Having written your introduction it's now time to move on and look at the main body of your answer. There are two issues which will be equally important when it comes to assessing the main body of your answer, namely how your answer is structured and the quality of the content.
Structure
Any answer will involve a number of points or topics which you will discuss. While the points you use will vary depending on the subject and your memory, the way you structure them is fairly universal.
×give each point & topic it’s own paragraph
×each point/topic will have one key idea it’s trying to communicate
×you can present that key idea either at the start or the end of paragraph
×the rest of the paragraph is intended to help explain the idea or to present any evidence there might be to support it
Transition Phrases
To avoid your essay becoming a string of unrelated points, you have to use transition phrases. These help to link paragraphs and highlight the structure of your essay, providing the elusive ‘flow’ that lecturers are always talking about.
Transition phrases are little expressions put at the start of a new paragraph which explain how the topic in the new paragraph you're starting is related to the topic in the paragraph just before it. For example, starting a paragraph with "Nevertheless it should be noted…" says that this next point is likely to take the opposite view to the one in the paragraph before. This helps your reader anticipate what is coming and keeps them on board.
Here are some examples of common transition phrases and what they mean.
Phrase & What is means :
×further, furthermore, in addition, also, moreover, next
The next point is going to be an expansion on the last point
×likewise, equally, as well, similarly, on a similar theme
The next point is similar to the last one, but not exactly the same
×but, nevertheless, in contrast, on the other hand, conversely
The next point is taking the opposite view to the last one.
×however, to take a different approach, on a slightly different note
The next point has nothing to do with the last one
Content
For content in an essay remember your 3 R's. Relevance, Referencing & Relating back to the question asked.
Relevance
Every point made in the essay should be relevant to the essay question as asked. You need to be wary of writing a generic answer that just talks about the topic in general terms but doesn't focus in any way on those points that are most relevant to the question asked. While there will be some general information that you will have to include in your answer (lets call it an 'overview'), the overview should never take up more than a third of your answer.
You should be careful about including examples from everyday life to illustrate a point. While there is a place for anecdotal evidence (information from personal experience or intuition) in an academic essay, but it should be illustrative only, the argument of the essay should not depend on it. Also, it should be integrated properly into the essay, used in some way to make a point. Don't just tell it because it's a nice story. Lastly use short examples, don't try and pad out an essay with longwinded tales.
