Your thesis shouldn’t be a simple statement of fact that everyone already knows. A good thesis statement is a claim that requires further evidence or analysis to back it up.
A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay. Everything else you write should relate to this key idea.
The best thesis statements are concise, contentious and coherent.
Here’s an example of an argumentative essay question that asks you to take a side in a debate:
What makes a good thesis statement?
A good thesis statement is short and sweet—don’t use more words than necessary. State your point clearly and directly in one or two sentences.
Particularly in an argumentative essay, your thesis statement should be something that others might question or disagree with.
Everything mentioned in your thesis statement must be supported and explained in the rest of your paper.
- It gives your writing direction and focus.
- It gives the reader a concise summary of your main point.
A precisely focused and well-grounded essay is more worthy of a First Class grade than one with a scattergun approach.
As I mentioned, the way your thesis statement is written can be the difference between a First and a Fail. But how?
It is by no means a complete essay, but it states clearly what the ‘short answer’ to the question is, whilst paving the way for the ‘long answer’ to follow.
Because the subject ‘municipalities’ is separated from the verb ‘does’ by eight words, it is easy to forget that they do not agree. It should, of course, be ‘do, not ‘does’.
What should a thesis statement include?
What your thesis statement includes is determined by three things:
(The basic conclusion is that Brexit was influenced by politicians
For the analytical essay, you need to add an overview of the analysis performed. Here’s an example:
In this persuasive thesis statement, you see that I state my opinion (the best type of sandwich), which means I have chosen a stance. Next, I explain that my opinion is correct with several key reasons. This persuasive type of thesis can be used in any essay that contains the writer’s opinion, including, as I mentioned above, compare/contrast essays, narrative essays, and so on.
Students usually end up using different terminology than simply “because,” but having a template is always helpful to get the creative juices flowing.
Strength: Finally, for a persuasive thesis to be strong, it needs to be arguable. This means that the statement is not obvious, and it is not something that everyone agrees is true.
Length: A thesis statement can be short or long, depending on how many points it mentions. Typically, however, it is only one concise sentence. It does contain at least two clauses, usually an independent clause (the opinion) and a dependent clause (the reasons). You probably should aim for a single sentence that is at least two lines, or about 30 to 40 words long.
2 Styles of Thesis Statements
Just as there are two different types of thesis statements (informative and persuasive), there are two basic styles you can use.
Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are the best type of sandwich because they are versatile, easy to make, and taste good.
When composing a thesis, you must consider not only the format, but other qualities like length, position in the essay, and how strong the argument is.
Now you’ve got a thesis, you need to use it to structure an essay. The next step is to choose the themes that you will discuss and introduce them to your reader.
In Part One of our popular Essay Writing Series, we teach you how to write a perfect thesis statement.
This statement uses the verb “could” which lacks certainty. You want to use verbs that have high-modality or high certainty.
“Politics illustrates the ultimate powerlessness of ordinary people.
Step 6: Learn how to write a thematic framework
We can take the process of essay writing and look at it in a diagram:
“Shakespeare’s King Henry IV pt 1 (1597) and Zvyagintsev’s Leviathan (2014) depict the ultimate flaw of politics, the lack of agency of the ordinary person.”
“The process of discovery involves uncovering what is hidden and reconsidering what is known.
Writing a good thesis statement is not easy. There is a tendency to parrot the question back at markers or present a statement that is overly broad and doesn’t give your discussion a focus. Sometimes students forget to address the whole of the question. These errors will leave you with a flawed thesis.
Option B goes more in-depth about why it's claim is correct and presents reasoning that can be justified from many external sources.
Example:Though uniforms can improve unity in schools, schools should not make students wear them.
B: Although many argue that human life is sacred, the death penalty should remain for people that commit brutal crimes and offer no positive value to their society.
Example:The primary reason why high school bullying takes place is the fact that modern teens watch violent videos and play violent video games.
Argumentative Thesis Statement
Download PDF examples of essays with a thesis statement. The statements are highlighted.
Example:Stress in the fast-food workplace can lead to serious physical, psychological, and emotional problems for employees.
Topic: stress
Claim: can lead to serious problems
Major points: physical, psychological and emotional problems.
The thesis statement should highlight the topic, the claim, and the major points which you are going to use in your academic paper to support the claim.
Another reason why the thesis statement is so important is that you are not likely to get an A for an essay which doesn’t include a thesis statement. It is one of the first things a Professor evaluates in an academic paper and one of the main factors for your grade.