Structure How to structure your essay

The general structure of an academic essay is similar to any other academic work, such as a presentation or a lecture. It too has an introduction, a main body, and a conclusion.


The general structure of an academic essay is shown in the diagram below. Each area is discussed in more detail in other sections of the website. Click on a link for more information.



Paragraph 1

Topic sentence
Supporting idea
Supporting idea
Supporting idea
...
(Concluding sentence)
Paragraph 2

Topic sentence
Supporting idea
Supporting idea
Supporting idea
...
(Concluding sentence)
Paragraph 3

Topic sentence
Supporting idea
Supporting idea
Supporting idea
...
(Concluding sentence)

Main body

   

Conclusion

   


GET FREE EBOOK

Like the website? Try the books. Enter your email to receive a free sample from Academic Writing Genres.


triangle



Next section

Find out how to structure an essay introduction in the next section.



Previous section

Go back to the previous section about essay types.






logo



Sheldon Smith

Author: Sheldon Smith    ‖    Last modified: 26 January 2022.

Sheldon Smith is the founder and editor of EAPFoundation.com. He has been teaching English for Academic Purposes since 2004. Find out more about him in the about section and connect with him on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.



Popular pages in the writing sectionMost viewed pages