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Thesis Statement "Do"s and "Don't"s
Do not just restate the question
Do make a point/ take a position/ make a statement – that you can prove or justify with your supporting paragraphs
Do make sure that it is clear what type of essay it is:
- For comparative essays, your thesis should indicate BOTH the similarities and differences, try to demonstrate this by using words like "shared", "similarly"/ "while", "conversely", and "opposingly"
- For CCOT essays, the thesis should indicate changes and continuities this can be demonstrated through the use of wording such as: "evolved", "adapted", "progressed", "matured" / "maintained", "remained", and "held onto"
- For DBQ essays, the thesis should indicate that the conclusion is based on documents or views presented in documents
Do indicate to the reader the way you are organizing your argument– consider this the ‘preview’ of the rest of the essay
Do avoid using words that are vague (examples: very, some, many, a lot, things, stuff, few… ; these are qualifiers which don’t actually convey information – instead try to briefly state one specific example)
Don’t include items in your thesis that are never mentioned again in the supporting paragraphs
Don’t be afraid to change your thesis to better reflect the rest of the essay (you may find that your thesis does not match the supporting paragraphs you have written. If you write your thesis first and then the supporting paragraphs – check back on the thesis to see if it matches the rest of the argument you made, when you find a mismatch you need to make changes so that your essay is stronger)
Don’t worry about constructing the rest of an introductory paragraph, especially during timed testing – the thesis statement is acceptable to stand alone if the supporting paragraphs can meet the rest of the requirements of the essay.
Do make sure that your thesis addresses all parts of the question being asked – often the prompt for an essay specifies areas of analysis such as political sphere, economic structure, or the influence of religion. Other components to include can be (one or all of these): time period(s), region(s), and/or specified populations
Do try to show thought or analysis for the reasons for why things have happened or the motivations for actions/ beliefs/ innovations…. The challenge of the AP essay is not only demonstrating knowledge but also indicating depth of thought. Higher scores are achieved when students have essays which reflect historical thinking skills.
Do make a point/ take a position/ make a statement – that you can prove or justify with your supporting paragraphs
Do make sure that it is clear what type of essay it is:
- For comparative essays, your thesis should indicate BOTH the similarities and differences, try to demonstrate this by using words like "shared", "similarly"/ "while", "conversely", and "opposingly"
- For CCOT essays, the thesis should indicate changes and continuities this can be demonstrated through the use of wording such as: "evolved", "adapted", "progressed", "matured" / "maintained", "remained", and "held onto"
- For DBQ essays, the thesis should indicate that the conclusion is based on documents or views presented in documents
Do indicate to the reader the way you are organizing your argument– consider this the ‘preview’ of the rest of the essay
Do avoid using words that are vague (examples: very, some, many, a lot, things, stuff, few… ; these are qualifiers which don’t actually convey information – instead try to briefly state one specific example)
Don’t include items in your thesis that are never mentioned again in the supporting paragraphs
Don’t be afraid to change your thesis to better reflect the rest of the essay (you may find that your thesis does not match the supporting paragraphs you have written. If you write your thesis first and then the supporting paragraphs – check back on the thesis to see if it matches the rest of the argument you made, when you find a mismatch you need to make changes so that your essay is stronger)
Don’t worry about constructing the rest of an introductory paragraph, especially during timed testing – the thesis statement is acceptable to stand alone if the supporting paragraphs can meet the rest of the requirements of the essay.
Do make sure that your thesis addresses all parts of the question being asked – often the prompt for an essay specifies areas of analysis such as political sphere, economic structure, or the influence of religion. Other components to include can be (one or all of these): time period(s), region(s), and/or specified populations
Do try to show thought or analysis for the reasons for why things have happened or the motivations for actions/ beliefs/ innovations…. The challenge of the AP essay is not only demonstrating knowledge but also indicating depth of thought. Higher scores are achieved when students have essays which reflect historical thinking skills.