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Why do essays have to be ordered clearly?

You need to decide the type of order (essay pattern) you will be using before you start writing. Make your choice clear in your introduction. It is important to present your ideas and information in a clear order to give your essay coherence and logical flow. Ordered information is easier for you to write about and easier for your reader to follow.
Essays are ordered at two levels:

the first level is the organisation of the essay as a whole
the second level is the order of the individual paragraphs within your essay.

The following are suggestions for commonly used essay patterns.

Level 1 (whole body essay patterns)

Analysis — the topic is broken into its different elements and each part is presented in detail in a separate paragraph.
Comparison and contrast — the similarities and/or differences between two or more items are discussed or compared paragraph by paragraph.
Problem/solution — the problem is outlined in the introductory paragraphs and various solutions discussed and evaluated throughout the body paragraphs.
Cause/effect — here you have two choices: either the cause/s of a situation may be discussed first followed by the effect/s, or the effect/s of the situation may come first with the discussion then working back to outline the cause/s.

Level 2 (individual paragraph patterns)

Logical division of ideas — a topic is divided into parts; each part is discussed in separate paragraphs.
Chronological order — the body paragraphs are ordered by time (from earliest to most recent).
Hierarchical order — the body paragraphs are ordered by rank or importance.

There are many different ways to order your writing and your choice will depend on the nature of the question you are answering. The following are suggestions for the first level order you might like to use.

First level order types

Analysis order
Introduction appropriate definitions provide background information about your topic outline the ideas and concepts to be discussed in your essay define the scope or limits of what will be discussed in your essay indicate your argument (point of view on the topic)
Body paragraphs
paragraph 1	the topic sentence additional information sentences supporting evidence a concluding sentence
paragraph 2	the topic sentence additional information sentences supporting evidence a concluding sentence
paragraph 3	the topic sentence additional information sentences supporting evidence a concluding sentence
Conclusion restate the purpose for comparison and/or contrast summarise the main similarities and differences draw a conclusion

Comparison order
Introduction provide background information about your topic identify the two (or more) things being compared and/or contrasted state the purpose for making the comparison/contrast identify the number of specific points to be compared/contrasted
Body paragraphs
paragraph 1	compare and/or contrast according to the first point you identified in your introduction
paragraph 2	compare and/or contrast according to the second point you identified in your introduction
paragraph 3	compare and/or contrast according to the third point you identified in your introduction
Conclusion restate the purpose for comparison and/or contrast summarise the main similarities and differences draw a conclusion

Problem/solution order

Introduction

provide background information about the problem
describe the problem and state why it is serious
briefly identify possible solutions

Body paragraphs

discuss one solution in each supporting paragraph
explain the positive and negative aspects of each solution
provide details to explain each solution
organise the paragraphs according to order of importance

Conclusion

summarise and evaluate the solutions
draw a conclusion or make a prediction based on your suggestions

Cause/effect order

Introduction

provide background information about the situation you are analysing
describe the situation
identify its main causes or effects

Body paragraphs

explain one cause or effect in each supporting paragraph
if there are many causes or effects, group them into several main categories
organise the causes or effects, using time order (chronological order) or order of importance (hierarchical order)

Conclusion

summarise the main causes or effects
draw a conclusion, make a prediction or recommendation

Once you have decided the first level order for your essay, choose one of these second level orders to organise your body paragraphs.

Second level order types

Logical division of ideas
Introduction
Body paragraphs
Main idea: *1st paragraph*	the topic sentence additional information sentences supporting evidence a concluding sentence
Main idea: *2nd paragraph*	the topic sentence additional information sentences supporting evidence a concluding sentence
Main idea: *3rd paragraph*	the topic sentence additional information sentences supporting evidence a concluding sentence
Conclusion

Chronological division of ideas
Introduction
Body paragraphs (present as a timeline)
Earliest event: 1st paragraph	the topic sentence additional information sentences supporting evidence a concluding sentence
Next event: 2nd paragraph	the topic sentence additional information sentences supporting evidence a concluding sentence
Final event: 3rd paragraph	the topic sentence additional information sentences supporting evidence a concluding sentence
Conclusion

Hierarchical division of ideas
Introduction
Body paragraphs
1st paragraph: most important idea	the topic sentence additional information sentences supporting evidence a concluding sentence
2nd paragraph: next most important idea	the topic sentence additional information sentences supporting evidence a concluding sentence
3rd paragraph: least important idea	the topic sentence additional information sentences supporting evidence a concluding sentence
Conclusion


QUT write Booklet and supplementary guides
	Writing a report
	Writing a literature review
	Writing an annotated bibliography
	Analysing essay questions
	Patterns of essay organisation
	Organising information for assignments
	Notemaking strategies