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Introduction
The introductory paragraph is a crucial part of a formal essay. It should provide an insight to the subject of the paper, and the writer`s aim should be to make the reader feel involved in the topic. There are several methods that might be employed in order to catch the reader`s attention immediately. The kind of introduction chosen by the writers varies according to several factors, one of which might be the circumstances in which the essay is written, as in take-home and in-class essays, or essays written at exams. This paper will examine the writers` choice of introductory techniques in the last situation, through discussing the beginnings of eleven essays of the 1996 proficiency test.

Method
During the process of analysing the way students started their proficiency test essays (PTEs) and markers commented on them, I selected a good deal of material. Apart from the essays, I used some supplementary material in connection with them and the exam itself. I also used related literature: I turned to books on essay writing in order to find out what types of introductions are possible and suggested by experts. Therefore, I got a basis for classifying the students` essays.

The main subject matter of the whole research, the PTEs, was written by first-year English majors at JPU at the end of the second semester of the 1995-96 university year, as one of the four subtests of their filter test. In the writing part, candidates were presented with a choice of topics, and their work was evaluated by two cross-markers. The markers awarded marks on five evaluation categories: focus, accuracy, vocabulary, paragraph organisation and essay organisation. Two of these categories were relevant to my chosen topic. In terms of focus, the essay should define a specific idea in the first paragraph, and in terms of essay organisation, the paper should depart and arrive (Horváth 96:95). Having decided to work on these PTEs, I asked my tutor for a number of them, and I was given eleven randomly chosen essays to read. The second material I got from him was the cover sheet of the test package of the grammar, reading and writing components tasks. Therefore, I got to know how much time was recommended on these subcomponents and some other information in connection with the circumstances of the filter test – this information might be useful when working on essays written in such a situation. The third material given to me was the collection of cross-markers` comments on the PTEs, divided into three groups: those addressed to the other marker, those addressed to the author, and those without an addressee (Cross-markers` 96). I considered more significant the remarks I found in the actual essay sheets I read, but I also used this extra material, partly because some comments were not legible, and partly in order to get an overall picture of the comments.

On the basis of these sources I tried to set up a division of methods into various categories (which, of course, might overlap each other). I used the system of methods I found in the related literature. After thoroughly reading the PTEs I assigned them to these categories. This might be considered as an arbitrary act, which is natural, since standard categories cannot be set up, and this kind of classification cannot be authoritative. Moreover, one essay might belong to more than one category, as they do not exclude each other. My research represents only one approach to the subject. Next, I examined how the introductory paragraphs were carried out and how the markers commented on them; and I also made a guess whether the authors` choice of introductory technique was reflected in the scores or not.

Results and Discussion
One type of introduction is the general overview of the subject to be discussed in the main body of the essay. I found only one PTE belonging entirely to this category: its topic was arguing with a lover, and the introduction described people having different points of view in general (though this might be interpreted as an indirect way of defining). Besides, the first sentence of most of the other beginnings was providing general information on the topic, and it was followed by introductory thoughts from other categories.

The second type is the short review of the historical or cultural context, which occurred only in one case. Writing about listening to a teacher, the author explored the "long-established traditions" in "the interactions between students and teachers" (Raise 96:1) from ancient times. Regarding focus, this introduction did not appeal to the markers, since history of education was not relevant to the topic.

The next category is that of giving the definition of the basic concept of the essay. Most of the students used this device – they defined the clue word of their topic, for example e-mailing: "absolutely new, computerized way of correspondence" (Explain how to e-mail 96:1). One of the writers made the act of defining explicit: "First of all let`s clear the definition of arguing" (Analyze 96:1). The picture of an unhappy face on the margin indicated that the marker disapproved of this too direct form, since "the overt announcement of what is to be done, is often boring...Papers may be constructed by delineating parts, but they should show and not tell" (Hall 88:68).

A formal essay might begin with classification, as two of the examined PTEs did. One of them arranged communication methods in classes of writing letters, using body language, talking and phoning. The other one made a distinction between e-mailing from a long distance and e-mailing between friends living close to each other.

An effective technique of introducing an essay is the in medias res beginning. The only PTE that I found beginning this way declared: "It is almost summer. I`m sitting in this classroom knowing not how to make my lover understand. The weather is hot, the girls are nice around me..." (Explain how to argue 96:1). The marker`s remark might refer to this beginning: "Takes essay in jest and than flunks it" (Cross-markers` 96).

It is advisable to make a thesis statement in the concluding sentence of the introduction. It should briefly point out the main idea of the essay. A good thesis statement "states the purpose or direction of the paper in precise words, and, if possible, it indicates something about the writer`s attitude towards the subject" (Rackham & Bertagnolly 88:264). Only five PTEs included clearly identifiable thesis statements. One work expressed the attitude and purpose, which, unfortunately, were not sufficiently defined, since it consisted only of one confused sentence. Moreover, the writer lost direction in the rest of the essay despite stating it at the beginning, which the marker also noted.

Although the writers used various introductory techniques, starting with definitions proved to be the most popular, in addition to the general overview of the subject. This result might be due to the limited length of time that could be devoted to writing and to the fact that they could not use any material to search for extra information. If they had chosen the review of a cultural or historical background, they might have needed more knowledge than what they had in their heads, since they were not necessarily experts in the given topics. Thesis statements were missing in several cases, which did not appeal to the markers. Thesis statements would have been essential for the readers to understand the point, and also for the writers: they would normally urge the authors to organise their ideas in the body of the text according to what was stated at the beginning. The appropriateness of the introduction should be reflected in the focus and essay organisation components of the grading scheme, but one can get good marks only if it were in accordance with the rest of the essay. The type of introduction did not affect the markers` evaluation, but a good choice carried out properly might contribute to receiving a better remark.

Conclusion
In the research I found that the writers of these eleven PTEs had various approaches to opening their essays in order to achieve their aim of drawing the attention of their audience, so they made use of several kinds of introductory techniques. Still, they favoured certain types, at least in the circumstances my research focused on. Among other factors which might affect their choice in other situations as well, their preference given to certain methods might be the result of factors which are independent of the author and occur because of the exam situation.