We find Godwin’s (2019) WEED model very helpful for constructing paragraphs. Other models for paragraphs are available so it’s fine to use those if you’re more familiar with them.
You should begin your paragraph with the point that you’re making, so that it’s clear to your lecturer from this first sentence what you are going to talk about in that paragraph. This first sentence is also known as a topic sentence which is the main point, the main idea of the paragraph.
Everything in the paragraph should fit in with this opening sentence. Make sure that everything you include in your paragraph is related. Make sure too that your What highlights a single issue and doesn’t introduce a list, because lists are descriptive. You won’t then consider the points if you’ve just listed them.
The middle of your paragraph should be full of evidence. This is where all your references should be incorporated. This is where you use secondary sources your research and include the ideas of other writers to support your viewpoint. Make sure that your evidence fits in with your topic. If you don’t summarise your evidence effectively, it can take up too much space without being related to the case you’re making – so be concise in your evidence.
You don’t always need examples, but sometimes it’s useful to expand on your evidence. If you’re talking about a case study, the example might be how your point relates to the particular scenario being discussed.
You should conclude your paragraph with the implications of your discussion. This gives you the opportunity to add your commentary, which is very important in assignments which require you to use critical analysis. You will be expected to do more analysis as you go into 2nd and 3rd year of an undergraduate degree.
It’s often this ‘Do’ part that students forget so their paragraphs don’t provide any commentary on their evidence. If your paragraphs typically end on references, this shows that you are missing out on ‘Do’.
This summing up of the paragraph can also be used to link the ideas back to the essay title. The final sentence can also give a connection or bridge to the next paragraph.
If you have two linked paragraphs on the same topic, for example one presenting one side, and the other presenting the opposite viewpoint, it might be enough to have just one ‘Do’ at the end of the second paragraph. So you have one conclusion for that discussion. But it’s useful to ask yourself – where is the ‘Do’ for this paragraph?
So, in effect, each paragraph is like a mini-essay, with an introduction, main body and conclusion. You can also think of it as a sandwich. Evidence and examples come together and they are the meat in the centre of your paragraph sandwich.