Essay Introduction

We have looked at how to write the body of your essay, so let’s look at your introduction and conclusion.

Here is a formula that works. It is for an essay which asks you to address two texts. If you practise the formula, when you gain confidence you can loosen it up a bit.

Sentence 1: make a general statement about the theme or module or literary genre.+ Use the words from the rubric. Show that you understand these general principles of literature and the rubric.
Sentence 2: state your response to the question - agree, disagree, partially agree - with definitions and distinctions. This is like what you do in a debate. You can define your terms.
Sentence 3: make a statement about the first text, naming the text, author and year and how it fits in your argument
Sentence 4: make a statement about the second text, naming the text, author and year
Sentence 5: signpost how you have categorised your evidence to present it in the essay. Say what you are going to say in the essay. There should be one category per body paragraph. 

Sentence 6: a sentence that wraps up the introduction (if it feels natural to do so). 

Example, from the 2020 NESA Workbook (which publishes band 6 exam essays - I recommend you read as many of these as you can):

Competing textual representation of the same event develop as a result of different purpose and context of each composer, yet the later casts a shadow upon the original, instilling doubt within responders on the authentic truth from the first. Silvia Plath's 'Ariel' utilises an innovative confessional form to combat female oppression and radiate power in a tumultuous cold war context, whilst Hughes' epistolary 'Birthday Letters' casts a shadow of doubt upon Plath's work, remolding readers' interpretation as he foregrounds his personal truth. Through poems 'Daddy', 'Lady Lazarus', and 'A Birthday Present' Plath communicates th ensnaring patriarchal confinements of the 1960s as factors in her demise, whilst Hughes' fatalistic adaptation through "A Picture of Otto', The Shot', and The Bee God' and 'Red'  reveals personal and ideological dissonances. In conjunction, these texts compete for power of authority as readers must interpret the truth amongst clashing perspective, memory, time and emotions of each composer.     

You can see in this example how the points are covered in a flowing and natural complex sentences. 

+ For general statements about types of stories see this 5 min video on the purpose of stories. 

The five types mentioned are: survival (based on fear), love stories, mysteries, transformation, creation stories. 'We must know there can be meaning.' 

A marker should have a good idea of how the rest of the essay will proceed because your have signposted the organisational structure.

I will post later on how to organise your work for essays in the modules.