Writing an Essay Introduction: Step-by-Step Guide

The process of academic writing includes several steps and phases that students should prioritize to an equal degree without ignoring any of them. One of the common mistakes is to over-prioritize the essay’s body, leaving the introduction and conclusion parts without appropriate attention. This approach is wrong, as a professor looks equally closely at how students structure the introduction on an essay, body arguments, and concluding summary.

This article is meant to help students who experience hardships with this aspect of academic writing. We explore the main principles of how to write an essay introduction and walk you through the process with time-tested tips and hacks. We also share various introduction essay examples to exemplify the ins and outs of this section’s composition without extra hassle or effort.

How to Write an Introduction for an Essay?

Writing an introduction essay paragraph is often a challenge for students. Many newbies stumble at the very start without a clue on how to write an introduction for an essay correctly so that it reflects their paper’s most interesting aspects and engages the readers.

Here’s what we advise in this case:

Study the professor’s prompt in detail. You should be perfectly sure about what they want to see, which subject you need to discuss, and what essay type is expected.
Think of how you can introduce your subject in general terms so that even a person completely unfamiliar with the topic would understand it.
Find some facts, statistics, or figures that illustrate that your issue is significant, or your problem has a profound scale.
Voice a clear, one-sentence position on your subject that condenses the key message you’re planning to voice in the essay.
Revise the entire paragraph for clarity and coherent flow.

If you’re interested in how to make an essay introduction quickly, follow this formula:

General introduction + More detailed background + Your claim

What Is the Purpose of the Introduction in an Essay?

Before dealing with how to make introduction in essay, you need to be crystal clear about this section’s meaning and purpose. If you know the purpose, you can ensure that your opening section contains all the needed elements that the supervisor will look for, thus guaranteeing yourself a high grade.

The essay introduction paragraph serves the following purposes:

It familiarizes your readers with the general background of your subject and introduces the topic
It clarifies why you consider a specific issue a problem and what scale this problem has (or simply lay out the topic in more detail)
It shows your stand on the topic and your plan for a more nuanced discussion of the subject in the following sections

The last point refers to an argumentative and persuasive essay introduction, which needs to argue a specific point and prove the student’s opinion on a debatable topic.

Essay Introduction Format

Now, let’s briefly cover the introduction essay writing and style specifics. When it comes to the essay format, introduction should also correspond to your essay style and type; otherwise, it may misguide the readers.

Introduction for persuasive essay. This essay type is meant to convince the readers to take your stand; it’s usually more emotional than an argumentative essay. Thus, your persuasive essay intro should rely on strong, appealing arguments and facts.
Argumentative essay introduction. Argumentative essays follow a more reasonable path and rely on facts, figures, and common sense more than emotions. Thus, you should collect precise data and shape your argument in a way that would sound compelling.
Expository essay introduction. These essays typically don’t argue a point; instead, they tell a story. Thus, it makes sense to lay out the setting of your story and introduce the readers to the main characters and events here.

Using this cheat sheet, you can quickly grasp how to write an argumentative essay introduction and find the right words and structures for other essay types.

Tips and Tricks for Composing an Effective Introduction of an Essay

Here are a couple of tricks to make your conclusion look better:

Don’t start with the intro. Complete it at the end of the assignment work once you have the body of the text ready. Introducing a subject you’ve already written about is much easier.
Use essay introduction starters. How to start an essay introduction? The process gets way easier if you use tried and tested starters, or hooks. The best options are an anecdote, a rhetorical question, a surprising stat, or an emotionally appealing fact.
Proceed from the general to the concrete. Don’t throw a problem at your readers; introduce them to the concept first, then give some concrete facts, and proceed to the problem statement afterward.

Examples

Here is an example of an introduction to a persuasive essay:

Teenage pregnancy is getting more prevalent in developed countries, even despite extensive sex education and the availability of birth control measures. Every year, 12,000 babies are abandoned in maternity hospitals by underage girls without life prospects. Women who have given birth to a baby at an age under 16 are at a higher risk of school dropout, low academic achievement, and life in poverty because of poor employment prospects. Thus, it is vital to develop new ways of reducing teenage pregnancy to save young girls’ lives and give their babies better chances in life.

Looking for argumentative essay introduction examples?

For many decades, the scope of support for developing African states included only humanitarian aid. This approach meant giving Africans food, vaccines, and money to support their living. However, these efforts have had zero effect on the local economies, only draining $5 trillion from the Western states’ budgets. A more commonsense approach now looks much more realistic: giving African countries the fishing rod instead of fish. In economic terms, it means educational support and the development of grassroots economic institutions to help African states rise from the ashes.

Concluding Remarks

Now you know everything about how to make an introduction in an essay. Please don’t ignore these tips and tricks, as they will hone your writing skills and help you craft well-written, engaging introductions to all academic papers. Use our recommendations and examples to progress with your introduction writing, and you will soon notice that this section essay has become a breeze for you.