WRITING ACADEMIC ESSAY

WRITING SKILLS



I INTRODUCTION
*General statement
*Thesis statement

II BODY
*Topic sentence
*Supporting details
*Concluding sentence

III CONCLUSION
*Restatement or summary of the main points: final comment

Three main parts: Introduction, body and conclusion.
Should have at
least 3 paragraphs

General Statement:
-to introduce the general topic of the essay.
-to capture readers interest.

Thesis Statement:
-to state main idea of the essay (specific topic)
-to give a general idea of the contents of the essay
-a statement that sets out the writers purpose in writing the essay
-normally the last sentence in the introductory paragraph.

The body:
-consists of one or more paragraphs.

The conclusion:
-conclude sentence in a paragraph
-summary/review of the main points discussed in the body.

Example:
When the first Europeans came to the North American
continent, they encountered the completely new cultures of the
Native American peoples of North America. Native Americans,
who had highly developed cultures in many respects, must have
been as curious about the strange European manners and
customs as the European were curious about them. As always
happened when two or more cultures come into contact, there
was a cultural exchange. Native Americans adopted some of the
Europeans ways, and the Europeans adopted some of their
ways.

As a result, Native Americans have made many valuable
contributions to modern U.S. culture, particularly in the areas of
language, art, food and government.
Thesis
Statement
General
Statement
Characteristics of a good Thesis Statement

Most important sentences in the essay.

Introduce the topic of the essay as well as express an opinion/ideas.

The strongest and clearest statement in the essay.

Could be at the beginning of the essay normally at the last line of the
introduction.

Must be a complete sentence.

Should contain only ONE central idea and several main points that can
each be expanded into a paragraph.
Topic Sentences & Supporting Details

All paragraphs have a topic sentence, supporting sentences and some
paragraphs also have a concluding sentence.

Topic sentence
-states main idea of the paragraph. (complete sentence)
-limits to the topic to one specific area that can be discussed
completely in the space of a single paragraph.
-usually written at the first sentence in a paragraph. (but not always)
-contains both a topic and a controlling idea.
For an example:
Gold, a precious metal, is prized for two important characteristics.

Controlling idea
Topic
subject
verb
Supporting sentences/details
-develop the topic sentence
-explain/give more information

For an example:
Gold, a precious metal, is prized for two important characteristics.

First of all, a gold has a lustrous beauty that is resistant to corrosion.
For example, a Macedonian coin remains as untarnished today as
the day it was made 25 centuries ago. Another important
characteristic of gold is its usefulness to industry and science. The
most recent use of gold is in astronauts suits.

Topic
Supporting
sentences
Sample
Question:

Having a good dress sense is important. What do
you think? In not less than 350 words, support
your answer with reasons, examples and
justifications.
Outline
Introduction:
We are usually judged by how we dress, so it is
important for us to maintain an impressive
appearance.

Thesis statement:
A good dress sense helps us to express our
identity, improve our self esteem and adhere to
certain dress codes.

Outline
Paragraph 1

Topic Sentence Attire and appearance reflect who
we are

SD 1 helps to give a good first impression of yourself
SD 2 how we dress shows whether we are neat,
sloppy, organised etc
SD 3 people may treat you differently depending on
your appearance
Outline

Paragraph 2

Topic Sentence appropriate dressing gives you
mental boost

SD 1 helps to make you feel good about yourself
SD 2 increases your confidence and subconsciously
compels you to perform any task better
SD 3 your positive attitude may rub off on others
Outline

Paragraph 3

Topic Sentence knowing how to dress enables us to
determine the right attire for various
situations

SD 1 dress according to social norms, eg. wearing light
coloured clothes for funeral
SD 2 dress for success eg. having a good appearance
in order to impress your job interviewers
SD 3 dress to reflect the nature of an event, eg.
dressing casually for an informal event
Outline

Conclusion

Our attire determines the social identity and roles we
play on our play in our everyday lives. Hence, it is
important that we have a good dress sense to
convey a positive image.


TASK


Practice 1.docx
SAMPLE


MUET writing scheme.pdf
WRITING ASSIGNMENT


Writing Outline assignment (2).docx
FURTHER PRACTICE
1. Youngsters should decide on the course to pursue based on
job opportunities. What do you think? Give your opinion
and support it with reasons. You should write at least 350
words.

2. Some people think that it is important to use ones leisure
time for self-improvement activities like reading while
others believe that one should rest the mind during leisure
time. What do you think?
Write your answer, giving reasons to support your opinion.
You should write at least 350 words.