Introduction Paragraph Structure
CSS Essay: 220 to 250 words (single paragraph, having three parts)
Important: The introduction paragraph must have textual flow and coherence.
Use linking words between sentences, wherever required.
Attention Start your essay introduction with an indirect reference
Grabber (Hook) to the topic:
o A quotation — followed by elaboration and
linking it with the topic. (Always embed quotation
within the paragraph.)
o An incident, anecdote, poetry lines (English only,
or translation) etc.
o Do not use fact/s which later appear in the essay.
3 to 5 sentences
It gives your stance on the topic.
But extra effort to grab attention often back-fires --- try
to avoid it.
Avoid readymade starting lines at any cost. The same
material is available to thousands of others as well.
Write sentences related to headings and sub-headings
(Reflection/Gist of the outline.
of the outline) This should follow a logical sequence.
The sentences should be coherent with each other.
Mention all the outline in the same manner.
8-10 sentences
Concluding Write 2 to 3 sentences as the conclusion of the
Sentence (introduction) paragraph, which is the same thesis
statement that you wrote in the outline.
Important: Do not start discussing the points/argument in the introduction.
Thesis Statement: It is the crux of the essay. It is the precis of the essay.
How to give a quotation/reference in a paragraph
(Disclaimer: This is not a sample of introduction or body paragraph.)
“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read or write,
but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn;” (Alvin Toffler, The Third Wave,
1980). This means that employment in the 21 st century would require the flexible
skills of learning and unlearning new concepts continuously. But, in Pakistan, the
concepts learnt through education are considered final and absolute
achievement, and people think they need not learn any new skills for
employment. This rigid mindset is leading to the highest rate of “unemployment
of the educated” in the world. According to Dr. Ishrat Hussain, it is estimated that
67% of the unemployed in Pakistan are educated whereas the unemployment of
the uneducated people stands at 33% (Education vs Employment, June 2020). In
this way, the country is facing the dilemma of educated people being unemployed
due to their lack of re-skilling themselves according to the industry requirement.
Alternately, you may also write like this:
Dr. Ishrat Hussain, in his article Education vs Employment (June 2020), estimates
that 67% of the unemployed in Pakistan are educated whereas the
unemployment of the uneducated people stands at 33%.
Placing Thesis Statement in Introduction paragraph of different types of essays
Expository Essay Argumentative Essay Abstract
Attention grabber Attention grabber Thesis statement
Gist of the outline Thesis statement Attention grabber
Thesis statement Gist of the outline Gist of the outline
IAS Essay Topic on Political Accountability
The day was 18th of May. The city was Kuala Lumpur. The place was Merdeka
Square. And the people who had gathered there were chanting late into the dusk
the name of their beloved leader — Mahathir! Mahathir! Mahathir! Mahathir!
They were especially excited at the victory of their leader this time as he had
forsaken the UMNO that he had fathered and contested the elections this time
from the opposition ticket. The whole nation had one goal: to correct the judicial
mistake that Dr. Mahathir had committed against Anwaar Ibrahim during his last
regime.