ACADEMIC ESSAY

Parts of an academic essay/composition

An academic essay/composition must have the
following items:
1) Title/Topic
2) Paragraphs
What is a topic/title?
A topic/title is a short sentence or a group of
words that describe or summarise the whole
essay.
It is an easy way to remember and understand
the theme/main idea/content of the essay
without reading it.
Indicator of what to expect from the writer.

What is a Paragraph?

A paragraph is a group of sentences that

forms/tells ONE idea. It is NOT just a group of
sentences written together.
There are three types of paragraphs:
a) Introductory paragraph
b) Supporting paragraph
c) Concluding paragraph
Example: For BEL260, there should be a minimum
of 5 to 6 paragraphs (1 intro + 3/4 supporting + 1
con). As the minimum

The Introductory Paragraph

A very important part of the academic
essay. A good introductory essay attracts
the attention of the reader and serves as
a guide to give direction as the ideas are
being developed.
An introductory paragraph can have a
variety of information:

Historical aspects or background information

of the subject/main idea

Basic information about the subject (important: use

the wh-question of the keywords to help decide what
information to write on, otherwise, the intro may not
be relevant to the question.
Definitions of the keywords or topic or main idea
Introduce the issue (why is the author writing about
this topic)
Bring in the debate/reason of the issue
Introduce the reasons for writing the essay
Thesis Statement

3. Introductory paragraphs can be written in

various ways depending on the purpose
of
the essay.

Thesis Statement
The

most important sentence as

it is the controlling/main idea of
the essay. All the other
sentences whether in the intro
or supporting or concluding
paragraphs MUST support the
thesis statement.
- The thesis statement is written
at the end of the introductory
paragraph

There are a few precautions in writing a thesis

statement:
A thesis statement must be debatable/arguable
and expandable
Cows produce milk.
Milk produced by cows can hazardous
to human consumption.
A thesis statement cannot be in the form of a
question:
Can cows produce milk?
A thesis statement cannot be incomplete or
hanging:
If cows can produce milk

4. A thesis statement is not just a declaration of

what you are going to write:
Now I am going to write about cows and milk.
5. A thesis statement for an argumentative essay
should have modals to indicate probability or
possibility.
6. Remember the thesis statement is a general
sentence that sums up the content of the
essay and in an argumentative essay, it will
represent your stand or opinion of the
issue/topic so make sure it is written relevantly
and clearly.

Ways To Write An Introductory

Paragraph

Style No.1: The General to Specific Style

In this style, the introductory paragraph is written
with a very general statement in the beginning
and it is gradually narrowed down from one
sentence to the other.
This style provides a background for the topic
before the introduction of the thesis statement.
One important reminder:
The shape of this paragraph should be
and not this
(all general statements and
not leading to the thesis statement.)

Style No. 2: The Element of

Suspense

a dramatic statement or an element of

surprise is interesting and will attract the
readers attention.
Remember that in a descriptive or
argumentative essay, sentences with
personal feelings and emotions are
discouraged. Therefore, to incorporate the
element of suspense in these types of
essays, the writer has to write factual
information/ statistics that can be a surprise
or a shock but make sure they are not too
outrageous. Dont get carried away with
bombastic and irrelevant statistics.

Style No. 3: The Marketing

Strategy
Illustrate

the importance or usefulness of

the topic to the reader.
Try to determine the type of reader who
will be examining your essay and find the
link/s to attract the reader to be interested
to read on.
Therefore if the essay can contain
information that is relevant to reader, this
will motivate him/her to read on.

Style No. 4:
Quotations/Idiom/Proverb/
Famous Sayings
persons opinion or ideas to highlight a point.
E.g. Experience is the best teacher can be
used to describe the difficult experiences in
life.
However, after writing the quotation,
remember to give your version (your own
words) of the meaning of that saying to show
critical thinking skills.

 Sayings

from other languages are also

allowed but DO NOT write the original
version! Write the English translation
instead and continue with your
interpretation of what it means. For e.g.
There is an old Chinese saying that

Style No. 5: Begin with One Or

More Questions
Not

really recommended as there will be

confusion especially if the questions asked
do not relate to the original question of the
essay.
Keep in mind that all questions must be
answered. Therefore the writer has to
think about possible answers that will not
contradict the original question.

Style No. 6: Narrate a Brief

Story
Stories

will attract the attention of your

reader.
However, make sure that the story does
not exceed three sentences and must be
closely related to the main idea of the
essay.
Use factual stories instead of made up
stories (your best
friend/brother/grandmothers experience)

The Supporting Paragraph

The supporting paragraph is an important
part of the academic essay.
The supporting paragraph of an
argumentative or descriptive essay must
be factual, non-personal and support the
thesis statement.
A supporting paragraph must contain:
- a topic sentence
- supporting sentences
- concluding sentence

A topic sentence is the title/main idea of the

paragraph. This sentence tells the reader what
the whole paragraph is about. Most topic
sentences are written as the first sentence in the
paragraph or at the end of the paragraph. In a
few instances, it has appeared in the second
sentence or in the middle of the paragraph.
A topic sentence must be your own sentence, an
idea you present to support your thesis
statement. To avoid going out of the topic,
remember the wh-q of the keywords.

Supporting sentences are sentences written to

back-up or support what the topic sentence
claims. Therefore, supporting sentences can be
created by giving:
- factual or actual information about the idea
in the topic sentence
- examples of the idea written in the topic
sentence
- descriptions of the idea in the topic
sentence
The concluding sentence is a reflection of the
topic sentence. Remember to paraphrase and
change the sentence voice/structure.
The concluding sentence is important as it
rounds up the paragraph

The Concluding Paragraph

A

good academic essay must have

an interesting ending so that it
leaves the reader with a final
thought and a sense of completion.
The concluding paragraph should
be brief
Restate your stand/opinion

Ways To Write A Concluding

Paragraph

End with a final comment

Summarise the main points
End with a recommendation
End by looking into the future
Conclusions, introductions, take different
forms. However, all concluding paragraphs
should follow logically from what is written
throughout the essay. Do not introduce new
ideas in the concluding paragraph.

What Is The Format Of An

Academic Essay?
1) Indent the first sentence of the paragraph.
2) Begin each sentence with a capital letter.
3) End each sentence with a period/full stop.
4) Continue the sentences one after the
other. Do not begin on a new line.

What Is A Good/Effective
Paragraph?
a) Unity
- Develop/decide on one main theme and write towards
that goal.
- Plan out the paragraphs before starting to write them
- The stand/opinion presented in the thesis statement
must be maintained throughout in all the paragraphs
- The topic should be discussed from different points of
view.
b) Length
- follow the requirement of the exam. Do not go
overboard.
c) Style
- write to suite different occasions (descriptive,
argumentative or narrative)