The Five Stage Essay Structure

Good essays adhere to a five stage structure as outlined below the point of the structure is to ensure that the essay writers argument is presented clearly and consistently sustained, which in turn, ensures that the reader can follow and understand the central argument of the essay.

Stage 1: The Introduction

This is a paragraph that concisely and efficiently establishes your broader understanding of the text that you are writing about. It may give some relevant information about why the author has written the text; the central conceptual ideas presented in the text and the texts initial reception. If written in a relevant and concise way, the introduction should furnish the reader of the essay with an insight into the nature and characteristics of the text. The best essays will offer an individual and original insight into the text in the introduction in an attempt to show they have their own ideas.

Stage 2: Thesis (Argument)

This paragraph follows the introduction; at this point you outline your initial response to the question. In other words, you describe the argument that you are going to present in the rest of the essay. As the essay title will most likely pose a question, you need to outline concisely your ideas about the question and what you believe to be your answer. In how far style questions this will involve some comment on exactly how far you agree with the title proposition and other elements you want to explore in relation to the question.

Stage 3: Body Paragraphs

In each of the body paragraphs, you lead your reader through a series of points that you use to support your thesis. In this section, each paragraph should contain a point with relevant textual evidence and some comment about how what you have written is relevant to your thesis. It is imperative that this section follows the pattern described because it ensures the relevance of your written argument. This section may be as many as a dozen paragraphs, depending on the complexity of your argument.

Stage 4: Re-visit the Thesis

Having discussed in detail each point of your argument in the body paragraphs you then need to return to your thesis and re-state what you intended to prove in the essay. Once you have re-stated what you wanted to prove, you then outline how what you have written in the body paragraphs supports your initial response to the question. This should not be a mere repetition of the thesis paragraph, but a more developed commentary on what you have shown in the essay in regards to the question.

Stage 5: Conclusion
A conclusion should not be a reworking of everything you have previously stated in your essay. It is, instead, as crucial to the overall success of your essay as the other sections. The conclusion needs to be a carefully constructed paragraph that completes your argument. It is an opportunity to leave the reader with a set of final, original ideas about the text that you have created yourself. You should try to make a lasting impact in your conclusion, creating a paragraph that your reader remembers and show your own individual, intellectual and emotional engagement with the text that you are writing about. This structure is incredibly sophisticated and will ensure that your writing is both academic and convincing. Equally, it affords you the opportunity to create a balance between the development of your own critical voice and a logical, text based reading of the texts you are writing about. In essence, this structure will ensure that you have the opportunity to perform at the highest grade levels while also developing a unique and personal insight into the literary works you are discussing.