Academic writing

1.

Academic writing
Lecture № 7
Theme: Essay structure
Lecturer: S.K.Iskindirova

2.

Plan:
1.
What is essay
2. The structure of an essay

3.

Essay writing is a key component to
academic success at every level. It is,
essentially, the way in which people within
the academic community communicate
with each other. Thus, there are
fundamental ways in which academics
structure their work and formal ways of
communicating what they have to say.
An academic essay is a focused piece of
writing that develops an idea or argument
using evidence, analysis and interpretation.
There are many types of essays you might
write as a student. The content and length
of an essay depends on your level, subject
of study, and course requirements

4.

5.

Most essays have
the basic structure
of introduction,
main body and
conclusion.

6.

Writing the introduction
The introduction is the first paragraph of an
essay. Its purpose is to introduce a reader to
the topic of the essay and to present the
specific point of the essay. In long assignments,
the introduction may end up being more than
one paragraph in length, but for most of your
academic course work the introduction will be
one paragraph long.
The introduction sets the tone for your essay.
It should grab the reader’s interest and inform
them of what to expect. The introduction
generally comprises 10–20% of the text.

7.

Music is truly the one universal language. Although
all cultures have music, each culture develops its
own musical forms and styles. In particular, popular
music varies from culture to culture and from
generation to generation. In the past 1 00 years or
so, there has been an explosion of popular music
styles in the West. Three of the more successful
styles are reggae, punk, and rap.
This kind of introductory paragraph is called a funnel introduction because it
resembles a funnel: wide at the top (beginning) and narrow at the bottom (end). A
funnel introduction has two parts: several general statements and one thesis
statement. The general statements give the reader background information about the
topic of the essay. The thesis statement is normally the last sentence in an
introductory paragraph.

8.

1. Hook your reader
The first sentence of the introduction should pique your reader’s interest and
curiosity. This sentence is sometimes called the hook. It might be an intriguing
question, a surprising fact, or a bold statement emphasizing the relevance of the
topic.
2. Provide background on your topic
Next, it’s important to give context that will help your reader understand your
argument. This might involve providing background information, giving an overview
of important academic work or debates on the topic, and explaining difficult terms.
Don’t provide too much detail in the introduction—you can elaborate in the body of
your essay.
3. Present the thesis statement
Next, you should formulate your thesis statement—the central argument you’re
going to make. The thesis statement provides focus and signals your position on the
topic. It is usually one or two sentences long

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The body of your essay
The second part of the essay is the body. This is
the longest part of the essay. Body paragraphs are
what make up most of the essay. An essay may
have three body paragraphs or may have ten. The
number of body paragraphs depends on the
purpose and required length of each assignment.
The body of your essay is where you make
arguments supporting your thesis, provide
evidence, and develop your ideas. Its purpose is
to present, interpret, and analyze the information
and sources you have gathered to support your
argument.
Length of the body text
The length of the body depends on the type of
essay. On average, the body comprises 60–80% of
your essay.

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1. Each body paragraph connects to
the thesis, or main idea/topic, of the
essay. It is important that all body
paragraphs work to develop the main idea
of the essay and that none of them go off
topic
2. Each body paragraph focuses on one
main idea. Paragraphs can be seen as
pieces of the overall essay. Each piece is
one part of the larger work.
3. Each body paragraph is organized in a
logical way. If you are writing a paper
about a historical event, it makes sense to
have each paragraph appear in
chronological order.

11.

To give your essay a clear structure, it is
important to organize it into paragraphs.
Each paragraph should be centered around
one main point or idea.
That idea is introduced in a topic sentence.
The topic sentence should generally lead on
from the previous paragraph and introduce
the point to be made in this
paragraph. Transition words can be used to
create clear connections between
sentences.
After the topic sentence, present evidence
such as data, examples, or quotes from
relevant sources. Be sure to interpret and
explain the evidence, and show how it helps
develop your overall argument

12.

P.I.E. Paragraph Structure
One way to think about structuring your paragraphs is
to use the P.I.E. paragraph structure. Make sure each of
your body paragraphs have the following parts:
P = Point
I = Information
E = Explanation

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Point
Make sure your paragraph has a point. Often, the point is the topic sentence.
Information
After establishing your point, provide information in the form of evidence to support your topic
sentence.
Here are types of evidence you might include:
Facts, details, reasons, examples
Statistics, polls, percentages, data from research studies
Information from credible research or course readings
Expert opinions and analysis from experts on the topic
Personal experience or stories from your life or others
Explanation
The explanation is the writer’s analysis, elaboration, evaluation, or interpretation of the point and
information given, connecting the information with the point (topic sentence) and the
thesis. Without this step, your paragraph may be made up solely of someone else's work. Providing
an explanation ensures you integrate your research and include your own academic work as well.

14.

Writing Body Paragraphs
Follow these steps below to write good body paragraphs.
Step 1: Develop a Topic Sentence
Step 2: Provide Evidence to Support your Topic Sentence
and Overall Argument
Step 3: Add your Own Analysis and Interpretation
Step 4: Conclude
Step 5: Revise and Proofread

15.

The end of your essay= Conclusion
Every well-structured essay ends with a
conclusion. The conclusion is the last paragraph
of the assignment. This is the place where you
end the essay by wrapping up the ideas of the
essay and finishing with a final point. Just like
with introductions, even short assignments and
discussion posts benefit from having a conclusion
at the end.
Its purpose is to summarise the main points of
your argument and, if appropriate, to draw a final
decision or judgement about the issues you have
been discussing.
It is important not to introduce any new ideas in
the conclusion – it is simply a reminder of what
your essay has already covered. It may be useful
again to refer back to the title in the conclusion
to make it very clear to the examiner that you
have thoroughly answered the question at hand.

16.

Writing the conclusion
The conclusion is the final paragraph of an essay. It should generally take up no more than 10–15% of
the text. A strong essay conclusion:
Returns to your thesis
Ties together your main points
Shows why your argument matters
A great conclusion should finish with a memorable or impactful sentence that leaves the reader with
a strong final impression.
What not to include in a conclusion
To make your essay’s conclusion as strong as possible, there are a few things you should avoid. The
most common mistakes are:
Including new arguments or evidence
Undermining your arguments (e.g. “This is just one approach of many”)
Using concluding phrases like “To sum up…” or “In conclusion…”

17.

Thank you for attention!