Chapter 4.2.1: Writing The Three Parts of a paragraph: Introduction, Body and Conclusion

The introduction: 

The first paragraph in your essay is called the introduction. A good introduction is important because it tells the reader what your essay is going to be about and it also provides the reader with their first impression of your writing.
A good introduction should  

• summarise the essay topic in your own words,  
• state your position or perspective on the topic and 
• briefly outline what the essay will discuss.

So let’s look at an example. We’ll start with the essay question. Let’s have a look at the topic, the task and the parts of the question. Remember, do these steps to ensure we cover all the parts of the question.

The topic: space exploration.
The task: Ask yourself the question.(ideas to address)
Instead of spending billions of dollars on space programs, governments should use this money to fight global problems such as poverty, disease, and climate change.

Here is an example introduction.

Take a look at the  yellow highlighted part. This is where the essay question has been summarised and the candidate has been sure to use their own words.

'However, it is now becoming clear that space exploration programs are a waste of money.' This is the candidate's position on this argument. Clearly, he or she agrees that 'space exploration is a luxury we cannot afford', as stated in the essay topic.  

Notice, though, that the writer also mentions the opposite opinion in the previous sentence. Thus, the introduction needs to explain what the essay will discuss and the candidate has listed those ideas here. 

Remember, the introduction gives the reader the first impression of your writing so make sure it’s a great one!

DOs  and DON'Ts

• Don’t copy the question word-for-word into your introduction
• Make sure you include one or two general statements introducing the topic  
• include a thesis statement which shows your opinion or position on the topic and the direction your essay will take

 THE ESSAY BODY:

Between the introduction and the conclusion of your IELTS Task 2 Academic Essay, will be the body. In academic writing you have to make an argument, that is give your opinion and support it with evidence and link your ideas and your paragraphs. That's why two of the four criteria for Task 2 Writing are task response and coherence and cohesion.

Task response requires two main things from you. Firstly, that you address all the parts of the question and secondly, that you present a clear, supported argument. This outlines what is expected of you in terms of what should be included in your essay for the IELTS Academic Writing Task 2. These items become particularly relevant when we talk about the body of your essay. As that is the largest part of your essay, you need to be sure that it covers everything in the task. The first thing your essay needs to do is address all the parts of the task. 

Here is our task: 'To what extent do we agree or disagree with the idea that space exploration is a luxury we cannot afford and instead governments should be spending money on global problems'. These are the parts of the question that we need to address supported by our reasons and examples. So what steps can you take in those first 5 minutes of your Task 2 time to set yourself up for addressing the question?

Once you have read the question you must remember to analyse the question. How many parts are there? And ask yourself, what is my opinion? Do you think that governments should be spending money on space exploration? Or would that money be better spent on fighting global problems such as poverty and disease? It’s an interesting question so it’s time to brainstorm some ideas. If you agree, why? If you disagree, what makes space exploration more important than fighting poverty? What are your reasons and do you have any examples to include? Once you’ve got some ideas down it’s time to make a brief plan.Following these steps will help you to ensure you address all parts of the question.

In the IELTS Task 2 Writing Test instructions, you are told to, 'Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.' So, the next requirement is that we present a clear position and support it with relevant reasons and examples. This is called, constructing an argument. In your IELTS essay, you can build an argument by following this pattern; make a general statement and be sure that it refers back to the points you outlined in your introduction. Then, give a reason and/or give an example. In an academic essay you have to back up your argument with factual evidence such as statistics.

Look at the following sentences. Which one is more convincing, A or B? 

• A. 'Too much fast food is bad for your health.' Or 
• B. 'Scientific studies show that too much fast food is bad for your health.' 

B is more convincing. An opinion that is held by many people or by scientists or by a respected person is more convincing than an opinion which is only held by one person, the writer. When giving opinions, reasons and examples try to include some general statements in your essay.

Some useful language for making general statements:

• It appears that many people prefer to drive themselves to work rather than catch public transport. 
• It seems that many people prefer to drive themselves to work.
• It has been claimed that advances in technology will lead to greater unemployment in the future.
• It is often said that this nation does not properly value its artists.
• On the whole, childhood obesity is not a serious problem in my country.

When giving examples, don't use abbreviations like: eg., etc. and avoid using expressions such as 'etcetera', 'and so on'.

It's important that each paragraph has just one central idea. So when you have finished that paragraph, with a general statement, a reason and/or an example, it is time to move on to the next paragraph with a new main idea. Make sure once again, that it’s an idea that you have outlined in your introduction and one that supports your overall argument.

Let’s take a look at an example. And here is the introduction. Let’s see whether the writer of this example agreed or disagreed with the statement in the task. The writer states that 'space exploration programs are a waste of money.' We can see that the writer’s position has been clearly stated and the writer agrees. The rest of the essay has been outlined and we should expect to see three body paragraphs focusing on poverty, disease and the environment.

That looks good. We can see that the body of the essay has three paragraphs and each paragraph covers one of the ideas outlined in the introduction and there is just one main idea per paragraph. So we know that the essay has a clear overall position and addresses the task.

Let’s have a look at each paragraph in a bit more detail. We want to see a general statement and that the ideas are supported with reasons and/or examples. We also want to see that the paragraphs have been linked to each other using cohesive devices. These work like the glue that sticks them together.

In the second body paragraph, we can see a link to the previous paragraph. Then, there is a general statement which is surrounded by examples. In this paragraph we can also see another sentence supporting the central idea of the essay that governments should not be spending money on space exploration.

Here is the third body paragraph and we know it is the last body paragraph as it starts with the linking phrase, 'Finally, …'. This is followed by the general statement and then the reason.

As you can see, each paragraph must have just one central idea introduced with a general statement and then supported by reasons and examples. And each one of these paragraphs in the body of your essay needs to support the overall position that you have taken. You must also ensure that you have addressed all of the parts of the question. If you keep all of these things in mind as you write the body of your essay you should be able to do a good job of responding to the task.

Cohesion and coherence requires three main things from you:

• use paragraphs and link them logically as we have seen in the examples above, 
• link the ideas within paragraphs and use a range of cohesive devices appropriately to do that. 
• Thirdly, you must present a clear, central topic in each paragraph.

Let’s look at our sample essay again and examine the use of cohesion and coherence within the paragraphs. One of the keys to cohesion and coherence is using a variety of referents, words that refer to the same thing that allow your paragraph to flow smoothly. '

In paragraph one, the central idea is that poverty is a bigger issue than space exploration and governments should help people living without food and shelter first. The whole paragraph refers to 'people who are living in poverty'. But each time the writer refers to them a different expression is used: 'These people', 'They' and '...this problem'. This demonstrates the writer’s ability to use a range of language to refer to the same thing thus linking the ideas and examples in the paragraph, and making the ideas cohesive. 

In paragraph two, the writer has done the same thing for referring to diseases, using words like epidemics and pandemic. In the third paragraph there are a variety of referents for the central ideas of the environment such as 'our own (world)' and the effects of climate change.

What other devices can you use in a paragraph to connect ideas and introduce opposite ideas? These words and expressions are known as linking devices. We saw some being used between paragraphs earlier, such as 'Another urgent problem that threatens us all' and, 'Finally'. But within a paragraph you can also use words like 'Although', 'While' and, 'Instead of' to introduce an idea that you want to examine both sides of. 

Like in the first sentence, 'Although we are living in prosperous times, with people in many countries enjoying a higher standard of living than ever before, there are still millions of people in the world who are living in poverty.' The writer admits that many people are not poor and have a high standard of living, but at the same time there are still many people living in poverty. And of course, there is also the language you can use to introduce examples and reasons, such as, 'other diseases' which is then followed by a list of those other diseases, such as 'AIDS' and 'malaria'.  Try to use words and expressions like these to link the ideas between your paragraphs and in your paragraphs. Remember that variety is the key. Bearing these things in mind will keep you on track with cohesion and coherence.

THE CONCLUSION:

The final paragraph in your essay is called the conclusion. The conclusion reinforces what you have said in your essay. Although it may give your final thoughts on the essay topic, you should not introduce any new information.

How do you write a good conclusion? 

• At the beginning of a concluding paragraph it is a good idea to use a concluding linker, such as, “In conclusion,...”, “To sum up, …” or, “In summary, …”, to show the reader that this is the end of the essay. 
• The conclusion will also summarise your main points and 
• restate your opinion. 

Now, in this example conclusion, it is clear to see that the candidate has used a concluding linker. In this case: “In conclusion, …”, so we know that this is the end of the essay and the final paragraph. Then, the writer restates his or her point of view. The candidate agrees that spending money on space exploration is “a luxury that we cannot afford”. And finally, the writer sums up the main points, reiterating what the government should be spending money on.

DOs and DON'Ts:

• give your final thoughts
• don’t introduce any new information
• make sure your final thoughts are the sameas those expressed in your essay.

Finally, save some time and check errors in your essay.