An essay is an argument with evidence, arranged so a reader can follow it. Everything else — the five-paragraph shape, the hook, the restated thesis — is scaffolding you are now allowed to take down.
What it needs
- A thesis that could be argued with, per Theme and Thesis.
- Body paragraphs that each prove one part of it, in an order you chose and can defend.
- Evidence quoted and analysed, not listed.
- The strongest counter-reading, addressed. At Grade 10 this is what separates a level 3 from a level 4.
- A conclusion that goes somewhere — the consequence of having been right, not a summary of the middle.
Structuring the body
Three orders, each defensible:
| Order | Use when |
|---|---|
| Weakest to strongest | You want to build; the last point lands hardest |
| Chronological through the text | The argument is about development or change |
| By technique | The thesis is about how the writer works rather than what happens |
Say which you chose in your outline. An essay whose order is accidental reads as accidental.
The introduction, honestly
Two jobs: make the reader want to continue, and tell them what you are arguing. It does not need a quotation about the human condition. A concrete observation about the text is a better opening than any general truth.
Nobody in Romeo and Juliet is left alone for long. The play’s few soliloquies belong almost entirely to its two teenagers — and the adults, who never get one, are the reason the tragedy happens.
Before you hand it in
- Read it aloud, whole. The ear finds what the eye skips.
- Check every quotation against the text, character by character.
- Check every citation format against Citing Sources.
- Cover the body and reread the thesis: does the essay you wrote prove the claim you made?
Curriculum connection
C1.1
identify the topic, purpose, and audience for a variety of writing tasks (e.g., an academic essay examining a theme in one of Shakespeare’s plays for the teacher; a speech about an Aboriginal leader or role model for peers; a rite-of-passage narrative relating the experience of a fictional character for peers and adults; a narrative about a significant personal moment in their own Grade 9 experience for new Grade 9 students; an article on a local issue for a community newspaper)
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C1.2
generate, expand, explore, and focus ideas for potential writing tasks, using a variety of strategies and print, electronic, and other resources, as appropriate (e.g., free write or consult a writing journal to evolve or focus a topic for a narrative; identify and rank focus questions for further investigation; brainstorm in a small group to create a list of potential topics and questions for enquiry; conduct an electronic search for information on an author for a class project; summarize and paraphrase information and ideas in point-form notes; use formal debate strategies to explore ideas prior to research)
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C2.1
write for different purposes and audiences using a variety of literary, graphic, and informational forms (e.g., a speech to persuade their peers to take action on an issue; a myth or updated fairy tale for young children; a review of a music CD or a song to be shared with the class; the cover for a “talking books” CD for a senior; a biography about a family member)
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C2.5
explain how their own beliefs, values, and experiences are revealed in their writing (e.g., compare their writing on a topic with a piece written from a different viewpoint and identify and explain the differences; write in-role to support an opinion with which they personally disagree and use feedback from a partner to assess whether they have represented the position fairly)
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C3.6
use a variety of presentation features, including print and script, fonts, graphics, and layout, to improve the clarity and coherence of their work and to heighten its appeal for their audience (e.g., format written work to meet the requirements of a particular publication; use an engaging design and layout for an anthology of their poetry; choose appropriate fonts and design an eye-catching layout for the front and back covers of a teen magazine)
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