A thesis statement is a single sentence that describes the main idea of your essay. Everything else in the essay will connect to the thesis statement, which acts as the central theme.
The reader should understand what you are going to discuss in your essay by reading the thesis statement.
Here are the steps to write a thesis statement:
Here’s a simple formula that you can use to craft an effective thesis statement for your essay:
[Your Topic] + [Your Claim/Position] + [Key Reasons/Evidence]
Topic explains what your essay is about, claims/position tell about your argument or stance, and key reasons/evidence elaborate on why your claim is valid.
A good thesis statement should have the following qualities:
Where to add a thesis statement in an essay?
You should write a thesis statement at the end of the introduction. It significantly makes the readers decide whether they want to continue reading.
You can write a strong thesis statement by following these essential steps:
Develop an exciting topic for your essay. Be sure to choose it after thorough research to be confident about the topic while writing your essay. Moreover, it would be best to determine your essay type, whether it is expository, argumentative, narrative, literary analysis or rhetorical analysis at the initial stage.
After deciding on your topic for the essay, you need to choose a particular aspect that you will discuss throughout the essay. For this, you should formulate a question that serves as the basis of the thesis statement.
Example:
If your essay topic is “junk food”, the question thus formulated can be “Is junk food bad for health?” Your thesis statement would be an answer to this question.
You need to come up with an initial answer that would generally answer your question. Through your initial answer, you can decide your stance on the topic and the direction your essay will take from this step onwards.
Example:
In the case of our chosen topic, your initial answer would be, “Junk food is bad for health”
A strong thesis statement also answers “how” and “why”. While claiming on a particular topic, you must provide logical reasoning to make a claim more valid and reliable. The final thesis statement will not just state your viewpoint but also summarise the whole discussion.
Example:
“Although junk food is consumed a lot by people, it is bad for health because it is the basic driving factor towards multiple serious complications such as obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart diseases”.
What are the steps to writing a thesis statement?
Essential steps to write a thesis statement are:
1. Decide on your topic and type of essay
2. Formulate a question
3. Write an initial answer
4. Add reasoning to your answer
We make sure our essays are:
Here are the types of thesis statements and their examples:
As in argumentative essays, you are supposed to present an argument with evidence and support one aspect. Your thesis statement should cover the significant argument you will present in your essay and the reason behind it.
EXAMPLE
If you’re asked to write an argumentative essay on “Is smoking bad for health?”.
A weak thesis statement: “Smoking is bad for health”.
A strong thesis statement: “Smoking is bad for health as it can cause various diseases, reduce lifespan and worsen the quality of life”.
An expository or explanatory thesis statement explains your topic to the reader and the key aspects you will be discussing in the essay. The statement should deliver the central idea of the essay.
A good thesis statement in an expository essay would spark interest and curiosity in the reader to seek more details.
EXAMPLE
If you’re asked to write an expository essay on “Can vehicle exhaust damage the environment?”.
A weak thesis statement: “Vehicle exhaust can damage the environment”.
A strong thesis statement: “The harmful gases in vehicle exhaust can harm the environment and its constituents by causing air pollution”
In this type of thesis statement, you will have to present the particular aspects that you will analyse in the essay. Through an analytical thesis statement, your readers will know exactly what you are going to evaluate in your essay.
The reader should get an idea of how your analytical essay will be beneficial and insightful.
EXAMPLE
If you’re asked to write an analytic essay on “Do students face pressure during examinations?”.
A weak thesis statement: “Students face pressure during examinations”.
A strong thesis statement: “An analysis of the prevalent examination system suggests that students face extra pressure during examinations mainly due to the fear of being left behind in case of failure”.
What are the types of a thesis statement?
Here are the three types of a thesis statement:
A. Argumentative thesis statement
B. Expository thesis statement
C. Analytical thesis statement
Here are some examples of thesis statements according to different academic disciplines:
Example 1: Literature
Topic: The role of feminism in Jane Eyre
Thesis Statement:
“Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre challenges Victorian gender norms by portraying Jane as an independent woman who seeks equality in love and social standing”.
Example 2: History
Topic: Causes of the American Revolution
Thesis Statement:
“The American Revolution was primarily driven by British taxation policies, lack of colonial representation, and Enlightenment ideas of liberty”.
Example 3: Environmental Science
Topic: Solutions to climate change
Thesis Statement:
“Transitioning to renewable energy, implementing carbon taxes, and reforestation are the most effective strategies to combat climate change”.
Example 4: Sociology
Topic: The impact of family structure on child development
Thesis Statement:
“Children raised in a single-parent household face greater economic and emotional challenges, but strong community support can mitigate these effects”.
Example 5: Art & Design
Topic: The influence of Renaissance art
Thesis Statement:
“The Renaissance revolutionized Western art through realism, humanism, and the use of perspective, shaping modern artistic techniques”.
A thesis statement should be 1-2 sentences long. It should be considered, but detailed enough to convey your argument.
No, a thesis statement must be a declarative sentence that presents a clear judgment. However, you can start with a research question before refining it into a thesis statement.
To write a thesis statement, identify the main argument of your essay. Make it concise, specific, and arguable. Ensure it reflects the purpose of your paper and provides a roadmap for your ideas. Revise and refine it until it effectively captures the essence of your argument.
It’s best to write your thesis statement first. However, you can revise it as you research and refine your argument throughout the process.
It is usually placed at the end of the introduction paragraph. It helps to guide the reader into the main argument.
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