Your EE has to have a purpose if you want a good score. After your dump and research, you're going to create your structure — the skeleton that every paragraph hangs on.
The Grade-A Basic Structure
This is the structure used for a 32/34 EE. It's adaptable to most subjects:
Section I: Introduction
Hook, context, significance, and your research question.
Section II: Literature Review
Critical evaluation of existing research — not a summary.
Section III: Methodology
What tools you used and why they were the right choice.
Section IV: Analysis / Case Study
Apply your tools. Present findings with evidence. The heart of your essay.
Section V: Discussion
Evaluate findings. Connect to literature review. Assess limitations.
Section VI: Conclusion
Directly answer your RQ. Summarise evidence. Suggest future research.
Section VII: References
Complete bibliography in proper citation format.
Mapping Sections to Criteria
This is the strategy that changes everything. Each section intentionally targets specific criteria.
| Section | Primary Criteria | What the Examiner Looks For |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction | Criterion A | Topic understanding, RQ clarity, significance |
| Literature Review | Criterion A | Knowledge of existing research and frameworks |
| Methodology | Criterion B | Justified choice and application of methods |
| Analysis | Criteria B + C | Application of tools, original findings, evaluation |
| Discussion | Criterion C | Synthesis, limitations, connection to literature |
| Conclusion | Criteria C + D | Clear answer to RQ, academic conventions |
| Throughout | Criterion D | Academic tone, formatting, citations, structure |
No purposeless writing. Every paragraph serves a criterion.
Tip
After building your structure, go through each planned section and write in the margin which criterion it targets. If a section doesn't clearly target any criterion, cut it or refocus it.
Key Takeaways
- Follow the 7-section structure that earned 32/34
- Map every section to specific criteria before writing
- No purposeless writing — every paragraph has a job
- Your structure should make it easy for the examiner to award marks