 Hello students! In this video we will be looking at topic sentences and there will be a final reminder about assessment one. So, what is a topic sentence? Well, primarily it presents the main idea of a paragraph. It often uses some words from the essay question as you want to try to link back to the essay title. So, the topic sentence is not only unifying the paragraph, it also helps unify the whole essay. Topic sentences are very important in writing. Essays, reports, emails, all types of writing. Having clear and effective topic sentences will make your writing easier to understand and importantly for you mean a higher grade. So, where would you usually find the topic sentence in a paragraph? Pause the video and have a think. Okay, I hope you got it right. Topic sentences are usually found at the beginning of a paragraph. Right, so next some example topic sentences. These examples are from an essay on smartphones. Okay, so you can see the question at the top. It's a problem solution essay about smartphones and health. The first topic sentence is from the first body paragraph. Key words are in red and yellow. The harmful effects of radiation on the body is one of the possible issues caused by mobile phone use. Okay, so from this topic sentence we know that the paragraph is discussing a problem of mobile phones in relation to health. The text in red tells us that it will be about the physical problems caused to the body. It links back to the question with the words in yellow caused by mobile phones. In the second paragraph we have apart from radiation another impact. This means it could be a second problem paragraph and then smartphone linking back to the question applications could be a misunderstanding of health issues. So, this paragraph is about social factors rather than physical impacts. For example, getting wrong information from the mobile phone. Looking at the third sentence could be countered means a solution. So, this paragraph will be looking at solutions for mobile phone use. The words brought by the routine use of smartphones links back to the question again and smart devices to help the public monitor their physical health means the content will be about checking your health using a smartphone. The final topic sentence on the screen, the fourth body paragraph has another feasible solution. So, we know it's another solution paragraph. The promotion of behavioral and psychological health is another feasible solution to excessive smartphone use. So, it's about a push factor to encourage healthy living. For example, monitoring how often you look at your mobile phone or to eat healthier food. So, these are all effective topic sentences. They are good models to follow. Okay, some practice. We have a question. Discuss some of the health issues students face at university. What does it mean? What would you write about? Well, in a problem solution essay you might discuss what health problems students have and also the possible solutions to solve these problems. You can see one possible body paragraph on the screen with key words in yellow. What could be a possible topic sentence for this paragraph? Pause the video and write down your ideas. Okay, so here's an answer. One possible solution to the various health issues, linking back to the question students face, is to make physical education a required subject. Physical exercise is certainly beneficial for one's physical and mental health. Okay, this has two sentences and notice it mentions both physical and mental benefits. So, that's an example of an effective topic sentence for this paragraph. But what is the paragraph missing? What should the paragraph also contain? Which you also need to include in your academic essays? Yes, it citations. You need to provide evidence for what you're writing. What are the physical and mental benefits of exercise? You need evidence from academic journals to support your claims. Some advice about topic sentences. Make them short, simple and clear. Make it easy for the reader to understand what you're saying. Use phrases such as these to introduce your topic sentences. One of the main reasons for, one of the major factors in, one of the strongest arguments against or in favour of, one of the main advantages or disadvantages of, disadvantages of. These phrases can help you to structure your topic sentence in the essay. Okay, some reminders. Assessment one is a problem solution essay. For draft one, you have to write between 300 and 400 words. While for the final draft, assessment two, you have to write around 900 to 1000 words. Please check Blackboard for the due date for the assessment or ask your teacher. Remember, you need to submit the assessments on Blackboard via turn it in. Some further reminders about assessment one. Draft one should include a narrowed essay question, two to three body paragraphs analysing the problem, and you need at least two in-text citations and a reference list. I hope that you're making progress. You should have your topic and title found ideas with supporting evidence, and you should have made notes on suitable sources. Now you need to be writing your first draft so that you can submit before the deadline. Okay, that's it from me. Remember, as always, enjoy your time at PolyU.