What is the best way to structure an essay?

An introduction is vital to put your essay into context, showing the examiner that you know the historical context around your essay. Here, you must also identify your 3 or 4 factors that will contribute to your overall argument. Your overall argument should be stated clearly to capture the interest of the examiner so that they can clearly follow your essay. The main body of the essay is equally as important. You must start each paragraph with an argumentative sentence that captures the essence of the paragraph, using knowledge to back up this argument. You must then analyse and evaluate this and link back to the stated question, before linking this paragraph onto the next paragraph to ensure that your essay has a good flow. The conclusion is also essential and must be done well (make sure you leave enough time to do it properly!). Here, you must reiterate your overall argument, state how your points interact with one another to give force to your argument, and (very importantly) evaluate your argument - saying why your argument is best in spite of its inevitable limitations.