How to Start an Assignment and Make it Memorable

The necessity to write an essay is something each student faces at some point in his or her life. A respectable London School of Economics, Cambridge, or a less known Staffordshire University — you will be forced to become a writer in all of these places. Your specialty doesn’t matter here except for a semantic point because the rules and overall requirements are similar. One of the most relevant moments of every essay is its introduction. It explains your topic choice, demonstrates key ideas you’ll be focusing on, and intrigues your audience. But how to start an assignment in a way that would help it stand out from the rest of written works?

Introduction is the beginning of a project that shapes the rest of what you’re planning to tell. Its function lies in teasing your readers, sharing bits of facts but never a whole story. Every time, regardless of the type of task given to you, you should cook up a thesis, an argumentative claim that must be proven during the body and which is an intro part. So, as you see, the start is extremely important, and you have to know exactly how to structure it.

Overreaching Purpose of Introduction: Topic, Logic, & Conciseness

As it was mentioned, the goal of introduction is to tell the audience what your work is about without revealing all the details. There are three primary things that require your focus here. You can see them as the main rules that have been developed specifically for introduction creation.

Topic of an essay belongs to them. It should be introduced right away, with you talking about the main elements it comprises and staying in its boundaries. Avoid letting yourself slip and wander into some other general areas. This mistake will cost you points. Keep your focus strictly on your central theme even as you discuss its various and maybe contradictory components.

Another more crucial thing to remember is logic. When creating introduction for assignment, link all ideas smartly. Don’t jump between points chaotically: choose a direction and move towards it step by step. For instance, if you’re discussing crimes in Cardiff, don’t move on to American or world offenses unless you are deliberately forming a connection between them. Avoid returning to definitions if you’ve already provided explanations for the main concepts. Each idea has to flow smoothly and slowly turn into a following thought.

Then there is conciseness. You have probably noticed that a length of introductions differs depending on the essay size. There is a general rule for this: make sure your introduction does not surpass 10% from a word count, excluding reference list. You should mention every major point of discussion without developing them — leave it for a body. If your introduction is getting too large, then you are doing something wrong, so re-read what you wrote and edit it.

Typical Parts That Every Introduction Must Have

What is the structure layout of introduction? Good news is, there are no noticeable differences, so subjects or a length of assignment barely matter. Four main parts are obligatory, and they have to follow this specific order.

Hook. This is your first sentence. In here, you get an attempt to make it or break it, so to speak: raise people’s interest by mentioning a fascinating piece of statistics or just share an intriguing fact. Use a rhetorical question if you want. It can be general but it has to be directly connected to your topic.
Background. The next several sentences revolve around explaining what your essay will feature. Choose the sharpest and most informative facts. Present them, showing how they lead to the issue you are researching, but keep in mind that conciseness is important.
Definitions and/or relevance. If your topic has a lot of complex concepts, you might want to define the most relevant before proceeding further. With no definitions required, merely explain why this theme is crucial and what interest it presents to research field.
Thesis. How to start an assignment thesis? As the closing introduction sentence, it must convey your central idea in a clear way, so secure a proper logical order. Mention all involved processes, just as you’re going to explain them further down, and combine them all in an overarching claim.

Introduction Writing Tips: Four Essential Points

For every complex situation, there is a set of solutions and pieces of advice. They can alleviate the hardships and turn your job of writing into something much easier. Consider the following four tips and use them when needed.

Be original. Refrain from repeating the same facts everyone else exploring this topic would choose. Spin your theme, offer a new approach that you would personally feel interested in, make both the hook and background truly creative. Stay within academic boundaries, though! No flat jokes or a stream of consciousness are allowed.
Ask yourself questions and reply to them. When wondering how to start an assignment introduction and making it relevant, check your text by asking yourself questions about it. Is your thesis controversial enough? Is there a need to prove it or is it already obvious? Is its importance relevant or are more revisions necessary? Does opening sentence look fine? Introduce changes until you are satisfied with your answers.
Select carefully. Choose only the most fascinating facts for an audience and for yourself both. Look for a really exciting hook. Select key background sentences that wouldn’t overwhelm the audience but which would show what you are trying to argue about.
Use another pair of eyes for first evaluation. Ask a close friend or a relative to read your introduction and evaluate it. Since it’s a short paragraph, you won’t be pressuring anyone — in turn, you’ll learn how other people are likely to perceive it. Take all received comments into account.

Sample Introduction As a Practical Demonstration of the Rules

Knowing what typical structure should look like isn’t the same as seeing it in practice. Check the example of introduction for assignment below. It possesses all the mentioned features.

Censorship in Fiction as Discrimination Encouragement

If one person likes detective stories and the other one enjoys romance, is it possible to determine whose tastes are superior? The answer is no since people come from different backgrounds; they have varying interests and preferences based on their individuality. Recently, a movement promoting censorship in fiction has emerged (Smith 13). Its representatives fight for censoring content that concentrates on depictions of underage and sexual abuse. However, the problem is, fiction is created for drastically different purposes. Some look for therapy in it while others are merely intrigued by unusual and dark premises (Vorons 132). As the practice from Strikethrough shows, the promoters of censorship inevitably discriminate against content they personally find repulsive, which spreads to LGBT relationships, disabled people’s rights, and mixed race dating. Therefore, it is possible to suggest that in the future, if censorship laws are passed, they will keep being expanded, with people protesting against something they disapprove of. No censorship should exist in fiction because it encourages discrimination, fuels biases, and leads to a future of bland and generic books and movies.

Create Your Perfect Introduction and Use It for Further Essay Inspiration

Now that you know how to write an introduction for an assignment, start putting theory into practice yourself. Orient towards the explained rules and apply real efforts for achieving the best results. After your first paragraph is ready, you can use it as a boost for creativity: continue developing your thoughts, going back to the beginning each time you feel like you are losing a sense of direction. If you manage to present a memorable introduction, the readers, who are likely your teacher or classmates, will preserve their interest and reward you with the highest amount of points. Go for it and turn a writing process into something you can enjoy!