Essay organisation - an example

Now read my essay below slowly and carefully, using your dictionary to make
sure you understand the words.

Discuss the reasons why people choose to live in Reading

Reading is a large town in south-east England with a population of 147,300. It is about

halfway between London and Oxford. Some people were born in Reading, and they
stay because of their family and friends. Other people, however, have relocated for
personal reasons; perhaps they want to take up a new job opportunity or be near their
social circle. This essay will discuss two common reasons why some people choose to
live in Reading: to improve the quality of their family life and to study.

Reading offers the opportunity for a good work-life balance. It is only 25 minutes from
London by train, but the environment is clean, houses are cheaper and there are many
leisure opportunities for families. There are parks and pools in the town and the
countryside is only a short car drive away. Shopping is also a growing attraction. The
number of retail outlets has increased by one third since the opening of the ‘Oracle’, a
new shopping complex, in 1999. The town also has a library, many places of worship, a
theatre, a concert hall, an art gallery, a museum, two cinemas, a football stadium, and
many restaurants. These facilities mean that local people of all ages have places to go.

Many people also come to Reading to study at a language school or at the university.
They may choose Reading because the university has an excellent reputation, a
beautiful campus and offers a high level of support to its students. Alternatively, the
reasons may be more practical. Transport is efficient; there is easy access to London
and Heathrow Airport. Accommodation is fairly easy to find and cheaper than London.
Job opportunities are also good. Many students take up part-time work, even if English
is not their first language.

In conclusion, people live in Reading for their own individual reasons. For some people,
Reading represents a lifestyle choice, and for others it offers opportunities to study. With
its good employment prospects, ideal location, wide range of leisure facilities,
interesting educational opportunities and excellent transport links, it will no doubt
continue to be a popular place to live in the future.

You may like to print off a copy of the essay, or leave this page open in a tab or window
as you will refer to it in the next steps.

© University of Reading
Analysing the organisation of an example essay – Part 1

Now re-read Seb’s essay on Reading (copied below). Using the following
template, can you identify the different sections of his essay? If you have printed
off a copy of the essay, mark the parts of the essay on your copy.

 Title
 Introduction (background)
 Introduction (thesis statement)
 Paragraph 1 (paragraph leader)
 Paragraph 1 (paragraph body)
 Paragraph 2 (paragraph leader)
 Paragraph 2 (paragraph body)
 Conclusion (summary)
 Conclusion (future suggestion: a prediction, recommendation or solution)

Discuss the reasons why people choose to live in Reading

Reading is a large town in south-east England with a population of 147,300. It is about

halfway between London and Oxford. Some people were born in Reading, and they
stay because of their family and friends. Other people, however, have relocated for
personal reasons; perhaps they want to take up a new job opportunity or be near their
social circle. This essay will discuss two common reasons why some people choose to
live in Reading: to improve the quality of their family life and to study.

Reading offers the opportunity for a good work-life balance. It is only 25 minutes from
London by train, but the environment is clean, houses are cheaper and there are many
leisure opportunities for families. There are parks and pools in the town and the
countryside is only a short car drive away. Shopping is also a growing attraction. The
number of retail outlets has increased by one third since the opening of the ‘Oracle’, a
new shopping complex, in 1999. The town also has a library, many places of worship, a
theatre, a concert hall, an art gallery, a museum, two cinemas, a football stadium, and
many restaurants. These facilities mean that local people of all ages have places to go.

Many people also come to Reading to study at a language school or at the university.
They may choose Reading because the university has an excellent reputation, a
beautiful campus and offers a high level of support to its students. Alternatively, the
reasons may be more practical. Transport is efficient; there is easy access to London
and Heathrow Airport. Accommodation is fairly easy to find and cheaper than London.
Job opportunities are also good. Many students take up part-time work, even if English
is not their first language.
In conclusion, people live in Reading for their own individual reasons. For some people,
Reading represents a lifestyle choice, and for others it offers opportunities to study. With
its good employment prospects, ideal location, wide range of leisure facilities,
interesting educational opportunities and excellent transport links, it will no doubt
continue to be a popular place to live in the future.

© University of Reading

Analysing the organisation of an example essay – Part 2

In the previous step, you were asked to identify the different sections of
Seb’s example essay using the template. Below you can see the text of the essay
split into these sections. Did you manage to get it right?

Read through the text below to ensure that you understand what the different parts of
an essay do. You can then reuse these building blocks when writing your own essay.

Note: Basic academic essays do not use the headings below (e.g. Introduction, Thesis
Statement, Paragraph 1 etc). We have used these headings here, just to show you how
this example essay is organised.

Introduction

Background

Reading is a large town in south-east England with a population of 147,300. It is about

halfway between London and Oxford. Some people were born in Reading, and they
stay because of their family and friends. Other people, however, have relocated for
personal reasons; perhaps they want to take up a new job opportunity or be near their
social circle.

Thesis statement

This essay will discuss two common reasons why some people choose to live in
Reading: to improve the quality of their family life and to study.

Paragraph 1

Paragraph leader

Reading offers the opportunity for a good work-life balance.

Paragraph body
It is only 25 minutes from London by train, but the environment is clean, houses are
cheaper and there are many leisure opportunities for families. There are parks and
pools in the town and the countryside is only a short car drive away. Shopping is also a
growing attraction. The number of retail outlets has increased by one third since the
opening of the ‘Oracle’, a new shopping complex, in 1999. The town also has a library,
many places of worship, a theatre, a concert hall, an art gallery, a museum, two
cinemas, a football stadium, and many restaurants. These facilities mean that local
people of all ages have places to go.

Paragraph 2

Paragraph leader

Many people also come to Reading to study at a language school or at the university.

Paragraph body

They may choose Reading because the university has an excellent reputation, a
beautiful campus and offers a high level of support to its students. Alternatively, the
reasons may be more practical. Transport is efficient; there is easy access to London
and Heathrow Airport. Accommodation is fairly easy to find and cheaper than London.
Job opportunities are also good. Many students take up part-time work, even if English
is not their first language.

Conclusion

Summary

In conclusion, people live in Reading for their own individual reasons. For some people,
Reading represents a lifestyle choice, and for others it offers opportunities to study.

Future suggestion

With its good employment prospects, ideal location, wide range of leisure facilities,
interesting educational opportunities and excellent transport links, it will no doubt
continue to be a popular place to live in the future.

© University of Reading

Reordering an essay – Part 1

Look at the parts of an essay on education below. They are not in the correct
order. Each section has been labelled with a letter. Choose the answer below that
puts the essay in the correct order.
You may find it helpful to copy and paste the text into a word processor so that you can
move the sections around. Alternatively, you could print the text and cut out the sections
so that you can move them around.

a.

Until the second half of the 20th century, schools were traditional and strict in their
approach to learning. Pupils sat in rows, they were not allowed to talk to each other
during lessons, and corporal punishment was allowed; children were hit with slippers,
rulers or canes by the teachers for not knowing the answers to questions, and they were
encouraged to learn facts, stories and poems by memorizing and by copying from the
board or from dictation. Gradually, teachers began to change the way they taught.
Modern teaching methods are likely to include pair and group work, and children are
encouraged to learn by discovering answers for themselves rather than constantly
relying on the teacher. Modern technology is widely used in classrooms. Computers are
available for children to use even in primary schools, and most schools now have fast
access to the internet and use interactive resources and whiteboards in the classrooms.

b.

It is important that education continues to develop as society changes throughout the

twenty-first century

c.

In the UK, school attendance is now compulsory for children between the ages of 5 and
16. Children attend primary school from 5 to 11 years of age, and then secondary
school until they are at least 16 years old. The modern state school system aims to treat
all children in the same way and to give them all equal opportunities. However, the
school system has not always been like this.

d.

Approaches to teaching have developed so that children participate more in their

learning.
e.

Discuss some of the changes which have taken place in the school system in the UK in
the last 200 years.

f.

The school system has clearly improved in many ways since the 19th century. Most
importantly, children’s right to education no longer depends on gender or parental
income, and greater educational opportunities are offered more widely to all.

g.

This essay will discuss the key developments over the last 200 years, which have
ensured that a school education is available to all children and is an enjoyable and
interesting experience.

h.

At the beginning of the 19th century, only boys from rich families went to school. Girls
from rich backgrounds were taught at home. Boys were taught Physical Education,
English, Philosophy, Maths, Latin and Greek, whereas girls’ education focused on
reading, writing, sewing, singing, dancing and French. This was because girls’
education involved preparation for marriage, running a home and entertaining whereas
boys’ education aimed at preparing them for work: the army, perhaps, or a political life.
Gradually, free state schools began to be provided for all children, and at the end of the
19th century, school became compulsory for all until the age of 13. This meant that all
boys and girls, from rich or poor backgrounds, had the opportunity to learn to read and
write. During the 20th century, the school leaving age was raised again. Girls and boys
began to be treated more fairly; they could study the same subjects within the same
classroom, and all children had the right to take the same exams.

i.

The school system has changed so all children have the right to an education.
Reordering an essay – Part 2

You can now read the essay on ‘Education in the UK’ in the correct order, with
the essay parts shown.

Note: Remember, the headings below are only included to show you how the essay is
organised.

Title

Discuss some of the changes which have taken place in the school system in the
UK in the last 200 years.

Introduction

Background

In the UK, school attendance is now compulsory for children between the ages of 5 and
16. Children attend primary school from 5 to 11 years of age, and then secondary
school until they are at least 16 years old. The modern state school system aims to treat
all children in the same way and to give them all equal opportunities. However, the
school system has not always been like this.

Thesis statement

This essay will discuss the key developments over the last 200 years, which have
ensured that a school education is available to all children and is an enjoyable and
interesting experience.

Paragraph 1

Paragraph leader

The school system has changed so all children have the right to an education.

Paragraph body

At the beginning of the 19th century, only boys from rich families went to school. Girls
from rich backgrounds were taught at home. Boys were taught Physical Education,
English, Philosophy, Maths, Latin and Greek, whereas girls’ education focused on
reading, writing, sewing, singing, dancing and French. This was because girls’
education involved preparation for marriage, running a home and entertaining whereas
boys’ education aimed at preparing them for work: the army, perhaps, or a political life.
Gradually, free state schools began to be provided for all children, and at the end of the
19th century, school became compulsory for all until the age of 13. This meant that all
boys and girls, from rich or poor backgrounds, had the opportunity to learn to read and
write. During the 20th century, the school leaving age was raised again. Girls and boys
began to be treated more fairly; they could study the same subjects within the same
classroom, and all children had the right to take the same exams.

Paragraph 2

Paragraph leader

Approaches to teaching have developed so that children participate more in their

learning.

Paragraph body

Until the second half of the 20th century, schools were traditional and strict in their
approach to learning. Pupils sat in rows, they were not allowed to talk to each other
during lessons, and corporal punishment was allowed; children were hit with slippers,
rulers or canes by the teachers for not knowing the answers to questions, and they were
encouraged to learn facts, stories and poems by memorizing and by copying from the
board or from dictation. Gradually, teachers began to change the way they taught.
Modern teaching methods are likely to include pair and group work, and children are
encouraged to learn by discovering answers for themselves rather than constantly
relying on the teacher. Modern technology is widely used in classrooms. Computers are
available for children to use even in primary schools, and most schools now have fast
access to the internet and use interactive resources and whiteboards in the classrooms.

Conclusion

Summary

The school system has clearly improved in many ways since the 19th century. Most
importantly, children’s right to education no longer depends on gender or parental
income, and greater educational opportunities are offered more widely to all.

Future suggestion

It is important that education continues to develop as society changes throughout the

twenty-first century.

© University of Reading