear structure and helps readers to understand your thought process.

Overview of an Essay

An overview serves as a summary or outline of all key points covered in your academic writing. As a part of the structure of essay writing it functions as a roadmap for readers to follow along with the structure and progression of your piece.

When starting to write an essay, it is essential to provide an overview of the structure.

An overview allows readers to understand the purpose and scope of an essay and the key arguments and evidence that will be presented. Mostly it is written in present tense.

Essay Overview Example

This essay examines the global impact of local wars, exploring their causes and key examples. It discusses how these conflicts can have far-reaching economic, political, and social consequences. It concludes by suggesting steps to mitigate their impact by preventing escalation into larger global conflicts. Also, it highlights the importance of understanding the connections between seemingly isolated conflicts and the broader international context.

Transition Words

Transition words play a vital role in creating a coherent and well-structured essay, seamlessly linking different parts of the essay together by ensuring a smooth and logical flow of ideas. 

Transition words can also create a logical structure within an essay, guiding readers through the argument and making your overall message clearer.

Here is a list of some common transition words:

• Additionally
• Furthermore
• In addition

By using transition words effectively, you can improve the clarity and coherence of your writing, making it easier for readers to follow and understand their ideas.

Essay Structure Writing Tips

Here are a few actionable tips that will help you organize your writing.

• To structure your essay in a simple and effective manner, start by understanding the three parts of an essay: introduction, body, and conclusion. Each part of essay writing serves a specific purpose and can help you organize your ideas.
• Consider different structures of an essay, like the chronological, cause and effect, compare and contrast, and problem-solution, to choose the best fit for your topic.
• Utilize an essay template to keep your writing structured and focused. This can include templates for each part of the essay, such as an introduction template, body paragraph template, and a conclusion template.
• Use transitional words and phrases to connect different structures of an essay along with all parts of your writing, such as "however," "in addition," and "furthermore." This will help to create a cohesive flow of ideas throughout your essay.
• Keep your language clear and concise, avoiding unnecessary jargon or complicated phrasing. This can help to ensure that your writing is accessible and effective.
• Finally, review and revise your essay for clarity and coherence, paying close attention to different parts of essay writing and the structures of an essay. This will help to ensure that your essay is well-organized and effectively communicates your ideas.

Essay Structure Checklist

• checkbox The introduction includes a clear thesis statement that presents my essay's main argument.
• checkbox The body paragraphs are organized logically and follow a clear and consistent structure.
• checkbox There is a topic sentence at the beginning of each body paragraph that relates to the thesis statement.
• checkbox The body paragraphs provide supporting evidence and examples to back up the main argument.
• checkbox There are clear and smooth transitions between each paragraph and section.
• checkbox The conclusion summarizes all main points of my essay and restates the thesis in a meaningful way.
• checkbox I have proofread my essay to ensure it is free of grammar and spelling errors.
• checkbox I have followed the essay structure format as my professor or instructor requires.
• checkbox I have used an essay framework or template to help me organize my thoughts and ideas.
• checkbox I have received feedback from peers, tutors, or instructors and made necessary revisions.

This essay structure checklist ensures that your essay is well-organized, easy to follow, and effectively communicates your main argument.

Bottom Line on Essay Structure Writing

How an essay should look is an essential aspect of effective essay writing. Different structures and methods can organize an essay logically and coherently. In addition, using an example of essay structure can help to easily create a well-structured essay.

Understanding the structure of writing an essay is essential for creating a well-organized and coherent piece of writing.Using tips and an example for essay structure, you can enhance your writing skills and produce a clear and concise essay. 

Your next steps will involve creating an outline for an essay and composing your own piece. Make sure to check our blog on how to write an essay to complete this assignment with ease.

Our professional writing service can help! Buy an essay paper from our experts to receive quality results quickly.

Daniel Howard is an Essay Writing guru. He helps students create essays that will strike a chord with the readers.

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Note that this is a general template and can be adapted to fit a specific topic.

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ESSAY STRUCTURE By: Kristina Yegoryan.

Published by Valentin Joseph Modified over 5 years ago

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Trio/SSS/WC Led by: Kristina Yegoryan In 1 Workshop Learn About: Essay Writing Writing Process Organization Researching MLA Formatting.

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On the STAAR test you will be expected to write two different types of compositions. #1 – Expository Writing #2 – Personal Narrative.

LITERARY ESSAYS.  The purpose of a literary analysis essay is to carefully examine and evaluate a work of literature or an aspect of a work of literature.

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(AND WHY YOU SHOULD CARE)

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Traditional Academic Essays In Three Parts

Part i: the introduction.

An introduction is usually the first paragraph of your academic essay. If you’re writing a long essay, you might need 2 or 3 paragraphs to introduce your topic to your reader. A good introduction does 2 things:

• Gets the reader’s attention. You can get a reader’s attention by telling a story, providing a statistic, pointing out something strange or interesting, providing and discussing an interesting quote, etc. Be interesting and find some original angle via which to engage others in your topic.
• Provides a specific and debatable thesis statement. The thesis statement is usually just one sentence long, but it might be longer—even a whole paragraph—if the essay you’re writing is long. A good thesis statement makes a debatable point, meaning a point someone might disagree with and argue against. It also serves as a roadmap for what you argue in your paper.

Part II: The Body Paragraphs

Body paragraphs help you prove your thesis and move you along a compelling trajectory from your introduction to your conclusion. If your thesis is a simple one, you might not need a lot of body paragraphs to prove it. If it’s more complicated, you’ll need more body paragraphs. An easy way to remember the parts of a body paragraph is to think of them as the MEAT of your essay:

Main Idea. The part of a topic sentence that states the main idea of the body paragraph. All of the sentences in the paragraph connect to it. Keep in mind that main ideas are…

• like labels. They appear in the first sentence of the paragraph and tell your reader what’s inside the paragraph.
• arguable. They’re not statements of fact; they’re debatable points that you prove with evidence.
• focused. Make a specific point in each paragraph and then prove that point.

Evidence. The parts of a paragraph that prove the main idea. You might include different types of evidence in different sentences. Keep in mind that different disciplines have different ideas about what counts as evidence and they adhere to different citation styles. Examples of evidence include…

• quotations and/or paraphrases from sources.
• facts , e.g. statistics or findings from studies you’ve conducted.
• narratives and/or descriptions , e.g. of your own experiences.

Analysis. The parts of a paragraph that explain the evidence. Make sure you tie the evidence you provide back to the paragraph’s main idea. In other words, discuss the evidence.

Transition. The part of a paragraph that helps you move fluidly from the last paragraph. Transitions appear in topic sentences along with main ideas, and they look both backward and forward in order to help you connect your ideas for your reader. Don’t end paragraphs with transitions; start with them.

Keep in mind that MEAT does not occur in that order. The “ T ransition” and the “ M ain Idea” often combine to form the first sentence—the topic sentence—and then paragraphs contain multiple sentences of evidence and analysis. For example, a paragraph might look like this: TM. E. E. A. E. E. A. A.

Part III: The Conclusion

A conclusion is the last paragraph of your essay, or, if you’re writing a really long essay, you might need 2 or 3 paragraphs to conclude. A conclusion typically does one of two things—or, of course, it can do both:

• Summarizes the argument. Some instructors expect you not to say anything new in your conclusion. They just want you to restate your main points. Especially if you’ve made a long and complicated argument, it’s useful to restate your main points for your reader by the time you’ve gotten to your conclusion. If you opt to do so, keep in mind that you should use different language than you used in your introduction and your body paragraphs. The introduction and conclusion shouldn’t be the same.
• For example, your argument might be significant to studies of a certain time period .
• Alternately, it might be significant to a certain geographical region .
• Alternately still, it might influence how your readers think about the future . You might even opt to speculate about the future and/or call your readers to action in your conclusion.

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Introduction to Academic Writing

Subject: English

Age range: 11-14

Resource type: Lesson (complete)

Last updated

29 August 2021

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This editable PowerPoint lesson (17 slides in PPT format) covers the notion of academic argument, audience awareness, and the structure of a 5-paragraph essay (an introduction, three body paragraphs with well-developed topic sentences and key details that support the main idea, and a conclusion). It introduces the idea that English academic writing is direct in nature and should use formal language. Students will evaluate two model essays. They will also use a graphic organizer to brainstorm ideas for an essay of their own where they will have to argue an opinion.

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• The four main types of essay | Quick guide with examples

The Four Main Types of Essay | Quick Guide with Examples

Published on September 4, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 23, 2023.

An essay is a focused piece of writing designed to inform or persuade. There are many different types of essay, but they are often defined in four categories: argumentative, expository, narrative, and descriptive essays.

Argumentative and expository essays are focused on conveying information and making clear points, while narrative and descriptive essays are about exercising creativity and writing in an interesting way. At university level, argumentative essays are the most common type. 

In high school and college, you will also often have to write textual analysis essays, which test your skills in close reading and interpretation.

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Table of contents

Argumentative essays, expository essays, narrative essays, descriptive essays, textual analysis essays, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about types of essays.

An argumentative essay presents an extended, evidence-based argument. It requires a strong thesis statement —a clearly defined stance on your topic. Your aim is to convince the reader of your thesis using evidence (such as quotations ) and analysis.

Argumentative essays test your ability to research and present your own position on a topic. This is the most common type of essay at college level—most papers you write will involve some kind of argumentation.

The essay is divided into an introduction, body, and conclusion:

• The introduction provides your topic and thesis statement
• The body presents your evidence and arguments
• The conclusion summarizes your argument and emphasizes its importance

The example below is a paragraph from the body of an argumentative essay about the effects of the internet on education. Mouse over it to learn more.

A common frustration for teachers is students’ use of Wikipedia as a source in their writing. Its prevalence among students is not exaggerated; a survey found that the vast majority of the students surveyed used Wikipedia (Head & Eisenberg, 2010). An article in The Guardian stresses a common objection to its use: “a reliance on Wikipedia can discourage students from engaging with genuine academic writing” (Coomer, 2013). Teachers are clearly not mistaken in viewing Wikipedia usage as ubiquitous among their students; but the claim that it discourages engagement with academic sources requires further investigation. This point is treated as self-evident by many teachers, but Wikipedia itself explicitly encourages students to look into other sources. Its articles often provide references to academic publications and include warning notes where citations are missing; the site’s own guidelines for research make clear that it should be used as a starting point, emphasizing that users should always “read the references and check whether they really do support what the article says” (“Wikipedia:Researching with Wikipedia,” 2020). Indeed, for many students, Wikipedia is their first encounter with the concepts of citation and referencing. The use of Wikipedia therefore has a positive side that merits deeper consideration than it often receives.

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An expository essay provides a clear, focused explanation of a topic. It doesn’t require an original argument, just a balanced and well-organized view of the topic.

Expository essays test your familiarity with a topic and your ability to organize and convey information. They are commonly assigned at high school or in exam questions at college level.

The introduction of an expository essay states your topic and provides some general background, the body presents the details, and the conclusion summarizes the information presented.

A typical body paragraph from an expository essay about the invention of the printing press is shown below. Mouse over it to learn more.

The invention of the printing press in 1440 changed this situation dramatically. Johannes Gutenberg, who had worked as a goldsmith, used his knowledge of metals in the design of the press. He made his type from an alloy of lead, tin, and antimony, whose durability allowed for the reliable production of high-quality books. This new technology allowed texts to be reproduced and disseminated on a much larger scale than was previously possible. The Gutenberg Bible appeared in the 1450s, and a large number of printing presses sprang up across the continent in the following decades. Gutenberg’s invention rapidly transformed cultural production in Europe; among other things, it would lead to the Protestant Reformation.

A narrative essay is one that tells a story. This is usually a story about a personal experience you had, but it may also be an imaginative exploration of something you have not experienced.

Narrative essays test your ability to build up a narrative in an engaging, well-structured way. They are much more personal and creative than other kinds of academic writing . Writing a personal statement for an application requires the same skills as a narrative essay.

A narrative essay isn’t strictly divided into introduction, body, and conclusion, but it should still begin by setting up the narrative and finish by expressing the point of the story—what you learned from your experience, or why it made an impression on you.

Mouse over the example below, a short narrative essay responding to the prompt “Write about an experience where you learned something about yourself,” to explore its structure.

Since elementary school, I have always favored subjects like science and math over the humanities. My instinct was always to think of these subjects as more solid and serious than classes like English. If there was no right answer, I thought, why bother? But recently I had an experience that taught me my academic interests are more flexible than I had thought: I took my first philosophy class.

Before I entered the classroom, I was skeptical. I waited outside with the other students and wondered what exactly philosophy would involve—I really had no idea. I imagined something pretty abstract: long, stilted conversations pondering the meaning of life. But what I got was something quite different.

A young man in jeans, Mr. Jones—“but you can call me Rob”—was far from the white-haired, buttoned-up old man I had half-expected. And rather than pulling us into pedantic arguments about obscure philosophical points, Rob engaged us on our level. To talk free will, we looked at our own choices. To talk ethics, we looked at dilemmas we had faced ourselves. By the end of class, I’d discovered that questions with no right answer can turn out to be the most interesting ones.

The experience has taught me to look at things a little more “philosophically”—and not just because it was a philosophy class! I learned that if I let go of my preconceptions, I can actually get a lot out of subjects I was previously dismissive of. The class taught me—in more ways than one—to look at things with an open mind.

A descriptive essay provides a detailed sensory description of something. Like narrative essays, they allow you to be more creative than most academic writing, but they are more tightly focused than narrative essays. You might describe a specific place or object, rather than telling a whole story.

Descriptive essays test your ability to use language creatively, making striking word choices to convey a memorable picture of what you’re describing.

A descriptive essay can be quite loosely structured, though it should usually begin by introducing the object of your description and end by drawing an overall picture of it. The important thing is to use careful word choices and figurative language to create an original description of your object.

Mouse over the example below, a response to the prompt “Describe a place you love to spend time in,” to learn more about descriptive essays.

On Sunday afternoons I like to spend my time in the garden behind my house. The garden is narrow but long, a corridor of green extending from the back of the house, and I sit on a lawn chair at the far end to read and relax. I am in my small peaceful paradise: the shade of the tree, the feel of the grass on my feet, the gentle activity of the fish in the pond beside me.

My cat crosses the garden nimbly and leaps onto the fence to survey it from above. From his perch he can watch over his little kingdom and keep an eye on the neighbours. He does this until the barking of next door’s dog scares him from his post and he bolts for the cat flap to govern from the safety of the kitchen.

With that, I am left alone with the fish, whose whole world is the pond by my feet. The fish explore the pond every day as if for the first time, prodding and inspecting every stone. I sometimes feel the same about sitting here in the garden; I know the place better than anyone, but whenever I return I still feel compelled to pay attention to all its details and novelties—a new bird perched in the tree, the growth of the grass, and the movement of the insects it shelters…

Sitting out in the garden, I feel serene. I feel at home. And yet I always feel there is more to discover. The bounds of my garden may be small, but there is a whole world contained within it, and it is one I will never get tired of inhabiting.

Though every essay type tests your writing skills, some essays also test your ability to read carefully and critically. In a textual analysis essay, you don’t just present information on a topic, but closely analyze a text to explain how it achieves certain effects.

Rhetorical analysis

A rhetorical analysis looks at a persuasive text (e.g. a speech, an essay, a political cartoon) in terms of the rhetorical devices it uses, and evaluates their effectiveness.

The goal is not to state whether you agree with the author’s argument but to look at how they have constructed it.

The introduction of a rhetorical analysis presents the text, some background information, and your thesis statement; the body comprises the analysis itself; and the conclusion wraps up your analysis of the text, emphasizing its relevance to broader concerns.

The example below is from a rhetorical analysis of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech . Mouse over it to learn more.

King’s speech is infused with prophetic language throughout. Even before the famous “dream” part of the speech, King’s language consistently strikes a prophetic tone. He refers to the Lincoln Memorial as a “hallowed spot” and speaks of rising “from the dark and desolate valley of segregation” to “make justice a reality for all of God’s children.” The assumption of this prophetic voice constitutes the text’s strongest ethical appeal; after linking himself with political figures like Lincoln and the Founding Fathers, King’s ethos adopts a distinctly religious tone, recalling Biblical prophets and preachers of change from across history. This adds significant force to his words; standing before an audience of hundreds of thousands, he states not just what the future should be, but what it will be: “The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.” This warning is almost apocalyptic in tone, though it concludes with the positive image of the “bright day of justice.” The power of King’s rhetoric thus stems not only from the pathos of his vision of a brighter future, but from the ethos of the prophetic voice he adopts in expressing this vision.

Literary analysis

A literary analysis essay presents a close reading of a work of literature—e.g. a poem or novel—to explore the choices made by the author and how they help to convey the text’s theme. It is not simply a book report or a review, but an in-depth interpretation of the text.

Literary analysis looks at things like setting, characters, themes, and figurative language. The goal is to closely analyze what the author conveys and how.

The introduction of a literary analysis essay presents the text and background, and provides your thesis statement; the body consists of close readings of the text with quotations and analysis in support of your argument; and the conclusion emphasizes what your approach tells us about the text.

Mouse over the example below, the introduction to a literary analysis essay on Frankenstein , to learn more.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale about the dangers of scientific advancement unrestrained by ethical considerations. In this reading, protagonist Victor Frankenstein is a stable representation of the callous ambition of modern science throughout the novel. This essay, however, argues that far from providing a stable image of the character, Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to portray Frankenstein in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature’s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble—even in his own telling—the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as. This essay begins by exploring the positive portrayal of Frankenstein in the first volume, then moves on to the creature’s perception of him, and finally discusses the third volume’s narrative shift toward viewing Frankenstein as the creature views him.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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• Appeal to authority fallacy
• False cause fallacy
• Sunk cost fallacy

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At high school and in composition classes at university, you’ll often be told to write a specific type of essay , but you might also just be given prompts.

Look for keywords in these prompts that suggest a certain approach: The word “explain” suggests you should write an expository essay , while the word “describe” implies a descriptive essay . An argumentative essay might be prompted with the word “assess” or “argue.”

The vast majority of essays written at university are some sort of argumentative essay . Almost all academic writing involves building up an argument, though other types of essay might be assigned in composition classes.

Essays can present arguments about all kinds of different topics. For example:

• In a literary analysis essay, you might make an argument for a specific interpretation of a text
• In a history essay, you might present an argument for the importance of a particular event
• In a politics essay, you might argue for the validity of a certain political theory

An argumentative essay tends to be a longer essay involving independent research, and aims to make an original argument about a topic. Its thesis statement makes a contentious claim that must be supported in an objective, evidence-based way.

An expository essay also aims to be objective, but it doesn’t have to make an original argument. Rather, it aims to explain something (e.g., a process or idea) in a clear, concise way. Expository essays are often shorter assignments and rely less on research.

The key difference is that a narrative essay is designed to tell a complete story, while a descriptive essay is meant to convey an intense description of a particular place, object, or concept.

Narrative and descriptive essays both allow you to write more personally and creatively than other kinds of essays , and similar writing skills can apply to both.

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The Structure of an Essay

Sep 25, 2014

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Lesson 9. The Structure of an Essay. What is an essay. An essay is a group of paragraphs written about a single topic and a central main idea. It must have at least three paragraphs, but a five-paragraph essay is a common assignment for academic writing. Structure sample.

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Lesson 9 The Structure of an Essay

What is an essay An essay is a group of paragraphs written about a single topic and a central main idea. It must have at least three paragraphs, but a five-paragraph essay is a common assignment for academic writing.

Structure sample

How to format an essay 1- Use double spacing (leave a blank line between each line of writing). 2- Leave 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) of space on the sides, and the top and bottom of the page. This space is called the margin. 3- If you type your essay, start the first line of each paragraph with five spaces ( one tab). This is called indenting. If you write by hand, indent about 2 centimeters. 4- Put the title of your essay at the top of the first page in the center.

Thesis statement What is a thesis statement? The thesis statement is the sentence that tells the main idea of the whole essay. It can be compared to a topic sentence, which gives the main idea of a paragraph. It usually comes at or near the end of the introductory paragraph.

Writing a strong thesis statement • A thesis statement gives the author’s opinion or states an important idea about the topic. It should give an idea that can be discussed and explained with supporting ideas. • Examples of strong thesis: • The qualifications for entering a university in my country are unreasonable. • When studying a second language 1

2 A thesis statement should not be a sentence that only gives a fact about the topic. Example of not strong thesis statement: In the Northern Hemisphere, the summer months are warmer than the winter months. The cause: it cannot be discussed or argued about.

3 A thesis statement shouldn’t state two sides of an argument equally. Example of not strong thesis statement: There are advantages and disadvantages to using nuclear power. This could be a topic sentence, but not a thesis statement . It could be revised like this: Although there are some advantages, using nuclear power has many disadvantages and should not be a part of our country’s energy plan.

How to connect the thesis statement and the essay? • The body paragraphs of an essay should always explain the thesis statement. • Each body paragraph should discuss one part of the thesis. • Example: • To create a successful advertisement, it is necessary for advertisers to answer three questions: What are we selling?, Who are we selling it to?, and How can we make people want to buy it?

1- What are we selling? The first step in creating a successful advertisement is to completely understand the product that is being sold and how it can be used. 2- Who are we selling it to? A second important part of creating an advertisement is deciding who is expected to buy the product. 3- How can we make people want to buy it? Finally, a way must be found to create an ad that will make people want to buy the product.

How to develop a thesis statement One way to develop a thesis statement for an essay is to write opinions you have about the topic. Begin, I think that … and the remaining words make a possible thesis statement. Example : Topic : diet / food I think that a vegetarian diet is one of the best ways to live a healthy life. I think that governments should restrict the use of chemicals in agriculture and food production.

Outlining Essay

What is an outline? • An outline is a list of the information you will put in your essay. • An outline: • Begins with the essay’s thesis statement. • Shows the organization of the essay. • Tells what ideas you will discuss and shows which ideas will come first, second, and so on. • Ends with the essay’s conclusion.

Writing an outline before you write an essay will help you on: • Showing you what to write before you actually begin writing. • making your essay well organized and clearly focused. • Keeping you from forgetting any important points.

How to write an outline? • Introduction • First main idea • A. first supporting point • 1- first detail • 2- second detail • B. second supporting point • 1- first detail • 2- second detail • III. Second main idea • A. first supporting point • 1- first detail • 2- second detail • B. second supporting point • 1- first detail • 2- second detail • Third main idea • A. first supporting point • 1- first detail • 2- second detail • B. second supporting point • 1- first detail • 2- second detail • V. Conclusion

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