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To attract the examiner’s interest so that
he/she will be encouraged to read your essay
To give the examiner a good first impression
of your writing skills
To provide the examiner with the context in
which you will present your ideas in the essay
To present the thesis statement of your essay
1.
Begin with a broad/general statement about
the topic and then narrow it down to the
thesis statement
broad/general statement
Narrower statement(s)
thesis statement
The children of today are the adults of tomorrow. They are
assets whom we have to nurture with love, care and
guidance. Yet, there is such a crime that is termed as ‘child
abuse’ – a heinous act that requires urgent attention and a
clear understanding of the issues involved. The underlying
causes of child abuse should be examined, and the forms
that these take have to be looked into so that appropriate
suggestions can be made on how to address the problem
The children of today are the adults of tomorrow. They are
assets whom we have to nurture with love, care and
guidance. Yet, there is such a crime that is termed as ‘child
abuse’ – a heinous act that requires urgent attention and a
clear understanding of the issues involved. The underlying
causes of child abuse should be examined, and the forms
that these take have to be looked into so that appropriate
suggestions can be made on how to address the problem
2.
Use an incident/brief story or anecdote
relevant to the topic.
Incident/Brief story
Thesis statement
“ Son, when I was your age life was so different. We
had no privacy within the family unit or state-ofthe art amenities. Yet we were happy.” My father
was probably right when he said this. The way we
live as a family unit and the quality life we enjoy
appear to be different from that of our parents’
generation.
“ Son, when I was your age life was so different. We
had no privacy within the family unit or state-ofthe art amenities. Yet we were happy.” My father
was probably right when he said this. The way we
live as a family unit and the quality life we enjoy
appear to be different from that of our parents’
generation.
3.
Begin with a thought provoking question or
a series of questions related to the topic
Series of questions
Thesis statement
Did you return to your hometown to celebrate Hari Raya
Aidilfitri? Were you and your family caught in a massive traffic
jam? Did you see any accidents on the way? If your answers to
these questions are a resounding ‘yes’, then you were indeed a
participant of the ‘balik kampung’ phenomenon. This ‘balik
kampung’ phenomenon often results in massive traffic jams on
the highways, closure of school in the midst of the semester and
an increased number of fatal accidents
Did you return to your hometown to celebrate Hari Raya
Aidilfitri? Were you and your family caught in a massive traffic
jam? Did you see any accidents on the way? If your answers to
these questions are a resounding ‘yes’, then you were indeed a
participant of the ‘balik kampung’ phenomenon. This ‘balik
kampung’ phenomenon often results in massive traffic jams on
the highways, closure of school in the midst of the semester and
an increased number of fatal accidents
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Describe the major stressors in teens' lives
Describe the place where you would like to
spend eternity.
Explain three likely consequences of not
knowing how to use a computer.
Define what is happiness.