Crafting a Compelling Essay: Structure and Examples
Introduction
The introduction presents the topic or question to the reader and puts it in context. It introduces the main points you are going to discuss and creates interest and anticipation.
Example: In recent years, public funding for local facilities has become more problematic for many towns. This has become more obvious to me after listening to a panel on the financial needs of several different local facilities, like sports centers and public parks. As these places battle for funds, the main question is which ones deserve the money more.
Recommendations:
- It is often said that… / Many people feel that… / There is no doubt that…
- We live in an age when many of us are… / Over the past/last ten years or so…
- More and more families/people are choosing to…
- Recent research indicates that the number of… is increasing.
In this essay, I will discuss two possible solutions and their advantages and disadvantages.
First Topic Point: Sports Centers
Start with a topic sentence that makes it clear what the paragraph is about. Always support your arguments with reasons and/or examples.
Example: It is widely known that sports centers provide many different benefits to the local community. Someone on the panel mentioned that, from a public health standpoint, it is crucial to offer opportunities to exercise in order to keep everyone healthy, physically as well as mentally, due to the social character of sports. In addition to that, exercise comes in many different shapes and forms, from team sports to individual activities like swimming, so there is something for everyone to enjoy in a dedicated group of people.
Recommendations:
- Clearly/undoubtedly has an impact on… / …is widely believed to contribute to…
- It is common knowledge that… plays a crucial role in… / Recent research suggests that…
- It is undoubtedly the case that… / It is generally considered that…
- Studies have shown that… has an impact/influence on… / Furthermore…
- Few people would contest/dispute the fact that… / On the advantages of…
Second Topic Point: Green Spaces
Example: While green spaces in a town or city have their own benefits, it can be difficult to maintain such large areas in order to keep parks pleasant and inviting to everyone. Nevertheless, considered by many as the green lung of a city, their use as a refuge from hectic city life cannot be debated, and groups of people, as well as individuals, can be seen following their favorite pastime or socializing with others. This makes the discussion about allocating funds even more difficult.
Recommendations:
- Another factor to consider is… / On the other hand/In contrast…
- All the evidence suggests that… / A clear example of this is… / This is illustrated by…
- There are numerous advantages in this approach as well, but, above all, I would highlight…
- Another solution could be… / On the advantages of… / Unfortunately, on the other hand…
Conclusion
Finally, the conclusion of your essay is there to summarize and to give your opinion on the topic, as well as to answer the question in the task.
Example: Taking into account all the positions from above, I come to the conclusion that funding should be allocated to both facilities, as they provide essential resources to the local community. However, due to their more social character and possibly greater public health benefits, I would give more funds to sports centers.
Recommendations:
- In light of the above… / Taking all this into consideration/account…
- To sum up, as far as I am concerned… / In my opinion… / As I see it…
- …is the most effective way to… due to the fact that…
- Despite the fact that… undoubtedly plays a role in…, I firmly believe that… is more effective due to the fact that… its advantages outnumber/outweigh those…
- To sum up, of the two values outlined above, … is the more effective one.
- In addition to this, after all… / To make it clear…