How to Write Better Essays

more for form than content. It can be done more subtly than this, as

we’ll see. But whichever way you do it, remember that in the first sen-

tence of each paragraph, the ‘topic sentence’, the examiner needs to

be informed about what you’re doing in that paragraph, and why it’s

relevant to the issues you identified in your introduction.

Nevertheless, there is a qualification to this we need to mention. Not

every paragraph needs to be tied in with the map in your introduction.

Some of the major issues in the essay will take a number of paragraphs

to develop. Therefore, in this case, you only need to tie in with the

introduction the first paragraph of each major section. The paragraphs

that follow will then have to be tied in with this paragraph to create

fluency and cohesion.

This raises an important issue, as we’ll see. In order to create a taut,

coherent piece of work, each paragraph has to have a clear connection

with the one that preceded it. To make sure of this you will need to

have effective ‘transitions’ at the beginning of each paragraph to indi-

cate to the examiners the course of your argument. From this they

should be able to see that this is an extension of the previous para-

graph, or that you’re making a comparison, or that you’re illustrating

the point you’ve already made, and so on. In some paragraphs it will

be obvious what you’re doing and there will be no need to announce

it, but if in doubt use a transition.

A simple formula for paragraphs

As we’ve already seen with introductions, we do most things much

more effectively if we know what we’re doing and why. But for many

students paragraphs are a complete mystery.

This shows up in their concern over the length of paragraphs. Some

suspect that theirs are either too short or too long, while others

confess that they decide to end one paragraph and begin another

on a mere whim. In fact, although this may not appear too helpful,

the best advice is simply to vary their length. It will make the essay

more interesting to read and you’ll be less inclined to send your readers

off into a deep sleep as they follow the predictable rhythms of your

writing.

Of course, ultimately the key to the length of paragraphs lies in the

logic of the essay as a whole. In other words, keep to your structure

and at all costs let the examiners see that, as they move from one para-

graph to another, they’re moving from one section within the structure

188 Writing

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