Let’s say you have been asked to reach an unknown destination but without any directions. Wouldn’t you feel lost & annoyed while you are on the way to an unknown location without the slightest idea of the journey is going to be worth your time? It’s the same feeling your professors get when they read your essays that don’t have a structure. No matter how clichéd it sounds, your essay structure is as important as the real content in it. You may not realize it, but the structure of your essay determines your credibility as a writer. So, let’s check out the three major reasons why your essay structure is as important as the titles and other aspects.
Why Is Your Essay Structure Important?
Essay writing involves the fashioning of a coherent set of ideas into an argument. Essays are usually linear. That means it offers one idea at a time. No matter how many ideas you include, your essay should make sense to the readers. And that is where the role of a solid structure comes into play. So, let’s check out the three reasons why it is important to follow a proper structure while writing an essay.
1. Answers your reader’s questions
An essay may consist of several kinds of information, which are often located in specialized sections or parts. For example, introductions and conclusions have fixed places. However, other sections don’t. Let’s take counterarguments as an instance. You can put it within a paragraph or even use it as part of your essay’s opening paragraph. Now all these sections tend to answer the questions that might arise in your readers’ minds. All in all, the basic structure of an essay helps you answer all the questions that you think your reader might ask while going through your essay.
The questions are:
1. What?
Let’s say your essay is about the contribution of patriarchy to gender inequality. You have mentioned the same in your thesis statement in the essay’s introduction. The first question that arises in your reader’s mind is: what evidence shows that this thesis statement is true? So, you need to answer that question right after the introduction. Write everything that you have observed and provide relevant examples to prove your point.
2. How?
Now that your readers know what your claims are, the second question comes up in their minds. For example: how does the thesis statement stand up to the challenges of a counterargument? Now is when you need to introduce another set of sources to respond to your claims’ possible counterarguments. It is imperative to include at least one counterargument in your essay.
3. Why?
‘Why do you think your interpretation matters to you anyone apart from you?‘- This is the third question that your readers are most likely to ask while reading your essay. So, this is where you have to explain the larger implications of your topic and arguments. You may gesture at this question in the introduction. But, the real answer belongs at the end of your essay.
When you follow a proper structure while writing your essays, you tend to answer all the most likely questions in your reader’s mind. It helps them understand your arguments better. You can include as many details as possible in the right sections of your essay.
2. Improves the readability
A readable essay is way more than just a pile of straightforward vocabulary. From all the sentences and paragraphs to words and phrases, every aspect of your essay contributes to the readability. Most importantly, the structure of your write-up is highly responsible for the easy navigation and readability of your essay. Using an appropriate structure makes it easier for your professors or supervisors to look at your essay and read it hassle-free. It makes your writing visually appealing, such that it is both comprehensible and memorable at the same time.
Importance of a higher readability score in your essays:
1. Saves time for your supervisors
A readable essay means your supervisors don’t have to invest too much of their precious time to read your essay. Remember, your supervisors are busy people. They may not have time for your essay if it isn’t readable. And following a standard university essay structure can help you achieve readability in your essays quite easily.
2. Gets your message across efficiently
No matter your topic, getting your message across is the most important purpose of your essay. People’s attention and time spans are short. And a standard readability score in your writing can determine that you have conveyed your message appropriately throughout the essay.
3. Makes it appealing for your readers
A well-structured essay is always quite appealing to read rather than a poorly-structured one. It makes your writing audience-centric. For example, let’s say your topic is related to the scientific field. So, it should be appealing to anyone interested in or is a part of your scientific community.
As you can see, readability and the structure of your essay go hand in hand. A well-structured essay is automatically a readable one. You don’t have to work extra hard to get the readability of your essay right before handing it over to your professors. It all depends on how well you organize the structure of your essay.
3. Smoothens the transition from one idea to another
An essay can have any number of ideas depending on your research material and the topic. It is always suggested to use one idea per paragraph throughout the essay. However, maintaining a standard structure can help you include all your ideas logically for your readers. You can pen down your organized thoughts as you write the essay without any hassle. It makes it easier for your readers to move from one idea to the next within the same essay. The best thing about a well-structured essay is that it provides a clear transition of ideas.
Three reasons why smooth transitions are important:
1. Signals relationships between ideas
You may have included multiple ideas in your essay. But, what’s the point if it makes no sense to your readers? Using smooth transition words and phrases can help you convey the relationship between your ideas to your readers.
2. Piece together all your ideas
All your ideas are connected, irrespective of your topic. And you must string together all the ideas and make your writing sound even better. Transitions, along with a valid structure, can help you connect all your ideas.
3. Provides your readers with directions
Structuring your essay means you are providing your readers with a specific direction related to your essay. You are guiding him/her through the sections and paragraphs of your essay.
Transitions aren’t just petty verbal embellishments for your write-up. They are words with specific meanings that help the reader think and react in a particular way you want them to. Follow a specific structure according to your university guidelines and transitioning won’t be a problem anymore.
Wrapping Up
An essay’s purpose is to present a logical and reasoned argument in response to a specific topic or question. And an effective structure can help you achieve that. It is only because of a proper structure that your essay will sound focused and progressive and not just a jumble of ideas. It’s high time that you stop taking the structure of your essay for granted and implement the right structure set by your university.
Author – Samantha Williams is a content writer at a reputed firm in the United Kingdom. She also provides assignment help at myassignmenthelp.com. Samantha loves to spend time with her daughters whenever she is free.