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NARRATION: You have already seen how it is important to show the examiner that you have understood the question and that you are presenting a cohesive essay. Now let's look at the stages of writing an introduction. There are three main stages you need to consider. First, identify the keywords in the title. Then rephrase those keywords so you do not repeat vocabulary. Then you need to give your introduction a sense of balance and direction, so the examiner has some idea of what to expect from your essay. Consider this example. The keywords are men, required, military service, opinions. These keywords could then be rephrased. Men could become males. Required could become compulsory. Military service could be changed into armed forces, and opinions can be changed into views. However, it is important that you do not spend too much time in the test thinking of how to rephrase the questions. Just change as many words as you can. Finally you should look at balance and direction. You can balance your introduction by acknowledging both sides of the issue but clearly stating your own opinion. For example, There are a number of people that agree with this, although I personally see more advantages than disadvantages, as I will now explain. The completed introduction could now read like this.
