Writing a Thesis Statement
The cheapest point on the rubric
- One of the six points is for a defensible thesis responding to the prompt.
- It costs one sentence and no evidence.
- Students lose it by restating the prompt instead of taking a position.
It must require a defence
- Write a thesis that requires proof or defence.
- Apply the same test as always: could a reasonable person disagree?
- "There are arguments on both sides" fails the test — nobody disputes it.
A thesis earns its rubric point when it...
It must be arguable; restating the prompt takes no position and earns nothing.
It may preview the reasoning
- A thesis may preview the structure of the argument to come.
- That is useful when the shape is genuinely load-bearing.
- It is optional — and a mechanical list of three reasons often produces a rigid essay.
A thesis must list the reasons the essay will give.
It may preview the reasoning; the CED says explicitly that it need not list reasons.
Restating the prompt is the single most common way to lose the thesis point. "There are arguments on both sides of this issue" takes no position, so there is nothing to defend and nothing to award.
Would this earn the thesis point?
Sort each opening by whether it takes a defensible position.
Select all the tests this lesson gives for a thesis.
Length is never a test; arguability, specificity and responsiveness are.
Match each thesis fault to its diagnosis.
Only the third takes a position specific enough to be defended.
Specific enough to constrain
- A thesis so broad that any paragraph could belong under it is not directing the essay.
- Test it: name a paragraph your thesis rules out.
- If you cannot, the thesis is not doing any work.
A thesis written ____ sketching your evidence is nearly always better.
There are no marks for having predicted your own conclusion.
Writing it under time pressure
- Read the sources or the prompt and sketch your claims before fixing the thesis.
- A thesis written after the evidence is nearly always better than one written before it.
- If the evidence does not fit the thesis, change the thesis — there are no marks for consistency with your first idea.
Weak: "There are many arguments for and against this practice." Strong: "Because the practice rewards visible effort rather than actual improvement, it produces the appearance of progress while removing the incentive to seek it." The second is arguable, specific, and previews the reasoning.
A thesis must require a defence — a reasonable person could disagree. It may preview the reasoning but need not list reasons. Make it specific enough to rule some paragraphs out, and write it after sketching your evidence.