Writing Support Services, Student Success Centre

ucalgary.ca/ssc/writing-support

How to Structure an Essay

The Basics

An essay usually follows a standard format, which makes it easier for you to write and for your
reader to understand. At some point, youve probably encountered the burger or 5 paragraph
technique for writing papers. Below, a modified version of this technique that better suits university
academic writing is described.

Lets structure our paper around the following thesis statement: The censoring of movies shown on
television violates the producers right to freedom of artistic expression and the viewers right to
freedom of choice.

The purpose of an introduction is to explain to your

reader what you are going to prove. In the first
sentence, your main goal should be to engage Interest
readers. In this example, a sentence about vulgarity in
movies might seem appropriate. The middle of your
introduction should contextualize your topic for Context
readers; if we use the thesis statement from above,
we would want to detail censoring, the freedom of
artistic expression, and the viewers right to freedom
of choice. Finally, your last (or 2nd last) sentence Thesis
should be your thesis statement.
If you have written a strong thesis statement, you can
often structure your body paragraphs around it. Body Paragraph 1
Continuing with our example, we might focus body
paragraph 1 on the freedom of artistic expression, and
how it is violated through censoring. In the second Body Paragraph 2
body paragraph, we could discuss the viewers right to
freedom of choice. The third body paragraph,
depending on the length of the essay, might not be
necessary or you may need a fourth and fifth Body Paragraph 3
paragraph. The number of paragraphs is up to you.
On the other side of this sheet, we offer ways to help
you structure your paragraphs.
The first step in writing a conclusion is to restate your
thesis statement (in different words). This restatement
reminds your reader, and yourself, of your argument. Thesis
The rest of the conclusion, though, is not a
restatement of the introduction. The conclusion needs
to gather the arguments you have made in your body
paragraphs together for the reader and explain their Gather
significance. It should explain why all of the
information you have presented proves your thesis
statement. To end your conclusion, you may want to
mention how your topic relates to broader issues.
Relate

Revised June 2014

 2

Structuring Your Body Paragraphs:

Each body paragraph should be structured so that your argument is apparent to your reader. There
are two common ways to structure a body paragraph: The Shaffer formula and the MEAL plan.

The Shaffer Formula The MEAL plan

TS Topic Sentence Main Idea M

CD Concrete Detail Example E
CM Commentary Analysis A
CM Commentary Link to Thesis L
Concluding Sentence

We can use both of these formulas together to construct a body paragraph. Let's break them down:

Topic Sentence or Main Idea: The topic sentence of a paragraph needs to tell your reader what
your paragraph is about. It is the main idea of the paragraph, and sets out what you will prove in the
paragraph.

Concrete Detail or Example: In this sentence, you want to use an example from the text that
supports your idea. Usually an example is a quotation, but it can also be your own paraphrasing of
the material.

Commentary 1 or Analysis: Your first commentary should analyze your example, and explain why
it is important for your argument. If you cannot explain why your example is relevant or important,
then chances are your reader won't know why either.

Commentary 2 or Link to Thesis: Your second commentary should link back to your thesis
statement. Here you can explain to your reader how your example shows that your thesis statement
is true. If you wish, you can also leave your Link to Thesis as the concluding sentence, and use
your second CM for more analysis.

Repeat: You might also choose to use another example in the paragraph. If you do, use the same
CD, CM, CM or E, A, L structure.

Concluding sentence: This sentence should summarize for the reader why everything you have
just told them is important.

You can modify this formula to meet the needs of your essay, or discipline, as well. In the Sciences,
for example, it is usually better to include two CDs and only one sentence analyzing them. Play
around and see what works best for you!