Study Tips
How to Write an Introduction That Sets Up Your Argument
By James Whitfield · · 4 min read
Quick answer
A strong introduction states your overall argument (the thesis), shows you understand the question, and briefly signposts how the essay will proceed. Avoid long general opening lines and dictionary definitions — get to your position quickly. The introduction should tell the reader where the essay is going.
State your position
The most important job of an introduction is to state your argument — your answer to the question — clearly and early. The reader should know your view before the body begins.
Essays that keep their position hidden until the conclusion read as uncertain. Committing early shows control and gives the whole essay direction.
Show you understand the question
A good introduction briefly reframes the question in your own words, showing you have grasped exactly what is being asked. This also helps you, by forcing you to define the terms before you argue.
Where a question contains a key word open to interpretation, addressing it here prevents the whole essay drifting off the point.
Signpost the essay
A short indication of how the argument will develop — the main lines you will take — helps the reader follow and shows you have planned. It need not be mechanical, but a sense of the route is valuable.
This signposting is what turns an introduction from throat-clearing into a genuine roadmap.
Avoid the empty opening
Sweeping opening sentences — 'Since the dawn of time' — and dictionary definitions add nothing and waste the reader's first impression. Markers see them constantly and they signal a weak start.
Get to the substance quickly. The first sentence should engage with the question, not circle around it.
Keep it proportionate
An introduction should be brief relative to the essay — enough to set up the argument, not to begin making it. Long introductions delay the actual analysis and eat time.
A few focused sentences that state the position and signpost the route are usually all that is needed.
Write it, then revisit it
It can help to draft the introduction quickly and refine it once the essay is written, because you then know exactly what you argued. Under exam time this may just be a final check that the introduction matches the essay.
An introduction that promises one argument while the essay makes another is a common and avoidable weakness.
Frequently asked questions
What should an introduction include?+
Your overall argument or position, a brief sign that you understand the question, and a short indication of how the essay will develop. It should tell the reader where the essay is going.
Should I state my argument in the introduction?+
Yes — state your position clearly and early. Hiding it until the conclusion reads as uncertain, while committing early shows control and gives the essay direction.
What should I avoid in an introduction?+
Sweeping general opening lines and dictionary definitions. They add nothing, waste your first impression, and signal a weak start. Engage with the question directly instead.
How long should an introduction be?+
Brief relative to the essay — a few focused sentences that set up the argument without beginning to make it. Long introductions delay the analysis and eat exam time.
Should I write the introduction first or last?+
Either can work. Drafting it first gives direction; refining it after writing ensures it matches what you actually argued. Under exam time, at least check the two align at the end.
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