Essay structure
Content
01 General principles
02 Horizontal pattern
03 Vertical pattern /
Task 1
04 SPSE /
Task 2 /
Task 3
- 01 General principles
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During the preparation stages of essay writing, it is always a good idea to create an essay outline. This will provide your writing with a structure which will give you a sense of direction and focus.
In every type of assignment, the most basic essay structure will consist of:
Introduction Main Body Conclusion
In essays written in English, the writer usually starts with general points and then moves on to specific examples.
Another organising principle in essay writing is to order events chronologically - ie according to the time sequence in which they happen.
[Back to top] - 02 Horizontal pattern
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Two very useful patterns for structuring ideas in essay writing are known as horizontal and vertical. These patterns are particularly useful when making a comparison between two subjects; or dealing with one subject from two different approaches, for example where you are asked to consider the advantages and disadvantages of something, or else the causes and effects of something.
Horizontal Pattern
This follows the general shape below (A and B are the two subjects being compared or else the two approaches taken of the same subject):
An example of this pattern in writing is the following simple comparison between 2 countries, Austria (A) and Bangladesh (B):
(A) Austria is located in southern Central Europe (B) while Bangladesh is situated in south Asia. (A) Austria is a landlocked country bordered by the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Liechtenstein, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Switzerland. (B) In contrast, Bangladesh is mostly enclosed by Indian territory, except for a short south-eastern frontier with Burma and it borders the Bay of Bengal in the south. (A) Whereas Austria has a temperate climate with cold winters and cool summers, (B) Bangladesh has a subtropical and tropical climate. The country also suffers regularly from flooding caused by monsoon rains and melting snows from the Himalayas.
(Information retrieved 14 June 2006 online at: http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029394365&a=KCountryProfile&aid=1018965297515 )
[Back to top] - 03 Vertical pattern
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A vertical pattern, on the other hand, could be represented like this:
This time, if we use the same text, the vertical structure would be as follows:
(A)
Austria is located in southern Central Europe and is a landlocked country bordered by the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Liechtenstein, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Switzerland. Austria has a temperate climate with cold winters and cool summers.(B)
In contrast, Bangladesh is situated in south Asia. It is mostly enclosed by Indian territory, except for a short south-eastern frontier with Burma and it borders the Bay of Bengal in the south. Unlike Austria, Bangladesh has a subtropical and tropical climate. The country also suffers regularly from flooding caused by monsoon rains and melting snows from the Himalayas.
[Back to top] - 04 SPSE
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Another common pattern which is used in essay structure relates to the kind of question where you are asked to identify a problem which has been caused by a specific situation and then to suggest solutions. The acronym SPSE stands for Situation - Problem - Solution - Evaluation.
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