How to plan and
structure your essay
Learn about what is involved in writing an academic essay including some useful
resources to help you develop your own writing.
Understand the essay title
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Take some time and think – what is the question asking? this is vital, as it affects what you read and how well
you answer the essay question!
Identify keywords/significant words that help define the scope of the answer.
Try to write in your own words, rather than academic speak, what the question is asking you to do.
Identify your subject – what have you been asked to write about?
Instruction Verbs – Many assignment titles start with specific instruction verbs, these verbs tell you what
approach you need to take for your assignment. Here are some common instruction verbs:
Discuss – Talk or write about a topic in detail, taking into account different ideas and opinions.
Analyse – Examine in detail a piece of information by dividing it into different parts.
For more examples and definitions have a look at Instruction verbs in essay questions (University of Kent, 2012)
at the end of the guide.
Assessment Criteria – Look at the assessment criteria as this will give you further clues as to how you should be
answering the question, as well as the importance attached to each criteria. Here are examples of some criteria:
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Knowledge and Understanding (How well is the issue understood?) 25%
Structure (Is the argument well structured? Is the topic covered in sufficient depth and in a logical order?) 35%
Use of evidence (Range of sources. Quality of evidence) 20%
Presentation and Referencing (Grammar/Spelling/Presentation/Referencing) 20%
Draft an outline plan
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Once you understand what the question is asking of you the next step is to start planning.
Use a blank piece of paper, or a document on your PC, write the question in the middle of the page.
Pick out keywords from the question title and write them down on the paper – you could create a mind map.
To find out more about mind mapping have a look at the materials that are available on Skills Plus.
Write down key points on the topic using single words and phrases. The table below gives examples of the
key points for an essay with the title Global warming: fact or fiction? Discuss.
Kyoto agreements China
G8
Globalisation
carbon emissions
Transport
big business
polar ice cap melting ozone layer
Rise in sea temperatures and freak weather
Population increases
changing flora/fauna
effect on wildlife
Growth in cheap air travel
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De-forestation
You may find it possible to group some of these keywords and phrases together to show links:
Causes – population increase, carbon emissions, de-forestation.
Environmental evidence – rise in sea temperature, polar ice cap melting, extreme weather.
Globalisation – increase in cheap air travel, rapid industrialisation, global business markets, transporting
goods worldwide.
Political aspects – pressure groups, G8 conference, Kyoto Agreement.
At this point it would also be a good idea to think about some basic time management – start with the hand-in
date and work backwards… think, What do you need to do? How long will this take? How much time will you
allocate for doing research and reading?
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You could also try to put in order the points you have written down, this gives you a structure to follow.
You could even write a number next to each point, this stage may come later after you have done some
research/reading.
This will help you to identify the gaps in your knowledge – what do you not know? What do you need to find out?
You should end up with a list of areas/questions you need to research.
Ideally, your outline plan will include which areas you will cover in your essay, why they are important and how they
relate to the question.
Gathering materials: checklist
There are a wide variety of sources you can use to help find information for your assignments:
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Lecture notes – look back at your notes, is there anything useful?
Use the references recommended by your tutor on Reading Lists.
Search the Library Catalogue for books on your topic using your list of keywords or subject terms.
Use NORA to help identify relevant information and research, newspaper and journal articles.
Use some of the specialised subject databases such as Business Source Premier, CINAHL, Web of
Science etc.
Make sure you use a variety of sources to help you answer your question, for example, books, journal articles,
government documents and spend some time researching and keeping notes. Remember to record all details of
your sources: title, author, publisher, date of publication, web addresses etc.
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When reading and making notes from a book or journal article, for instance, check the title, index, chapter
headings, introduction, abstract or conclusion. Then, read the bits that are relevant to the question you are
researching.
Do not copy word for word when making notes. Try reading a paragraph at a time and then summarise the
main points using your own words. This method of referring to an author's ideas is called paraphrasing and
ensures you avoid plagiarism.
As you read, always refer back to your outline plan to make sure you are researching the relevant
information that will help you to answer the question. You can make changes to the plan as you research
and this will help you structure your paragraphs.
For help searching or note making have a look at the materials on Skills Plus.
Planning the essay / writing up a first draft
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Once your research is done, go back to the outline plan and add to it from the notes you have made.
Make sure you link and develop the points you have made in your plan as this will form your essay structure.
It may help to write down each point you are going to make on a separate page, plus any supporting evidence from
your notes – you could order the points so that they follow on logically.
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Make sure you use paragraphs as they provide good order and structure to your writing and help you to
organise your arguments.
Each point can be developed into a paragraph.
For instance, using the global warming example, in the first paragraph (after the introduction), you could write about
existing evidence that shows the issue of global warming is fact rather than fiction.
Paragraph 1: Evidence
Look at the rise in sea temperature introducing evidence – Mackenzie 2006.
Polar ice cap melting – British Antarctic Survey Stats 2004.
Extreme weather conditions – Times, 2005 article by Brookes.
Paragraphs 2 (& 3) could then look at both the environmental and human causes before moving on to look at
possible solutions (paragraph 4 & 5), political and personal, before finishing with a summary and conclusion.
For help with paragraphs have a look at Paragraphs and paragraphing (Purdue University, 2012), listed at the
back of this guide.
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Structuring the essay (introduction)
When doing an essay you need to write using a particular style. For more help have a look at the Academic writing
guide on Skills Plus.
The traditional essay format usually has the following structure – Introduction, Main Body and Conclusion.
Introduction – The introduction is concise, usually one paragraph, or between 5-10% of the overall essay. Usually it
is approximately the same length as your conclusion. A good introduction will:
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Show how you are going to answer the question and that you understand the key issues and implications.
Indicate the main areas for discussion, showing how the essay content is relevant and linked to the
question.
This point is important if you have been given an open-ended question, like our example “Global warming: fact or
fiction? Discuss”, as this is where you would indicate that you are aware of the many issues raised by the question
but that the essay will focus on several of these aspects in more detail. You will also need to give reasons why you
have chosen to write about these particular issues. In your introduction you could:
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Use words and phrases from the question, defining any keywords or issues.
Show evidence that you have carried out research by making reference to one of your sources.
The introduction can also be one of the hardest parts to get right and it may be advisable to write this section once
you have completed the main body. You will then be able to give a clear outline of the structure of ideas that will be
covered in the main body.
Look at examples of introductions in books, journal articles etc.
Structuring the essay (main body)
The main body is where you answer the question and it should be made up of a series of linked paragraphs that
expand the main points you have previously outlined in your plan and talked about in your introduction. The points
and arguments you make in this section should also support your final conclusion(s).
Writing in paragraphs
In general it is good practice for your paragraphs to be roughly the same length. Have a look at paragraphs in books
and journals as this will give you an insight into good paragraph lengths. Paragraphs need structure – a beginning, a
middle and an end.
Begin your paragraph with a sentence that expresses the point you are going to make. This is called the topic
sentence and it should link back to your essay question.
In the middle section of your paragraph you should then develop, support and show the significance of the point you
have made. This can be done in different ways, you can:
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Explain any keywords or specialised terminology. Use examples and illustrations.
Write down any evidence that supports the point you are making. This could be facts, statistics, research
either in the form of direct quotation or by paraphrasing other writers’ ideas. Avoid plagiarism… if you use
someone else’s ideas you need to acknowledge this by providing a reference so the reader can trace the
original source.
Comment on how this evidence supports your point.
Examine opposing theories.
The end of your paragraph should explain the consequences/implications of this point, developing your argument
to link back to the main point discussed at the beginning of the paragraph, and to the next paragraph. It is important
that paragraphs flow in a logical order, and flow naturally from one to the next – so you carry the reader along.
Use linking words such as: yet; but; however; also; on the other hand; not only.
For other useful academic phrases that you can use in your own writing see the Academic Phrasebank
(Manchester University, 2012).
Look at books and journal articles to see how other writers structure their paragraphs.
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Structuring the essay (conclusion)
The conclusion will be approximately the same length as the introduction, usually one paragraph or approximately
5% of the overall essay. Here are some common features of an effective conclusion:
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It should provide an overview of the most important ideas included in the text.
It restates the overall purpose of the essay referring back to the original question and summarises how this
has been answered.
It may also make recommendations if a problem or issue has been raised in the main body of the essay, or it
may speculate on likely future developments.
If you have been writing about two or more opposing views, your conclusion could give your own
viewpoint based on the strength of the arguments you have made.
You must not include any new or unrelated information in your conclusion.
Look at conclusions to book chapters and journal articles to get a feel of how it should be done.
Reviewing, redrafting: checklist
Once the first draft has been completed, go and do something else – have a rest. After a couple of days,
re-read the draft with a refreshed mind, and check for the following:
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Does the essay answer the question you have been set?
Have you covered all the main points in enough depth and is the content relevant and accurate?
Does the essay read in a logical order, and flow from one point to the next?
Have you supported your arguments with evidence?
Have you acknowledged all your sources and provided a reference list and/or bibliography?
Does the essay have a clear introduction which sets the scene?
Does the essay have a satisfying conclusion which summarises the main points made in the essay?
Check grammar, spelling and punctuation (it often helps to read it aloud to yourself). Don't forget to check
your references.
Useful links
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Northumbria University (2012) Northumbria Skills Plus. Available at: http://www.northumbria.ac.uk/skillsplus
(Accessed: 11 May 2012).
Open University Learning Space (2012) Essay and report writing skills. Available at: http://
openlearn.open.ac.uk/ (Accessed: 11 May 2012).
Purdue University (2010) OWL Purdue Online Writing Lab: paragraphs and paragraphing. Available at:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/606/02/ (Accessed: 17 May 2012).
Royal Literacy Fund (2012) Essay guide: paragraphs & links. Available at http://www.rlf.org.uk/
fellowshipscheme/writing/planningandstructure/ParagraphsLinks.cfm (Accessed: 17 May 2012).
University of Warwick (2011) CAL: Learning English Online at Warwick: Academic Writing. Available at: http://
www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/al/learning_english/leap/writing/ (Accessed: 29 May 2012).
July 2014
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