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Introduction to writing essays

Writing essays can be a challenging but rewarding experience which requires deep thought about what you are learning. It involves understanding the process and following a plan.

An essay is a piece of writing that has a standard format.

  • Each paragraph has a 'topic sentence' which summarises the essay (often the first sentence)
  • It has 3 main parts: an introduction, the body and the conclusion.
  • Introductions contain a 'thesis statement' (main idea running through the whole essay).
  • It is a series of paragraphs, each of which has one main theme
  • Each paragraph flows from the last in an organised way as described in the introduction.
  • The conclusion summarises the main discussion/argument in the assignment and tells what was learnt.

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How to write an essay