In this article, I outline the 11 key steps to writing a perfect paragraph. But, this isn’t your normal ‘how to write an essay’ article. Rather, I’ll try to give you some insight into exactly what teachers look out for when they’re grading essays and figuring out what grade to give them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can navigate each issue below, or scroll down to read them all:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1.<\/strong> Paragraphs must be at least four<\/a> sentences long Paragraph structure is one of the most important elements of getting essay writing right<\/a><\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As I cover in my Ultimate Guide to Writing an Essay Plan<\/a>, paragraphs are the heart and soul of your essay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, I find most of my students have either:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Paragraphs in essay writing are different from paragraphs in other written genres<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In fact, the paragraphs that you are reading now would not help your grades <\/em>in an essay. <\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s because I\u2019m writing in journalistic style, where paragraph conventions are vastly different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For those of you coming from journalism or creative writing, you might find you need to re-learn paragraph writing if you want to write well-structured essay paragraphs to get top grades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Below are eleven reasons your paragraphs are losing marks, and what to do about it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n In journalism and blog writing, a one-sentence paragraph is great. It\u2019s short, to-the-point, and helps guide your reader. For essay paragraph structure, one-sentence paragraphs suck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A one-sentence essay paragraph sends an instant signal to your teacher that you don\u2019t have much to say on an issue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A short paragraph signifies that you know something \u2013 but not much about it. A one-sentence paragraph lacks detail, depth and insight.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Many students come to me and ask, \u201cwhat does \u2018add depth\u2019 mean?\u201d It\u2019s one of the most common pieces of feedback you\u2019ll see written on the margins of your essay. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Personally, I think \u2018add depth\u2019 is bad feedback because it\u2019s a short and vague comment. But, here\u2019s what it means: You\u2019ve not explained your point enough!<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re writing one-, two- or three-sentence essay paragraphs, you\u2019re costing yourself marks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Always aim for at least four sentences per paragraph in your essays.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n This doesn\u2019t mean that you should add \u2018fluff\u2019 or \u2018padding\u2019 sentences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Make sure you don’t: <\/strong> a)<\/strong> repeat what you said in different words, or But, you need to do some research and find something insightful to add to that two-sentence paragraph if you want to ace your essay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Check out Points 5 and 6<\/a> for some advice on what to add to that short paragraph to add \u2018depth\u2019 to your paragraph and start moving to the top of the class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Related:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Okay, so I just told you to aim for at least four sentences\nper paragraph. So, what\u2019s the longest your paragraph should be?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Seven sentences. That\u2019s a maximum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, here’s the rule: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Between four and seven sentences is the sweet spot that you need to aim for in every single paragraph.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s why your paragraphs shouldn\u2019t be longer than seven sentences:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. It shows you can organize your thoughts.<\/em> <\/strong>You need to show your teacher that you\u2019ve broken up your key ideas into manageable segments of text (see point 10)<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. It makes your work easier to read. <\/em> <\/em><\/strong>You need your writing to be easily readable to make it easy for your teacher to give you good grades. Make your essay easy to read and you\u2019ll get higher marks every time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the most important ways you can make your work easier to read is by writing paragraphs that are less than six sentences long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. It prevents teacher frustration. <\/em><\/strong>Teachers are just like you. When they see a big block of text their eyes glaze over. They get frustrated, lost, their mind wanders \u2026 and you lose marks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To prevent teacher frustration, you need to ensure there\u2019s plenty of white space in your essay. It\u2019s about showing them that the piece is clearly structured into one key idea per ‘chunk’ of text.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Often, you might find that your writing contains tautologies<\/a> and other turns of phrase that can be shortened for clarity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Turn off \u2018Justified\u2019 text and: Never. Turn. It. On. Again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Justified text is where the words are stretched out to make the paragraph look like a square. It turns the writing into a block. Don\u2019t do it. You will lose marks, I promise you! Win the psychological game with your teacher: left-align your text.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A good essay paragraph is never ‘justified’.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m going to repeat this, because it\u2019s important: to prevent your essay from looking like a big block of muddy, hard-to-read text align your text to the left margin only.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n You want<\/em> white space on your page \u2013 and lots of it. White space helps your reader scan through your work. It also prevents it from looking like big blocks of text.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You want your reader reading vertically as much as possible: scanning, browsing, and quickly looking through for evidence you\u2019ve engaged with the big ideas.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n The justified text doesn\u2019t help you do that. Justified text makes your writing look like a big, lumpy block of text that your reader doesn\u2019t want to read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What’s wrong with Center-Aligned Text?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n While I\u2019m at it, never, ever, <\/em>center-align your text either. Center-aligned text is impossible to skim-read. Your teacher wants to be able to quickly scan down the left margin to get the headline information in your paragraph.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not many people center-align text, but it\u2019s worth repeating:\nnever, ever center-align your essays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t annoy your reader. Left align your text.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first sentence of an essay paragraph is called the topic sentence. This is one of the most important sentences in the correct essay paragraph structure style. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The topic sentence should convey exactly what key idea you\u2019re going to cover in your paragraph.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Too often, students don\u2019t let their reader know what the key idea of the paragraph is until several sentences in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You must show what the paragraph is about in the first sentence.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n You never, ever want to keep your reader in suspense. Essays are not like creative writing. Tell them straight away what the paragraph is about. In fact, if you can, do it in the first half of the first sentence<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ll remind you again: make it easy<\/em> to grade your work. Your teacher is reading through your work trying to determine what grade to give you. They\u2019re probably going to mark 20 assignments in one sitting. They have no interest in storytelling or creativity. They just want to know how much you know! State what the paragraph is about immediately and move on.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Suggested: Best Words to Start a Paragraph<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Ideal Essay Paragraph Structure Example:<\/strong> Writing a Topic Sentence<\/strong> When editing your work, read each paragraph and try to distil what the one key idea is in your paragraph. Ensure that this key idea is mentioned in the first sentence<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Note: if there\u2019s more than one key idea in the paragraph, you may have a problem. See Point 9 below<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n The topic sentence is the most important sentence for getting your essay paragraph structure right. So, get your topic sentences right and you’re on the right track to a good essay paragraph.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n All topic sentences need a follow-up explanation. The very first point on this page was that too often students write paragraphs that are too short. To add what is called \u2018depth\u2019 to a paragraph, you can come up with two types of follow-up sentences: explanations and examples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s take explanation sentences first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Explanation sentences give additional detail. They often provide one of the following services:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s go back to our example of a paragraph on Climate\nchange endangering polar bears. If your topic sentence is \u201cClimate change is\nendangering polar bears.\u201d, then your follow-up explanation sentence is likely\nto explain how, why, where, or when. You could say:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ideal Essay Paragraph Structure Example: Writing Explanation Sentences<\/strong> You don\u2019t have to provide all four of these options each time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But, if you\u2019re struggling to think of what to add to your paragraph to add depth, consider one of these four options for a good quality explanation sentence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n >>>RELATED ARTICLE: SHOULD YOU USE RHETORICAL QUESTIONS IN ESSAYS<\/a><\/strong>?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Examples matter! They add detail. They also help to show\nthat you genuinely understand the issue. They show that you don\u2019t just\nunderstand a concept in the abstract; you also understand how things work in\nreal life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Example sentences have the added benefit of personalising an issue. For example, after saying \u201cPolar bears\u2019 habitats are shrinking\u201d, you could note specific habitats, facts and figures, or even a specific story about a bear who was impacted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ideal Essay Paragraph Structure Example:<\/strong> Writing an ‘Example’ Sentence<\/strong> In fact, one of the most effective politicians of our times \u2013 Barrack Obama \u2013 was an expert at this technique. He would often provide examples of people who got sick because they didn\u2019t have healthcare to sell Obamacare. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What effect did this have? It showed the real-world impact of his ideas. It humanised him, and got him elected president \u2013 twice!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Be like Obama. Provide examples. Often.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Provide a reference to an academic source in every single body paragraph in the essay. The only two paragraphs where you don\u2019t need a reference is the introduction <\/a>and conclusion<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let me repeat: Paragraphs need at least one reference to a quality scholarly source<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Let me go even further:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Students who get the best marks provide two references to two different academic sources in every paragraph.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Two references in a paragraph show you\u2019ve read widely, cross-checked your sources, and given the paragraph real thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s really important that these references link to academic sources, not random websites, blogs or YouTube videos. Check out our Seven Best types of Sources to Cite in Essays<\/font><\/a> post to get advice on what sources to cite. Number 6 Ideal Essay Paragraph Structure Example: <\/strong> In-Text Referencing in Paragraphs<\/strong> Where do you place those two references?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Place the first reference at the end of the first half of the paragraph. Place the second reference at the end of the second half of the paragraph.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n This spreads the references out and makes it look like all the points throughout the paragraph are backed up by your sources. The goal is to make it look like you\u2019ve reference regularly when your teacher scans through your work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember, teachers can look out for signposts that indicate you\u2019ve followed academic conventions and mentioned the right key ideas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Spreading your referencing through the paragraph helps to make it look like you\u2019ve followed the academic convention of referencing sources regularly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some examples of how to reference<\/a> twice in a paragraph:<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ve just read one of the key secrets to winning top marks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Every paragraph must win you marks. When you\u2019re editing your work, check through the piece to see if every paragraph is relevant to the marking criteria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For the British: <\/strong>In the British university system (I\u2019m including Australia and New Zealand here \u2013 I\u2019ve taught at universities in all three countries), you\u2019ll usually have a \u2018marking criteria\u2019. It\u2019s usually a list of between two and six key learning outcomes your teacher needs to use to come up with your score. Sometimes it\u2019s called a:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Check your assignment guidance to see if this is present. If so, use this list of learning outcomes to guide what you write. If your paragraphs are irrelevant to these key points, delete the paragraph<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Paragraphs that don\u2019t link to the marking criteria are pointless. They won\u2019t win you marks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For the Americans: <\/strong>If you don\u2019t have a marking criteria \/ rubric \/ outcomes list, you\u2019ll need to stick closely to the essay question or topic. This goes out to those of you in the North American system. North America (including USA and Canada here) is often less structured and the professor might just give you a topic to base your essay on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If all you\u2019ve got is the essay question \/ topic, <\/strong>go through each paragraph and make sure each paragraph is relevant to the topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, if your essay question \/ topic is on \u201cThe Effects of Climate Change on Polar Bears\u201d,<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n You may think \u2018stay relevant\u2019 is obvious advice, but at least 20% of all essays I mark go off on tangents and waste words. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Stay on topic in Every. Single. Paragraph. If you want to learn more about how to stay on topic, check out our essay planning guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One key idea for each paragraph. One key idea for each\nparagraph. One key idea for each paragraph.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t forget!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Too often, a student starts a paragraph talking about one thing and ends it talking about something totally <\/em>different. Don\u2019t be that student.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n To ensure you\u2019re focussing on one key idea in your paragraph, make sure you know what that key idea is. It should be mentioned in your topic sentence <\/em>(see Point 3<\/font><\/a>). Every other sentence in the paragraph adds depth to that one key idea. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019ve got sentences in your paragraph that are not\nrelevant to the key idea in the paragraph, they don\u2019t fit. They belong in another\nparagraph.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Go through all your paragraphs when editing your work<\/a> and check to see if you\u2019ve veered away from your paragraph\u2019s key idea. If so, you might have two or even three key ideas in the one paragraph. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019re going to have to get those additional key ideas, rip them out, and give them paragraphs of their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you have more than one key idea in a paragraph you will lose marks. I promise you that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The paragraphs will be too hard to read, your reader will get bogged down reading rather than scanning, and you\u2019ll have lost grades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If a sentence is too long it gets confusing. When the sentence is confusing, your reader will stop reading your work. They will stop reading the paragraph and move to the next one. They\u2019ll have given up on your paragraph.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Short, snappy sentences are best.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Shorter sentences are easier to read and they make more sense. Too often, students think they have to use big, long, academic words to get the best marks. Wrong. Aim for clarity in every sentence in the paragraph. Your teacher will thank you for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The students who get the best marks write clear, short\nsentences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When editing your draft, go through your essay and see if\nyou can shorten your longest five sentences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. But, at most seven sentences long<\/a>
3.<\/strong> Your paragraph must be Left-Aligned <\/a>
4.<\/strong> You need a topic sentence <\/a>
5 .<\/strong> Next, you need an explanation sentence<\/a>
6.<\/strong> You need to include an example<\/a>
7.<\/strong> You need to include citations<\/a>
8.<\/strong> All paragraphs need to be relevant to the marking criteria<\/a>
9.<\/strong> Only include one key idea per paragraph<\/a>
10.<\/strong> Keep sentences short<\/a>
11.<\/strong> Keep quotes short<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nEssay Paragraph Structure Rules<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Your Paragraphs must be at least 4 Sentences Long<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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b)<\/strong> write something just because you need another sentence in there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
2. Your Paragraphs must not be more than 7 Sentences Long<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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3. Your Paragraph must be Left-Aligned<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n4. Your paragraphs must have a Topic Sentence<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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If your paragraph is about how climate change is endangering polar bears, say it immediately<\/em>: \u201cClimate change is endangering polar bears.\u201d <\/strong>should be your first sentence in your paragraph. Take a look at first sentence of each of the four paragraphs above this one. You can see from the first sentence of each paragraph that the paragraphs discuss:<\/p>\n\n\n\n5. You need an Explanation Sentence<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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1. How:<\/strong> \u201cThe warming atmosphere is melting the polar ice caps.\u201d
2. Why:<\/strong> \u201cThe polar bears\u2019 habitats are shrinking every single year.\u201d
3. Where: <\/strong>\u201cThis is happening in the Antarctic ice caps near Greenland.\u201d
4. When:<\/strong> \u201cScientists first noticed the ice caps were shrinking in 1978.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n6. Your need to Include an Example<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
“For example, 770,000 square miles of Arctic Sea Ice has melted in the past four decades, leading Polar Bear populations to dwindle (National Geographic, 2018<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n7. All Paragraphs need Citations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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w ill surprise you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Usually, in-text referencing takes the format: (Author, YEAR), but check your school\u2019s referencing formatting requirements carefully. The \u2018Author\u2019 section is the author\u2019s last name only. Not their initials. Not their first name. Just their last name<\/em>. My name is Chris Drew. First name Chris, last name Drew. If you were going to reference an academic article I wrote in 2019, you would reference it like this: (Drew, 2019).<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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8. Every Paragraph must be relevant to the Marking Criteria<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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9. Only have one Key Idea per Paragraph<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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10. Keep Sentences Short<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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