Structure of essays Professor Rhona Smith Former visiting professor at Beijing University

Basic structure The assessment criteria and course outlines will explain what the examiner is looking for in you essay. All essays should have the following: 1.An introduction explaining what the essay is about 2.The text of the essay 3.A conclusion The conclusion must match the introduction – ie you must ensure you actually do write about what you say you are going to write about.

Introduction The introduction to your essay should clearly explain what your essay is about. There is no need to copy the entire text of the question into your essay introduction although is you had a choice of essays questions, you should clearly indicate which question you selected. The introduction should also explain how you will answer the question – ie overview the structure of your argument.

Text of essay The main part of your essay should address the question set by the teacher. This may include the following: – A report on the research undertaken; – A critical analysis of the topic; – Discussion and analysis of literature and/or jurisprudence The question will inform you what is required – if in doubt, ask the teacher

Conclusion Your conclusions should clearly answer the question or summarise your findings If a problem-style question, your conclusions should give sensible advice to the potential claimants Your conclusions should follow from the text of your essay Your conclusions should also ‘match’ the introduction – Ie you should have done what you said you were going to do

References You must provide full references for all the work you used, cited, referred to or took ideas from in your essay. Full information on this is provided in the section of this course on referencing. China is a culture which always demonstrates great respect for elders and scholars thus you must acknowledge the range of materials which helped you prepare your essay – this will also help you gain more marks as it shows your research skills.

Overview As a general guide, your essay should do the following: 1.Introduction explaining what you will write (how you will approach the topic) 2.Text of essays doing what you said you were going to do 3.Conclusion reiterating the main findings and showing you did (in the main text) what you said you were going to do in your introduction