...The Pyramid Approach to Writing

This post sets out the Inverted or Upside-down Pyramid Approach to essay-writing, as described by one of my students. The tool can reduce the overall time spent writing by helping you to focus on the assignment brief and to maintain direction towards relevant conclusions.

It is a useful tool for the planning phase:

• to help you structure your work;
• to maintain your focus on the purpose of the discussion;
• to encourage concise, efficient communication of ideas.

Written work is commonly used for assessment purposes in education. For some students this is a daunting prospect. There are many strategies available to help with writing essays, but the one we’re considering today supports the planning process.

Detailed planning is vital to success when writing, but it is often omitted, neglected, or seen as a waste of time. What for some may be a perceived increase in workload can actually help to reduce the time spent writing. 

The idea is to work down, through the inverted pyramid, from its wide base to its point. You start broadly and as you begin to move through the essay you become more specific, looking at key features of the topic in increasingly finer detail. Eventually you reach the conclusions, represented by the point of the pyramid.

Introduction - The Base

Setting out the context and key themes in your work. The beginning of the essay should communicate the broad topic of the paper and could include:

• A background or the context to the topic;
• Key ideas or features of the field;
• Definitions of important terminology; 
• A thesis statement.

First impressions last, which is why you want to have a positive impact from the start of your work. A marker will inevitably make initial judgments about your knowledge, from the quality of your opening paragraphs. So ensure your introduction is accurate, clear and articulate.

Main Body

The pyramid starts to thin, becoming narrower, therefore so does our discussion. You need to be specific now and write in greater depth about key aspects of your thesis. As the pyramid becomes narrower (the saying 'quality not quantity' applies here) focus on fewer ideas but in greater detail, rather than including lots of different points, briefly describing them. The depth of your knowledge of the ideas your write about is critical.

This is where your reading and research will help you to select the ideas you will include. Plan an outline of your paragraphs, with each paragraph focusing on and developing a specific idea. Use the idea of topic sentences to open each paragraph, and consider ending the last paragraph in a section by expressing the significance it has on the whole essay.

If you don’t have evidence for a point then don’t incorporate it! Examples of evidence which might support your ideas: 

• Data from articles or your own empirical research;
• Commonly accepted facts, apparent in a range of sources;
• Statistics from reputable institutions. 

Conclusion - The Apex

The final section of your essay may be just one paragraph, but in more complex essays can consist of several. Your conclusion may serve a range of purposes:

• summarize a single, final judgement about the topic being discussed;
• clarify the answer to the original question posed; 
• describe links to broader issues;
• identify areas for further work or study.

This is not the stage at which to introduce new material, ideas and sources. The conclusion should summarize arguments already presented, with reference to key evidence (again, already explored). It should give the reader a satisfying sense of arrival (Barker, 2013) as ideas within the preceding discussion are pulled together, tied up, and presented as your own 'new' thoughts on the topic in question. 

Good luck!

(Many thanks to James, for providing the inspiration ... and a good number of the words for this post.)

Reference and Further Reading

Barker, A. (2018) Essay Writing Explained: How to Write an Essay. Bookboon. 

Castle, K. (2010) Study skills for your masters in teaching and learning. Exeter: Learning Matters.

Cottrell, S. (2005) Critical Thinking Skills: Developing Effective Analysis and Argument. Basingstoke; New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

University of Manchester (no date) Academic Phrasebank. Available at: https://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/ (Accessed April 21).

Wallace, M. and Wray, A. (2006) Critical Reading and Writing for Postgraduates. London: Sage.

Wyse, D (2007) The Good Writing Guide for Education Students. 2nd edn. London: Sage.