How to structure an essay
Structure an essay with an introduction that states your answer to the question, body paragraphs that each make one point supported by evidence and linked back to the question, and a conclusion that draws the points together. The argument, not the topic, should decide the order.
What most advice leaves out
Students often organise essays around everything they know about the topic, in the order they learned it. The result reads as a set of notes. Markers are looking for an answer to the specific question, argued step by step. Planning the argument before writing, and checking each paragraph does a job in it, is what turns knowledge into a high mark.
Step by step
- 1
Unpack the question
Find the command word (discuss, evaluate, compare) and the exact topic. Write a one-sentence answer before you plan anything else.
- 2
Plan your points
List the three to five points that support your answer, plus the strongest counter-argument, and put them in the order that builds your case.
- 3
Write the introduction
Give brief context, state your answer and outline how the essay will argue it. Many people write this last.
- 4
One point per paragraph
Open each paragraph with its point, support it with evidence, explain why the evidence matters, and link it back to the question.
- 5
Conclude without new material
Restate your answer in light of the argument, say what follows from it, and stop.
Common mistakes
- Writing everything you know instead of answering the question.
- Paragraphs that describe evidence without explaining why it matters.
- Introducing new evidence in the conclusion.
Practise it with Migo AI Students
Migo will not write essays for you. Chat Tutor can explain what a question’s command word is asking, help you understand the topic well enough to form your own argument, and quiz you on the material. If you need sources, Deep research (a Student Pro tool that uses credits) returns findings with the sources it used for you to check and read. An Assignment Mode that marks your own draft against a rubric is planned but not available yet.
Questions
How long should an essay introduction be?
Usually around a tenth of the word count is a common guideline, but follow your course’s advice. What matters is that it states your answer and how you will argue it.
How many paragraphs should an essay have?
As many as you have distinct points, each developed properly. The word count and the number of points in your plan decide it, not a fixed rule.
Related guides
- How to write a literature reviewWrite a literature review by searching systematically for research on your question, grouping what you find into themes or debates, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the evidence, and showing what is still unknown. It should synthesise sources, not summarise them one at a time.
- How to find sources for an essayStart with your reading list and your library’s databases, search with specific terms, follow the references of the best sources you find, and check each source is credible and relevant before you use it.
- How to use AI to study without cheatingUse AI to help you learn, by explaining ideas, quizzing you and giving feedback on your understanding, and not to produce work you submit as your own. Always check your university’s and module’s rules, which differ between courses.
General study advice. Follow your own course’s guidance and your institution’s rules on assessment and AI use.