How can I begin to structure my essay to an A level standard?

One of the most important 'step-ups' from GCSE History is how you structure your essays. Here we will focus on the introduction. An essay’s introduction is one of the most important parts of your work, even more so than the conclusion and perhaps more than the main body in one way – it comes first. This is where the reader and marker form their first impression and make an immediate judgement in their head, rightly or wrongly, as to the quality of the essay they are about to read. Remember, often it is much harder to gain marks after a bad start than it is easy to lose them after a good start.  To give the best impression, your introduction should directly address the question and express what your essays point and answer is succinctly. If it does not then either your ideas are too diffuse and not directly engaging with the question, or you do not understand them enough so as to explain them clearly within a few lines. Less is indeed sometimes more but make sure you clearly spell out what you are going to do and why; don’t leave your marker to assume. There is more to an introduction than this, but beginning to try this in your writing is a good start.