Organising whole essays
Choosing an overall structure suited to your purpose makes an essay easier to write and to follow.
Outlining
An outline maps the essay before drafting: thesis, main points, supporting evidence, and order. It can be formal (numbered levels) or informal (a list of points). Outlines save time by revealing gaps and weak points early, though they should change as you draft and discover.
Ordering points
Common orders include chronological (events in time), spatial (location), order of importance (often building to the strongest point), problem-solution, cause-effect, and general-to-specific. Choose the order that best serves your argument and audience.
Compare and contrast
Compare-and-contrast essays can use a block structure (everything about A, then everything about B) or a point-by-point structure (alternating A and B on each criterion). Point-by-point keeps comparisons sharp in longer essays; block structure suits short pieces. Either way, the thesis should say what the comparison reveals.
Problem-solution structure
A problem-solution essay describes a problem, shows why it matters, proposes a solution, explains how it would work, addresses objections and costs, and calls for action. It is common in proposals, policy writing, and op-eds.
Cause and effect
Cause-and-effect essays explain why something happened or what its consequences are. Distinguish between immediate and underlying causes, and between correlation and causation. Acknowledging multiple contributing causes is usually more accurate than claiming a single cause.
Placing counterarguments
Counterarguments can appear in a dedicated section before the conclusion, within each body paragraph as relevant objections arise, or near the beginning if the opposing view is widely held. The best placement depends on how strongly the audience holds the opposing view.
Proportion
Give space in proportion to importance. A common mistake is a long introduction and background section with thin analysis. Most of the essay should be devoted to developing and supporting your main points.
Worked example
An essay comparing electric and petrol cars on cost, emissions, and convenience could use point-by-point structure: one paragraph comparing purchase and running costs, one on lifetime emissions, one on charging versus refuelling convenience. The thesis might argue that electric cars are already cheaper and cleaner over their lifetime for drivers with home charging.
Key takeaways
Outlines map an essay and reveal gaps, but should evolve. Choose an order that serves your purpose: chronological, importance, problem-solution, cause-effect. Compare-and-contrast essays use block or point-by-point structures. Cause-effect essays should separate correlation from causation. Place counterarguments where they best serve your audience. Give most space to analysis.
Flashcard
Map of essay before drafting
Check your understanding
For a long essay comparing two novels on five criteria, which structure keeps comparisons sharpest?