Planning Your HLE Essay

The introduction must convert the line of inquiry into an assertive, debatable thesis rather than describe what the writer intends to do.

The sentence 'I will talk about' announces a topic and a task, not a claim about what symbolism does or means.

The worked example instead states 'This essay argues that...', giving a quotable, arguable claim examiners can identify immediately.

The weakness is the lack of an assertive thesis, since a task description leaves no claim to argue.

Omitting the date is a minor context detail, not the structural problem the framework highlights as central.

The framework does not forbid first person outright; the model uses 'This essay argues,' which is still a form of authorial framing.

Quotations belong in body paragraphs, not necessarily the introduction, so their absence here is not the flaw being tested.

The real issue is that the sentence restates the prompt as a task rather than making an arguable claim, matching option A.

The introduction framework specifies three moves in a fixed sequence: Context, then Prompt restatement (Thesis), then Roadmap.

The model introduction opens with a context sentence naming title and author, follows with 'This essay argues,' then previews points with 'First... next... finally.'

This order orients the reader before asserting a claim, then shows how that claim will be proven.

This sequence corresponds exactly to option B.

Previewing structure before stating any claim would confuse readers, since there would be nothing yet to structure.

Asserting a claim before any context leaves the reader without orientation to the text or its background.

The framework treats these as separate, sequential moves rather than merging two steps before the thesis.

Only Context, then Thesis, then Roadmap matches the described three-part framework, confirming option B.