Writing an environment essay

When writing any sort of essay, including an environment essay, it is important to think about the introduction. The introduction to almost all essays are the same – the main aim of your introduction is to set out what your question is and what your response is o the proposition put by the question. Your introduction must introduce your argument relating to the question in a subtle way and not go into too much detail – the whole point of the introduction is to introduce what you want to say, not to say it all in one go. For instance if your question was “What has the impact of big business been on the environment?” then you could argue that humans have had a clear impact on the environment and that big business is the main reason for this – you would only briefly outline your assertion as the rest of the essay would provide the evidence to back up your argument. This ensures that your introduction encapsulates the main thrust of your argument without attempting to write your essay in a shortened form beforehand.

Now it’s time to move onto your central argument. Unlike your introduction, your central argument needs to be planned to make sure that it is as precise and detailed as it can possibly be. This is what will constitute the main bulk of your essay and you must make sure that it is consistent and thoroughly well thought out. If you are lacking in evidence or are attempting to put forward an argument that does not have enough academic credence to it then you are likely to lose marks on what would otherwise be a good essay – you must try to focus on supporting your argument at all times.

• Evidence. We’ve gone over this briefly already, but the use of evidence is vital if you want to make sure that your essay is well written and convincing. Given that essays on the environment are filled with factual data, try to be as authoritative as possible. Use as many figures are you can find and as much research as is possibly available. Your argument won’t stand up to any scrutiny if you don’t make it as evidence based as possible and ensure that the evidence agrees with your argument.
• Theoretical evidence. The theoretical evidence isn’t the same as actual evidence – it simply means the use of theories in an essay. Theories are often a good way of giving your argument cohesion – for instance, if you use a Marxist theory then you can suggest that the reason that big business affects the environment is because it is more concerned with profit than it is with anything else. Now theoretical evidence is not the same as normal evidence as without some normal evidence to support it, it is simply an assertion. That is why you should plan what evidence you are going to use first, then develop your theoretical evidence from it. You need to be certain that the theoretical evidence you are presenting is in accordance with the facts that support your overall argument. If they aren’t, then your overall essay will be much weaker and will not be as effective as it could be.
• Persuasive points. When writing your essay, it is important to remember to use persuasive points to support your argument. If you fail to persuade the person reading your essay that your argument is not only justified but right, then you will lose marks. Remember, your essay isn’t just a reiteration of facts. It is an argument that is trying to convince the person reading is that you have found the solution to the question you have been presented with. Sometimes it is more effective to use persuasive points that build on other points that are supported by evidence – it is easier to make persuasive points than it is to make evidence-based points so make sure that you make as many of them as you can. This will allow you to flex your argumentative muscle more and demonstrate that you can convince the reader of your argument even without the use of copious amounts of evidence.

Once you have written the main body of your essay it is time to come onto the conclusion. Like the introduction, the conclusion does not need as much careful thought as it should follow the standard for most conclusions. Don’t try to veer off from the standard conclusion as this could result in you losing marks that you would otherwise have got. Your conclusion must sum up your argument and link back to your introduction. It should reference some of the most convincing points that you’ve raised in the main body of your essay to sum up your argument and demonstrate that your essay is a clear and cohesive whole.