Patrick’s essay: structure

Returning to Patrick’s essay on food waste, you can see that it begins with some general background information about the topic, food waste, within Europe, giving some statistics to show the extent of food waste.

The writer then moves on to suggest that contrary to the common belief that food waste is a negative phenomenon, in fact food can be recycled, and by doing this, some social and economic problems can be addressed. His argument is supported in the sections which follow. He considers different kinds of food waste, differentiating between food waste which is edible, and that which is not. Then he presents us with various options for the distribution of edible food, before moving on in the next section to look at how inedible food can be used as a source of renewable energy, as well as to produce pectin.

Finally in the conclusion, he sums up his arguments, and suggests the huge potential for development of these areas, and the impact this could have globally.

In the examples above we have looked at distinct patterns for individual essay titles. However in reality, many essay titles will involve using several structures – you might be required to describe the causes of a situation, discuss the consequences, and take a position on how best to address it. Alternatively, you could be asked to analyse a problem, and suggest some solutions. Key to understanding which structure to use is careful analysis of the question.