Writing Task: Choosing a Thesis That the Text Can Carry
Students must write a 250–300 word composition on the topic: 'Argue whether the main character in the assigned story is responsible for his own failure.' The story shows the character ignoring three warnings from friends, then blaming bad luck. A student drafts the thesis: 'The character is completely innocent because everyone fails sometimes, and society is to blame.' The teacher says the thesis is too broad for the text and ignores the three warnings. A second student writes: 'Although bad luck plays a part, the character's choice to dismiss three warnings makes him largely responsible for his failure.' The rubric rewards a clear thesis, textual evidence, and acknowledgement of the opposing view.
1. Which thesis better fits the rubric, and what makes the other one weak?
Read the worked answer
The second thesis fits the rubric. It is specific (it names the three warnings), it takes a position ('largely responsible'), and it concedes the opposing view ('bad luck plays a part'), which the rubric rewards. The first thesis is weak because it is a generalisation ('everyone fails sometimes') that could apply to any text, and it ignores the story's central evidence - the ignored warnings. A thesis must be arguable and anchored in the specific text; the first one is neither.
2. Give one body-paragraph plan that would satisfy the 'textual evidence' criterion.
Read the worked answer
A workable plan: topic sentence stating the character dismissed warnings; then cite the three warnings in order, noting that each was a chance to change course; then explain the consequence (the failure followed the third ignored warning); then link back to the thesis ('this pattern supports the claim that responsibility is largely his'). The plan succeeds because it uses specific, ordered evidence and explicitly connects it to the argument, rather than summarising the plot. Naming the sequence of warnings shows the evidence is not decorative but load-bearing.