The key features of the synthesis essay are:
Structuring your synthesis essay by source works best when you want to emphasize the sources themselves over the points they make. For example, if you were using this type of structure for an argumentative essay, you might want to fully discuss the source you’re refuting before making your counterargument.
The synthesis essay structures above are by no means set in stone. You’re free to adapt or modify them however you need and can even combine them.
For example, what if there’s a special source that stands out from the others? You could begin your synthesis essay by discussing each topic individually so that your reader understands the issue. Then you could switch it up and include a section just for that one special source, explaining that source’s stance on the previously discussed topics.
Both of these techniques are used for the synthesis essay:
As mentioned above, a is a single sentence that briefly explains the main point of your essay. In a synthesis essay, the thesis statement should effectively bring together the ideas and points from multiple other sources.
A synthesis essay is only as good as its sources. The nature of a synthesis essay is to build on its sources, so you need to choose the best ones understand each of them thoroughly.
The two synthesis essay questions below are examples of the question type that has been one of the three free-response questions on the AP English Language and Composition Exam as of the May 2007 exam. The synthesis question asks students to synthesize information from a variety of sources to inform their own discussion of a topic. Students are given a 15-minute reading period to accommodate the additional reading required for the question.
Below is a sample synthesis essay question, sample scoring guidelines, comments from the Chief Reader about the sample student essays, seven sample student responses, and scoring commentary for each sample.
The topics below are suitable for an explanatory synthesis essay:
Approximately 300 AP English Language and Composition students from eight schools in New York, Maine, Texas, Tennessee, Washington, Florida, and New Mexico wrote responses to this synthesis topic. Students from these schools were given a 15-minute reading period followed by a 40-minute writing period in which to complete the sample synthesis assignment.
The list of topics for the Argument Synthesis Essay:
Synthesis essays are often compared to argumentative essays, which attempt to refute, debunk, or criticize existing ideas or other research. The truth is that the two are not mutually exclusive. Although synthesis essays tend to be analytical or expository, they can also be argumentative.
The following are the 3 methods on writing a killer Synthesis Essay:
A synthesis essay is any essay that combines ideas from multiple sources to create a new unified idea. If that new idea is a rebuttal to a preexisting idea and the entire essay is written as a critique, then the essay would be both synthesis and argumentative.
Marc And Carly Synthesis Essay Example
A synthesis essay is a type of essay that combines points, data, and evidence from multiple sources and turns them into one unified idea. In other words, the writer their own idea using other sources’ research and ideas.
Synthesis Essay Example Outline
Traditionally, the common approaches to creating a synthesis essay structure are organizing by topic or organizing by source. The means you discuss each source’s perspective on a topic before moving to the next topic; the latter means you discuss one source’s stance on each topic and then move to another source. You can also create a hybrid structure of the two for particular subjects.
How to Write a Synthesis Essay - Example
Synthesis essays are often contrasted with argumentative essays, but the truth is that the two are not mutually exclusive. For example, an argumentative essay can use the format of a synthesis essay—combining points from multiple sources to form a new unified idea—in order to refute a preexisting idea.