How do I write a good introduction for an essay?
Short answer
A good introduction does three things in a few sentences: it opens with a relevant point about the topic, it shows you understand what the question is asking, and it ends with a clear thesis, the main argument your essay will prove. Keep it short and save your evidence for the body paragraphs.
Step by step
- Start with a sentence that links directly to the question, not a general statement about life or history.
- Define or narrow any key term in the question if it could be read in more than one way.
- State your thesis: your answer to the question in one clear sentence.
- Briefly signal the two or three points you will develop, in the order you will write them.
Worked example
Question: How does Shakespeare present ambition in Macbeth?
- Weak: Ambition is something everyone has.
- Stronger: Shakespeare presents ambition as a force that corrupts Macbeth once it is separated from loyalty and conscience.
- Signposting: He shows this through the witches' prophecy, Lady Macbeth's persuasion and Macbeth's growing isolation.
Common mistakes
- Repeating the question word for word without answering it.
- Writing a long plot summary in the introduction.
- Promising points in the introduction that never appear in the essay.
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