How to Write a Discursive Essay: Introduction, Body and Conclusion

Whenever you are required to write a discursive essay, you desire to create a masterpiece that will wow your professor and earn you the best marks. And this desire is so strong that it pushes you to research profoundly and sometimes spend sleepless nights to churn out the best.

But despite your hard work, this might all be in vain if you do not know how to create stellar essays. This is because discursive pieces require you to research and be equipped with the knowledge and tips to help you develop the right content.

So, how do you write this piece’s introduction, body, and conclusion? Here are more details.

How to Write the Introduction of a Discursive Essay

The introduction of your discursive essay is an integral part. It sets the tone, gives the reader some background information, and helps you make an excellent first impression on your audience.

Further, this part should be relevant, informative, and interesting to your readers. It should also state what you will say in your essay and why it is crucial, although subtly.

Generally, an introduction should;

• Give your reader an overview of what they’re going to read
• Make them want to continue reading by making them curious about what you’re going to say next
• Show them how your paper fits into the bigger picture and what other researchers have said on the topic

To achieve all these, here are some things that you need to keep in mind

1. Use catchy phrases and anecdote

There are several different ways to start an essay, but one of the most effective techniques is to use catchy phrases. These phrases should be short but descriptive. You want to catch your reader’s attention with something interesting, but you also need to give them some information about what they will be reading.

After your research, find interesting facts about the topic and present them here, such as interesting facts. For example, if writing about texting driving and how it has become more dangerous over time, you might say that 90% of road accidents are attributed to texting driving.

Such a fact grabs a reader’s attention and would want to learn more about the topic. Further, the fact is interesting and an everyday occurrence that many readers identify with.

Further, you can use anecdotes or stories to start your essay. Has something that relates to your topic happened recently? If so, include it in your introduction. Anecdotes and stories are great ways to catch the reader’s attention immediately and get them interested in reading more about what happened. 

They also help break up the flow of words without interrupting it too much and give readers little breaks that allow them to digest all the information before moving on to something else.

2. Provide an overview

The introduction is likened to a door or window of your essay. It provides information about your piece and even reasons readers should read it. Ideally, it gives readers an overview of the paper and what they will learn at the end.

With this in mind, your introduction should contain a thesis statement, however, do not make your position known. This will help keep yourself and your reader on track throughout the writing process. Without it, it’s easy for things to go off course once you start writing about other topics related or unrelated to your original idea and sometimes even end up with no conclusion.

3. Make it short

A good introduction should be short yet detailed and compelling. It should give enough information for the reader to understand what they will read. It should also encourage them to keep reading by making them want more information about your chosen topic.

Further, it should have a clear purpose and goal and have a unique angle or perspective that sets it apart from other essays.

4. Should have background information

As seen, an introduction should be short, clear, and hooking. And just like a door, it should also be welcoming. One way to achieve all these is by having background information about the topic. 

Background information helps you to build up your essay in a clear way and take your readers along. In addition, including the background information allows you to show your readers how well-informed and intelligent you are and that you have done some research on the topic.

How to Write the Body of a Discursive Essay

The body of a discursive essay is the part where you can make your point. Typically, it is the section where you write about the topic. The section’s length depends on the required word count and the complexity of the matter. 

However, experts recommend writing as much as possible, but make sure your writing is not too repetitive or contains grammar or spelling errors.

This part’s sentences should contribute something valuable to the overall idea. It should not contain unnecessary information that has no connection whatsoever with your main idea or argument.

The following tips will help you write an effective body paragraph

1. Remain unbiased

Discursive essays are devoid of prejudice and personal opinions. Therefore, you must use a combination of facts and persuasive arguments.

The information should be accurate and up-to-date, not from secondary sources, as they may not be reliable enough.

Also, use examples from other sources, such as books and articles, to support your claims. This way, your argument will sound more convincing and make it easier for readers to believe you.

Similarly, you can include quotes that support your claim or prove your point. Quotes are an excellent way of showing what others think about specific issues and how they feel also show how knowledgeable you are about these issues. 

However, use quotes sparingly because too many can distract readers from what you are trying to say. Use only those which support your arguments clearly and directly.

2. Arrange your points logically, starting from the strongest argument

Your body entails the bulk of your essay. It is the part where readers learn more about your idea or the information the piece passes.

Also, arrange the paragraphs logically, starting with the most crucial topic and working through it to the least important. This is because essay writing is a process of building up from the foundation.

Additionally, starting with the strong points makes you sound convincing and helps you keep control of your essay throughout its length.

The trick here is to make sure you put forward one main point first and then support it by providing evidence from various sources, such as statistics and examples. You can also use ideas from other people’s work, but make sure they are relevant and do not contradict yourself.

3. Flesh your paragraph

Since the body is where you explain your argument, you need to make sure that you include a strong and relevant topic sentence. This sentence introduces your point and tells the reader what to expect in the paragraph. It should be no longer than two sentences long, and it should be a complete thought.

After this introductory sentence, you can begin listing all of your evidence for this point. You may have multiple pieces of evidence for each point you make, but each piece should be limited to one paragraph.

Generally, a paragraph should be well-organized with an introduction and a conclusion. The introduction should include a topic sentence, also called a thesis statement, and will tell you precisely what you will write about. 

It should also contain some background information or facts on your topic. The main body of your paragraph should include all of your evidence, examples, or details to support your thesis statement. 

The last part of the paragraph is a summary reminding the reader of what was discussed and providing a transition into the next section or paragraph if needed.

How to Write the Conclusion of a Discursive Essay

The essay’s conclusion is your last chance to make another impression on your reader; thus should be a good one. Generally, this part summarizes your main points, presents some arguments about the topic, and shows how you have reached these conclusions.

In other words, it’s your chance to drive home your argument clearly and concisely. In fact, it should not be an afterthought; instead, be at the forefront of your thinking throughout the writing process.

Also see: how long should a conclusion be?

These are some of the tips on how to write a powerful conclusion

1. Restate your thesis

Restating your thesis is essential in writing an essay’s conclusion paragraph. This is because you want to ensure your readers remember your intent. Therefore, restating your thesis, in conclusion, helps readers remember what you are trying to prove through your essay.

Additionally, restating your thesis enables you to explain how it is supported by the evidence you have presented. A good essay will also explain how this new information helps us to understand the topic more deeply.

2. Don’t add new information

As highlighted earlier, the conclusion wraps up your ideas and puts them into a coherent whole. It is also where you make your most important point, so it should be brief and concise.

Therefore, as you summarize previous points, you should not introduce new ideas. So don’t add new information or examples. Instead, restate what you’ve written, tie everything together, and ensure that each part of your essay supports your claims.

3. Summarize your points

A good conclusion should summarize the essay’s main points, with an argument that draws all of these points together. This is important because it gives readers a sense of closure and that everything has been explained to their satisfaction.

However, a  good conclusion does not simply summarize the main points of your paper. It also addresses any unresolved issues that your argument may have raised, or it can draw some further conclusions that you’ve reached as a result of writing your paper. 

As you summarize, you should also state the significance of your findings and advise other researchers who may be working in the same field.

An excellent way to do this is to use a rhetorical question at the beginning of your conclusion. Then follow up with an answer that explains how all the pieces fit together.

4. Show How Ideas Are Related to Each Other

Another great tip for writing conclusions is showing how each point relates to another. To achieve this, ensure you show how the essay is relevant to the thesis statement. Also, you can mention a few pieces of evidence that are related and how they build up your claim

Further, this part should do more than repeat what you have already said. This means you should provide evidence for your argument by showing how different points fit together into one coherent whole.

To show the relationship between points, consider

• What are some main ideas that must be covered? 
• What do they add up to? 
• How are they related?
• How will these points strengthen your argument? 
• How does each point relate to previous ones? 
• How does each point connect forward to the next section?

5. Close With Final Thoughts

Final thoughts in conclusions help you end on a powerful note. It is your chance to state your lessons and what you think about the whole topic or what the issue points towards. However, ensure sure not to leave any loose ends or unanswered questions. This part should be a stand-alone without having to be read with other pieces of the paper.