How to Write a TOEFL Essay Introduction

How to Write a TOEFL Essay Introduction

It is always necessary to keep in mind that the introduction is really not only the first; it is also the most important paragraph of your TOEFL essay. This is why it is extremely important to make a good impression in it. In case you fail to start out well, it may be very difficult to convince your reader, which is in a given case the TOEFL assessor, to take your writing seriously later on. Here are the facts you are to keep in mind about your essay introduction: • Introduction is the first paragraph of the essay; • Introduction is usually to be 3 to 5 sentences long; • Introduction should introduce the topic of your essay; • It is necessary to express your opinion clearly in the introduction; • Every introduction is to have a strong thesis statement. It is extremely important that all introductions are to meet these five criteria, mentioned above. Remember, if it happened so that your introduction is missing at least one of them, it can be considered as being a weak one. Every introduction consists of the following steps:  Step one: beginning the introduction Your introduction should begin with a general statement about the topic of your TOEFL essay. It is necessary to explain what the essay is going to be about in it, which helps to make your reader mentally prepared for the following arguments. Although, you should also remember that your opinion should not be expressed in this sentence, because it is only a general statement about the topic of your essay. Here comes a good example of a typical first sentence: Many communities debate whether or not police officers should carry guns. You see that there is no opinion of the writer, provided in this sentence, there is only a general statement about the topic of the essay. Step two: developing the introduction After your first sentence is written, the time of your introduction development comes. It is possible to do with the help of a few more general statements about the topic of the essay. One of the ways to do it is to discuss both sides of the argument. Here comes the example of how it can be done: There are situations, when guns help to protect the police officer, as well as the public; therefore, from the other point of view, guns can result in serious injuries and even death. When you explain both sides of the argument, the thing, which is called contrasting, you show your reader that you have though about the issue in the most careful way. It is also important to be aware of the fact, that in case if you are going to contrast both sides of the argument, you should better start with the side of the argument, you do not agree with. It is considered to be more natural in English, in addition, you essay introduction will develop in a logical order toward the thesis statement. Step three: writing the thesis statement After you have developed your essay introduction, it is time to write your thesis statement. This is considered to be the last sentence in you first paragraph. In addition, it is also the most important sentence in the entire essay, because it usually plays two roles: • It provides a direct answer to the question of your essay; • The reader gets to know your opinion. Taking into consideration the introduction, provided as an example, here what the thesis statement can look like: No police officer should ever carry a gun with him. The thesis statement here is rather simple and it is direct; it provides the answer to the question of the essay, as well as it tells the reader exactly what the author’s opinion is. It should also be mentioned without a sign of an exaggeration, that thesis statement is the most important sentence of the essay. Moreover, in case if the reader has some difficulty understanding the essay, he/she usually returns to the thesis statement in order to get reminded what the essay is about. There is no need to say that a bad thesis statement usually results in a bad essay.  Step four: putting it all together Here is the complete introduction to out essay: Many communities debate whether or not police officers should carry guns. There are situations, when guns help to protect the police officer, as well as the public; therefore, from the other point of view, guns can result in serious injuries and even death. No police officer should ever carry a gun with him. In our first sentence the introduction is begun with a general statement about the topic of the essay. After that, in the second sentence, two possible sides of the argument are contrasted. And, finally, the last sentence is called the thesis statement, because it is it, which provides an answer to the question of the essay, as well as gives the author’s opinion.