The thesis sentence

This is where you clearly state the position you’re taking on a topic. Remember not to use the first person. Also, for some topics, it’s hard to state your whole stance on the topic in one go. Take this rather awkward sentence, for instance:

Students should attend school through to the end of grade 12 to gain a decent educational background, except for those with mental handicaps or in extenuating circumstances.

Yuck! This sentence is unnecessarily long, because of the qualifiers at the end that add some extra information about the writer’s position. You’re much better off making a strong simple thesis sentence and adding in these qualifiers later on:

Students should attend school through to the end of grade 12 to gain a decent educational background. Blah blah blah ...

Somewhere later on in the essay:

In extenuating circumstances, however, a standard education through to grade 12 is not necessarily the best choice for students. Blah blah blah ...

Somewhere even later on in the essay:

For students with genuine mental difficulties, an alternative approach is needed. Blah blah blah ...

Click here to move on to the next topic: General structure of the argumentative essay