The Essay Structure



After all the preliminary work and organization has been done, the outline of the essay can now be determined. Typically, written works such as essays are divided into three major parts, the introduction, the body, and the conclusion or summary. In a five paragraph essay, one paragraph would be dedicated to each the introduction and conclusion, with the remaining three paragraphs comprising the body. For longer works, these limitations can be circumvented. Each section and what it should contain are as follows:

Introduction. This is a very important part of the essay. In this section, the topic and thesis are introduced and presented to the reader. Getting and holding the attention of the reader is top priority, so the introduction should try to present the subject matter in a unique, entertaining, engaging, and relevant way.

In general, the opening of the essay should start with a broad subject matter (like "colonialism") and narrow it down to the topic to be discussed ("British Colonialism in Australia from 1790 to 1800."). This should be followed quickly with the thesis statement derived from the topic question. This part of the essay is sometimes called the "thesis paragraph." (McClain and Roth, 1999)

Body. Also called the "discussion" section of the essay, the body is where most of the content will be written, approximately two-thirds to three-fourths of the entire work. "The purpose of the discussion...is to prove to your readers that your judgment is correct." (McClain and Roth, 1999) In other words, this is where the collected evidence and argumentation should be placed.

Typically, three main points are discussed in detail, each receiving its own paragraph (for shorter essays), or section of paragraphs (for longer essays). Optionally, each main point of the author's argument may contain a mini-conclusion, but this is not standard.

A good device for remembering the structure is to think in terms of threes. There should be three main sections of the paper. The middle section should focus on three main points and supply three pieces of evidence for each. It is perfectly acceptable to add more points and more supporting evidence than this, but one always runs the risk of muddying the main issue (the thesis) with too much information.

Conclusion. Sometimes called the "summary," the concluding section of an essay is where the writer ties everything together. Concluding paragraphs (or sections) usually contain a very brief recapitulation of the main points made in the body of the essay. Then, once those have been restated, a brief closing statement is made, reaffirming the thesis. Some authors like to include a thought provoking statement or quote as a concluding sentence, but this is optional.

A Sample Outline

Gallaudet University's English Works! site provides the following example outline.

It is an excellent example of a typical essay's structure, especially for academic purposes, and is reproduced here for convenience. (Gallaudet University, 2008)

1. Introduction


1. Introductory statements.


2. Thesis statement.


3. Introduce supporting ideas (optional).


2. Body


1. First supporting data.


1. Transition, topic sentence.


2. Discussion, examples, and analysis.


3. Conclusion (optional).


2. Second supporting data.


1. Transition, topic sentence.


2. Discussion, examples, and analysis.


3. Conclusion (optional).


3. Third supporting data.


1. Transition, topic sentence.


2. Discussion, examples, and analysis.


3. Conclusion (optional).


3. Conclusion


1. Transition, statement reflecting back on thesis.


2. Restate key points.


3. Ending statement that provokes thought (optional).