Thesis statements and topic sentences help organize the ideas in an essay. Academic writers are expected to use thesis statements and topic sentences. Academic essays are often organized using the following pattern: Introduction—the first paragraph of the essay. The thesis statement is usually the last sentence of the introductory paragraph.
The topic sentence is a sentence that is used at the beginning of a paragraph to tell the reader what it is that you are going to be talking about in that paragraph. It’s very similar to the thesis statement that you may have learned about if you took an English composition class, except on a much smaller scale.
With proper format and technique being a major aspect of academic writing, it is essential for students to understand the differences between a topic sentence and a thesis statement. Essay Format Before delving into the differences between topic sentences and thesis statements, it is important to first establish the general format for a written essay.
The topic sentence functions two ways: it clearly refers to and supports the essay’s thesis, and it indicates what will follow in the rest of the paragraph. As the unifying sentence for the paragraph, it is the most general sentence, whereas all supporting sentences provide different types of more specific information, such as facts, details, or examples.