The Structure Examiners Actually Reward
Band 8 essays are almost uniform in shape: a two-sentence introduction, two meaty body paragraphs, and a short conclusion. No long introduction, no extra arguments — just a clear position developed across four paragraphs.
Each body paragraph should open with a topic sentence that answers the question directly, followed by a reason, an example, and the result of that example. If the examiner can underline your umbrella positions in ten seconds, your Coherence & Cohesion score is already safe.
- Introduction: paraphrase the question + state your position (1–2 sentences).
- Body 1: strongest argument first — topic sentence, explanation, example, result.
- Body 2: second argument, explicitly connected with "On the other hand" or "Similarly".
- Conclusion: restate position in new words and add a forward-looking sentence.
- Aim for 270–300 words: under-length essays lose Task Response marks immediately.