Central and East European Studies

6. Opening lines

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Successful opening lines have two characteristics:

They doesn't just repeat the question in a different form, they add something to it. For example:

Essay question: How has the political party system in Hungary changed since the first free elections in 1990?

Poor opening lines: The political party system in Hungary has changed a great deal since the first free elections in 1990. This essay will chart these changes and show how these changes have impacted on Hungary as a whole.

Valuable opening lines: Hungary's 1990 elections marked the birth of the multi-party political system. However, moving to democracy from a one-party authoritarian regime has been traumatic. Political scandals, the lack of a democratic tradition, economic crises and growing nationalism have changed the party system, so that in 2011 it has been claimed by some that Hungarian democracy is in crisis (Kreko et al. 2009: 2).

The poor opening lines could be removed without any loss to the essay at all.The valuable opening lines open up the essay. The writer has made three informed and informative statements and, at the same time, shown a clear grasp of the essay topic. If you took the lines away, they would be missed.

After constructing valuable opening lines, you need to show how your argument will be shaped. This means explaining what you will and will not include. For example, in this particular essay you may want to talk about how Hungary has itself dealt with the transition to democracy and explain that, whilst outside influences are also important, internal affairs are going to be your focus. This shows your reader and your marker that you know you've not covered every angle, and pre-empts the question 'why didn't you include ...?'

By the end of your introductory paragraph, though you may well not want to reveal your conclusions, your reader should know what to expect from the essay.

One very big tip: whether the essay title is long or short, and whether you've made it up yourself or it has been made up for you, read it from start to finish, then read it again. Underline key words. If you don't get to grips with the title properly, you cannot write a relevant essay and if your essay isn't relevant, you won't get good marks.

When you've finished writing your essay, go back and re-read your introductory paragraph to make sure it fits exactly with the essay you've written. If it doesn't, either amend it or amend your essay.
TaskTask TypeDifficulty
Task 1Multiple choiceModerate
Task 2Multiple choiceEasier
Task 3Multiple choiceModerate
Task 4Multiple choiceMore Challenging
Task 5Multiple choiceMore Challenging