Essay Structure: Parts, Tips and Examples

Academic Writing

9 min read

Essay Structure: Parts, Tips and Examples

StudyPro breaks down the three essential parts of essay structure and provides tips on how to keep your paper well-organized and easy to understand.

Written by

Adam J.

Published on

Oct 22, 2024

Table of contents

3 Basic Parts of an Essay to Know
Your Guide to Essay Structure
How to Ace Essay Structure: 5 Expert Tips
In Closing

Table of contents

3 Basic Parts of an Essay to Know
Your Guide to Essay Structure
How to Ace Essay Structure: 5 Expert Tips
In Closing

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Organizing your thoughts and ideas is no cakewalk: depending on your essay’s topic, you may have a lot to say. How do you choose where to mention what? How do you make sure your essay is easy to read and comprehend?

The way you structure your writing can make or break the impression you leave on your reader. Fail to organize your ideas, and your reader may misunderstand your key point or struggle to follow your conclusions.

This is where following the three-part structure of an essay comes into play. A standard in academic writing, it makes your essay organized and predictable. Here’s how to organize each of these three parts of an essay.

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3 Basic Parts of an Essay to Know

So, what are the parts of an essay? Well, any academic essay consists of three main components: introduction, main body, and conclusion.

Here’s how StudyPro describes each of them:

Introduction: It can be catchy or straight-to-the-point, but its primary role is to introduce the essay’s topic and thesis.
Main body: Its paragraphs describe the main ideas related to your thesis statement, including arguments and evidence.
Conclusion: This is where you sum up your thesis statement and arguments in its support.

Part	Content
Introduction	Hooks the reader’s attention Defines the topic Provides background information if necessary Contains the thesis statement
Main body	Provides core arguments in support of the thesis Backs them up with evidence (if applicable) Consists of multiple paragraphs, with one main idea per paragraph
Conclusion	Sums up your thesis and arguments Answers the “so what?” question (optional)

Your Guide to Essay Structure

Let’s be upfront about one thing: the exact structure and content you should follow will depend heavily on the type of essay you’re writing.

For example, narrative essays involve using storytelling techniques. In this case, you can go without evidence in the entire essay. On the other hand, writing an argumentative essay will require you to focus heavily on evidence.

That said, all essays follow the same general structure, in one form or another. Here it is.

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Essay Introduction

This is the first paragraph of your essay that defines its topic and thesis. The thesis is the main point of your essay that you’ll be focusing on. Depending on the essay type, you may also be expected to open it with a hook – a powerful first sentence that grabs the reader’s attention.

N.B. In longer assignments, the introduction for an essay can consist of more than one paragraph and include background information and context on the topic. You may also need to give a preview of the main points you’ll discuss in the main body.

Need essay introduction examples? Here’s one for you:

"Emotion and design are intrinsically linked: building architecture and interior environments can enhance or worsen our mental performance and mood. That’s why neuroscience should become a foundational principle in architecture design."

You can find more examples in our blog post on introduction paragraph examples.

Thesis Statement

Think of the thesis statement as the central idea of your essay. In other words, what is the one main point you’re trying to get across in your essay?

N.B. Keep your thesis concise and clear to avoid confusing the reader.

Here’s a thesis statement example on the impact of tariffs:

"Tariffs negatively impact the economies of the states imposing them, as they increase prices of both imported and domestically produced products."

While you’re at it, remember to avoid pesky typos or spelling mistakes in your essay. Check out our guide on commonly misspelled words to learn more!

Body Paragraphs

Depending on your assignment, your main body may include three, five, or ten paragraphs. Their content can also vary significantly. That said, regardless of the essay type or subject, every main body paragraph should:

Focus on a single idea or point
Start with a topic sentence that signals clearly what the paragraph is about
Connect to the thesis and develop your argument or topic

Here’s an example of a basic essay structure for the main body:

Thesis: Deep-sea mining shouldn’t be allowed as it harms the environment.

Paragraph 1

Topic sentence: Deep-sea mining causes sediment plumes.
Describe what sediment plumes are and how they impact the deep-sea ecosystem.

Paragraph 2
Topic sentence: It disturbs the habitat of benthic organisms.
Provide evidence on the time required for the seabed and macrofauna to recover.

Paragraph 3

Topic sentence: Deep-sea mining causes noise and light pollution.
Explain the implications of noise and light pollution for deep-sea ecosystems.

Conclusion

The final paragraph of your essay ties up all of your main points and reiterates your thesis. Be warned: you shouldn’t add new ideas, arguments, or evidence to the conclusion.

Some types of essays, however, may require highlighting the importance or implications of your argument or suggesting further research.

Here’s an example of a conclusion paragraph for an essay on the importance of the rule of law:

As one of the underlying foundational principles of the social contract, the rule of law fosters trust in the institutions and promotes peaceful coexistence between different cohorts of society. That’s why it is crucial for the functioning and integrity of our society.

References

Unless your assignment involves creative or deeply personal writing, your essay has to rely on evidence or relevant sources to hold up. So, your basic essay structure will include a References list at the end, after the conclusion. The specific rules for references and citations depend on the style you’re required to use (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago).

Here’s an example of an APA reference list:

References

_Beckman, R., Nguyen, T., & Ong, J. (2025). Possible Actions by Coastal States to Protect Their Marine Environment from Oil Tankers in the Dark Fleet. The International Journal of Marine and Coastal Law, 40(1), 3-30.

Singh, P. A. (2022). The Invocation of the ‘Two-Year Rule’ at the International Seabed Authority: Legal Consequences and Implications. The International Journal of Marine and Coastal Law, 37(3), 375-412._

How to Ace Essay Structure: 5 Expert Tips

Still get your assignments downgraded? Here are our experts’ five tips to help you organize your points and ideas:

Don’t neglect outlining. An outline will ensure you don’t forget to include any elements in the text and help you keep the flow of information logical and clear.
Move from simple to complex. Introduce simpler arguments or claims at the beginning and then present more complex ones.
Use templates when in doubt. Speed up your outlining with a template for the chronological, compare-and-contrast, or problem-methods-solution essay structure.
Check your assignment. Follow your instructor’s guidelines for the structure above all else.
Edit for clarity and smooth flow. Re-read the draft in full to identify gaps in logic, unexplained claims, or paragraphs that need to be broken down.

Want to develop your writing skills even further? Check out our guide on how to write quality blog posts for more tips!

In Closing

No matter what kind of paper you’re tasked with writing, it’ll always consist of an introduction, a main body, and a conclusion. That said, a university argumentative essay won’t follow the exact same structure as an admissions one. So, be mindful of the specifics of your assignment before drafting the outline.

Need a hand with creating an overview of the available background information or developing your analysis of relevant sources? Our AI-powered essay rewriter can make ease your work of structuring your essay. Take it for a test drive today!

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Frequently asked questions

An essay, like any paper, consists of three key parts:

Introduction: The topic and thesis statement; may also include a hook, background information, and context
Main body: The bulk of the paper that describes its main points in paragraphs, with each paragraph starting with a topic sentence and typically containing evidence
Conclusion: Summary of the essay’s arguments and reiteration of the thesis; may also include the essay’s implications, importance, or further research ideas

An essay can contain any number of paragraphs, depending on its type, difficulty, and expected length. That said, a typical essay consists of at least five paragraphs: one for the introduction, three for the main body, and one for the conclusion.

Follow your assignment’s guidelines or, when in doubt, check in with your instructor to know how many paragraphs your essay should include.

When you prepare for writing your paper, make sure to:

Create a detailed outline for it
Come up with a clear thesis to define in the introduction
Sort your arguments in the order of ascending difficulty
Allocate one main body paragraph to one idea or point
Include relevant evidence to support your claims
Check that all your main points tie directly to the thesis
Avoid introducing new evidence or claims in the conclusion

Sources:

Guides: Essays: structure. (n.d.). https://libguides.usc.edu.au/skills/essay
Introductions | Harvard College Writing Center. (n.d.). https://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/introductions
Kramer, L. (2022, June 2). Essay structure: The 3 main parts of an essay | Grammarly blog. Essay Structure: The 3 Main Parts of an Essay | Grammarly Blog. https://www.grammarly.com/blog/academic-writing/essay-structure/
Research Guides: Baker College Writing Guide: Key components of an essay. (n.d.). https://guides.baker.edu/c.php?g=304234&p=2028072
Utah Valley University. (n.d.). Basic essay and paragraph format. In Utah Valley University [Document]. https://www.uvu.edu/writingcenter/docs/basicessayformat.pdf