Recap
A claim is a position the writer asks the audience to accept, and it must be one that requires a defence: a reasonable person could disagree, so the writer must give evidence or reasoning. A fact, a topic and a preference are not claims. A strong claim is arguable, specific, supportable and significant. Claims may be explicit or implicit, and a long text has a main claim supported by sub-claims.
Key relationships
| Statement type | Test | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Fact | Can be checked, not in dispute | “The library opens 40 hours a week.” |
| Topic | Names a subject, asserts nothing | “Library hours” |
| Preference | Personal taste, cannot be disproved | “I like quiet places.” |
| Claim | A reasonable person could dispute it | “The council should restore the library’s hours.” |
Kinds of claim
- Fact or existence: something is, was or will be so, but is disputed.
- Definition: what something counts as.
- Cause: one thing produces another.
- Value: something is good, bad, right or wrong.
- Policy: something should be done.
Each kind tells you what must be defended: a causal claim needs a causal link, a policy claim needs a problem and a workable remedy.
Upgrading a weak claim
- Ask “Could a reasonable person disagree?” If no, the sentence is a fact or a topic.
- Take a side: add a verb of judgement or recommendation (should, harms, improves).
- Narrow it: name the group, place or situation.
- Check support: could you defend it with evidence or reasoning?
Weak: “Social media is a big part of life.” Stronger: “Social media has made teenagers better informed about world events but worse at sustaining attention on any one of them.”
Worked mini-examples
- Lincoln, 1858: “I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free.” A claim about the future, disputed in its day, so it needs a defence.
- Thoreau, 1849: “I heartily accept the motto, ‘That government is best which governs least’…” A claim of value and policy: those who think government should do more would dispute it.
Reading for claims on the exam
- Ask of each sentence: would a reader reply “Why?” or “I’m not sure”? If so, it is a claim.
- State the main claim in one sentence, then list the sub-claims by paragraph.
- If no sentence states the main claim, summarise what the evidence adds up to.
- Do not quote a fact as if it were the claim.
Mistakes to avoid
- Treating a fact, topic or preference as a claim.
- Writing a claim so broad that nobody could dispute it.
- Assuming a claim must be false or controversial worldwide.
- Expecting the main claim always to appear in the first paragraph.
- Writing a claim that cannot be supported by evidence (a pure taste).
Quick self-check
- Is “The school day ends at 3.30 p.m.” a claim? No, it is a fact.
- What question tests whether a sentence is a claim? Could a reasonable person disagree, so that I would need to defend it?
- Why is “Homework” not a claim? It is a topic: it asserts nothing.
- Improve “Technology changes learning.” For example: “Tablets in classrooms widen pupils’ access to information but weaken their ability to read at length.”
- Name two kinds of claim. For example, policy and cause (also fact, definition, value).
For the full explanation and worked examples, return to the study guide.