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Structuring an essay

Use the outline to check if you re missing anything

More detailed outlines

Organising an outline chronologically

Organising an outline for contrast and comparison

General essay considerations

The thesis statement

Evolution of the thesis statement

Using the thesis statement to work out if you re in over your head

Placement of the thesis statement

How to present the thesis statement

The thesis statement

Most essays have a thesis statement. All thesis statements tell the reader what the essay is going to be about, in one way or another. Sometimes thesis statements are explicit - they say that the essay is going to cover this and that. In descriptive essays, this is often the case. Other times, such as in argumentative essays, the thesis statement makes a strong statement about the topic or issue. This leaves the reader to work out that the rest of the essay is going to be about the statement and supporting evidence and arguments for the statement.

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