Essay Help

I’m currently in year 12 and iv done a few essays but have gotten D’s or under which is really not good. However none of my teachers have taught us how to write an essay. How do you write an essay? How do I structure it? What is an argument in an essay? I feel really embarrassed to ask my teacher or other students but I’m really struggling so please can you help me? Thank you

Reply 1

chloenix

20

What subject are you looking at? The structure differs between subjects.

Reply 2

SF2

OP

10

Original post by chloenix

What subject are you looking at? The structure differs between subjects.

I’m struggling with English Literature and Philosophy. x

Reply 3

chloenix

20

Original post by SF2

I’m struggling with English Literature and Philosophy. x

So for English Literature, the structure is very confusing because there isn't really a structure in the traditional sense. It's all about trial and error. You can start off using a simple PEE paragraph structure, and then over time you'll receive feedback and develop your technique. It takes ages to get the structure right, so don't worry about this too much now. Just make sure to keep track of your feedback and always implement your EBIs in your next essay.

For Philosophy, this is the foolproof structure I use:

-Introduction: Introduce your argument. Make a thesis statement.
-A01 mini paragraph: This should explain the theory that is in the question. For example, you can go into a decent amount of detail about Plato's Theory of the Forms (if that's what your question is about). Try to use a quote here if possible.
-Then you should aim to write two BIG paragraphs that focus on A02. Structure them like this:
-Point and explain it in a small amount of detail. Another point and explain it in a small amount of detail. COUNTER point and explain it. Then you counter the counterpoint.
-Finish each paragraph with a mini conclusion where you sum up your argument in one line.
-Conclusion: Summarise your argument.

Hope this makes sense, it's really hard to explain online!

Reply 4

SF2

OP

10

Original post by chloenix

So for English Literature, the structure is very confusing because there isn't really a structure in the traditional sense. It's all about trial and error. You can start off using a simple PEE paragraph structure, and then over time you'll receive feedback and develop your technique. It takes ages to get the structure right, so don't worry about this too much now. Just make sure to keep track of your feedback and always implement your EBIs in your next essay.

For Philosophy, this is the foolproof structure I use:

-Introduction: Introduce your argument. Make a thesis statement.
-A01 mini paragraph: This should explain the theory that is in the question. For example, you can go into a decent amount of detail about Plato's Theory of the Forms (if that's what your question is about). Try to use a quote here if possible.
-Then you should aim to write two BIG paragraphs that focus on A02. Structure them like this:
-Point and explain it in a small amount of detail. Another point and explain it in a small amount of detail. COUNTER point and explain it. Then you counter the counterpoint.
-Finish each paragraph with a mini conclusion where you sum up your argument in one line.
-Conclusion: Summarise your argument.

Hope this makes sense, it's really hard to explain online!