Essay writing

Useful phrases:
Introducing the theme Essay structure:
There are those who say that... Paragraph 1
It is often said that... Introduce the argument
It can be argued that... Why is it topical?
What is your opinion?
Introducing opinions
I (strongly) believe / feel that… Paragraph 2
I agree / disagree that… Give one side of the argument
In my opinion / view… Reasons for
It seems to me that… Examples
Summarise these examples
Introducing one of a series of points
Firstly / first of all / in the first place, ... Paragraph 3
Secondly, ... Give the other side of the argument
Thirdly, ... Reasons for
Finally, ... Examples
Summarise these examples
Giving examples
For example, ... Conclusion
For instance, ... Summarise all the examples given
Do not add any new arguments here
A good illustration of this is ...
Give your opinion based on the facts

Explaining opinions
What this means is ...
In other words, ...
That is to say, ...
In fact, ...

Expressing contrasts
Although / though...
However / nevertheless, ...
Instead of ... , ...
On the other hand, ...

Giving more information

Also, ... / Besides / furthermore / in addition (to this) ...
It is certainly the case that…
It must also be said that…

Giving conclusions
In conclusion, ...
In short, ...
To sum up, ...
On balance, ...
Overall, ...