1. The first thing to note is that you do not write the introduction as you start the essay. Why not? You never know what your essay is about until you know what you've put in it. So once the whole essay is written, go back and write the intro. No one knows what the movie will be called until they know what the movie is about, right?
2. Basically there are three steps to the introduction: put something everyone knows. Then impress the reader by putting something no one knows. And then intrigue the reader by saying why they want to keep reading. Let's look at the beginning of a history essay.
"World War One was the first outbreak of a war that spread across the world. It included many countries and many battles. [everyone knows] There was a great build-up to this war with events such as the Moroccan crisis and the numerous alliances. There was also Balkan Crisis, which led to the Murder in Sarajevo. [not everyone knows] I will discuss these events in my essay and explain how industrialism, colonisation, nationalism and many other concepts were involved in the root of WW1. "[why you should keep reading]
What impresses the reader will always be dependent on the question.
3. Still stuck? Maybe you could start the essay with an interesting quote, which could ignite some inspiration.
Writing an introduction can be easy or difficult. How do you like to start your essays, and was this helpful to you?
