essay introductions

Not because it’s long or complicated, but because it feels like the moment where they’re supposed to magically “get started.”

And when they don’t know how to begin, the predictable patterns appear:

The introduction is definitely the paragraph students dread writing the most...

Statements so broad they say nothing at all.
Background information with no relevance or urgency.

Hooks that feel like gimmicks: random quotes, dictionary definitions, surprise statistics — disconnected from the argument entirely.

But here's where the writing *really* breaks down...

A strong introduction has a number of key elements, but the 'hook' is the one that makes everything else fall into place.

Real talk, though?
The strategies students are taught as 'best practice'— start with a quote, a question, a shocking stat, a dictionary definition — rarely create real engagement.

Well there's a trick behind the essay 'hook'...
And it's *exactly* what our 'Start Smart' Intro Strategy targets...

Statements so broad they say nothing at all.

Background information with no relevance or urgency.