How to structure a 1,000-word argument.

The shape at a glance

This is a guide, not a template. Strong essays vary, and you should change the shape when your argument needs it. But if you are not sure where to start, this structure covers everything most essay judges and markers look for.

Open with your position

Say what you think in the first paragraph. Essays that build up to a big reveal at the end leave the reader guessing what each paragraph is for. A reader who knows your position from the start can follow every step towards it.

The sentence that states your position is your thesis. A good thesis is specific (it says exactly what you claim), debatable (a reasonable person could disagree) and supportable (you can back it with evidence in the space you have).

You don't need a dramatic first line or a dictionary definition. State the narrowed question, say why it matters, and give your answer. If you haven't narrowed your question yet, start with how to choose and narrow an essay question.

Set out what is true now

Before arguing about what should happen, establish what is happening. Give the reader the two or three facts they need to follow your argument, with sources. (How to find and judge evidence covers where to look.) Keep it short. This is the ground your argument stands on, not the argument itself.

Build each reason as one paragraph

Give each main reason its own paragraph, and give each paragraph one job. A reliable pattern:

1. PointThe first sentence says what this paragraph argues. A reader skimming only first sentences should be able to follow your whole case.
2. EvidenceThe data, research or example that supports it, with its source.
3. ExplanationWhy the evidence supports the point, and how far. This is where your thinking shows.
4. LinkHow this connects to your overall position, or leads into the next reason.

Two well-developed reasons usually beat three thin ones. If you have a third, include it only if you can support it as fully as the first two.

Answer the strongest objection

Every serious position has a serious objection. Find the strongest one, the argument a well-informed opponent would actually make, and state it fairly before you answer it. There are three honest ways to respond:

• Show it is wrong, with evidence or by finding a flaw in its reasoning.
• Show it matters less than it seems, because the benefits of your position outweigh it.
• Adjust your claim to take it into account. This is a strength, not a weakness.

Where should it go? Usually after your main reasons and before your conclusion, so the reader has seen your case first. If your whole essay is a reply to a common view, you can state that view at the start instead. Don't raise a new objection in the conclusion, where there is no room to answer it.

Avoid answering a weak version of the objection that is easy to knock down. Readers can tell, and judges and markers look specifically for the strongest objection, stated fairly and answered. How to write a counterargument and rebuttal goes through this step in detail, with a worked example.

Say what would have to happen

If your essay proposes something, a policy, a product or a change in behaviour, say how it would actually happen. Who would need to act, and why would they? What would it cost, and who would pay? What could stop it? A proposal that faces its obstacles is far more convincing than one that ignores them. If your essay doesn't propose anything, you can leave this part out.

Signpost as you go

Short linking phrases help a reader follow the logic: “The first reason is…”, “This matters because…”, “The strongest objection is…”, “Even so…”. Use them where the argument turns, not at the start of every sentence. If a paragraph needs a long bridge to connect to the one before, the order may be wrong.

End with what follows

A conclusion that repeats every point you have just made wastes words the reader doesn't need. Instead, restate your position briefly and say what follows from it: what should happen next, what the reader should now think differently about, or what question your argument leaves open.

Other ways to structure an argument

The shape above follows the classical model: position, reasons, objection, conclusion. Two others are worth knowing.

• Rogerian: start by setting out the opposing view fairly and finding common ground, then argue for your position. Useful when your reader is likely to disagree.
• Toulmin: build the argument from a claim, the evidence for it, and the reasoning that links the two, then add qualifications and rebuttals. Useful for testing whether each step really follows.

The five-paragraph essay taught in many schools is a version of the classical model. At 1,000 words you will usually need seven to nine paragraphs, so treat five as a minimum, not a rule.

Getting to 1,000 words

Most first drafts are too long. When you cut, cut in this order:

• Introductory throat-clearing (“In this essay I will…”).
• Repetition, especially in the conclusion.
• Background the reader doesn't need to follow the argument.
• Your weakest reason, if it is taking space from your strongest.
• Adjectives and adverbs doing no work (“very”, “extremely”, “incredibly”).

Don't cut the objection, the evidence or the explanation of why your evidence matters. Those are what the essay is judged on. In many essay competitions references don't count towards the limit (check the rules), so never cut a source to save words.

Before you submit

• Does the first paragraph say what I think?
• Does each paragraph have one job, stated in its first sentence?
• Is every important claim supported by a source a reader could check?
• Have I stated the strongest objection fairly and answered it?
• If I propose something, have I said who would act and how?
• Does the conclusion say what follows, rather than repeat everything?

Further reading

These guides from university writing centres go further on the same ideas. They are written for university students, but most of the advice applies to a 1,000-word competition essay.

• Argumentative essays, Purdue Online Writing Lab
• Counterargument, Harvard College Writing Center
• Introductions, The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Conclusions, Harvard College Writing Center

Try it on this year's questions

Ten Years From Now is a free essay competition for students aged 14–18, anywhere in the world. Choose one of three questions and make an evidence-based case in up to 1,000 words, judged against six published criteria. Round 1 closes on 28 February 2027 and Round 2 on 15 June 2027.

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