Must the thesis be the last sentence of the introduction?

It is clearest at the end of the opening paragraph; place it earlier and the reader must take a side before knowing the background.

Do four paragraphs reach 400 words?

They can, but every paragraph needs a topic sentence plus reasoning; a list of points falls short.

DSE English | Argumentative Essay Practice Paper 1 (Four-Paragraph Frame and Word Budget)

2026-11-04

Tutor Prep Guide · Secondary English

Work backwards from a 400-word task to a word budget per paragraph, practise where the thesis and topic sentences belong, then cut 75 minutes into reading, planning, writing and checking.

Attempt first, mark afterwards　Allow about thirty minutes; write down the paragraph count and word budget before drafting any sentence.

01　Paper details (check answers afterwards)

Item	Detail
Questions	10 items
Suggested time	About 30 minutes
Difficulty mix	Foundation 4 · Intermediate 4 · Challenge 1 · Error redo 1
Chapter	Chapter: DSE English \| Argumentative Essay (Paper 2)
Level	S5 (Secondary 5) English

02　Questions (10 items)

FoundationA 400-word argumentative essay uses an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion. How many paragraphs in total?
FoundationWhere should the thesis statement sit inside the introduction?
FoundationWhere does a body paragraph normally place its topic sentence?
FoundationA body paragraph has three supporting sentences of about 20 words each. How many words of support is that?
IntermediateThe task is 400 words: a 60-word introduction and a 60-word conclusion, with the rest split evenly between two body paragraphs. How long is each body paragraph?
IntermediateSeventy-five minutes in all: five for reading the question, ten for planning and ten for checking. How many minutes are left for writing?
IntermediateContinuing: 400 words in 50 minutes. What is the average writing speed per minute?
IntermediateThe essay has three points, each with two explanatory sentences. How many explanatory sentences in the body?
ChallengeTo finish a 140-word body paragraph in 15 minutes, what average speed per minute is needed (two decimal places)?
Error redoError drill: a student opens the introduction with “In conclusion, I agree that…”. What is structurally wrong?

03　Answers and one-line notes

#	Answer	One-line note
1	Four paragraphs	Each paragraph carries one function, so the paragraph count equals the number of functions; an extra paragraph needs an extra function.
2	In the last sentence of the introduction	Background and the point of contention come first; the final sentence states the position so the reader knows what the essay must prove.
3	As the first sentence of the paragraph	The opening sentence announces the paragraph claim, and the sentences that follow have something to attach to.
4	60 words	Three times twenty is sixty; support must be heavy enough to carry the topic sentence, otherwise the paragraph reads as a list.
5	140 words	(400 − 60 − 60) ÷ 2 = 280 ÷ 2 = 140: subtract the two ends first, then halve the middle.
6	50 minutes	75 − 5 − 10 − 10 = 50; writing time is what remains after the other tasks are subtracted.
7	8 words per minute	400 ÷ 50 = 8; knowing your own rate is what makes a paragraph-by-paragraph timetable realistic.
8	Six sentences	Three points times two sentences gives six; with fewer, a point stays a bare assertion.
9	About 9.33 words per minute	140 ÷ 15 = 9.333…, which rounds to 9.33 — faster than the usual eight words per minute.
10	The conclusion comes first, so the body has nothing left to build towards	A conclusion closes the argument; placing it at the start turns the finishing line into the starting line, and the remaining paragraphs can only repeat.

04　What to do after marking

After marking, redo only the wrong items and write down which step went wrong (formula, unit, or misread number).
Repeat the same item two days later; move to the next paper only when both attempts are correct.
Parents only need the answer and note columns; there is no need to explain every item.

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