The examiner is going to be marking many similar essays. To send the examiner to sleep immediately:

Just repeat the words of the question ‘This essay asks about … and I am going to …’)
Give a hackneyed dictionary definition of one or more of the terms in the question.

Instead, try to wake the examiner up. Try starting with:

The main thing is to demonstrate that you have thought about the question.

A strong ending is important in that it creates the final impression the examiner carries away from your answer:

	Created by Ollie James Chapman over 11 years ago

English Note on How to anser English questions, created by Ollie James Chapman on 13/05/2013.