Writing Assignments

2.2. Paragraphs - Why they're important

It seems a little odd to be thinking about paragraph structure at university, yet good paragraph structure is key to developing your essay structure and content.

Paragraphs usually consist of around 5 - 6 sentences and include:

• Topic sentence – introduce the main idea of the paragraph (probably one of your key points)

• Expanding sentence/s – explain the main idea (if necessary)

• Evidence sentence/s – provide your reliable sources that support your idea

• Expanding sentences  - explain the significance of the evidence - analyse it in relation to your thesis

• Concluding sentence – linking sentence

Tools like Smarthinking can provide feedback for your on your paragraph structure.