How to start a law essay: writing a first-class introduction
How to start a law essay: what a first-class introduction must do to answer the question, control the debate and set up top marks.
First impressions matter. In a law essay, that's your introduction.
A first-class introduction is not easy to write, but it's where you make achieving first-class grades with the rest of the essay much easier for yourself.
It has to do two things:
- answer the question
- show how you're going to defend your answer
Most introductions don't quite do either. They describe the topic, or gesture at different views, but don't clearly commit to a position.
That's a problem, because your structure flows from your argument. If you're not clear, from the beginning, on what you think and how you're going to defend it, the rest of the essay becomes much harder to organise and think through, both for you and for the examiner.
A strong introduction, one that clearly sets out your argument, does something crucial = it allows you to CONTROL the question.
You define:
- the key terms
- the framework of the discussion
- the direction your argument will take
In other words, you're not just answering the question, you're shaping how it should be answered.
Remember to justify the decisions that you clearly set out in your introduction and that clarity will make it easier both for you to write, and for the examiner to follow and reward, your reasoning.
If you're unsure whether your introductions are doing this, feel free to message me: I'm happy to take a look and point out where marks are typically lost.
You can also see how my law essay feedback service works, including how I mark introductions in detail.