You need to consider that your reader doesn’t have a clue about your topic or

arguments, so your first sentence must summarise these. Explain what your essay is
going to talk about as though you were explaining it to a five year old – without
losing the formality of your academic writing, of course! To do this, use any of
the below words or phrases to help keep you on track.

1. Firstly, secondly, thirdly

Even though it sounds obvious, your argument will be clearer if you deliver the
ideas in the right order. These words can help you to offer clarity and structure
to the way you expose your ideas. This is an extremely effective method of
presenting the facts clearly. Don’t be too rigid and feel you have to number each
point, but using this system can be a good way to get an argument off the ground,
and link arguments together.

2. In view of; in light of; considering

These essay phrases are useful to begin your essay. They help you pose your
argument based on what other authors have said or a general concern about your
research. They can also both be used when a piece of evidence sheds new light on an
argument. Here’s an example: