How to Write an Essay Introduction for University.

The introduction to an essay has three primary objectives: explain the context of the essay, give the response to the question or the overall focus of the essay (the thesis statement), and describe the structure and organisation of the essay.

It can help to think of the introduction to an essay being around 10% of the total word count. For a short essay of 1500 words, it may be just a single paragraph of approximately 150 words. For longer essays, you may need to set the scene of the topic first, so it may be two or three paragraphs in length.

Essays and other assignments Assignments involving extended writing are a common form of assessment in many subjects, both at undergraduate and postgraduate level. But the value of assignment writing is not limited to assessment: writing assignments is an important part of the learning process in higher education.

Key words: academic essay, essay question, paragraph, introduction, body, conclusion, reference list Sometimes a good example of what you are trying to achieve is worth a 1000 words of advice! When you are asked to write an essay, try to find some samples (models) of similar writing and learn to observe the craft of the writer.

Getting started. This section includes: - Preparing for university - Using Skills Hub - Support at Sussex.

Introductions and conclusions play a special role in the academic essay, and they frequently demand much of your attention as a writer. A good introduction should identify your topic, provide essential context, and indicate your particular focus in the essay. It also needs to engage your readers’ interest.

The essay begins with a general lead into the broad topic by indicating the inadequacy of traditional teaching alone. It sets up a problem that the essay will solve. See essay introduction. Format: Spacing. Essays are usually double-spaced or 1.5-line spaced. See formatting and layout. Structure: Introductions.

A short guide to essay planning and structure 5 You could use a diagram like this to help you order your ideas. Write each of your main points into a section of the structure. Introduction Introductory paragraph Second introductory paragraph if necessary Body of essay 1st main point 2nd main point 3rd main point 4th main point 5th main point.

Basic essay structure. Structure of an essay. Most essays have the basic structure of introduction, main body and conclusion. Introduction. The introduction should cover two main themes: Any background information the reader will need to make sense of your essay.

Introduction paragraphs are usually about 5% of your essay word count. In clearly-written sentences, the writer gives some background on the main topic; explains the academic problem and tells the reader what to expect in the rest of the essay.

Example Essays. Remember, you should not hand in any of these example essays as your own work, as we do not condone plagiarism! If you use any of these free example essays as source material for your own work, then remember to reference them correctly.

An introduction is the opening paragraph of an essay. It should briefly introduce the topic and outline your key ideas. An introduction might also provide context and try to hook the reader’s.