How to Structure a University Essay in the UK

Organising and structuring a university-level essay can be a bit different and sometimes even challenging, because of the requirements regarding the content and the structure. The requirements involve following a proper format and answering mostly argumentative essay questions. Other requirements include forming a thesis statement, going on with the counter and pro arguments in the body part, and then summing it up in the conclusion section. In this blog, we will be discussing some of the tips that help structure a university-level essay.

Steps to Structure Your Essay

1. Do the Research

To craft an ideal essay, it is important to invest your time in understanding the essay question and doing adequate research, and finding sources that can corroborate the content and the arguments of your essay. It is necessary to break down your essay question into two to three understandable parts. For example, “Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of being bilingual. Which do you think is more important and why?” The question can be broken into two parts, i.e., in the first part, you will be discussing the advantages, and in the second part, you will be discussing the disadvantages. While answering the question, you will be drawing a comparison between two and lastly going for discussing whether the advantages are more weighing the disadvantages and for what reason. The last part of the question is more argumentative. To answer such a question, you may be required to do research regarding the advantages and disadvantages, drawing a comparison between the two. 

2. Plan the Structure of your Essay

To answer an essay question, it is important to have a structured plan for it. You can begin by brainstorming the ideas after doing the research and finding the sources. A simple way to do this is by creating mind maps. A mind map is one of the most used techniques for structuring any kind of essay and is generally used for the organisation of ideas. The technique involves keeping the main idea or theme in the centre and then showing the connection of the other sub-ideas or themes stemming from the main one. Other than this, you can also go for building linear charts or tables; this kind of technique is more useful in case your topic is more comparative. During the process of the organisation, you are required to work on the ideas that need to go in the introduction, main body, and conclusion sections. This method of mind mapping and structuring the ideas is usually a practised technique by several research writers who offer expert essay writing services UK.

3. Structuring your Introduction

The introductory part of the essay provides an overview to the reader of what the essay is about and what will be discussed throughout it. The part provides the “first impression” to the reader regarding what the essay will discuss. While crafting this part, you need to make sure that you restate the question, include any definitions if required. You also need to provide background information that is relevant to your topic; you can do it by discussing the background of the key concepts. In addition, you need to include the thesis statement that will reflect your essay question or topic. Lastly, you will be concluding your introduction part by hinting at the ideas and themes that will be covered in your essay.

4. Organising your Main Body

The main body of your essay contains the majority of the content of your essay. It is the section where you are supposed to address and answer the essay question. You can break down this part into either several paragraphs or headings. Each heading or paragraph would contain a separate topic sentence. It can be included at the beginning, middle, or end of the paragraph. The purpose of a topic sentence is to provide an idea or clue of what will be discussed in the paragraph or the heading. Furthermore, it is also important to conclude each paragraph with a summarising sentence to show the winding up of an idea. Moreover, it is also necessary, especially if you are using paragraphs rather than headings in the essay, to use transitional words and phrases to show the transition from one idea or paragraph to another. If you are looking for a cheap research paper writing service, make sure to go for a trusted service provider. These experts also specialise in crafting essays and can structure their body sections properly.

5. Adding Supporting Details in the Essay

Another main thing to look for is the supporting details that include relevant examples, theoretical references, relevant case studies, and any major statistical information that can strengthen your essay’s argument. To support or counter each argument, you need to corroborate with relevant examples. Some of the things that you need to consider while adding supporting details in your essay are avoiding any repetition of ideas. It is also recommended to add a mix of details, including related and relevant examples as well as facts and figures. Furthermore, you also need to reference the supporting details in a proper way by using the recommended referencing method. 

6. Crafting the Conclusion

The last thing to look for is the conclusion part of your essay. In this part, you will be restating your thesis statement or your essay topic or question, and then detailing in a summarised way how it was addressed in the essay. You will be summarising the themes, arguments, explanations, and comparisons discussed in the essay. In this section, you can also add the importance and relevance of your supporting argument. Furthermore, you can propose suggestions and recommendations relevant to your essay. You can also consult various websites and ask them to write my paper for me. They will provide a comprehensive guide and detail the methods regarding structuring your conclusion part of the essay.

FAQs

1. Why is the main body important in the essay?

The main body is important as it answers the question stated in the introduction part, delineating the arguments, drawing comparisons, addressing the problem statement, and discussing the thesis statement of the essay.

2. What is the ideal length of an essay in the UK?

An ideal length of an essay at the university level in the UK is minimum 2500 and 3000.

3. Is referencing supporting details necessary in an essay?

Referencing supporting details, including case studies, any reference to the theories, facts, figures, or any relevant example is necessary. Referencing and citing the source ensures that you are crediting the original author or researcher for their contribution in the academic and research field.

4. What is a thesis statement in an essay?

A thesis statement is the main idea in the essay that is addressed, discussed, and answered throughout the essay. It usually appears in the introduction of the essay and can be restated in the body as well as the conclusion.

Final Thoughts

The process of crafting and structuring an essay, especially at the higher educational level in the UK, is not quite straightforward. You are required to answer rather complex questions or essay topics. The process usually begins by breaking down into manageable and comprehensive parts, understanding it, and dealing with each part separately. You can further move on to finding the relevant content for your essay. It includes looking for theoretical concepts and frameworks, relevant supporting examples that can work as the explanation of the discussed ideas, definitions of the key concepts, relevant statistical data, and case studies. To structure your main body, break it down into paragraphs or headings wherein each paragraph discusses a separate theme. In the conclusion, summarise your discussed themes and ideas, and include any call to action statement or suggestions if pertinent and possible.