Develop a stronger thesis statement for my essay
Coaching questions and feedback that help you sharpen your own thesis into a clear, arguable claim.
The prompt
Help me develop a strong thesis statement for my essay by coaching me, not by writing it for me.
Assignment prompt: [PASTE IT]
Essay type: [argumentative / analytical / compare-and-contrast / research / literary analysis]
My topic and what I've read or found so far: [NOTES, SOURCES, IDEAS]
My current thesis attempt(s): [PASTE ONE OR MORE, even if rough]
Length of the essay: [e.g. "5 pages", "1,200 words"]
Do this:
1. Test my current thesis against these checks: Does it take a position someone could disagree with? Is it specific, not a statement of fact or a topic? Does it answer the actual prompt? Is it narrow enough for the length? Does it hint at the reasons I'll use?
2. For each check that fails, explain why in one or two sentences.
3. Ask me 4-6 questions that push my thinking, e.g. "So what?", "According to whom?", "What's the strongest counterargument?"
4. Show me the pattern of a strong thesis using a different, unrelated topic, so I can see the structure without copying.
Return the checklist results, your questions, and the unrelated example. When I reply with a revision, review it again with the same checks. Do not write a thesis on my topic for me.
Highlighted [brackets] are blanks to replace with your own details.
Fill in the blanks and use this promptMore Writing & Editing prompts
What to fill in
- PASTE IT
- NOTES, SOURCES, IDEAS
- PASTE ONE OR MORE, even if rough
- e.g. "5 pages", "1,200 words"
How this prompt is built
This prompt follows the Few-Shot structure (Few-shot prompting). A few-shot prompt includes one or more worked examples of the input and the output you want, so the model can copy the pattern instead of guessing it.
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