Essay introductions and conclusions that do their job

"In today's modern world, technology plays an important role in our lives." You have seen that sentence before, and so has everyone else. It could open an essay on any topic, which is exactly why it tells the reader nothing about this one. An introduction and a conclusion are short, so every sentence in them has to work.

What an introduction has to do

Two things, in about 40 words: tell the reader what the question is about, in your own words, and state your position. That is all. You do not need a quotation, a definition or a dramatic hook, and you do not need to announce the plan ("In this essay I will discuss...").

Pearson's scoring is automated, and memorised or off-topic responses can be penalised. A memorised opening is the easiest kind of template to spot, because it is the same every time and has nothing to do with the prompt. A flexible frame is different: it has gaps that only the prompt can fill. Three you can adapt:

• "Some people argue that [claim from the prompt], but I believe that [your position], mainly because [reason one] and [reason two]."
• "[The topic] is often discussed as if [one-sided view]. In my view, [your position]."
• "There are good reasons to [agree or disagree] with the idea that [prompt], and the strongest are [reason one] and [reason two]."

Treat these as scaffolding. If your finished sentence could be moved into another essay without changing a word, it is a template, so rewrite it.

Restate, do not repeat

Changing two words of the prompt is not restating. Change the structure too. Take this prompt: "Governments should spend more on public transport than on building new roads. To what extent do you agree?" A weak restatement is "Governments should spend more money on public transport than on building new roads." A better one is "Every transport budget forces a choice between buses and trains on one side and wider roads on the other."

Two worked examples

Here are two prompts invented for this post, each with an introduction and a conclusion. The first is the transport prompt above.

The second prompt is: Technology has made learning easier but concentration harder. To what extent do you agree?

Notice three things. Each introduction gives the topic and the position within two sentences. Each conclusion repeats the same position and reasons in different words, and adds nothing new. Neither pair could be dropped into a different essay.

Rough proportions

In a 250-word essay, aim for about 40 to 50 words in the introduction and 30 to 40 in the conclusion. That leaves roughly 160 to 180 words for the two body paragraphs. If your introduction passes 60 words, it is probably a first body paragraph in disguise. If your conclusion is one short sentence, you have probably not summed up the reasons.

A drill of about ten minutes

1. Pick a prompt and write an introduction in 3 minutes.
2. Cover it. Write the conclusion from your memory of the position and reasons, in different words.
3. Uncover both and compare. The position and the reasons should match, and the wording should not.
4. Repeat with a second prompt, and use a different frame from the first.

To see how these two paragraphs sit around the body of the essay, read a structure for 200 to 300 words. Then write a full essay under time in the practice tests here.