This article unveils the top five tips to write PEEL paragraphs for your essays. Learn how to construct a paragraph and add arguments to support your idea or topic!
Do you often feel stressed just because your essays are not bringing fruit to the table and helping you achieve good academic grades? What can be wrong with your essays? The primary reason can be neglecting PEEL (point, evidence, explanation, link) paragraphs in your essays, which is a perfect tool to make your essay structured, authentic, and easy to read.
The University of Staffordshire states that following the PEEL approach in your essays can ensure you meet all the requirements set by your institution. However, it will require days to complete an essay according to the PEEL guidelines.
In this detailed guide, we will provide you with effective PEEL tips that are easy to utilise to write an engaging essay regardless of the subject. Let’s know these tips to ensure your academic journey remains smooth and hassle-free.
5 Tips to Strengthen Your Essay Paragraph Using the PEEL Method
The PEEL method is a perfect way to make your essay argumentative and structured. It consists of four rules or guidelines that every writer must follow in every paragraph. These four rules are:
• Point: A writer will start a paragraph by introducing the main point. It must be related to the idea of the paragraph. Genericism is strongly prohibited here.
• Evidence: You present a stat, quote, or reference to support your initial point. This evidence will be authentic and easy to find.
• Explanation: In this part of the paragraph, you will explain how examples or evidence support your point. Please make sure that you don’t even add a generic sentence. It can destroy the impact of your essay.
• Link: The last sentences of your paragraph must link back to the main point or introduce the next paragraph shortly. You can follow any approach according to your subject or requirements.
To ensure PEEL paragraph structure in your essay, you must work dedicatedly on data collection. The more data you have, the higher the evidence you will have to support your point or argument. All this process can be tricky and troublesome for students. Therefore, most of them consult London-based essay writing services to complete their writing using the PEEL method. It will make your essay full of arguments and evidence, which is essential to this structure.
To enrich your knowledge about this method, here are some expert tips from experienced essay writers that make a piece of writing interesting. Read till the end to enhance your understanding of the PEEL structure.
1. Decide on the Paragraph Length
In a PEEL paragraph, the length plays an important role. You will ensure consistency between paragraphs throughout your essay. For instance, this approach of making some paragraphs two-liners and others fifteen-liners will not only affect your essay aesthetically but also lead to poor structure. It becomes difficult for a student to explain their points or arguments logically without an appropriate paragraph length.
Some students make the mistake of keeping their paragraphs two to three lines long. Well, this approach can be effective for website or blog writing. However, it will not work in academia. You can’t follow the PEEL method if your paragraphs consist of two to three lines. A student can decide on the paragraph length based on the points and arguments. Furthermore, they can seek guidance from their supervisors.
According to the University of Newcastle, the paragraph length varies across disciplines. For example, students and research professionals keep paragraphs long in the social sciences and humanities.
Nevertheless, this approach changes entirely in medical sciences, where students keep their paragraphs short. You will need to keep your paragraphs structured and consistent throughout the essay for better grades.
2. Be Clear and Concise
William Shakespeare must be known to you. He was and even now is a famous poet. Shakespeare once said, “Brevity is the soul of wit”. This couldn’t be more true when it comes to the PEEL paragraph format. Unlike other forms of academic writing, where you have an option to deviate from the main topic, you can’t start or end your PEEL paragraphs without being clear and concise. Expert essay writers recommend that even a single generic sentence can decrease the efficacy of your essay.
This example of a PEEL paragraph will help you understand the importance of clarity and conciseness in an essay:
• Don’ts: One important thing, in this regard, you need to remember is that the excessive use of social media always affects the health of individuals.
• Do’s: The increased use of social media apps has negative effects on your mental well-being.
These sentences effectively highlight the importance of clarity and conciseness. When you can convey your message in one sentence, why bother to write a paragraph? If your sentences, paragraphs, and essays are clear and concise, the reader can go through it quickly and grade them as per your expectations. So, ensure brevity in your essay to improve your academic performance.
3. Use Credibile Evidence
A student can’t compromise the quality of evidence. Your arguments will only hold ground if they are backed by well-established studies. Vague or unauthentic evidence will not support your topic, leading to a question about the credibility of your writing. There can be various forms of evidence, and students can choose them according to their subjects. According to the University of Hull, you can use your data in some situations.
These situations are:
• If you have collected your data for research purposes.
• You can use your personal experiences in your essay, especially when you are from the social or health sciences.
• You can use books, research journals, and credible news outlets as your sources when writing a PEEL paragraph.
A student will also ensure that there is no vagueness in the evidence. “Studies show that people who get up early in the morning and go for a walk or exercise live a healthy and satisfactory life”. This type of evidence will not support your argument because the reader doesn’t know about these studies and where they were published.
Instead, you can mention a credible source and cite it properly. Let’s look at another example to understand how a credible source can improve the quality of your essay. “According to a study published in JAMA Cardiology, women who walk 3600 steps every day have lower risks of heart attacks”. This evidence isn’t only clear but also cites the source, making it easy for readers to navigate.
Pro Tip: Always cite a source when writing an essay, whether you follow the PEEL approach or not. The inability to do so can lead to academic dishonesty and penalties.
4. Analyse, Not Summarise
Starting a PEEL paragraph with the main point is an easy task for most students. Sometimes, students can easily support their arguments with evidence. However, the real challenge begins when they start analysing the evidence, explaining how the evidence is relevant to their topics or arguments. Creating synchronisation between the evidence and an extended PEEL paragraph will require expertise and a strong command of the topic.
Analysis is the third part of a PEEL paragraph. It has more significance than other parts because here you show your expertise and how effectively you understand the topic. If you are not aware of all the details, the explanation of this section will become difficult for you. Therefore, you first need to understand your topic and collect data accordingly.
A student must create synchronisation between the evidence and the topic wisely. Vague wording or poor sentence structure can destroy your argument regardless of the genuineness and credibility of your source. Pay extra attention to this part, and every PEEL paragraph will support your essay effectively.
5. Be Formal Throughout Your Paragraphs
Undoubtedly, every student is aware that they need to use formal language in their academic tasks, whether they are writing assignments or essays. However, they are unable to maintain formal consistency throughout the essay because they don’t pay as much attention to the last parts of the assignments as they do to the initial ones. This approach can lead to lower grades, leaving you frustrated.
As a student or a novice researcher, it’s a bit difficult to keep a formal tone in every sentence, paragraph, or section of the essay. You will not need to worry about it during the writing process. You can write as you want. However, the real uphill challenge will begin when you start pruning or trimming your essay.
During editing, you will thoroughly check the wording of every sentence and paragraph. It will help you detect informal or casual sentences from the introduction to the conclusion.
Here are a few tips for you to consider ensuring formal language in your essay:
• Read previously published articles, essays, and assignments to learn about the language the writers usually use.
• Don’t compromise editing. Read the paragraphs and different sections again and again to detect flaws and mistakes.
• Ask your fellows or family members to go through it in order to ensure accuracy and consistency in the writing tone.
PEEL Paragraph Sentence Starters
The sentence starters for a PEEL paragraph have great importance. If a starter isn’t engaging and interesting, it will not draw the reader’s attention. Please remember that these starters will not be a hook.
Usually, students start their essays or assignments with a hook – a question or quote. However, these startes vary significantly from hooks.
According to the Technological University of the Shannon, these are some starters for different sections of the PEEL paragraph:
• Point: It is essential to understand that. It is clear that.
• Evidence: The research shows that. This argument is supported by.
• Explanation: This evidence demonstrates. It helps us learn more about the procedure.
• Link: To conclude, the evidence suggests that. Hence, it’s clear that.
These starters are only to give you an idea. It doesn’t mean that you will always follow them when writing a PEEL paragraph. They can vary according to the subject and study levels. The starters play an important role in your essay’s success; therefore, choose them wisely.
What Is a PEEL Paragraph?
PEEL is an organised structure to construct paragraphs in essays or assignments. There are four rules in this method: Point, Evidence, Explain, and Link. You will create a paragraph according to these four points. If any point is missing, your writing will not be per the PEEL method.
Moreover, you need to maintain the sequence in your paragraphs because if “Link” appears before “Evidence”, it will not make your essay effective. PEEL paragraphs are an effective way to enhance the efficacy and impact of your academic writing.
How to Write a Good PEEL Paragraph?
First of all, you will need to decide on the topic because the later strategies are heavily dependent on this step. After selecting a topic, you will collect data from authentic sources, such as books, research journals, or well-reputed news websites.
Thirdly, you will gather the main points that make the studies relevant to your point and arguments. Please remember that these points must be logical. At the end, you can conclude a paragraph by linking it with the main point or to the next paragraph, as per your preferences or your supervisor’s instructions.
Conclusion
Writing PEEL paragraphs for your essay is an arduous task that can stress you for days. There are four rules in this method, and ignoring any of them in any paragraph can lead to a decrease in the impact of your essay. If your institute requires you to write an assignment or essay following the guidelines of the PEEL method, you first need to understand its rules before you start to write.
If writing PEEL paragraphs seems daunting, get services from top-rated essay writing agencies in the UK to start, collect, explain, and conclude every paragraph comprehensively. It helps you cite the original and authentic sources in your paragraphs and maintain a formal tone.
Author Bio
Maisie Williams is an expert essay writer with over five years of experience writing essays following the guidelines of the PEEL method. Having a master’s degree in economics, Maisie loves reading newly published articles and books to learn about the latest strategies for writing exceptional essays.