There is no more important skill in high school English than essay writing.  The tutor gives more commentary about choosing a thesis statement.

I first piped up about the thesis statement in my post last May 30. In that post, I commented that an essay needs a thesis statement, and needs to prove it, or it will fail.

A question presents itself: how do I choose my thesis statement?

If you want a mark you’ll be pleased with on the essay, you’re bound by two parameters:

1) Your thesis statement needs depth, rather than just being shallow/obvious.

2) Your thesis statement needs to be provable.

A writer who’s not engaged with their essay is more troubled by the first parameter; the one who’s caught up in it, by the second.

Let’s imagine you need to write an essay about fishing. Most importantly, therefore, you need a decent thesis statement about fishing.

The hazard of Parameter 1, with a possible way out:

Each of these thesis statements, by itself, is just too simple and obvious:

a)Fishing is beneficial because you catch fish.
b)Fishing is beneficial because you get fresh air.
c)Fishing is beneficial because it gives you time to yourself.

However, the three points above can be organized into a thesis statement that, while straightforward, is probably complex enough to earn a decent mark, if managed properly:

Fishing is a beneificial activity for three reasons: it gains nutritious food, it gets the fisher out in the fresh air, and it offers the fisher quiet time alone.

The hazard of Parameter 2, with a possible escape:

Let’s imagine the essay writer is a fishing enthusiast. They just can’t wait to start writing about the benefits of fishing. Here are some poor thesis choices they might make:

The fishing enthusiast, intuitively, feels all the thesis statements in the table above are absolutely true. Yet, they are obviously unprovable from an objective point of view.

The enthusiastic fisher/writer might do well to be more specific:

For many, fishing is a beneficial pastime because it brings the fisher outdoors, offers them temporary escape from daily bustle, and can be looked forward to from the turbulent office.

The more specific thesis statement is provable. It points out that many people benefit from fishing, and three likely reasons why. By narrowing down the participants and specifying the reasons, the enthusiastic writer has developed a useful thesis statement about fishing.

I’m not a fisher, but like any English student might have to do, I can write a thesis statement about it.

HTH:)

Jack of Oracle Tutoring by Jack and Diane, Campbell River, BC.