Week 10 – Writing an essay, first draft (deadline: November 27)
How to write an essay introduction
The introductory paragraph should let the reader know what the essay is going to be about (this is accomplished by a thesis statement/argument that frequently appears at the end of the introductory paragraph) and also should get the reader’s attention and interest so that they will want to read more.
Two most common types of introductions are:
1) A hook introduction
A hook is a catchy sentence/idea/story which captures the attention of the reader. It can be:
- An interesting incident related to your topic
- An authoritative quotation
- A controversial opinion
- A little known or highly interesting fact related to your topic
2) A funnel introduction
A funnel shaped introduction begins broad (like the mouth of a funnel) and then step by step narrows into until the specific point of your essay, the thesis statement.
Avoid the announcement introduction: In this essay, I’m going to write about …; I’ve chosen to compare …
For short essays, the thesis statement should come at the end of the introductory paragraph.
Structure of an essay
In the introductory paragraph, you introduce the topic of the essay and provide a thesis statement/ argument that explains your position on the topic. In academic writing in English, you express your argument typically in the introductory paragraph. (If you write a diploma thesis in English, you put your argument in the introductory chapter).
In the body paragraphs of your essay, you provide evidence that supports your main argument/ thesis statement. Evidence consists of facts, statistics, opinions of experts, clarifying examples. In each body paragraph you focus on one topic/ evidence, you present it (for example you summarize the data from the graph, you quote or paraphrase the opinion of an expert), then comment on it (you analyze the data, interpret the expert's opinion) and provide an explanation on how the given evidence supports your argument.
In the concluding paragraph, you can restate the main points and stress the importance of the topic; or make suggestions for further research; or highlight practical implications of your findings. Do not provide new evidence in the concluding paragraph!
When writing the essay, you MUST use at least one secondary source, either quote or paraphrase and list the source(s) in a Works Cited list.
Peer assessment (2 points)
If you have submitted the writing task for this session, you can assess someone else’s writing. Please choose an essay that hasn't been assessed by anyone else yet (if possible). Here are some criteria you can take into consideration:
- Does the text meet all the requirements (1 introductory paragraph, 3-5 body paragraphs, 1 concluding paragraph)?
- Does the introductory paragraph introduce the topic? Does it contain an argument/ thesis statement? Is the argument strong enough?
- Do the paragraphs meet the requirements? (Do they have a topic sentence? Does each paragraph deal with one topic/evidence? Does the content of the paragraph support the argument/thesis statement in an understandable way? Is the text coherent? = Are the transitions between paragraphs logical and smooth?)
- Is the language/style used appropriate?
- Are quotations or paraphrasing in the essay properly cited and referenced?
- Is the paragraph revised so as to correct grammatical, spelling and punctuation mistakes?
- Do you have any suggestions for improvement?
To get points for the feedback, you need to write at least 5 sentences.