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How to Write a Thesis Statement | 4 Steps & Examples

How to Write a Thesis Statement | 4 Steps & Examples

Published on January 11, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on August 15, 2023 by Eoghan Ryan.

A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . It usually comes near the end of your introduction .

Your thesis will look a bit different depending on the type of essay you’re writing. But the thesis statement should always clearly state the main idea you want to get across. Everything else in your essay should relate back to this idea.

You can write your thesis statement by following four simple steps:

Start with a question
Write your initial answer
Develop your answer
Refine your thesis statement

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What is a thesis statement, placement of the thesis statement, step 1: start with a question, step 2: write your initial answer, step 3: develop your answer, step 4: refine your thesis statement, types of thesis statements, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about thesis statements.

A thesis statement summarizes the central points of your essay. It is a signpost telling the reader what the essay will argue and why.

The best thesis statements are:

Concise: A good thesis statement is short and sweet—don’t use more words than necessary. State your point clearly and directly in one or two sentences.
Contentious: Your thesis shouldn’t be a simple statement of fact that everyone already knows. A good thesis statement is a claim that requires further evidence or analysis to back it up.
Coherent: Everything mentioned in your thesis statement must be supported and explained in the rest of your paper.

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The thesis statement generally appears at the end of your essay introduction or research paper introduction .

The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education. The use of the internet in academic contexts and among young people more generally is hotly debated. For many who did not grow up with this technology, its effects seem alarming and potentially harmful. This concern, while understandable, is misguided. The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its many benefits for education: the internet facilitates easier access to information, exposure to different perspectives, and a flexible learning environment for both students and teachers.

You should come up with an initial thesis, sometimes called a working thesis , early in the writing process . As soon as you’ve decided on your essay topic , you need to work out what you want to say about it—a clear thesis will give your essay direction and structure.

You might already have a question in your assignment, but if not, try to come up with your own. What would you like to find out or decide about your topic?

For example, you might ask:

After some initial research, you can formulate a tentative answer to this question. At this stage it can be simple, and it should guide the research process and writing process .

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Now you need to consider why this is your answer and how you will convince your reader to agree with you. As you read more about your topic and begin writing, your answer should get more detailed.

In your essay about the internet and education, the thesis states your position and sketches out the key arguments you’ll use to support it.

The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its many benefits for education because it facilitates easier access to information.

In your essay about braille, the thesis statement summarizes the key historical development that you’ll explain.

The invention of braille in the 19th century transformed the lives of blind people, allowing them to participate more actively in public life.

A strong thesis statement should tell the reader:

Why you hold this position
What they’ll learn from your essay
The key points of your argument or narrative

The final thesis statement doesn’t just state your position, but summarizes your overall argument or the entire topic you’re going to explain. To strengthen a weak thesis statement, it can help to consider the broader context of your topic.

These examples are more specific and show that you’ll explore your topic in depth.

Your thesis statement should match the goals of your essay, which vary depending on the type of essay you’re writing:

In an argumentative essay , your thesis statement should take a strong position. Your aim in the essay is to convince your reader of this thesis based on evidence and logical reasoning.
In an expository essay , you’ll aim to explain the facts of a topic or process. Your thesis statement doesn’t have to include a strong opinion in this case, but it should clearly state the central point you want to make, and mention the key elements you’ll explain.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . Everything else you write should relate to this key idea.

The thesis statement is essential in any academic essay or research paper for two main reasons:

It gives your writing direction and focus.
It gives the reader a concise summary of your main point.

Without a clear thesis statement, an essay can end up rambling and unfocused, leaving your reader unsure of exactly what you want to say.

Follow these four steps to come up with a thesis statement :

Ask a question about your topic .
Write your initial answer.
Develop your answer by including reasons.
Refine your answer, adding more detail and nuance.

The thesis statement should be placed at the end of your essay introduction .

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Tips and Examples for Writing Thesis Statements

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Tips for Writing Your Thesis Statement

1. Determine what kind of paper you are writing:

An analytical paper breaks down an issue or an idea into its component parts, evaluates the issue or idea, and presents this breakdown and evaluation to the audience.
An expository (explanatory) paper explains something to the audience.
An argumentative paper makes a claim about a topic and justifies this claim with specific evidence. The claim could be an opinion, a policy proposal, an evaluation, a cause-and-effect statement, or an interpretation. The goal of the argumentative paper is to convince the audience that the claim is true based on the evidence provided.

If you are writing a text that does not fall under these three categories (e.g., a narrative), a thesis statement somewhere in the first paragraph could still be helpful to your reader.

2. Your thesis statement should be specific—it should cover only what you will discuss in your paper and should be supported with specific evidence.

3. The thesis statement usually appears at the end of the first paragraph of a paper.

4. Your topic may change as you write, so you may need to revise your thesis statement to reflect exactly what you have discussed in the paper.

Thesis Statement Examples

Example of an analytical thesis statement:

The paper that follows should:

Explain the analysis of the college admission process
Explain the challenge facing admissions counselors

Example of an expository (explanatory) thesis statement:

Explain how students spend their time studying, attending class, and socializing with peers

Example of an argumentative thesis statement:

Present an argument and give evidence to support the claim that students should pursue community projects before entering college

How to Write a HSC Essay

Jamon Windeyer

Wednesday 16th, March 2016

Why do I need to know how to write an HSC essay? Well, it is impossible to go through Year 11 and 12 without writing one. In fact, it is pretty much impossible to go through without writing at least four of them! I personally had to write 8 of them across my subjects, and I was math/science oriented. If you are HSIE focused – Well, you would know all too well that essays can be nasty.

The thing is, essay writing is one of the skills we struggle with most as students. I hated it, especially in Year 11. I could argue a point and give examples, but I just couldn’t wrap my head around essay structure. I had absolutely no idea what a Thesis even was, let alone how to make a good one and link it to the question.

Thankfully, this is a skill that can be learned. I had awesome teachers and I stuck at it, and I got there in the end. The thing is, teachers almost never give this super important subject the time it deserves. Essay writing is a skill, just like differentiation in math, notating a rhythm in music, or citing a case in Legal Studies. It is one of the most important skills you’ll ever develop.

Before I start, I wanted to make sure you guys all knew about our FREE HSC Tutoring Threads . These are a great way to ask follow up questions on these articles and get help with anything you need, fast!

Legal Studies

Modern History

Mathematics

Mathematics Extension 1

Mathematics Extension 2

English Advanced

English Standard

Studies of Religion

I wanted to write this guide as my break down for How to Write a HSC Essay. For any subject. In any scenario. Although every subject is slightly different, every essay has an almost identical backbone. It is this backbone that I had so much trouble with, and that is why I wrote this.

What is the Purpose of an Essay?

An essay, generally, is an academic piece of work that presents the argument of the author. This is a very vague definition, but it pretty much hits the nail on the head as to what any HSC essay is for. You are presenting your argument. This could take the form of analysis of a text for English, personal opinion on a contemporary legal issue for Legal Studies. All slightly different, but the same in that it is your thoughts on paper.

When presenting your argument , as it were, you need a structure. An essay is the standard format (at least for HSC purposes) for presenting arguments. This serves two purposes. One, it organises your argument into logical sections (Intro, Body, Conclusion), which adds to its weight and sophistication (as opposed to, say, a free form extended response). Second, it provides a standardised format, so that academics can read outside of their subject area and still engage with the text, because they are used to the structure. It is kind of like driving in Melbourne versus Sydney: Yeah, there are differences, but the set structure is the same.

As a side note, what is with the right turns from the left hand lane in Melbourne? Ridiculous. Anyway…

So, you need a structure. It can be broken down into three parts.

Thesis Paragraph (Introduction)

Your Thesis paragraph is first. The first question to ask (and I asked a LOT before I finally understood) is, what is a Thesis? Put simply, a Thesis is a statement, a premise, an opinion, etc., put forward to the reader to be proved. For example, a Thesis statement from Legal Studies:

Domestic violence, despite a somewhat effective response from domestic measures, remains an example of how the NSW Legal System is failing to protect victims of relationship breakdown.

As a side note, if you are a legal student and want help writing a Thesis like this, jump over to my Guide to Writing a Legal Studies Thesis!

This is the idea put forward, and as you may guess, is the focus of the essay. The Thesis is the most important part of a HSC essay. It must be sophisticated, it must address the question, and it must give you a chance to show what you know about the question.

To structure your Thesis Paragraph, follow the TALK scaffold:

Thesis: Your thesis statement, as outlined above. This is where you, immediately, put forward what you will be discussing in your essay. It may contain an opinion, it may not, but either way it is what you will be proving in your essay. This can be one or two sentences, depending on how complicated you want it to be.

Amplify: Some extra details with regard to your Thesis. This is where you link the idea to the question. For example, your Thesis might discuss how composers draw on their own experiences to create more powerful texts. You amplify by identifying the texts you have been asked to talk about. In general, the Thesis should stand alone from the question, and you then tie them together in the AMPLIFY section .

List your Arguments: This is where you list the mini-arguments you will use throughout your essay. The topics of your body paragraphs. Don’t start giving examples/evidence yet . You are only getting the reader ready for what is to come.

Key Statement : I liked to call the last sentence of the Thesis a key statement because it should be powerful. It should state definitely where you stand on the Thesis, in a way which ties the previous parts together. So, for an English essay, a very simple version would be something like:

Thus, it is clear how [COMPOSER A] and [COMPOSER B] have used [LISTED ARGUMENT #1], [LISTED ARGUMENT #2], and [LISTED ARGUMENT #3] to achieve [THESIS].

You can sort of see how it ties the arguments you listed, with the composers in the amplification, with your Thesis. It is important to get this bit right!

Body Paragraphs

So, your intro is done. It sets up the argument of your essay. Now, we get into the meat of it. The body. This is where you actually present your points and back them up with evidence.

You should aim for 3 body paragraphs. 3 is generally how many are required to get a good level of detail and explanation.

To structure each of your Body Paragraphs, follow the MAPLE scaffold. This is very similar to the MATES scaffold, but I wanted something more general, and the PEEL scaffold is too general. I use MAPLE, and I personally love it.

Motherhood Statement: This is your topic sentence. It should directly link to one of the arguments you listed in your Thesis paragraph. Besides this, it simply sets up what this paragraph is about.

Amplification: Again, the AMPLIFY section is for any extra detail required. Definitions, further explanation, anything you feel is necessary. It is also the first chance for you to summarise the link between the Motherhood Statement and your Thesis. Say, in simple terms before you get in to the thick of it, why what you will talk about right now is relevant to the big picture. Why is talking about the theme of personal fear and confusion, for example, relevant to the over-arching idea of barriers to discovery?

Points and Links: Now, to your points. Discuss what you think is necessary to discuss. Techniques, explanations, context, laws, case studies, Bible quotes… All that jazz. Do your thing! The thing that is different that I like to emphasise here is Links . Be sure to constantly link to the motherhood statement or your Thesis throughout your body paragraph. The golden rule is to never bring up a point without saying why it is relevant, either to your Motherhood Statement, or the Thesis. What this does is makes sure you stay on track.

Now, this is really tricky, and it is sometimes impossible, but it is a trick that really worked for me, and so maybe it will help you guys too! I was always a massive rambler/waffler, and this helps massively in avoiding that.

End (Conclusion): Okay, so maybe I just used End because MAPLC isn’t a word, but the meaning is the same. Wrap up your paragraph. Say that your point is proven and you are moving on. Hence, it is clear how Rowling has used literary techniques to present the universal theme of love in the Harry Potter series . Reading your conclusion should remind the reader what the point of the paragraph was, and give them a sense of closure before moving on to the next argument.

Conclusion

I was always a little more free-form with my conclusions. This is partially because I sometimes only had a chance to write two sentences, so I had to be flexible.

My only two tips for a great conclusion are these.

One – Follow the TALK scaffold again. Restate your Thesis. Amplify and link it to the question. List what you discussed. Then say, in your key statement, that you have now proven your point and you are leaving to go have coffee and eat food. There should be no questions at the end. “Thus, it is obvious that ______.” Done and dusted.

Secondly, and this is a lesson I’ve learnt the hard way: Don’t skimp on it. The conclusion is just as important as any other part of your essay. Do not just write a sentence. Give your essay a good solid ending. Remember that amazing movie with the awesome acting and an amazing story, but it had that crappy ending? You know, a character dies for no good reason, there are plot holes, etc. Remember the dissatisfaction? Yeah, don’t make that your essay.

So this is my breakdown of how to write a HSC essay! It is by no means perfect, and you may totally disagree with how I approach it. Totally cool. Essay writing is something which everyone puts their little spin on. This is mine, and I hope it is helpful in some small way.

Q. What is the purpose of an essay in HSC?

An HSC essay is an academic piece of work that presents the an argument on a given topic. This could be an analysis of a text in English, a personal opinion on a legal issue in Legal Studies, or another subject-specific argument. The essay structure helps organize your thoughts into logical sections (Introduction, Body, Conclusion) and makes your argument accessible and coherent.

Q. What is a thesis and why is it important?

A thesis is a statement or premise put forward to be proved in your essay. It is the central argument that guides the entire essay. A strong thesis addresses the question directly, is sophisticated, and allows you to demonstrate your knowledge on the topic.

Q. How do I structure the introduction (Thesis Paragraph) of my essay?

Use the TALK scaffold to structure your introduction:

Thesis: Present your main argument or premise.
Amplify: Link the thesis to the question and provide context.
List your Arguments: Outline the main points you will discuss in the body paragraphs.
Key Statement: Sum up your introduction with a powerful statement that ties everything together.

Q. How should I organize the body paragraphs of my essay?

Follow the MAPLE scaffold for each body paragraph:

Motherhood Statement: A topic sentence that links to one of the arguments listed in the thesis.
Amplification: Provide extra details and explain the relevance of the argument to the thesis.
Points and Links: Present evidence and constantly link back to the thesis and topic sentence.
End (Conclusion): Summarize the point of the paragraph and provide a sense of closure before moving to the next argument.

Q. How do I write a strong conclusion for my essay?

Your conclusion should restate the thesis, amplify and link it to the question, list the key arguments discussed, and end with a definitive statement. Ensure your conclusion is well-developed and gives your essay a solid ending. Avoid leaving any unanswered questions.

Q. Do you have any general tips for writing an HSC essay?

Directly Address the Question: Ensure each part of your essay ties back to the question.
Use Evidence: Support your arguments with relevant examples, quotes, or data.
Be Clear and Concise: Avoid waffling; stay focused on your thesis and main arguments.
Revise and Edit: Review your essay to check for clarity, coherence, and grammatical accuracy.
Practice: Regular practice will help you improve your essay writing skills.

Q. What are some common mistakes to avoid when writing an HSC essay?

Weak Thesis: A vague or overly broad thesis can undermine your essay. Make sure your thesis is specific and addresses the question directly.
Lack of Structure: An unorganized essay is hard to follow. Stick to the TALK and MAPLE scaffolds to maintain a clear structure.
Insufficient Evidence: Failing to support your arguments with evidence can weaken your essay. Always back up your points.
Poor Conclusion: A weak conclusion can leave a bad impression. Ensure your conclusion restates your main points and provides closure.

By following these guidelines and practicing regularly, you can develop strong essay writing skills that will help you succeed in your HSC exams.

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How to Write a Band 6 Business Studies Essay

how to write a band 6 hsc business studies essay

Studying HSC Business Studies and have no clue where to begin when it comes to the essay you’ll need to write in the final exam?

That’s okay! We’re here to help with this handy guide to writing in this style that you’re not as familiar with.

What are you waiting for? Let’s get started!

What Does the HSC Business Studies Essay Involve? Step 1: Decide on Your Approach Step 2: Plan Your Essay Step 3: Finish Your Introduction Strong Step 4: Choose Your Case Studies Step 5: Write the Essay Step 6: Practise Writing HSC Business Studies Essay Plans How to Write a Band 6 Thesis For Your HSC Business Studies Essay How to Write Band 6 Body Paragraphs For Your HSC Business Studies Essay

What Does the HSC Business Studies Essay Involve?

The HSC Business Studies Essay makes up 20 marks of Section IV in the HSC exam.

It is also often known as the ‘ Case Study’ essay , because students are expected to integrate case studies or real life business examples into their response.

The general marking criteria for a Band 6 in the HSC Business Studies Essay is that a student:

Applies relevant case study/studies and contemporary business issues
Presents a sustained, logical and cohesive response and communicates clearly using relevant business terminology and concepts

As usual they are based on the guidelines and comments from HSC markers: the ones who mark hundreds of essays year in year out.

Example Question

Here is the example question we’re going to use throughout this article to demonstrate what to do to get that Band 6 in your HSC Business Studies Essay:

Step #1: Decide on Your Approach

The 30-70 rule.

As mentioned above, there are two ways to approach a HSC Business Studies essay:

70% case studies and 30% theory explanation
70% theory explanation 30% case studies

It’s important to understand that either approach, if executed well, is FINE.

The 30-70 Rule: all essays had either 30% theory and 70% case study or vice versa.

If you look at many top scoring HSC Business Studies essay responses over multiple years, all of them followed the 30-70 Rule.

Provided you follow the 30-70 Rule, pick the approach you find most logical and you are most comfortable writing with and you are well on your way to crafting that Band 6 HSC Business Studies essay!

Note: Students often you stress too much about the structure or approach of your essays. While structure is important, don’t forget to provide well explained and supported arguments that answer the question .

Which Approach Should You Take?

There are essentially two schools of thought when it comes to writing a Band 6 HSC Business Studies essay.

Some teachers and markers believe that the case study should be the driving factor in your essay , adding theory to explain the case where needed. On the other hand, some believe that the case study should only be used as evidence to highlight or accentuate your theory and explanation.

For your school assessments, it’s best to follow your marker’s preferred school of thought. However, for the HSC exam, choose whichever approach suits you the best!

This is a similar approach to using statistics in an Economics essay, which if you also study, you can check out a similar guide to writing a Band 6 Economics essay !

Access our HSC Business Studies Essay Structure and Template

Step #2: Plan Your Essay

As you probably have experienced, the HSC Business Studies syllabus encompasses a large variety of dot points you will be expected to recall.

#1: Write Down All Relevant Syllabus Dot Points

To make sure that this doesn’t trip you over, use the first page of your writing booklet to sketch a plan of your response. Importantly, include the syllabus dot points you will be referring to.

By jotting these down on the page you ensure you first of all don’t forget any , but secondly also give yourself an opportunity to draw connections between different syllabus dot points to better answer the question!

If you are finding it hard to memorise the syllabus content, check out memorisation tips for Business Studies !

#2: Use the Directive Verb to Create Your Thesis

Before we plan, we must understand the NESA directive verbs . This will determine the level of depth and how the markers want you to answer the question.

With a plan, it makes your essay structure clearer and allows you to organise your ideas in a way which keeps your response sustained, which is a key component of the A range marking criteria.

Your essay must continually drive towards developing your thesis — the actual answer to the essay question itself.

Step #3: Write A Strong Introduction

A strong introduction includes a strong thesis that provides context for the essay.

Now, connect your paragraph points to answering the thesis and introduce your case studies. This is better than simply stating which external influences you will be looking at, which is not as effective and thesis-driven.

For example, rather than saying:

Globalisation, quality expectations and corporate social responsibility are the external influences which operations management must respond to. These influences are best represented by leading pizza franchise Domino’s Pizza, local school textbook manufacturer Secondary Textbooks, and leading sportswear and footwear manufacturer Nike.

These influences are exemplified by globalisation, which has opened businesses to the influence of global factors and increasingly demanding supply chain management needs, increased quality expectations that have created more stringent quality processes and management strategies, and an emerging emphasis on corporate social responsible behaviours to ensure legal compliance and ethical responsibility. Leading pizza franchise Domino’s Pizza, local school textbook manufacturer Secondary Textbooks, and leading sportswear and footwear manufacturer Nike are businesses that respectively demonstrate the crucial response of operations management.

It is much more impressive to the marker if you are able to show a direct link between your points and the thesis you are addressing , as it shows a more logical and well-planned response.

Together the intro would look like:

Operations management involves the set of processes used by businesses to transform inputs into outputs. These processes are continually influenced by external influences which can significantly hinder or promote a business’ competitive advantage. Operations management therefore must respond to these external influences using its operations strategies to capitalise on new developments and adapt, hence highlighting the importance of responding to external influences. These influences are exemplified by globalisation, which has opened businesses to the influence of global factors and increasingly demanding supply chain management needs, increased quality expectations that have created more stringent quality processes and management strategies, and an emerging emphasis on corporate social responsible behaviours to ensure legal compliance and ethical responsibility. Leading pizza franchise Domino’s Pizza, local school textbook manufacturer Secondary Textbooks, and leading sportswear and footwear manufacturer Nike are businesses that respectively demonstrate the crucial response of operations management.

Step #4: Choose Your Business Studies Case Studies

In addition to choosing how much of the essay to focus on case studies, you will also need to decide which case studies (and how many) to use in your HSC Business Studies essay. Again, it varies and depends on what you are comfortable with .

Top responses have however followed these trends:

Use more than one case study (usually three in total, or one per body paragraph)
Typically been large real life businesses where there is a wide range of information available .
Use the most recent events and issues
Have not used hypothetical

Think about it this way — would you trust someone if they said that a certain business strategy has worked if it hasn’t actually happened in real life?

Should You Use Hypothetical Case Studies in Your Business Studies Essay?

This is isn’t saying to stay away from hypothetical case studies (i.e. a made up business). It’s not impossible to get 20/20 with hypothetical case studies .

However, markers have found that hypothetical businesses are often a ‘super business’ that is perfect in every single way and therefore have no issues.

This ultimately does not give you much to write about and hence, you fail to show adequate knowledge of contemporary business issues. Which is obviously a problem for your HSC Business Studies Essay.

If you do choose to use a hypothetical (which I did in my plan), remember to make it realistic and that the whole point of the hypothetical is to show understanding, not to be a perfect business.

Tip : I recommend that you come up with the entire business as part of your exam preparation and also write out how it connects to each syllabus dot point. You can be creative, but don’t take too many liberties, it still needs to be realistic.

Step #5: Write the Essay

The other general criteria in an HSC Business Studies essay is the related to the way you write and use language , including business terminology and concepts.

This of course means you must know your content well and be able to connect different parts of the syllabus together and understand their relationships.

Once you have mastered your content, the criteria then asks for a ‘ sustained, logical and cohesive ‘ response. In order to achieve this, it is best to use a clear structure (which we have planned for in Step 1) as it forces you to retain a logical and cohesive structure.

Here’s how to do it:

#1: Use DPEEL (writing structure)

To provide a basic structure, follow DPEEL which will ensure you are using business terminology and concepts consistently in your essay.

How to Write a HSC Business Studies Report - DPEEL Structure

Definition: assume the marker is a layperson (has limited knowledge of the course) and ensure you are defining the business term or concept to reflect your understanding. Can be integrated into the response and does not need its own sentence. Point: Attack the question and pinpoint what your overall answer will be, akin to a mini thesis. Explain: Provide further details that elaborate on your point. Depending on which directive verb you are asked, this is also where you can start to show relationships (analyse), provide additional economic theories that demonstrate a cause and effect (explain) or make a judgement (assess/evaluate). Evidence: Use your case study to illustrate how real life businesses apply the business studies content to achieve their goals rather than simply telling the reader that the business uses a specific strategy and not elaborating on how. Also be careful of simply ‘retelling the story’ of what the business does but not connecting it to your thesis! Link: Conclude your paragraph by linking your points back to your original thesis.

#2: Use Transition Signals

The ‘sustained’ element of the marking criteria means the markers want the essay to flow uninterrupted . No additional details or sidetracks.

The best way to achieve this is through the use of transition signals.

Transition signals include words such as furthermore, hence, as a result, this leads to, but, however.

These are ‘linking’ words which along with the DPEEL structure FORCE you to stay on track and sustain your attack on the thesis, as each sentence must relate to the previous. This makes it more difficult for you to stray off topic, allowing you to create a sustained response!

#3: Prepare a case study table for your Business Studies essay

Just like with English, Business Studies is also a subject with high demands on memory.

Not only must you remember course content, you must also remember relevant case studies. An efficient way to facilitate this process is a simple table that allows you to organise your information.

Here’s an example of a good HSC Business Studies Case Study Table:

This will increase your mind’s ability to chunk the information without feeling overwhelmed, and it will be easier to remember!

Don’t wait until it’s too late! At Art of Smart Education our Hills District HSC Business Studies Tutors can support you with tutoring at our Castle Hill campus, or tutoring in your home or online across NSW!

#4: Write a Strong Conclusion

Good news — HSC Business Studies essay conclusions are quite straightforward!

They need to:

Reaffirm your position and perspectives by restating your thesis — your answer to the question. Tie up your points and case studies and summarise how they have supported your thesis.

Make sure you don’t overdo the conclusion. 3-4 sentences is more than enough and the last thing a marker wants to see is a conclusion that has overstayed its welcome!

Step 6: Practise Writing HSC Business Studies Essay Plans

The final and most important tip is to practise this approach using different styles and topics of essay questions. It is also important that you plan the essays as you would in an exam to give you practice for planning for unseen questions.

Apply these steps to build your consistency in writing logically and systematically.

That is the only way you will improve and when you do improve, you will notice that you have become a better overall writer and this should reflect in your other subjects too. If you need more essay questions you can use past HSC exams , your textbook, or ask your teacher.

How to Write a Good Thesis for your HSC Business Studies Essay

The most important thing about any essay is the answer to the question itself with your thesis. All paragraphs, business theory and case studies are simply used to support the thesis .

As a result, begin the plan by writing a direct answer to the question. In your thesis you want to:

Provide context for the question — include definitions of key terms such as external influences and operations management
Then use qualifiers or intensifiers (to some extent, significantly, is ineffective) to answer the essay question.

For our example, the thesis for our example questions would look like this:

Operations management involves the set of processes used by businesses to transform inputs into outputs. These processes are continually influenced by external influences which can significantly hinder or promote a business’ competitive advantage. Operations management therefore must respond to these external influences using its operations strategies to capitalise on new developments and adapt, hence highlighting the importance of responding to external influences.

How to Write Band 6 Body Paragraphs for your HSC Business Studies Essay

Now you should organise your ideas into dot points which you will write your paragraphs about.

Also note down any sub points or arguments you think of underneath. This can include theory or case study events.

As this is the planning stage, it isn’t essential to get it all down perfectly — even just a word or key term to retain your train of thought is fine.

Below is an IDEAL plan using our example question. I’ve used more words than I normally would to help you read along (in reality, a few word dot points are fine, as long as you can understand what you’ve written).

If there are natural links and connections between paragraphs this can also be useful in transitioning in between different paragraphs to maintain the cohesiveness of the essay, i.e. making it flow better.

Preparing for your Visual Arts exam too? Check out our Band 6 Essay Scaffold for HSC Visual Arts !

On the hunt for other HSC Business studies resources?

Check out our other guides and articles below:

Everything You Need To Know About HSC Business Studies

HSC Business Studies Practice Essay Questions
How to Write Killer Short Answer Responses for Business Studies
How to Write a Band 6 Business Report for Business Studies

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Writing Band Six Essays-Intelligent Introductions

The first thing the marker reads is your introduction, and thus a solid introduction can engage the marker and make them actually want to read your essay. The other advantage of a decent introduction is that if for some reason you don’t get to finish your essay, the marker will at least know what you intended to talk about, and can give you some credit for being on the right track. It will definitely improve your mark overall if you can indicate that you know what you are talking about and what you would say if you had time in your introduction. This is not to say you should waste your time writing a perfect page long introduction, but rather that the introduction is important so don’t spoil your chances of getting a good mark by not introducing your essay properly!

A good introduction will always:

a) Start with a thesis that DIRECTLY RESPONDS TO THE QUESTION. You have 40 minutes to write an essay so there is no time to start with philosophical musings about the topic or write random things you happen to remember about the module you are writing about.

What is a thesis?

A thesis is just a fancy word for an argument or overall point of view. Your opening thesis statement basically needs to state an argument that you will develop and provide evidence for throughout your essay. There is no need for this to be complex, but better essays generally will have a thesis that responds to the question without using the exact wording of the question. For example:

“Curiosity is essential to finding a true sense of discovery” Discuss

An A-grade thesis would be something that indicates your personal response to the question. Remember that you do not have to agree with the statement, you can disagree or you can be really tricky and agree and disagree with the question. Better essays are always those that can argue and counter argue.

Sample thesis:

The complex nature of the concept of discovery means that a true sense of discovery can be found in different circumstances for different people, however, many individuals find that they discover the most when they trust in their curiosity.

This is a good thesis because it

Shows you know something about the concept of discovery
Refers to the question without using all the exact words
Is broad enough to allow you to develop good arguments, and then counterarguments
Uses definitive words such as “means” and “find” instead of using words such as may. This makes it sound argumentative, which is a good thing as the purpose of an essay is to argue.

However, writing a thesis such as the one above will not come naturally to a lot of students. For these students who find it difficult to develop thesis statements, the best route is to take words out of the question. This will show the marker that you have understood the question and know what you need to write about in order to answer this question.

In order to discover, people need to seek out ideas as well as develop relationships with other people and places.

This is also a good thesis because:

It is a direct response to the question
It is broad enough to allow you to develop an argument
It demonstrates that you have understood the question-the word “essential” basically means something that you need or must have.

When writing a thesis, remember that it has to be an argument, but also that you must be able to support this argument with evidence in your body paragraphs. There is no formula for writing a perfect thesis as every question is different, but if you keep in mind the above points and practice, writing theses will hopefully become a lot easier!

b) A good introduction will have at least one sentence that expands on the thesis.

This will help you to show you know what you will be talking about in the essay and hopefully make the point you are trying to prove by writing this essay a little clearer to the marker.

c) Name the texts and composers that will be referred to throughout the essay

Names of texts should be Underlined. How exactly you name the texts and authors really depends on the module, so see the specific post for each of these!

d) Outline the points you will be making in the essay

To fulfill its purpose, the introduction must give a proper overview of the arguments you will be making. There is no need for excessive detail here, just state the general arguments you will be making in one long or two short sentences if necessary. See the sample introduction and each module’s essay writing blog post for further guidance on how to outline arguments in the introduction.

Also, make sure to read:

Writing Band Six Essays-Body Paragraphs

Writing Band Six Essays – Conclusions