Glossary · Organisation
What is a topic sentence?
A topic sentence states a paragraph's main idea in one line, so the reader knows exactly what's coming.
A topic sentence is the sentence — usually the first in a paragraph — that tells the reader what that paragraph is about. Everything after it should support, explain or prove that one idea.
Strong topic sentences make a clear claim rather than a vague announcement: “Solar power is now the cheapest new energy source” works far harder than “This paragraph is about solar power.” In exam writing they are the fastest way to show structure, because a marker can follow your whole argument just by reading the first line of each paragraph.
How markers see it
Markers reward paragraphs whose opening sentence makes a clear, on-topic claim that the rest of the paragraph then delivers.
See topic sentence on your own writing.
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