Many teachers give a fair amount of attention to the structure and content of the essay as a whole, and of the introduction and conclusion. The many paragraphs in between, the very meat of the essay, are often neglected, and it is just as easy, and just as damaging, to incorrectly structure a paragraph, as it is to incorrectly structure an essay.
Every paragraph should have two distinct parts: argument and evidence. If a paragraph does not make an argumentative point that can be clearly stated, then it is probably redundant. Very few examiners will give marks for pointless statements of fact, or for narrative. In an examination essay, knowledge is valuable only so long as it serves the argument.
Equally, argument without evidence (which may come in many different forms, depending on the subject of the essay) will be assumed to be invalid. Evidence exists only to serve argument, but argument cannot stand alone without evidence.
The most important thing when writing a paragraph is to ensure that the argument comes before the evidence. First make the point, and then support it.
If a paragraph begins with a statement of fact, or with a narrative sentence, many examiners will completely ignore the rest of the paragraph, and will assume that the whole paragraph is made up of narrative or of facts. As has already been observed, narrative and facts do not, on the whole, earn marks. Do not allow your argumentation to go unrewarded – place it at the beginning of the paragraph, where even the most hurried examiner will see it.
Beginning a paragraph with argument is also valuable simple as an aid to clarity. The introduction has already laid down the argumentative content of each paragraph. ‘Look,’ the first sentence of each paragraph should say, ‘here is the point that I promised I would make in the introduction, and now I’ll tell you why I think that this point is valid.’ The illogicality of presenting the evidence before the argument in this context should be obvious.
This may seem counter-intuitive and unnatural to some pupils. After all, when an idea is developed in the first place, it usually comes after a close examination of the evidence. Furthermore, the emphasis on learning facts and dates during the early stages of schooling often creates a misleading sense that such information is valuable, and that its regurgitation will be rewarded.
However, the evidence is not personal; the essayist did not invent the evidence. The argument is personal, it is for the argument that the writer deserves credit, and so it is the argument that must be emphasized and thrust forward to the beginning of the paragraph.
How to Structure an Essay:
Part Four
