How to Structure a First-Class Essay

A strong essay is decided before the first paragraph is written. Markers can tell within a page whether a student has planned their argument or is discovering it as they go.

Start with your conclusion. If you know what you're arguing before you outline, every paragraph can be built to support it rather than wander toward it.

Keep one idea per paragraph, and open each with a sentence that states the point — not the evidence for it. Evidence comes second, analysis comes third.

Leave time to cut. First-class essays are rarely the longest ones; they're the ones where every sentence is doing a job.