Openings and Endings

Crafting Openings

Understand the significance of an interesting and engaging opening. It sets the tone for your entire response and is crucial to grabbing the reader’s attention.
Start strong with an impactful statement, an intriguing question, or fascinating fact related to the topic.
Establish context early on. Give the reader a sense of what to expect by briefly outlining the key issues or themes you’ll be addressing.
Create a clear link between your opening and the question or text you’re responding to. This demonstrates a focused approach to the question.

Wrap up your thoughts effectively, summarising your main arguments or points without introducing new information.
Provide a clear conclusion that logically flows from the arguments you’ve made in your response.
Relate back to the beginning. A compelling ending often refers back to the opening, creating a satisfying sense of closure.
Revisit the question or text in your conclusion. This can help reinforce your arguments and demonstrate that your response is coherently structured around the question or text.
End on a strong note. This could be a final insight, a provocative statement, or a suggestion for further consideration, leaving the reader with something to think about.

Create smooth transitions between your opening, body, and ending. This will help maintain the flow and coherence of your response.
Use transitional phrases or words such as ‘however’, ‘in addition’, ‘on the other hand’, ‘meanwhile’, to signal shifts between ideas and paragraphs.
Ensure each section compliments the other. Your opening should naturally lead to your main discussion, and your ending should logically conclude from your main body.