1. Guidelines

2.  Introduction  Supporting Paragraphs  Summary / Conclusion Paragraph

3.  What is an introductory paragraph? The introductory paragraph is the first paragraph of your essay.

4.  It introduces the main idea of your essay. A good opening paragraph captures the interest of your reader and tells why your topic is important.  The essay can open with a compelling story, a fascinating quotation, an interesting question, or a stirring example so that your readers can see why this topic matters.  It is through the introduction that you must let the reader know what your topic is, why it is important, and how you plan to proceed with your discussion.

5.  Write the thesis statement. The main idea of the essay is stated in a single sentence called the thesis statement. You must limit your entire essay to the topic you have introduced in your thesis statement.  It will also, ideally, give the reader a sense of the kinds of information you will use to make that argument and the general organization of the paragraphs and pages that will follow.  Your introduction conveys a lot of information to your readers. After reading your introduction, your readers should not have any major surprises in store when they read the main body of your paper.

6.  Topic: Females who engage in sports as teenagers seem to be more successful in the business world when they grow older than girls who fail to do so. Discuss.

7.  Research has consistently proven that women who engage in some form of team-related sports during high school tend to perform better in the corporate world and have more prestigious careers than women who don’t. An informal survey of women who hold high level traditionally male positions such as Vice President of Finance and Accounting or Chief Information Officer invariably reveals some type of athletic background, such as high school basketball or softball. Team sports seem to impart three important principles that impact positively on these women in later life. Firstly, they learn how to work with a wide range of personalities in order to achieve a common goal. Secondly, they learn to deal with losses in a pragmatic fashion and to adapt their style based on the lessons learnt in losing, so as to win later. Additionally, these sports provide an opportunity for the girls to hone their competitive skills and this seems to translate in later life to an ability to navigate the corporate world successfully.