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Lesson 6:
Writing a Thesis Statement
In this lesson we will look at what thesis statements are, and how you
can vary the way you write it according to the question.
They are a crucial part of writing an introduction.

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What is a thesis statement?

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Don't get it mixed up with the

topic of your essay - this is
usually at the beginning of your
introduction.

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Very basically, it tells the person

reading your essay what will be
in it. It may also give your
opinion if the question asks you
for this.

Lesson 1:
Analysing Essay Questions
Part 1 - Identifying the Topic
Lesson 2:
Analysing Essay Questions
Part 2 - Identifying the Task
Lesson 3:
Brainstorming and Planning
an Essay
Lesson 4:
Improving Essay Coherency
with Transitions
Lesson 5:
Writing an IELTS Essay
Introduction
Lesson 6:
Writing a Thesis Statement
Lesson 7:
How to get an IELTS Writing
band 7
Lesson 8:
Improving Essay Coherency

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How do I write a thesis statement?

In order to make it effective, you must have first identified the task of
the essay. If you are unsure about this, check out this lesson on
identifying the task.
The task is what you have to do, and is usually at the end of the
rubric. For example, look at this IELTS essay question:
As global trade increases, many goods including those we use
on a daily basis are produced in other countries and
transported long distances.
Do the benefits of this trend *outweigh the drawbacks?
What you have to do (the task) is explain whether you think, overall,
an increase in the production of goods in other countries and their
subsequent transportation over long distances is more
advantageous or disadvantageous.

with Pronouns
Lesson 9:
Writing an IELTS Essay
Conclusion
Lesson 10:
Transitional Phrases for
Essays
Lesson 11:
Good Paragraph Writing
Lesson 12:
How to write Problem
Solution Essays
Lesson 13:
Understanding IELTS Opinion
Essays

So your essay is obviously going to be discussing the advantages

and disadvantages of this issue, and this is what needs to be made
clear in your thesis statement.

Lesson 14:
A more complex essay
question

It is also an opinion essay as it is asking you to make a decision on

whether you think there are more advantages or disadvantages. So
you need to make this clear as well.

Lesson 15:
Personal Pronouns in Essays

Here is an example introduction, with the thesis in bold:

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Due to the increase in global trade, many of the goods that

we consume every day are made in a different country and
then transported over a long distance in order to reach us. In
my opinion, this trend has more disadvantages than
advantages.
You would then go on to write about the advantages and
disadvantages of global trade (focusing more on the

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disadvantages as you think there are more of these).

*Just a quick note on the word 'outweigh'. This word often confuses
students and they end up writing a thesis statement opinion that
contradicts what they write in the essay.
The simple answer - don't use the word! It is just asking you if
there are more advantages than disadvantages. So just state what
you think in the thesis without using the word, as in the example.

How does the thesis statement change with

different types of question?
We will now look at how thesis statements can vary with different
question types. However, you should not try to learn set phrases or
sentences to fit certain essays.
There are some broad types of essay question that are common to
see, but they can all vary slightly.
The golden rule is to always read the question very carefully
(never rush this as you may not fully answer the question) and work
out what you have to do.
Your thesis statement will then follow on from this, depending on
what you have decided you need to write about in order to answer the
question.
So below are some suggestions of what you could do for certain
common kinds of essay question, but this is not to say these are right
and other ways are wrong. There are numerous ways to write good
thesis statements and these are just possibilities.

1) Writing about Two Opinions

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Some questions ask you specifically to discuss two opinions and to

give your opinion.
Some people think that young children should be allowed to
do paid work, while others think that this should be illegal.
Discuss both opinions and give your opinion.
There are various ways you could choose to write an introduction and
thesis for this.
Example 1
You could begin by paraphrasing the two opinions, then stating in the
thesis what you will do:
Some people belive that it is acceptable for young children to
undertake jobs that they are paid for, whereas others believe
that this is wrong and should be illegal. This essay will
discuss both sides of the issue.
This is quite simplistic but it makes it very clear what you are going to
do.
You will obviously need to give your opinion as well in the essay, but
stating this in the thesis ("This essay will discuss both sides of the
issue and then give my opinion") sounds awkward so it is better
without it.
Here is a sample essay with a similar thesis statement.
Example 2
Another possible way to do it is by having a sentence to introduce the
topic first, and then paraphrasing the two opinions to make them your
thesis:
At present, more and more young children are becoming
involved in paid work. Whilst some people are of the

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opinion that this is an entirely acceptable practice, others

believe that this is completely wrong and should be
made illegal.
This is fine as your thesis will match with your essay - you go on to
discuss the first opinion and then the second one.
Here is another model essay using such a thesis statement.
Example 3
Or of course you could modify this slighly to include your opinion:
At present, more and more young children are becoming
involved in paid work. Whilst some people are of the
opinion that this is an entirely acceptable practice, I
believe that this is completely wrong and should be
made illegal.
As long as you go on to discuss both sides of the argument, this is
fine.

2) Agreeing or Disagreeing
Another type of question is when you are asked to agree or
disagree with one opinion.
Currently there is a trend towards the use of alternative forms
of medicine. However, at best these methods are ineffective,
and at worst they may be dangerous.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?
For this type of question, you need to state what your opinion is in
the thesis statement.
Although you could feasibly do this in the conclusion, I think it is

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better to do it first so it is clear to someone reading the essay what

your opinion is upfront. It is not wrong though to put it in the
conclusion - this is your choice.
Your thesis statement here will depend on whether you agree,
disagree, or partly agree. Here are some examples of each:
A thesis statement that agrees with the opinion:
Alternative medicine is not new. It is accepted that it predates conventional medicine and it is still used by many
people all over the world. However, I strongly believe that
this form of medicine does not work and is possibly a
danger to those using it.
A thesis statement that disagrees with the opinion:
Alternative medicine is not new. It is accepted that it predates conventional medicine and it is still used by many
people all over the world. I am unconvinced that it is
dangerous, and feel that both alternative and
conventional medicine can be useful.
A thesis statement that partly agrees with the opinion:
Alternative medicine is not new. It is accepted that it predates conventional medicine and it is still used by many
people all over the world. I agree that for certain
conditions this type of medicine is ineffective and could
even be dangerous, but for some illnesses it is a good
alternative choice.
These examples illustrate why it is important to ananlyze the question
carefully and brainstorm your ideas first so you have a clear idea of
what you will be writing and what your opinion is.
Here is a model essay answering the question.

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3) Other Essays
Some other essays may not ask you for your opinion specifically, but
may ask you to discuss, for example, problems and solutions,
causes and effects, advantages and disadvantages.
If you are asked to do this, then you should just clearly state that you
will be discussing these two things in your essay. Here are some
examples:
Problems and solutions:
Overpopulation of urban areas has led to numerous
problems.
Identify one or two serious ones and suggest ways that
governments and individuals can tackle these problems.
Sample thesis in bold:
Many countries of the world are currently experiencing
problems caused by rapidly growing populations in urban
areas. Both governments and individuals have a duty to
find ways to overcome these problems.
View model answer for this essay.
Causes and Effects:
The percentage of overweight children in western society has
increased by almost 20% in the last ten years.
Discuss the causes and effects of this disturbing trend.
Sample thesis in bold:
Over the last ten years, Western societies have seen close to a
20% rise in the number of children who are overweight. This

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essay will discuss some reasons why this has occurred

and examine the consequences of this worrying trend.
View model answer for this essay.
Advantages and Disadvantages:
In order to solve traffic problems, governments should tax
private car owners heavily and use the money to improve
public transportation.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of such a
solution?
Sample thesis in bold:
Traffic congestion in many cities around the world is severe.
One possible solution to this problem is to impose heavy
taxes on car drivers and use this money to make public
transport better. This essay will discuss the benefits and
drawbacks of such a measure.
View model answer for this essay.
This lesson has provided you with some broad guidance on writing a
thesis statement for different types of essay.
It is important to stress again though that questions can vary so you
must always analyze if carefully and identify exactly what you need to
do and what should therefore be in your thesis statement.
Remember, a thesis statement is just telling the reader what the
focus of your essay is and giving your opinion if necessary.
Follow this link to see some examples of IELTS essay questions.

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Ayen Boninay Pallera Gutierrez Works at De La Salle University

Medical Center
hi ielts buddy!
do you think this intro and thesis statement is correct?

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At present, the use of alternative medicines are becoming

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At present, the use of alternative medicines are becoming

popular in our society. In this essay, I am going to discuss
whether these methods could really be ineffective and
dangerous.
thanks for help!
Reply Like June 27 at 6:28pm
Ielts Buddy

Top Commenter

Hi, yes it looks ok.

Reply Like July 1 at 6:37am
Samadhan Sawant Works at Volkswagen india Pvt ltd
What do you mean?
Reply Like June 22 at 4:25am
Nomi Learner
yeop , and the main hint is vitally important not to forget to write
two things , topic and thesis as it mentioned above , and thesis
varies respectively to the topic , LIFEISEASY
Reply Like January 13 at 4:09pm
Spark QI University of Leicester
very useful material, which is quite good for writing
Reply Like

1 September 20, 2013 at 7:43am

Vladimir Rodriguez
Santo Domingo

Top Commenter Universidad Catlica

http://www.ieltsbuddy.com/traffic-problems.html (No such URL

at this domain).
Reply Like August 14, 2013 at 4:25am
Rezaul Hasan Design Engineer at DaRam
Engineering IT Ltd.
http://www.ieltsbuddy.com/traffic-problemsessay.html
Reply Like March 12 at 9:36am
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