ABSTRACT

The best essays use signposts to help the reader understand their structure. Signposts are sentences that give a clear indication of what the main topics covered in the paragraph are likely to be. One key skill tested in essay writing, particularly in exams, is the ability to keep to the point. When we are making a case, a good way of developing our argument is by considering what can be said against it, and then responding to this imagined criticism. When we engage in the dialogue with ourself it is very important that we give clear signposts about which role we are taking at any particular point. Ideally, we should begin every paragraph with some kind of summary of the main point of that paragraph, or at least a sentence that identifies what its main topic is.