What Is A Claim In An Essay?

Have you ever asked yourself, what is a claim in an essay? A claim refers to a debatable statement or argument in your paper backed up with evidence or factual support. Its main aim is to persuade, argue, convince, and prove a point to a reader who may not have the same opinion as you. All essays contain a debatable topic the writer wants the reader to agree or disagree and for a good essay, you have to argue effectively in favor of your claim. 

For example, if your claim says university fees should be reduced, your paper will focus on supporting this claim with evidence. Other examples of argumentative claims include “college student-athletes should be paid” or “guns should not be sold easily over the counter”. When writing compelling essays, it is essential to understand your claim and how you’ll structure your essay. If you want to learn how to write a claim sentence and haven’t considered argumentative essay writing help, this post will guide you in creating a good claim in your essay.

 

The Difference Between A Claim And a Thesis Statement

When formulating a claim in an essay, it is important to note that the thesis is not the claim. A thesis is the general or main argument of your essay. Everything in your essay should tie back to your thesis. A thesis statement gives the backbone of your writing, and it usually appears at the end of the introductory paragraph. On the other hand, argumentative claims are the specific arguments that make up your thesis. They develop, support, and explain your thesis thoroughly throughout the essay.

Claim	Thesis Statement
it’s the main idea for a paragraph	it’s the main argument for your essay
Each claim paragraph should support your thesis	Everything in your essay should tie back to your thesis
It is the specific argument that makes up your thesis	Is the backbone of your writing

Types Of Claims For Written Arguments

It is important to have an interesting topic and a strong thesis statement when writing essays. The thesis is considered the ‘main claim’ of an essay. You can use different types of claims to create possible arguments for the topics you choose to examine. At times, a debatable thesis can have two or more claims. It is better to incorporate various claims to make your essay more compelling and longer. The types of claims include;

1. Claims Of Fact 

Claims of fact assert that something can be proved or disapproved with factual evidence. They argue whether something is accurate, valid, or correct and answer questions like: Is it true? Is it real? What happened? Claims have to be debatable and present an assertion. Therefore, a claim of definition for a logical argument cannot comprise a proven fact or statistic alone. For example, you cannot say the earth is flat. Is there evidence to prove that? You might decide to go with; Rock music has led to the increase of violence among teens.

Claims of fact need to be centered on an assertion that incorporates facts as backup, even though the evidence provided might still be debatable. Writing an argumentative essay uses this type of claim.

If you were to argue that basketball was a slow game with no rules, it would only take a minute for a researcher to google the facts and find out that it has plenty of rules and is fast-paced. Hence, this claim is not debatable, and there would be no argument here. Arguments from claims of fact should have reliable data, clearly defined terms, and a clear line between inference and facts. 

2. Claims of Definition

This claim argues how something is defined. It answers the question; what is it? How should it be classified or interpreted? How does its usual meaning change in a particular context? Claims of definition offer an in-depth explanation of a specific subject. This goes hand in hand with the definition of claim in literature.

For example, if you are arguing that even though therapeutic massage is done on nude bodies, it’s not a form of prostitution. You could start by defining what therapeutic massage is. You could even look at the legal definition of prostitution and demonstrate to your peers that therapeutic massage does not fall into the legal definition of prostitution because it does not involve the behaviors characterized by that definition.

3. Claims of Cause And Effect

A claim of cause and effect argues that one thing caused another thing to happen. This type of claim answers questions like; Why did it happen? Where did it come from? What is the likely result now and in the future? Like claims of fact, claims of cause and effects should be debatable. For example, you could argue that corruption has affected Kenya’s economic growth. 

4. Claims of Value

Claims of value argue that something is bad or good or that one thing is better than the other. They call into question a standard of comparison, resulting in an essay with a lot of evaluation. For example, if you say Nike is better than Adidas or Titanic is the greatest movie of all time, you are making a claim of value. When developing arguments from claims of value, ensure that your statement establishes the evaluation standards and their advantages. Also, Identify the priority value, and include examples and credible sources for support. It is essential to anticipate your response to the opposing viewpoint when dealing with this type of claim. 

A claim of value seeks answers to questions like: Is it right or wrong? Is it good or bad? Is it moral or immoral? Who thinks so? What do those people value? What criteria should I use to establish how good or bad something is?

5. Claims of Solution or Policy

A claim of solution maintains that specific conditions must exist or that an action should be taken or not taken to solve a problem. If your value of claim was climate change has led to more intense drought, your solution claim will focus on what should be done to fix the occurrence of frequent drought periods. 

A claim of solution seeks answers to questions like: How can we solve this issue? What action should we take? What should be the future policies? As you answer the questions or provide solutions, ensure that your evidence contains a clear proposed action, justification, workable plan, benefits, and consideration of counter-arguments.

How To Craft A Great Claim Statement

A claim determines the direction your essay will take. The point is to ensure you develop a central argument to give your first draft an organizing and unifying idea. A great, reasonable claim will give you a good debatable essay, while an illogical claim won’t stand strong on its own or convince the reader. Here are things you need to consider when crafting a claim in an essay.

1. Explore The Topic Of Interest

You need to gather as much information as you can about your topic. Brainstorm questions and answers to gain more knowledge and have a better idea of the topic. If you talk about something you don’t know, no one will take you seriously. You won’t convince them because they already see you as a joke and have lost trust in you. It’s also important to have a specific topic to give you a clear debate.

For example, if you are talking about women’s healthcare, you can narrow that down to the effects of Kenya’s free maternity service policy. This way, you will be able to argue better and convince your reader.

2. Define The Goal Of Your Paper

The effectiveness, quality, and complexity of your essay lean on your claim. The type of claim statement you will use depends on the goal of your paper. It will help you know what to include in your essay and what to pay the most attention to. Your objective might be to change your reader’s opinion on something, or it might be to challenge them to take a particular action. If you are using claims of value in your essay, you can probably argue that Fenty Beauty products are the best skin care products in the market. 

3. Choose What You Can Prove

As discussed earlier, a claim in an essay needs to be backed up by research, evidence, and facts. If you choose a claim that’s not debatable, your essay won’t be interesting or compelling.  It’s also important to use logic to support your claims and pick a simple and easy claim that you can prove. 

How To Start A Claim Paragraph and What To Include

Your introduction needs to grab the attention of the reader and hook them to your paper. If you lose the reader’s attention from the start, it’ll be hard to convince them that what you are saying is interesting or makes sense. Writing short and simple sentences is the best way to get your points across.

Once you have hooked the reader, the next step is to Introduce your topic, so the reader knows exactly what the essay will be about. If your topic is about smoking, you can talk about why it’s an issue of controversy and then make your claim, for example, smoking shouldn’t be allowed in public spaces. If your topic is about phones, you can say, children below the age of fifteen shouldn’t have access to smartphones.

After making your claim, have two or three paragraphs that have evidence to support your claim, then have your counterclaim paragraph and conclusion.

Tips On How To Write A Claim In An Essay

The claim of an article or essay is the spine that holds everything together. A controversial claim will make the essay engaging, while a boring one will set the tone for a dull paper. Therefore, it is essential to take the time to create a good claim before you start writing. Here are some of the things you need to consider when making a good claim;

1. Make It Straightforward 

A good claim doesn’t beat around the bush. While many people advocate for creating some mystery in the claim, it is not the best advice. An essay does not have to hold the reader in suspense the entire time. Making a straightforward claim from the beginning helps the reader know what to expect in your essay. Additionally, making your claim clear allows the reader to take a stand and contribute to further academic research. 

2. Make Your Claim Specific 

In your academic life, you will get people advising you to have a broad claim in your essays more often than not. While this is a good idea because it allows you to access multiple research materials, it does not make your essay hold weight.  A broad claim in an essay will mean the evidential support you provide will also be broad. Additionally, the essay will also fail to convince, and readers can easily point out inefficiencies in how you illustrate your points. A good essay has a specific claim, requiring specific evidential support that wins the reader’s opinion. 

3. Don’t Worry About The Truthfulness Of Your Claim

Many students lose the plot when they try to focus on the truthfulness of their claim. When writing an essay, whether the claim you make is true or false is not the main reason why a reader will want to read the essay. The purpose of the essay is to gauge how effectively you communicate your ideas and the evidential support you provide to prove your point. Additionally, your target is to get the reader to agree with you whether the claim is true or false.

4. Make Your Claim Contestable 

When writing, the worst mistake you can make is coming up with a claim that the reader can respond to with a yes or no answer. Such a weak claim will make the essay boring because the reader has already formed their opinion. A good claim ignites a debate. The reader should want to read more to understand why you make a specific claim that does not correspond with him or her. At the end of your essay, you might be able to change their mind or not.

Counterclaim

Just like a coin has two sides, every argument has two sides—the supporting side and the one that disagrees. So, a counterclaim can be defined as the opposite of a claim or the argument opposing your claim. It is also called a rebuttal. For example, if you tell your mum you want to move schools, you’ve already made your claim. If your mum says something like, “How can you say that, yet you don’t pay the school fee? That’s her counterclaim. 

When writing an essay, you need a counterclaim paragraph that addresses the valid points of the other side of the argument. A counterclaim shows your reader that you have thoughtfully considered both sides of the issue before arriving at your claim. You can then argue and say you find the counterclaim weak or invalid. When this paragraph is done well, it gives you a chance to respond to the reader’s potential arguments before they finish reading the essay. 

Major Claim Vs. Sub Claim

A major claim is an essay’s central argument, while sub claims support the ideas of the primary claim. Sub claims add specific details to the main claim. They also reinforce the validity of the main point. A major claim is revealed in the introduction, while sub claims appear in the body of the other paragraphs.

For example, if your thesis is “Unversity fee should be reduced to prevent students from dropping out of school, that will be my central argument. You may also talk about how many students have dropped out of school or how hard it is for most of them to access specific courses because of how expensive they are. You can further talk about how this is killing their dream or even how expensive it is to repay student loans because of high unemployment rates. These mini statements are your sub claim, and they support your primary claim which is, why University fees should be reduced.

For an effective essay, you need evidence to support each sub claim. For instance, if you talk about how many students have dropped out of university because they can’t afford the fee, you might use a report released from the Ministry of Education or the student body.

The Difference Between Claim, Counterclaim, and Thesis Statement

	Claim	Counterclaim	Thesis Statement
Structure	Hook the reader and then Introduce your claim	Explain what others who disagree with your claim might say	It is composed of three claim sentences. Claim 1, 2, and 3.
Tone	Positive	Negative	Positive
Elements	Specific and debatable	It disagrees with the claim	It is the central argument of an essay
Position	It appears in the introduction	It appears before the conclusion	It appears at the end of the introductory paragraph.

Conclusion 

It is essential to read through the essay question to understand clearly what it asks before making your claim. Ensure that your claim is specific and controversial to spike the interest of the reader. Additionally, avoid leaving the reader in suspense on what is the claim you make in your essay. If you’re still struggling with writing a proper claim for your essay, you might consider buying your term papers online.

An example of how to make a claim in an essay