Make sure that your opening paragraph is not only clear but also short. Long introductions eat up the limited space available to develop your argument and support it. Give the transitions between paragraphs attention so that your argument does not degenerate into a series of separate mini-arguments. Each supporting paragraph should also begin with a topic sentence. This topic sentence, at the start of each paragraph, should announce the purpose of the paragraph and indicate how the paragraph fits into the overall argument of your essay.
Evidence requires discrimination picking the relevant rather than problematic or peripheral pieces.
Evidence also requires balance in quantity enough to convince the reader but not so much that the reader is overwhelmed, bored or even distracted from the general point that you want to make. An intelligent reader will have already gotten your argument if it is well made. Since your space is limited, you need to make each line count. Words, phrases, and sentences that don t serve your purpose take up valuable space. Remove whatever seems tangential or repetitious.