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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, 3 strong argumentative essay examples, analyzed.

General Education

Need to defend your opinion on an issue? Argumentative essays are one of the most popular types of essays you’ll write in school. They combine persuasive arguments with fact-based research, and, when done well, can be powerful tools for making someone agree with your point of view. If you’re struggling to write an argumentative essay or just want to learn more about them, seeing examples can be a big help.

After giving an overview of this type of essay, we provide three argumentative essay examples. After each essay, we explain in-depth how the essay was structured, what worked, and where the essay could be improved. We end with tips for making your own argumentative essay as strong as possible.

What Is an Argumentative Essay?

An argumentative essay is an essay that uses evidence and facts to support the claim it’s making. Its purpose is to persuade the reader to agree with the argument being made.

A good argumentative essay will use facts and evidence to support the argument, rather than just the author’s thoughts and opinions. For example, say you wanted to write an argumentative essay stating that Charleston, SC is a great destination for families. You couldn’t just say that it’s a great place because you took your family there and enjoyed it. For it to be an argumentative essay, you need to have facts and data to support your argument, such as the number of child-friendly attractions in Charleston, special deals you can get with kids, and surveys of people who visited Charleston as a family and enjoyed it. The first argument is based entirely on feelings, whereas the second is based on evidence that can be proven.

The standard five paragraph format is common, but not required, for argumentative essays. These essays typically follow one of two formats: the Toulmin model or the Rogerian model.

The Toulmin model is the most common. It begins with an introduction, follows with a thesis/claim, and gives data and evidence to support that claim. This style of essay also includes rebuttals of counterarguments.
The Rogerian model analyzes two sides of an argument and reaches a conclusion after weighing the strengths and weaknesses of each.

3 Good Argumentative Essay Examples + Analysis

Below are three examples of argumentative essays, written by yours truly in my school days, as well as analysis of what each did well and where it could be improved.

Argumentative Essay Example 1

Proponents of this idea state that it will save local cities and towns money because libraries are expensive to maintain. They also believe it will encourage more people to read because they won’t have to travel to a library to get a book; they can simply click on what they want to read and read it from wherever they are. They could also access more materials because libraries won’t have to buy physical copies of books; they can simply rent out as many digital copies as they need.

However, it would be a serious mistake to replace libraries with tablets. First, digital books and resources are associated with less learning and more problems than print resources. A study done on tablet vs book reading found that people read 20-30% slower on tablets, retain 20% less information, and understand 10% less of what they read compared to people who read the same information in print. Additionally, staring too long at a screen has been shown to cause numerous health problems, including blurred vision, dizziness, dry eyes, headaches, and eye strain, at much higher instances than reading print does. People who use tablets and mobile devices excessively also have a higher incidence of more serious health issues such as fibromyalgia, shoulder and back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and muscle strain. I know that whenever I read from my e-reader for too long, my eyes begin to feel tired and my neck hurts. We should not add to these problems by giving people, especially young people, more reasons to look at screens.

Second, it is incredibly narrow-minded to assume that the only service libraries offer is book lending. Libraries have a multitude of benefits, and many are only available if the library has a physical location. Some of these benefits include acting as a quiet study space, giving people a way to converse with their neighbors, holding classes on a variety of topics, providing jobs, answering patron questions, and keeping the community connected. One neighborhood found that, after a local library instituted community events such as play times for toddlers and parents, job fairs for teenagers, and meeting spaces for senior citizens, over a third of residents reported feeling more connected to their community. Similarly, a Pew survey conducted in 2015 found that nearly two-thirds of American adults feel that closing their local library would have a major impact on their community. People see libraries as a way to connect with others and get their questions answered, benefits tablets can’t offer nearly as well or as easily.

While replacing libraries with tablets may seem like a simple solution, it would encourage people to spend even more time looking at digital screens, despite the myriad issues surrounding them. It would also end access to many of the benefits of libraries that people have come to rely on. In many areas, libraries are such an important part of the community network that they could never be replaced by a simple object.

The author begins by giving an overview of the counter-argument, then the thesis appears as the first sentence in the third paragraph. The essay then spends the rest of the paper dismantling the counter argument and showing why readers should believe the other side.

What this essay does well:

Although it’s a bit unusual to have the thesis appear fairly far into the essay, it works because, once the thesis is stated, the rest of the essay focuses on supporting it since the counter-argument has already been discussed earlier in the paper.
This essay includes numerous facts and cites studies to support its case. By having specific data to rely on, the author’s argument is stronger and readers will be more inclined to agree with it.
For every argument the other side makes, the author makes sure to refute it and follow up with why her opinion is the stronger one. In order to make a strong argument, it’s important to dismantle the other side, which this essay does this by making the author's view appear stronger.
This is a shorter paper, and if it needed to be expanded to meet length requirements, it could include more examples and go more into depth with them, such as by explaining specific cases where people benefited from local libraries.
Additionally, while the paper uses lots of data, the author also mentions their own experience with using tablets. This should be removed since argumentative essays focus on facts and data to support an argument, not the author’s own opinion or experiences. Replacing that with more data on health issues associated with screen time would strengthen the essay.
Some of the points made aren't completely accurate , particularly the one about digital books being cheaper. It actually often costs a library more money to rent out numerous digital copies of a book compared to buying a single physical copy. Make sure in your own essay you thoroughly research each of the points and rebuttals you make, otherwise you'll look like you don't know the issue that well.

Argumentative Essay Example 2

There are multiple drugs available to treat malaria, and many of them work well and save lives, but malaria eradication programs that focus too much on them and not enough on prevention haven’t seen long-term success in Sub-Saharan Africa. A major program to combat malaria was WHO’s Global Malaria Eradication Programme. Started in 1955, it had a goal of eliminating malaria in Africa within the next ten years. Based upon previously successful programs in Brazil and the United States, the program focused mainly on vector control. This included widely distributing chloroquine and spraying large amounts of DDT. More than one billion dollars was spent trying to abolish malaria. However, the program suffered from many problems and in 1969, WHO was forced to admit that the program had not succeeded in eradicating malaria. The number of people in Sub-Saharan Africa who contracted malaria as well as the number of malaria deaths had actually increased over 10% during the time the program was active.

One of the major reasons for the failure of the project was that it set uniform strategies and policies. By failing to consider variations between governments, geography, and infrastructure, the program was not nearly as successful as it could have been. Sub-Saharan Africa has neither the money nor the infrastructure to support such an elaborate program, and it couldn’t be run the way it was meant to. Most African countries don't have the resources to send all their people to doctors and get shots, nor can they afford to clear wetlands or other malaria prone areas. The continent’s spending per person for eradicating malaria was just a quarter of what Brazil spent. Sub-Saharan Africa simply can’t rely on a plan that requires more money, infrastructure, and expertise than they have to spare.

Additionally, the widespread use of chloroquine has created drug resistant parasites which are now plaguing Sub-Saharan Africa. Because chloroquine was used widely but inconsistently, mosquitoes developed resistance, and chloroquine is now nearly completely ineffective in Sub-Saharan Africa, with over 95% of mosquitoes resistant to it. As a result, newer, more expensive drugs need to be used to prevent and treat malaria, which further drives up the cost of malaria treatment for a region that can ill afford it.

Instead of developing plans to treat malaria after the infection has incurred, programs should focus on preventing infection from occurring in the first place. Not only is this plan cheaper and more effective, reducing the number of people who contract malaria also reduces loss of work/school days which can further bring down the productivity of the region.

One of the cheapest and most effective ways of preventing malaria is to implement insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs). These nets provide a protective barrier around the person or people using them. While untreated bed nets are still helpful, those treated with insecticides are much more useful because they stop mosquitoes from biting people through the nets, and they help reduce mosquito populations in a community, thus helping people who don’t even own bed nets. Bed nets are also very effective because most mosquito bites occur while the person is sleeping, so bed nets would be able to drastically reduce the number of transmissions during the night. In fact, transmission of malaria can be reduced by as much as 90% in areas where the use of ITNs is widespread. Because money is so scarce in Sub-Saharan Africa, the low cost is a great benefit and a major reason why the program is so successful. Bed nets cost roughly 2 USD to make, last several years, and can protect two adults. Studies have shown that, for every 100-1000 more nets are being used, one less child dies of malaria. With an estimated 300 million people in Africa not being protected by mosquito nets, there’s the potential to save three million lives by spending just a few dollars per person.

Reducing the number of people who contract malaria would also reduce poverty levels in Africa significantly, thus improving other aspects of society like education levels and the economy. Vector control is more effective than treatment strategies because it means fewer people are getting sick. When fewer people get sick, the working population is stronger as a whole because people are not put out of work from malaria, nor are they caring for sick relatives. Malaria-afflicted families can typically only harvest 40% of the crops that healthy families can harvest. Additionally, a family with members who have malaria spends roughly a quarter of its income treatment, not including the loss of work they also must deal with due to the illness. It’s estimated that malaria costs Africa 12 billion USD in lost income every year. A strong working population creates a stronger economy, which Sub-Saharan Africa is in desperate need of.

This essay begins with an introduction, which ends with the thesis (that malaria eradication plans in Sub-Saharan Africa should focus on prevention rather than treatment). The first part of the essay lays out why the counter argument (treatment rather than prevention) is not as effective, and the second part of the essay focuses on why prevention of malaria is the better path to take.

The thesis appears early, is stated clearly, and is supported throughout the rest of the essay. This makes the argument clear for readers to understand and follow throughout the essay.
There’s lots of solid research in this essay, including specific programs that were conducted and how successful they were, as well as specific data mentioned throughout. This evidence helps strengthen the author’s argument.
The author makes a case for using expanding bed net use over waiting until malaria occurs and beginning treatment, but not much of a plan is given for how the bed nets would be distributed or how to ensure they’re being used properly. By going more into detail of what she believes should be done, the author would be making a stronger argument.
The introduction of the essay does a good job of laying out the seriousness of the problem, but the conclusion is short and abrupt. Expanding it into its own paragraph would give the author a final way to convince readers of her side of the argument.

Argumentative Essay Example 3

There are many ways payments could work. They could be in the form of a free-market approach, where athletes are able to earn whatever the market is willing to pay them, it could be a set amount of money per athlete, or student athletes could earn income from endorsements, autographs, and control of their likeness, similar to the way top Olympians earn money.

Proponents of the idea believe that, because college athletes are the ones who are training, participating in games, and bringing in audiences, they should receive some sort of compensation for their work. If there were no college athletes, the NCAA wouldn’t exist, college coaches wouldn’t receive there (sometimes very high) salaries, and brands like Nike couldn’t profit from college sports. In fact, the NCAA brings in roughly $1 billion in revenue a year, but college athletes don’t receive any of that money in the form of a paycheck. Additionally, people who believe college athletes should be paid state that paying college athletes will actually encourage them to remain in college longer and not turn pro as quickly, either by giving them a way to begin earning money in college or requiring them to sign a contract stating they’ll stay at the university for a certain number of years while making an agreed-upon salary.

Supporters of this idea point to Zion Williamson, the Duke basketball superstar, who, during his freshman year, sustained a serious knee injury. Many argued that, even if he enjoyed playing for Duke, it wasn’t worth risking another injury and ending his professional career before it even began for a program that wasn’t paying him. Williamson seems to have agreed with them and declared his eligibility for the NCAA draft later that year. If he was being paid, he may have stayed at Duke longer. In fact, roughly a third of student athletes surveyed stated that receiving a salary while in college would make them “strongly consider” remaining collegiate athletes longer before turning pro.

Paying athletes could also stop the recruitment scandals that have plagued the NCAA. In 2018, the NCAA stripped the University of Louisville's men's basketball team of its 2013 national championship title because it was discovered coaches were using sex workers to entice recruits to join the team. There have been dozens of other recruitment scandals where college athletes and recruits have been bribed with anything from having their grades changed, to getting free cars, to being straight out bribed. By paying college athletes and putting their salaries out in the open, the NCAA could end the illegal and underhanded ways some schools and coaches try to entice athletes to join.

People who argue against the idea of paying college athletes believe the practice could be disastrous for college sports. By paying athletes, they argue, they’d turn college sports into a bidding war, where only the richest schools could afford top athletes, and the majority of schools would be shut out from developing a talented team (though some argue this already happens because the best players often go to the most established college sports programs, who typically pay their coaches millions of dollars per year). It could also ruin the tight camaraderie of many college teams if players become jealous that certain teammates are making more money than they are.

They also argue that paying college athletes actually means only a small fraction would make significant money. Out of the 350 Division I athletic departments, fewer than a dozen earn any money. Nearly all the money the NCAA makes comes from men’s football and basketball, so paying college athletes would make a small group of men--who likely will be signed to pro teams and begin making millions immediately out of college--rich at the expense of other players.

Those against paying college athletes also believe that the athletes are receiving enough benefits already. The top athletes already receive scholarships that are worth tens of thousands per year, they receive free food/housing/textbooks, have access to top medical care if they are injured, receive top coaching, get travel perks and free gear, and can use their time in college as a way to capture the attention of professional recruiters. No other college students receive anywhere near as much from their schools.

People on this side also point out that, while the NCAA brings in a massive amount of money each year, it is still a non-profit organization. How? Because over 95% of those profits are redistributed to its members’ institutions in the form of scholarships, grants, conferences, support for Division II and Division III teams, and educational programs. Taking away a significant part of that revenue would hurt smaller programs that rely on that money to keep running.

While both sides have good points, it’s clear that the negatives of paying college athletes far outweigh the positives. College athletes spend a significant amount of time and energy playing for their school, but they are compensated for it by the scholarships and perks they receive. Adding a salary to that would result in a college athletic system where only a small handful of athletes (those likely to become millionaires in the professional leagues) are paid by a handful of schools who enter bidding wars to recruit them, while the majority of student athletics and college athletic programs suffer or even shut down for lack of money. Continuing to offer the current level of benefits to student athletes makes it possible for as many people to benefit from and enjoy college sports as possible.

This argumentative essay follows the Rogerian model. It discusses each side, first laying out multiple reasons people believe student athletes should be paid, then discussing reasons why the athletes shouldn’t be paid. It ends by stating that college athletes shouldn’t be paid by arguing that paying them would destroy college athletics programs and cause them to have many of the issues professional sports leagues have.

Both sides of the argument are well developed, with multiple reasons why people agree with each side. It allows readers to get a full view of the argument and its nuances.
Certain statements on both sides are directly rebuffed in order to show where the strengths and weaknesses of each side lie and give a more complete and sophisticated look at the argument.
Using the Rogerian model can be tricky because oftentimes you don’t explicitly state your argument until the end of the paper. Here, the thesis doesn’t appear until the first sentence of the final paragraph. That doesn’t give readers a lot of time to be convinced that your argument is the right one, compared to a paper where the thesis is stated in the beginning and then supported throughout the paper. This paper could be strengthened if the final paragraph was expanded to more fully explain why the author supports the view, or if the paper had made it clearer that paying athletes was the weaker argument throughout.

3 Tips for Writing a Good Argumentative Essay

Now that you’ve seen examples of what good argumentative essay samples look like, follow these three tips when crafting your own essay.

#1: Make Your Thesis Crystal Clear

The thesis is the key to your argumentative essay; if it isn’t clear or readers can’t find it easily, your entire essay will be weak as a result. Always make sure that your thesis statement is easy to find. The typical spot for it is the final sentence of the introduction paragraph, but if it doesn’t fit in that spot for your essay, try to at least put it as the first or last sentence of a different paragraph so it stands out more.

Also make sure that your thesis makes clear what side of the argument you’re on. After you’ve written it, it’s a great idea to show your thesis to a couple different people--classmates are great for this. Just by reading your thesis they should be able to understand what point you’ll be trying to make with the rest of your essay.

#2: Show Why the Other Side Is Weak

When writing your essay, you may be tempted to ignore the other side of the argument and just focus on your side, but don’t do this. The best argumentative essays really tear apart the other side to show why readers shouldn’t believe it. Before you begin writing your essay, research what the other side believes, and what their strongest points are. Then, in your essay, be sure to mention each of these and use evidence to explain why they’re incorrect/weak arguments. That’ll make your essay much more effective than if you only focused on your side of the argument.

#3: Use Evidence to Support Your Side

Remember, an essay can’t be an argumentative essay if it doesn’t support its argument with evidence. For every point you make, make sure you have facts to back it up. Some examples are previous studies done on the topic, surveys of large groups of people, data points, etc. There should be lots of numbers in your argumentative essay that support your side of the argument. This will make your essay much stronger compared to only relying on your own opinions to support your argument.

Summary: Argumentative Essay Sample

Argumentative essays are persuasive essays that use facts and evidence to support their side of the argument. Most argumentative essays follow either the Toulmin model or the Rogerian model. By reading good argumentative essay examples, you can learn how to develop your essay and provide enough support to make readers agree with your opinion. When writing your essay, remember to always make your thesis clear, show where the other side is weak, and back up your opinion with data and evidence.

What's Next?

Do you need to write an argumentative essay as well? Check out our guide on the best argumentative essay topics for ideas!

You'll probably also need to write research papers for school. We've got you covered with 113 potential topics for research papers.

Your college admissions essay may end up being one of the most important essays you write. Follow our step-by-step guide on writing a personal statement to have an essay that'll impress colleges.

Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.

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Argumentative Essay Examples to Inspire You (+ Free Formula)

Meredith Sell

Have you ever been asked to explain your opinion on a controversial issue?

Maybe your family got into a discussion about chemical pesticides
Someone at work argues against investing resources into your project
Your partner thinks intermittent fasting is the best way to lose weight and you disagree

Proving your point in an argumentative essay can be challenging, unless you are using a proven formula.

Argumentative essay formula & example

In the image below, you can see a recommended structure for argumentative essays. It starts with the topic sentence, which establishes the main idea of the essay. Next, this hypothesis is developed in the development stage. Then, the rebuttal, or the refutal of the main counter argument or arguments. Then, again, development of the rebuttal. This is followed by an example, and ends with a summary. This is a very basic structure, but it gives you a bird-eye-view of how a proper argumentative essay can be built.

Writing an argumentative essay (for a class, a news outlet, or just for fun) can help you improve your understanding of an issue and sharpen your thinking on the matter. Using researched facts and data, you can explain why you or others think the way you do, even while other reasonable people disagree.

Free AI argumentative essay generator > Free AI argumentative essay generator >

What Is an Argumentative Essay?

An argumentative essay is an explanatory essay that takes a side.

Instead of appealing to emotion and personal experience to change the reader’s mind, an argumentative essay uses logic and well-researched factual information to explain why the thesis in question is the most reasonable opinion on the matter.

Over several paragraphs or pages, the author systematically walks through:

The opposition (and supporting evidence)
The chosen thesis (and its supporting evidence)

At the end, the author leaves the decision up to the reader, trusting that the case they’ve made will do the work of changing the reader’s mind. Even if the reader’s opinion doesn’t change, they come away from the essay with a greater understanding of the perspective presented — and perhaps a better understanding of their original opinion.

All of that might make it seem like writing an argumentative essay is way harder than an emotionally-driven persuasive essay — but if you’re like me and much more comfortable spouting facts and figures than making impassioned pleas, you may find that an argumentative essay is easier to write.

Plus, the process of researching an argumentative essay means you can check your assumptions and develop an opinion that’s more based in reality than what you originally thought. I know for sure that my opinions need to be fact checked — don’t yours?

So how exactly do we write the argumentative essay?

How do you start an argumentative essay

First, gain a clear understanding of what exactly an argumentative essay is. To formulate a proper topic sentence, you have to be clear on your topic, and to explore it through research.

Students have difficulty starting an essay because the whole task seems intimidating, and they are afraid of spending too much time on the topic sentence. Experienced writers, however, know that there is no set time to spend on figuring out your topic. It's a real exploration that is based to a large extent on intuition.

6 Steps to Write an Argumentative Essay (Persuasion Formula)

Use this checklist to tackle your essay one step at a time:

1. Research an issue with an arguable question

To start, you need to identify an issue that well-informed people have varying opinions on. Here, it’s helpful to think of one core topic and how it intersects with another (or several other) issues. That intersection is where hot takes and reasonable (or unreasonable) opinions abound.

I find it helpful to stage the issue as a question.

For example:

Is it better to legislate the minimum size of chicken enclosures or to outlaw the sale of eggs from chickens who don’t have enough space?

Should snow removal policies focus more on effectively keeping roads clear for traffic or the environmental impacts of snow removal methods?

Once you have your arguable question ready, start researching the basic facts and specific opinions and arguments on the issue. Do your best to stay focused on gathering information that is directly relevant to your topic. Depending on what your essay is for, you may reference academic studies, government reports, or newspaper articles.

‍ Research your opposition and the facts that support their viewpoint as much as you research your own position . You’ll need to address your opposition in your essay, so you’ll want to know their argument from the inside out.

2. Choose a side based on your research

You likely started with an inclination toward one side or the other, but your research should ultimately shape your perspective. So once you’ve completed the research, nail down your opinion and start articulating the what and why of your take.

What: I think it’s better to outlaw selling eggs from chickens whose enclosures are too small.

Why: Because if you regulate the enclosure size directly, egg producers outside of the government’s jurisdiction could ship eggs into your territory and put nearby egg producers out of business by offering better prices because they don’t have the added cost of larger enclosures.

This is an early form of your thesis and the basic logic of your argument. You’ll want to iterate on this a few times and develop a one-sentence statement that sums up the thesis of your essay.

Thesis: Outlawing the sale of eggs from chickens with cramped living spaces is better for business than regulating the size of chicken enclosures.

Now that you’ve articulated your thesis , spell out the counterargument(s) as well. Putting your opposition’s take into words will help you throughout the rest of the essay-writing process. (You can start by choosing the counter argument option with Wordtune Spices .)

Counterargument: Outlawing the sale of eggs from chickens with too small enclosures will immediately drive up egg prices for consumers, making the low-cost protein source harder to afford — especially for low-income consumers.

There may be one main counterargument to articulate, or several. Write them all out and start thinking about how you’ll use evidence to address each of them or show why your argument is still the best option.

3. Organize the evidence — for your side and the opposition

You did all of that research for a reason. Now’s the time to use it.

Hopefully, you kept detailed notes in a document, complete with links and titles of all your source material. Go through your research document and copy the evidence for your argument and your opposition’s into another document.

List the main points of your argument. Then, below each point, paste the evidence that backs them up.

If you’re writing about chicken enclosures, maybe you found evidence that shows the spread of disease among birds kept in close quarters is worse than among birds who have more space. Or maybe you found information that says eggs from free-range chickens are more flavorful or nutritious. Put that information next to the appropriate part of your argument.

Repeat the process with your opposition’s argument: What information did you find that supports your opposition? Paste it beside your opposition’s argument.

You could also put information here that refutes your opposition, but organize it in a way that clearly tells you — at a glance — that the information disproves their point.

Counterargument: Outlawing the sale of eggs from chickens with too small enclosures will immediately drive up egg prices for consumers.

BUT: Sicknesses like avian flu spread more easily through small enclosures and could cause a shortage that would drive up egg prices naturally, so ensuring larger enclosures is still a better policy for consumers over the long term.

As you organize your research and see the evidence all together, start thinking through the best way to order your points.

Will it be better to present your argument all at once or to break it up with opposition claims you can quickly refute? Would some points set up other points well? Does a more complicated point require that the reader understands a simpler point first?

Play around and rearrange your notes to see how your essay might flow one way or another.

4. Freewrite or outline to think through your argument

Is your brain buzzing yet? At this point in the process, it can be helpful to take out a notebook or open a fresh document and dump whatever you’re thinking on the page.

Where should your essay start? What ground-level information do you need to provide your readers before you can dive into the issue?

Use your organized evidence document from step 3 to think through your argument from beginning to end, and determine the structure of your essay.

There are three typical structures for argumentative essays:

Make your argument and tackle opposition claims one by one, as they come up in relation to the points of your argument - In this approach, the whole essay — from beginning to end — focuses on your argument, but as you make each point, you address the relevant opposition claims individually. This approach works well if your opposition’s views can be quickly explained and refuted and if they directly relate to specific points in your argument.
Make the bulk of your argument, and then address the opposition all at once in a paragraph (or a few) - This approach puts the opposition in its own section, separate from your main argument. After you’ve made your case, with ample evidence to convince your readers, you write about the opposition, explaining their viewpoint and supporting evidence — and showing readers why the opposition’s argument is unconvincing. Once you’ve addressed the opposition, you write a conclusion that sums up why your argument is the better one.
Open your essay by talking about the opposition and where it falls short. Build your entire argument to show how it is superior to that opposition - With this structure, you’re showing your readers “a better way” to address the issue. After opening your piece by showing how your opposition’s approaches fail, you launch into your argument, providing readers with ample evidence that backs you up.

As you think through your argument and examine your evidence document, consider which structure will serve your argument best. Sketch out an outline to give yourself a map to follow in the writing process. You could also rearrange your evidence document again to match your outline, so it will be easy to find what you need when you start writing.

5. Write your first draft

You have an outline and an organized document with all your points and evidence lined up and ready. Now you just have to write your essay.

In your first draft, focus on getting your ideas on the page. Your wording may not be perfect (whose is?), but you know what you’re trying to say — so even if you’re overly wordy and taking too much space to say what you need to say, put those words on the page.

Follow your outline, and draw from that evidence document to flesh out each point of your argument. Explain what the evidence means for your argument and your opposition. Connect the dots for your readers so they can follow you, point by point, and understand what you’re trying to say.

As you write, be sure to include:

1. Any background information your reader needs in order to understand the issue in question.

2. Evidence for both your argument and the counterargument(s). This shows that you’ve done your homework and builds trust with your reader, while also setting you up to make a more convincing argument. (If you find gaps in your research while you’re writing, Wordtune Spices can source statistics or historical facts on the fly!)

Get Wordtune for free > Get Wordtune for free >

3. A conclusion that sums up your overall argument and evidence — and leaves the reader with an understanding of the issue and its significance. This sort of conclusion brings your essay to a strong ending that doesn’t waste readers’ time, but actually adds value to your case.

6. Revise (with Wordtune)

The hard work is done: you have a first draft. Now, let’s fine tune your writing.

I like to step away from what I’ve written for a day (or at least a night of sleep) before attempting to revise. It helps me approach clunky phrases and rough transitions with fresh eyes. If you don’t have that luxury, just get away from your computer for a few minutes — use the bathroom, do some jumping jacks, eat an apple — and then come back and read through your piece.

As you revise, make sure you …

Get the facts right. An argument with false evidence falls apart pretty quickly, so check your facts to make yours rock solid.
Don’t misrepresent the opposition or their evidence. If someone who holds the opposing view reads your essay, they should affirm how you explain their side — even if they disagree with your rebuttal.
Present a case that builds over the course of your essay, makes sense, and ends on a strong note. One point should naturally lead to the next. Your readers shouldn’t feel like you’re constantly changing subjects. You’re making a variety of points, but your argument should feel like a cohesive whole.
Paraphrase sources and cite them appropriately. Did you skip citations when writing your first draft? No worries — you can add them now. And check that you don’t overly rely on quotations. (Need help paraphrasing? Wordtune can help. Simply highlight the sentence or phrase you want to adjust and sort through Wordtune’s suggestions.)
Tighten up overly wordy explanations and sharpen any convoluted ideas. Wordtune makes a great sidekick for this too 😉

Words to start an argumentative essay

The best way to introduce a convincing argument is to provide a strong thesis statement . These are the words I usually use to start an argumentative essay:

It is indisputable that the world today is facing a multitude of issues
With the rise of ____, the potential to make a positive difference has never been more accessible
It is essential that we take action now and tackle these issues head-on
it is critical to understand the underlying causes of the problems standing before us
Opponents of this idea claim
Those who are against these ideas may say
Some people may disagree with this idea
Some people may say that ____, however

When refuting an opposing concept, use:

These researchers have a point in thinking
To a certain extent they are right
After seeing this evidence, there is no way one can agree with this idea
This argument is irrelevant to the topic

Are you convinced by your own argument yet? Ready to brave the next get-together where everyone’s talking like they know something about intermittent fasting , chicken enclosures , or snow removal policies?

Now if someone asks you to explain your evidence-based but controversial opinion, you can hand them your essay and ask them to report back after they’ve read it.

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Informed Arguments: A Guide to Writing and Research - Revised Second Edition

(10 reviews)

Terri Pantuso, Texas A&M University

Sarah LeMire, Texas A&M University

Kathy Anders, Texas A&M University

Last Update: 2022

Publisher: Texas A&M University

Language: English

Formats Available

Conditions of use.

Learn more about reviews.

Reviewed by Yongkang Wei, Professor, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley on 12/21/22

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This would be a useful source for teaching first-year writing courses, as it covers all the subjects that are supposed to be dealt with, esp. if the focus of teaching is placed on argumentation. I have been actively looking for a textbook that puts emphasis on a rhetorical approach to writing. And this one would come in handy for its rather comprehensive coverage of the approach. It features a chapter on "rhetorical situation" that includes a section called "rhetorical analysis," a topic not commonly, or extensively, discussed in similar types of textbooks.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

I'm not aware of anything that is not accurate, error-free or unbiased.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

While I cannot speak for other instructors, the content of this Open Education Resource textbook would be a good match for what I will teach using a non-OER (i.e., paid) textbook. For example, my syllabus covers the topic of rhetorical analysis, which is conveniently found in the third chapter of the book. My syllabus also covers the three models of argumentation: Classical, Rogerian, and Toulmin, which are all discussed and presented in full length by the authors/editors. Nowadays, going rhetorical is the trend, so I anticipate this OER book will enjoy a long period of relevancy and currency as course material for those teaching first-year writing courses. Plus, its online formation can make a quick update.

Clarity rating: 5

The text is written in a way suitable to the level of first-year college students. Jargons or technical terms are minimal. If they do occur, they are well explained within context, as seen, for example, in those terms of logical fallacies. At the end, there is a list of glossaries, which is of additional help if a student encounters an unfamiliar term.

Consistency rating: 5

The authors/editors stress the rhetorical approach to writing. The whole textbook is built around that approach, which also ensures a framework of consistency for content delivery.

Modularity rating: 5

The modularity of the book is excellent. The whole book is divided into eight chapters, each of which is further divided into sections and subsections. The smaller reading sections can keep students away from "boredom," but more importantly they also make it easy and convenient for instructors to pick and reorganize subunits of a course that will best fit their own needs or situations.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

The topics of the book are presented in a sequence as expected. However, Chapter 8, the last chapter, may not be up to its title, Ethics, as most of the sections are more related to the previous chapter on researched writing. For example, citation formatting and APA or MLA format can well be incorporated into Chapter 7.

Interface rating: 5

I have not encountered interface issues when reading through the book.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

This is a non-issue. All contributors to the book are excellent writers.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

I have not come across any issues in the textbook that can be described as culturally insensitive or offensive.

I wish a list of readings, or their links, were incorporated into each chapter to save instructors' time and energy looking for relevant reading materials. Additional readings are part of a writing course. They provide material for fruitful classroom discussions. Used as examples, they also help illustrate subjects to ensure a better understanding on the part of students.

Reviewed by Tara Montague, Part-time instructor, Portland Community College on 6/28/22

I’d give this a 4.5 if I could. This text covers nearly everything that I’d want to cover in a FYW course on thesis-driven argument. I would love to see a revised introduction with a more robust intro aimed at the student – one that formally introduces thesis-driven argument (and previews the text's approach/structure). I think that would help the rest of the pieces fall into place more clearly for me. The glossary is great, and the way glossary items are handled when they show up in the text (active link with a pop-up box) is extremely useful and appreciated.

I did not notice any inaccuracies, biases, or errors.

Current examples were used (a 2010 textbook, Kamala Harris’s VP Acceptance speech), and I believe they were used in a way that will remain relevant to readers.

The writing is clear and accessible. It does go into more depth about rhetoric and argument (Toulmin, Rogerian) than I think many FYW classes would go, but is still accessible. I do feel like a clearer spelling out of the relationship/usage of the terms persuasion and argument would help. This is kind of approached in chapter 3.7, but it’s a bit lacking for me.

Consistency rating: 4

Some of the chapters and sections seem a bit broad and generic given the text’s stated focus on thesis-driven argument. And some examples of thesis statements seem too simplistic for argument – or don’t really match the genre of thesis-driven argument.

The text is easily and readily divisible. My interest is in adopting specific chapter/sections; this can be done without any difficulty whatsoever. It would also be easy to reorganize to improve upon the organizational issues that I believe the text has.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 3

The overall structure of the text is not super intuitive. It starts with the writing process (section 2: analyzing assignment, prewriting), and then circles back to it in section 5. As I refer back to the text to write this review, I see this even more strongly – I have trouble finding the chapters I’m looking for as they’re not under the sections of the text I’d expect them to be; I keep getting lost.

Given the text’s title, I would expect introduction/discussion of main concepts – especially thesis-driven argumentation – before launching into the writing process or even rhetoric. Additionally, some chapters/sections/pages are two paragraphs long, and some are more than ten screens’ worth, and the variation (and what is chunked into a separate chapter/section vs. what is just a heading within a chapter/section) isn’t guided by a clear organizational principle. If I were looking to adopt an entire text (as opposed to selecting sections of it), this would cause me problems. (It should be noted that the authors make it clear that this text is written for a specific course at TAMU.)

The heading “Writing a persuasive essay” comes within a chapter/section about using visual elements (3.11). I believe this is a mistake.

The text is offered in various formats and is downloadable. Extremely user-friendly and easy to navigate. In the eBook, the text contains an active glossary: when you click on an underlined term (i.e. secondary sources), its glossary entry/definition/explanation pops up.

The text has been carefully edited and is very clean. I didn’t see any grammatical errors. The only thing I noticed is a confusing lack of “strike-through” in a subtitle of Chapter 4.6: “Thesis Is Not Doesn’t Have to Be a Bad Thing (Or Why Write Antithesis Essays in the First Place”).

I don’t believe the text is culturally insensitive or offensive. I believe it used a couple of examples that were inclusive of a variety of backgrounds.

There are definitely elements of this text that I will use in my FYW (Writing 122) course. I appreciate how succinctly and clearly the text distinguishes between (intended) audience and reader. I also like the logical fallacies section. I typically don’t go into these in my FYW course, but this text does a good job of selecting fallacies that many students tend to use in their own arguments; it provides a solid short list for students to evaluate their own reasoning. I really like the chapter on counterargument / antithetical writing by Steven D. Krause that they included.

Reviewed by Carrie Dickison, Associate Teaching Professor, Wichita State University on 6/3/21

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

The text covers the writing process, rhetoric and argumentation, and research-based writing sufficiently in-depth to work as a primary textbook for a composition course focusing on these topics. As with most OERs, instructors will likely need to supplement the text with examples. Unfortunately, there is no table of contents or index, so instructors using the text will need to spend extra time scrolling to identify content.

Content is in-line with other mainstream composition textbooks.

The content is up-to-date, and most examples will seem relevant to students. For example, it references the keto diet and Trump’s inaugural address. The section on MLA is updated for MLA 8, which is better than many open-access composition texts.

The register is appropriate for first-year students, and the text does a nice job of explaining discipline-specific terminology.

The text is consistent in its approach to writing, argumentation, and research.

Modularity rating: 4

Each section is divided into sub-sections with sub-headings, making it fairly easy to assign different parts of a section. However, sub-sections are not numbered, making them somewhat cumbersome to put on a syllabus.

In general, the text is organized logically. Most sections have a clear focus (e.g. the writing process, an introduction to rhetoric, structuring an argument). However, there are a few sections that I found confusing. For example, there are two different discussions of types of sources (in two different sections), and the discussion of evaluating sources comes before the discussion of research strategies. However, it wouldn’t be too difficult to assign these sections in a different order.

Interface rating: 4

The text is only available as a PDF, which cuts down on image distortion and broken links. However, it also makes it harder to navigate the text, especially since there is no table of contents.

I didn’t notice any grammatical errors in the text.

The text is not culturally insensitive or offensive.

This is a good choice for a course that focuses on rhetoric, argumentation, and research-based writing. It’s also less institution specific than other OERs with similar content, making it easier to adapt for another institution.

Reviewed by Stefanie Shipe, Associate Professor, Northern Virginia Community College on 5/10/21

The textbook offers a thorough discussion of the writing process and the research process. The section on paragraph development is especially comprehensive. The section on the Writing Process could be more robust, particularly the discussion of medium. With more and more emphasis on multimodality in freshman-level composition classes, this textbook would benefit from an expanded section on visual argument and/or non-traditional argument. The section on Rogerian Argument is very brief.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

The content is accurate, although the section on Rogerian Argument doesn't give a complete picture of the strategy.

All the content is relevant, and examples can be easily updated as needed.

The language is accessible, and new terms are explained for readers.

Terminology and framework remain consistent.

The text is broken down into logical sections. It might be helpful to make the section numbers more easily accessible for readers. Some sections also have very large blocks of text that may be somewhat difficult to follow.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

Topics are presented logically.

The PDF is mostly written text, which may be challenging for certain readers. The addition of more tables, graphs, colors, or images might help to break up the text to make it more accessible and easy to read. Section headings could also be more clear and easier to locate.

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

I noticed a few minor issues with widows/orphans, I also noticed one minor error: in section 4.18, "pro-choice" contains the hyphen, but "prolife" does not.

I don't see any major issues with inclusivity, although one or two sections might benefit from some language to alert a reader to sensitive content (such as the abortion issue).

Reviewed by Lee Ann Regan, Adjunct Professor, Northern Virginia Community College on 5/5/21

This textbook covers all the topics I cover in my Composition II class, though I would like more on analyzing visual arguments (ads, photos, political cartoons). read more

This textbook covers all the topics I cover in my Composition II class, though I would like more on analyzing visual arguments (ads, photos, political cartoons).

Accurate, though to be picky in the block quote example (6.15) there is a period after the parenthetical citation contrary to MLA style.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

Although mention of specific TV shows and Trump's inaugural speech may date quickly, these are tiny elements in the material. Most of the content will remain relevant for a long time.

The text's prose is accessible without being condescending.

In Section 3, Rhetorical Modes of Writing discusses narration, description, and exposition which I found out of place in a book on writing arguments. However, these are types of essays often assigned in freshman composition classes.

The text is divided into clear sections on each topic aspect which could easily be assigned.

There is a clear progression from assignment through the writing process.

The screenshot of database functions is distorted. Scrolling back and forth in a PDF can be awkward.

I noticed no grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

Nothing stood out as offensive.

This textbook covers the topic of writing academic argument well. While I missed sample essays to analyze they can date a book quickly and instructors can easily add them to supplement the text. I found the sections on research and maintaining voice, areas where students sometimes struggle, particularly strong.

Reviewed by Linda McHenry, Instructor of First-Year Composition & Coordinator of Composition-Sequence Assessment, Fort Hays State University on 3/26/21

This comprehensive textbook, appropriate for an English Composition II course, both describes and explains six steps in the writing process for a first-year composition student. An example of a student’s prewriting is included. Rhetorical situation is explained well for first-year students. “Rhetorical Modes of Writing” provides explanation for many writing assignments students typically encounter in the composition sequence, including narration, description, classification, process, definition, comparison and contrast, cause and effect, and persuasion. Also, there are explanations and examples of a visual analysis essay. Toulmin Argument is written clearly for first-year students in a writing course, and Rogerian Argument is discussed and explained, as well. Inclusion of both arguments gives composition faculty options for how to best approach specific argumentative assignments in their courses.

Content is error-free and mostly unbiased. Initially, I found the logical fallacies sections cursory but appreciate the depth of argument in the last half of the textbook.

Most of the textbook reads as relevant and will remain relevant for some time. Most examples, such as TVs, e-books, reality TV shows, and hybrid cars, will remain relatable to first-year students. There is an outdated reference to TV Guide, which I’m confident traditional first-year students will need explained.

One of the most-impressive strengths of this textbook is the way the writers introduce, define, explain, and use terms throughout the text. Argument can be a complicated concept for students, and the sections focusing on types of argument and ways to construct effective arguments meaningfully and deliberately demystify the ways writers tailor their messages for target audiences. Later in the textbook, library database searching is explained well, especially with the Boolean examples.

Writing is discussed and explained before researching, which makes complete sense. The text also features helpful research worksheets to aid with search terms.

The textbook is available in multiple formats, including .pdf and Google Doc, allowing for integration with various learning-management systems. The textbook’s clear headings and page numbers allow faculty to point to specific sections or assignments from their syllabus. Or faculty can copy and paste particular parts into their specific learning-management system with section titles and authors clearly listed.

The textbook is logically organized, beginning with writing process. The research process is well written and provides solid examples of student research plans. The argument sections are well organized and build on one another.

Interface rating: 3

Text and visual aides are mostly clear. The screen grab of library research results is blurry and difficult to view. I had no problems moving between the sections. Visual aides are labeled but are missing descriptive text that would help readers with visual deficits understand drawings, graphics, and charts.

I found no grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 2

In a section that asks students to “Imagine Hostile Audiences” (p. 78), the textbook engages positions on abortion. In a first-year composition textbook, naming issues that some students will have lived through lacks sensitivity to what some of our students have had to endure—for both those who have carried an unwanted pregnancy to full term and those who have terminated a pregnancy. Certainly, other issues can illustrate hostile audiences without evoking the pain and stress that surround abortion.

Overall, this is an effective textbook for English Composition II.

Reviewed by Andrew Howard, Assistant Professor/Program Coordinator of English, The University of the District of Columbia on 2/26/21

This book covers everything that a first-year writing professor would expect to see, and it covers everything a first-year writing student will need to encounter for academic writing. The layout is logical and the tone is approachable enough that students will not only be guided through the writing process, but will be given a guide and reference they can use throughout the rest of their academic careers. The information and its presentation concerning research is top-notch! Very informative and practical.

I found nothing inaccurate! The fundamental topics this book approaches are clearly and concisely illuminated, but they are, at heart, near-universal truths. Pantuso et al. present the basic tenets of the writing process in rock-solid terms and cite when necessary, giving a real sense of relevance, accuracy, and currency.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 3

It appears that the main ideas presented in Informed Arguments will be in place for some time, so the relevance is not much of an issue here. As for being up-to-date, I'd hope that the authors do a once-over every few years with an eye toward their characterization of students, particularly when you see examples of student voice. The other area I'd suggest giving attention is the acknowledgment of multi-modal assignments; I'd expect more beyond the usual rhetorical mode structure found in so many textbooks.

The text is absolutely clear in how it presents ideas. Pantuso et al. never get bogged down purple or overly-academic prose. They never speak down to their audience or hold the subject of writing is such high esteem as to present themselves as elites guarding inaccessible information. There's a real sense that this textbook was written by humans who are concerned with getting across the important nuances of writing--something that we often miss in textbooks.

The no-nonsense approach that the authors take ensures that their text is indeed consistent throughout.

Modularity rating: 3

My biggest issues here are addressed in the interface portion, but I'd like to see clearer breaks, not only between sections, but in the writing examples. Occasionally you'll get a title at the end of one page, then the writing example begins on the next. Could use a bit more cleanup or widow/orphan consideration.

No issues here--the text is presented in the most logical

I may be biased against pdf textbooks, but I find them impossible to navigate with any sense of surety. This text could likely be reorganized of necessary, and seems to be presented somewhat modularly (though there is certainly a logical order to the text overall). If the material were presented as a central hub with explorable modules, I believe the layout would be easier to navigate. I'd also like more visual cues that I am moving from one topic to the next. Aside from the occasional obvious page break and slightly larger text for headings, I don't get much of a sense that I've moved from one section to another. The visuals that are provided are very helpful and logical; however, there are not enough. I'd like to see a few visuals related to the examples in the text. Take 4.8, for example: there's a student essay on the X-Files. While there is surely an issue of copyright concerning an image of Mulder and Scully, throw a clip art alien or something in there!

I noticed no grammatical issues!

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

I didn't see much to suggest that this book went either way on the scale of cultural sensitivity.

Reviewed by Oline Eaton, Lecturer, Howard University on 1/27/21

This is an especially comprehensive text on writing arguments intended for an audience of first year students. The authors very effectively assess the knowledge base of that readership and, accordingly, open the book with a chapter that offers students a practical, step-by-step guide to the college essay writing process (from understanding the assignment on through incorporating feedback into a final, polished version of an essay). The authors also adeptly introduce the vocabulary students will need in the writing classroom and use it to introduce and unpack complex concepts in a way that avoids jargon and is, therefore, likely to be more easily understood by students. The text gives students a very solid foundation for understanding the essay assignments they are likely to encounter, not only in the writing class that uses this book but in their other college classes.

I saw nothing in the text that gave me concerns regarding its accuracy.

The book has a really nice, readable tone that is likely to appeal to students and was clearly produced by writers who are actively teaching students today. Their examples are ones students will likely relate to. One such instance is in the section on audience, where two different descriptions of the same event (one formal and intended for public consumption; the other reading more like a text to a friend and opening with "OMG!") are used to make the point that students are accustomed to taking audience into account often in their daily lives, even if unconsciously. The text very deliberately builds from the discussion in the opening chapter on how to read an assignment to the final chapter's highly detailed discussion of how to conduct robust academic research online. The research section, in particular, is something I'm now contemplating incorporating into my classes on Zoom this semester, in lieu of or in conjunction with a librarian visit. If you're teaching argument and/or researched argument, this book very elegantly and straight-forwardly covers all the bases. The book was written explicitly for use at Texas A&M, by professors at Texas A&M. This isn't all that intrusive, and I think it would absolutely be usable in classes outside of that university. It's just something to be aware of and explains why there are Texas A&M examples throughout.

This is a very clearly written text, that would be very accessible to first year college students of all ages. The authors do an excellent job of defining their terms and fully unpacking concepts that might be new to students.

The text builds a cohesive, internally consistent argument about how students may best go about argumentative writing. By the time students reach the final section on research and ethics, they should have everything they need to produce robust, ethical arguments within the writing process developed through the earlier sections.

Because it opens with the focus on simply how to read an assignment and goes all the way through the research progress, the book is structured in such a way that it could easily be incorporated into a one- or two-semester writing/research course.

I can think of no better way to organize this text. It very logically proceeds from one phase of the process of writing arguments to the next. Reading it, it very nicely aligns with how I already structure my own classes and one can easily see how it could be used to scaffold a one- or even a two-semester first year writing course.

The text was very user-friendly, with helpful charts and graphics. One thing to note is that there is a screenshot of the University Library page search box, which may not perfectly match all university libraries. A small detail, but something to be aware of if you're trying to bring this into your classroom outside of Texas A&M.

This is a very well edited and proofread text, which is obviously extra important in a writing class.

The text is not culturally insensitive or offensive. However, I'm not sure that it's particularly inclusive either. I'm unfamiliar with the student demographics of Texas A&M, so perhaps it is a great fit for them. However, the text might have benefited from a few examples that demonstrate the variety of student experiences. In classrooms with populations of students of color, parents, or disabled students, it might be desirable to augment the reading by bringing in some more inclusive examples for classroom discussion.

I highly recommend this text for first year writing classrooms.

Reviewed by Grant Bain, Instructor, Colorado State University on 12/28/20

The textbook is amazingly comprehensive, especially given its brevity. I was surprised to see, for example, how thoroughly the authors were able to cover major concepts in argument theory. The authors introduce not only classical argument, but also the Toulmin model and Rogerian argument, which is a great way to introduce students to the complexities of this concept. The only major shortcoming that I see is its focus on essays. While the essay is an important and useful genre for exploring ideas and generating knowledge, students need to be given opportunity to practice other forms (reports or proposals, for example) in order to more fully understand how to adapt their writing across varying contexts and purposes. The authors focus very heavily on the rhetorical situation, which they should, but that focus its somewhat belied by their concurrent focus on the form of the essay, which limits the purpose, audience, and texts with which a student might interact.

This text is remarkably well-aligned with current practices in writing scholarship and pedagogy. It's chapters offer concise yet thorough discussions of major concepts like the rhetorical situation, rhetorical appeals, and even ethics in writing. While "accuracy" is a tricky concept to apply to something as qualitative as writing, the text is in agreement with prevailing scholarly trends and practices.

The text is very relevant to its intended audience of freshman composition students. I particularly like the focus on process and rhetorical situation. The textbook begins by prompting students to understand a writing assignment, which is something that I cannot foresee ever becoming outdated. Having students begin by assessing the needs of their specific situation is so important and yet still so undervalued in a lot of writing curricula.

The text's rhetoric and examples are clear and very accessible. In fact, I think this textbook may be the most accessible to freshman college students that I've seen. The author's shy away from all but the most necessary jargon, and what specialized terms they do use (rhetorical situation, etc) are very fully contextualized and explained.

The books is very consistent across all chapters. Its rhetoric is well-organized around the central concept of the rhetorical situation. Even though the text doesn't fully address that term until Section 3, it opens by encouraging students to understand each specific writing assignment, thereby prompting them from the very beginning to understand fully the situation in which they are writing.

For the most part I feel like this text could be used in a variety of ways and its chapters assigned in varying sequences.

Given the recursive nature of writing, this text is organized in a very logical and utilitarian way. Each chapter develops its subject very well and provides enough context along the way for a freshman audience to be able to understand that subject. The overall chapter organization is also very practical, and develops the point of the book quite well, even if teachers decide to assign chapters in a different order than that in which they are arranged in the book.

This is one of the biggest flaws for me. A PDF is one of the least user-friendly interfaces; even a physical book makes it easier to mark important passages and easily move back and forth between them. I realize that OER funding availability makes interface a challenge, but this is a notable flaw of this text. It's hardly a reason not to adopt it, however.

I detected no grammatical errors whatsoever.

I would agree with this for the most part. I do question the use of President Trump's inaugural speech to exemplify the rhetorical situation, however. Maybe the divisiveness of Trump's administration will fade over time, but right now it seems like a poor choice, in that many students will have a hard time thinking in any way objectively about it. Given that no specific examples from the address are used, I'm not sure why the authors chose to specify Trump's inaugural address over the situation of an inaugural address more generally. For now and for the next few years, however, it seems like a poor choice.

Pantuso et al. have produced a clear, concise, and very useful textbook. It would be a great supplement or even primary rhetoric for a freshman composition course. If the authors were to revise the textbook to include a wider variety of genres--thereby exposing students to a wider variety of rhetorical situations--this would be an outstanding OER text.

Reviewed by Paul Lee, Associate Professor, University of Texas at Arlington on 11/11/20

Comprehensiveness rating: 3 see less

I think it covers a lot of the basics, which is good, and I understand that it is intended to be a short, more concise introduction to academic writing. However, I would like to see a little more depth in areas like ethos, pathos, logos and the rhetorical situation. These form the basis of modern argument, so it seems important to dig a bit deeper and to provide some relevant examples and situations to further explain these appeals.

The authors did an excellent job of accuracy and avoiding bias. Some of the points they make may give the wrong impression to students, however, like their description of the thesis statement being in the introduction in most cases. This is true, but it can be practically anywhere in the paper and I think it is relevant to let the students know that so their papers aren’t quite so mechanical and formulaic.

They did an excellent job of this, as well. This information doesn’t tend to change very quickly, but they still presented it in a way that should stand up to time very well, so I would say that this text will be useful for quite a while. A lot of texts tend to use examples that are quickly out-of-date (like political issues or current events); these can be more relevant and relatable to the students so they can help them to understand more easily, but they can quickly become irrelevant and have the opposite effect. Unless I overlooked it, I didn’t see any issues like that with this text.

Clarity rating: 4

It definitely is very clear. Again, some further elaboration on certain topics/concepts might make it even more clear (e.g., examples, more detailed explanations, and so on).

I didn’t see any issues with the consistency. Overall this book does a great job of holding together and explaining how each individual topic relates to the overall discussion of writing and the writing process. It speaks to the clarity of the text, as well, that each section of the book allows the text overall to support its own thesis about writing.

The book felt more linear than modular; in other words, it feels like the book should be read at the beginning as each section builds on the previous one. There were some exceptions like the visual arguments section; even these need some previous material to be fully understood and utilized, however.

The organization is excellent. This is the upside to the linear style I mentioned in the earlier section. If you tend to organize your class in this fashion, then this is a great book to do that; it will allow you to provide information that consistently builds upon the information before it.

Interface rating: 1

I am NOT a fan of long texts that are in PDF format. This made it very difficult to navigate around in the text, particularly with a smaller device like an iPhone. I read it both on an iPad and an iPhone and when I was on the iPhone I found myself getting very weary of constant speed-scrolling to find an area later in the book (say, page 160 for example). I think a different format (like ePub) would be a huge improvement.

The book’s grammar looked excellent. I didn’t notice any particular issues, and being a rhetoric & composition instructor I’m very observant of things like that.

Being about a fairly innocuous topic in the first place (unless controversial examples are used) this book didn’t have any issues that stood out to me. I mentioned earlier that it tends to stay fairly up-to-date in its examples, and this is another upside of that — it’s not using anything that is overly controversial.

Overall it’s a very well-written text that could be used if you want a more concise and to-the-point discussion of the major aspects of writing and the writing process. I think it could use a little more detail, development, as well as examples, however. And I’m not a fan of having to scroll endlessly through a PDF document, so a different format seems to be in order.

I. Introduction
II. Getting Started
III. Rhetorical Situation
IV. Types of Argumentation
V. Process and Organization
VI. Joining the Academic Conversation
VII. Researched Writing
VIII: Ethics

Ancillary Material

About the book.

Welcome to composition and rhetoric! While most of you are taking this course because it is required, we hope that all of you will leave with more confidence in your reading, writing, researching, and speaking abilities as these are all elements of freshman composition. Many times, these elements are presented in excellent textbooks written by top scholars. While the collaborators of this particular textbook respect and value those textbooks available from publishers, we have been concerned about students who do not have the resources to purchase textbooks. Therefore, we decided to put together this Open Educational Resource (OER) explicitly for use in freshman composition courses at Texas A&M University. It is important to note that the focus for this text is on thesis-driven argumentation as that is the focus of the first year writing course at Texas A&M University at the time of development. However, other first year writing courses at different colleges and universities include a variety of types of writing such as personal essays, informative articles, and/or creative writing pieces. The collaborators for this project acknowledge each program is unique; therefore, the adaptability of an OER textbook for first year writing allows for academic freedom across campuses.

About the Contributors

Dr. Terri Pantuso is the Coordinator of the English 104 Program and an Instructional Assistant Professor in the English Department at Texas A&M University.

Prof. Sarah LeMire is the Coordinator of First Year Programs and an Associate Professor in the Texas A&M University Libraries.

Dr. Kathy Anders is the Graduate Studies Librarian and an Associate Professor in the Texas A&M University Libraries.

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12 Constructing the Thesis and Argument from the Ground Up

Amy Guptill; Liz Delf; Rob Drummond; and Kristy Kelly

Amy Guptill Adapted by Liz Delf, Rob Drummond, and Kristy Kelly

Moving beyond the five-paragraph theme.

As an instructor, I’ve noted that a number of new (and sometimes not-so-new) students are skilled wordsmiths and generally clear thinkers but are nevertheless stuck in a high school style of writing. They struggle to let go of certain assumptions about how an academic paper should be. Some students who have mastered that form, and enjoyed a lot of success from doing so, assume that college writing is simply more of the same. The skills that go into a very basic kind of essay—often called the five-paragraph theme —are indispensable. If you’re good at the five-paragraph theme, then you’re good at identifying a clearfl and consistent thesis, arranging cohesive paragraphs, organizing evidence for key points, and situating an argument within a broader context through the intro and conclusion.

In college you need to build on those essential skills. The five-paragraph theme, as such, is bland and formulaic; it doesn’t compel deep thinking. Your instructors are looking for a more ambitious and arguable thesis, a nuanced and compelling argument, and real-life evidence for all key points, all in an organically structured paper.

Figures 12.1 and 12.2 contrast the standard five-paragraph theme and the organic college paper. The five-paragraph theme (outlined in figure 12.1 ) is probably what you’re used to: the introductory paragraph starts broad and gradually narrows to a thesis, which readers expect to find at the very end of that paragraph. In this idealized format, the thesis invokes the magic number of three: three reasons why a statement is true. Each of those reasons is explained and justified in the three body paragraphs, and then the final paragraph restates the thesis before gradually getting broader. This format is easy for readers to follow, and it helps writers organize their points and the evidence that goes with them. That’s why you learned this format.

In contrast, figure 12.2 represents a paper on the same topic that has the more organic form expected in college. The first key difference is the thesis. Rather than simply positing a number of reasons to think that something is true, it puts forward an arguable statement: one with which a reasonable person might disagree. An arguable thesis gives the paper purpose. It surprises readers and draws them in. You hope your reader thinks, “Huh. Why would they come to that conclusion?” and then feels compelled to read on. The body paragraphs, then, build on one another to carry out this ambitious argument. In the classic five-paragraph theme ( figure 12.1 ), it hardly matters which of the three reasons you explain first or second. In the more organic structure ( figure 12.2 ), each paragraph specifically leads to the next.

The last key difference is seen in the conclusion. Because the organic essay is driven by an ambitious, nonobvious argument, the reader comes to the concluding section thinking, “OK, I’m convinced by the argument. What do you, author, make of it? Why does it matter?” The conclusion of an organically structured paper has a real job to do. It doesn’t just reiterate the thesis; it explains why the thesis matters.

The substantial time you spent mastering the five-paragraph form in figure 12.1 was time well spent; it’s hard to imagine anyone succeeding with the more organic form without the organizational skills and habits of mind inherent in the simpler form. (And it is worth noting that there are limited moments in college where the five-paragraph structure is still useful—in-class essay exams, for example.) But if you assume that you must adhere rigidly to the simpler form, you’re blunting your intellectual ambition. Your instructors will not be impressed by obvious theses, loosely related body paragraphs, and repetitive conclusions. They want you to undertake an ambitious independent analysis, one that will yield a thesis that is somewhat surprising and challenging to explain.

The Three-Story Thesis

From the ground up.

You have no doubt been drilled on the need for a thesis statement and its proper location at the end of the introduction. And you also know that all of the key points of the paper should clearly support the central driving thesis. Indeed, the whole model of the five-paragraph theme hinges on a clearly stated and consistent thesis. However, some students are surprised—and dismayed—when some of their early college papers are criticized for not having a good thesis. Their instructor might even claim that the paper doesn’t have a thesis when, in the author’s view, it clearly does. So what makes a good thesis in college?

Version A: Linen served as a form of currency in the ancient Mediterranean world, connecting rival empires through circuits of trade.
Version B: Linen served as a form of currency in the ancient Mediterranean world, connecting rival empires through circuits of trade. The economic role of linen raises important questions about how shifting environmental conditions can influence economic relationships and, by extension, political conflicts.

How do you produce a good, strong thesis? And how do you know when you’ve gotten there? Many instructors and writers embrace a metaphor based on this passage by Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. (1809–1894). He compares a good thesis to a three-story building:

There are one-story intellects, two-story intellects, and three-story intellects with skylights. All fact collectors who have no aim beyond their facts are one-story men. Two-story men compare, reason, generalize using the labor of fact collectors as their own. Three-story men idealize, imagine, predict—their best illumination comes from above the skylight. (50)

In other words,

One-story theses state inarguable facts. What’s the background?
Two-story theses bring in an arguable (interpretive or analytical) point . What is your argument?
Three-story theses nest that point within its larger, compelling implications . Why does it matter?

Thesis: that’s the word that pops at me whenever I write an essay. Seeing this word in the prompt scared me and made me think to myself, “Oh great, what are they really looking for?” or “How am I going to make a thesis for a college paper?” When rehearing that I would be focusing on theses again in a class, I said to myself, “Here we go again!” But after learning about the three-story thesis, I never had a problem with writing another thesis. In fact, I look forward to being asked on a paper to create a thesis.

Timothée Pizarro

writing student

The biggest benefit of the three-story metaphor is that it describes a process for building a thesis. To build the first story or level, you first have to get familiar with the complex, relevant facts surrounding the problem or question. You have to be able to describe the situation thoroughly and accurately. Then with that first story built, you can layer on the second story by formulating the insightful, arguable point that animates the analysis. That’s often the most effortful part: brainstorming, elaborating and comparing alternative ideas, finalizing your point. With that specified, you can frame up the third story by articulating why the point you make matters beyond its particular topic or case.

The concept of a three-story thesis framework was the most helpful piece of information I gained from the writing component of DCC 100. The first time I utilized it in a college paper, my professor included “good thesis” and “excellent introduction” in her notes and graded it significantly higher than my previous papers. You can expect similar results if you dig deeper to form three-story theses. More importantly, doing so will make the actual writing of your paper more straightforward as well. Arguing something specific makes the structure of your paper much easier to design.

Peter Farrell

For example, imagine you have been assigned a paper about the impact of online learning in higher education. You would first construct an account of the origins and multiple forms of online learning and assess research findings on its use and effectiveness. If you’ve done that well, you’ll probably come up with a well-considered opinion that wouldn’t be obvious to readers who haven’t looked at the issue in depth. Maybe you’ll want to argue that online learning is a threat to the academic community. Or perhaps you’ll want to make the case that online learning opens up pathways to college degrees that traditional campus-based learning does not.

In the course of developing your central, argumentative point, you’ll come to recognize its larger context; in this example, you may claim that online learning can serve to better integrate higher education with the rest of society, as online learners bring their educational and career experiences together. Here is an example:

The final thesis would be all three of these pieces together. These stories build on one another; they don’t replace the previous story. Here’s another example of a three-story thesis:

Here’s one more example:

A thesis statement that stops at the first story isn’t usually considered a thesis . A two-story thesis is usually considered competent, though some two-story theses are more intriguing and ambitious than others. A thoughtfully crafted and well-informed three-story thesis puts the author on a smooth path toward an excellent paper.

Three-Story Theses and the Organically Structured Argument

The three-story thesis is a beautiful thing. For one, it gives a paper authentic momentum. The first paragraph doesn’t just start with some broad, vague statement; every sentence is crucial for setting up the thesis. The body paragraphs build on one another, moving through each step of the logical chain. Each paragraph leads inevitably to the next, making the transitions from paragraph to paragraph feel wholly natural. The conclusion, instead of being a mirror-image paraphrase of the introduction, builds out the third story by explaining the broader implications of the argument. It offers new insight without departing from the flow of the analysis.

I should note here that a paper with this kind of momentum often reads like it was knocked out in one inspired sitting. But in reality, just like accomplished athletes, artists, and musicians, masterful writers make the difficult thing look easy. As writer Anne Lamott notes, reading a well-written piece feels like its author sat down and typed it out, “bounding along like huskies across the snow.” However, she continues,

This is just the fantasy of the uninitiated. I know some very great writers, writers you love who write beautifully and have made a great deal of money, and not one of them sits down routinely feeling wildly enthusiastic and confident. Not one of them writes elegant first drafts. All right, one of them does, but we do not like her very much. (21)

Experienced writers don’t figure out what they want to say and then write it. They write in order to figure out what they want to say.

Experienced writers develop theses in dialogue with the body of the essay. An initial characterization of the problem leads to a tentative thesis, and then drafting the body of the paper reveals thorny contradictions or critical areas of ambiguity, prompting the writer to revisit or expand the body of evidence and then refine the thesis based on that fresh look. The revised thesis may require that body paragraphs be reordered and reshaped to fit the emerging three-story thesis. Throughout the process, the thesis serves as an anchor point while the author wades through the morass of facts and ideas. The dialogue between thesis and body continues until the author is satisfied or the due date arrives, whatever comes first. It’s an effortful and sometimes tedious process.

Novice writers, in contrast, usually oversimplify the writing process. They formulate some first-impression thesis, produce a reasonably organized outline, and then flesh it out with text, never taking the time to reflect or truly revise their work. They assume that revision is a step backward when, in reality, it is a major step forward.

Everyone has a different way that they like to write. For instance, I like to pop my earbuds in, blast dubstep music, and write on a whiteboard. I like using the whiteboard because it is a lot easier to revise and edit while you write. After I finish writing a paragraph that I am completely satisfied with on the whiteboard, I sit in front of it with my laptop and just type it up.

Kaethe Leonard

Another benefit of the three-story thesis framework is that it demystifies what a “strong” argument is in academic culture . In an era of political polarization, many students may think that a strong argument is based on a simple, bold, combative statement that is promoted in the most forceful way possible. “Gun control is a travesty!” “Shakespeare is the best writer who ever lived!” When students are encouraged to consider contrasting perspectives in their papers, they fear that doing so will make their own thesis seem mushy and weak.

However, in academics a “strong” argument is comprehensive and nuanced, not simple and polemical. The purpose of the argument is to explain to readers why the author—through the course of his or her in-depth study—has arrived at a somewhat surprising point. On that basis, it has to consider plausible counterarguments and contradictory information. Academic argumentation exemplifies the popular adage about all writing: show, don’t tell. In crafting and carrying out the three-story thesis, you are showing your reader the work you have done.

The model of the organically structured paper and the three-story thesis framework explained here is the very foundation of the paper itself and the process that produces it. Your instructors assume that you have the self-motivation and organizational skills to pursue your analysis with both rigor and flexibility; that is, they envision you developing, testing, refining, and sometimes discarding your own ideas based on a clear-eyed and open-minded assessment of the evidence before you.

The original chapter, Constructing the Thesis and Argument—from the Ground Up by Amy Guptill, is from Writing in College: From Competence to Excellence

Discussion Questions

What writing “rules” were you taught in the past? This might be about essay structure, style, or something else. Which of these rules seem to be true in college writing? Which ones are not true in college?
In what contexts is the five-paragraph essay a useful structure? Why is it not helpful in other contexts—what’s the problem?
Despite their appeal to patients, robotic pets should not be used widely, since they cause more problems than they solve.
In recent years, robotic pets have been used in medical settings to help children and elderly patients feel emotionally supported and loved.
Shifting affection to robotic pets rather than live animals suggests a major change in empathy and humanity and could have long-term costs that have not been fully considered.
Television programming includes content that some find objectionable.
The percentage of children and youth who are overweight or obese has risen in recent decades.
First-year college students must learn how to independently manage their time.
The things we surround ourselves with symbolize who we are.
Find a scholarly article or book that is interesting to you. Focusing on the abstract and introduction, outline the first, second, and third stories of its thesis.
Find an example of a five-paragraph theme (online essay mills, your own high school work), produce an alternative three-story thesis, and outline an organically structured paper to carry that thesis out.

Additional Resources

The Writing Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill offers an excellent, readable rundown on the five-paragraph theme, why most college writing assignments want you to go beyond it, and those times when the simpler structure is actually a better choice.
There are many useful websites that describe good thesis statements and provide examples. Those from the writing centers at Hamilton College and Purdue University are especially helpful.

Works Cited

Holmes, Oliver Wendell. The Poet at the Breakfast-Table: His Talks with His Fellow-Boarders and the Reader. James R. Osgood, 1872.

Lamott, Anne. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. Pantheon, 1994.

Media Attributions

12.1 five-paragraph theme © Amy Guptill is licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA (Attribution NonCommercial ShareAlike) license
12.2 organic college paper © Amy Guptill is licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA (Attribution NonCommercial ShareAlike) license

Constructing the Thesis and Argument from the Ground Up Copyright © 2022 by Amy Guptill; Liz Delf; Rob Drummond; and Kristy Kelly is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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9.3: The Argumentative Essay

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Learning Objectives

Examine types of argumentative essays

Argumentative Essays

You may have heard it said that all writing is an argument of some kind. Even if you’re writing an informative essay, you still have the job of trying to convince your audience that the information is important. However, there are times you’ll be asked to write an essay that is specifically an argumentative piece.

An argumentative essay is one that makes a clear assertion or argument about some topic or issue. When you’re writing an argumentative essay, it’s important to remember that an academic argument is quite different from a regular, emotional argument. Note that sometimes students forget the academic aspect of an argumentative essay and write essays that are much too emotional for an academic audience. It’s important for you to choose a topic you feel passionately about (if you’re allowed to pick your topic), but you have to be sure you aren’t too emotionally attached to a topic. In an academic argument, you’ll have a lot more constraints you have to consider, and you’ll focus much more on logic and reasoning than emotions.

A cartoon person with a heart in one hand and a brain in the other.

Argumentative essays are quite common in academic writing and are often an important part of writing in all disciplines. You may be asked to take a stand on a social issue in your introduction to writing course, but you could also be asked to take a stand on an issue related to health care in your nursing courses or make a case for solving a local environmental problem in your biology class. And, since argument is such a common essay assignment, it’s important to be aware of some basic elements of a good argumentative essay.

When your professor asks you to write an argumentative essay, you’ll often be given something specific to write about. For example, you may be asked to take a stand on an issue you have been discussing in class. Perhaps, in your education class, you would be asked to write about standardized testing in public schools. Or, in your literature class, you might be asked to argue the effects of protest literature on public policy in the United States.

However, there are times when you’ll be given a choice of topics. You might even be asked to write an argumentative essay on any topic related to your field of study or a topic you feel that is important personally.

Whatever the case, having some knowledge of some basic argumentative techniques or strategies will be helpful as you write. Below are some common types of arguments.

Causal Arguments

In this type of argument, you argue that something has caused something else. For example, you might explore the causes of the decline of large mammals in the world’s ocean and make a case for your cause.

Evaluation Arguments

In this type of argument, you make an argumentative evaluation of something as “good” or “bad,” but you need to establish the criteria for “good” or “bad.” For example, you might evaluate a children’s book for your education class, but you would need to establish clear criteria for your evaluation for your audience.

Proposal Arguments

In this type of argument, you must propose a solution to a problem. First, you must establish a clear problem and then propose a specific solution to that problem. For example, you might argue for a proposal that would increase retention rates at your college.

Narrative Arguments

In this type of argument, you make your case by telling a story with a clear point related to your argument. For example, you might write a narrative about your experiences with standardized testing in order to make a case for reform.

Rebuttal Arguments

In a rebuttal argument, you build your case around refuting an idea or ideas that have come before. In other words, your starting point is to challenge the ideas of the past.

Definition Arguments

In this type of argument, you use a definition as the starting point for making your case. For example, in a definition argument, you might argue that NCAA basketball players should be defined as professional players and, therefore, should be paid.

https://assessments.lumenlearning.co...essments/20277

Essay Examples

Click here to read an argumentative essay on the consequences of fast fashion . Read it and look at the comments to recognize strategies and techniques the author uses to convey her ideas.
In this example, you’ll see a sample argumentative paper from a psychology class submitted in APA format. Key parts of the argumentative structure have been noted for you in the sample.

Link to Learning

For more examples of types of argumentative essays, visit the Argumentative Purposes section of the Excelsior OWL .

Contributors and Attributions

Argumentative Essay. Provided by : Excelsior OWL. Located at : https://owl.excelsior.edu/rhetorical-styles/argumentative-essay/ . License : CC BY: Attribution
Image of a man with a heart and a brain. Authored by : Mohamed Hassan. Provided by : Pixabay. Located at : pixabay.com/illustrations/decision-brain-heart-mind-4083469/. License : Other . License Terms : pixabay.com/service/terms/#license

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Argumentative Essays

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What is an argumentative essay?

The argumentative essay is a genre of writing that requires the student to investigate a topic; collect, generate, and evaluate evidence; and establish a position on the topic in a concise manner.

Please note : Some confusion may occur between the argumentative essay and the expository essay. These two genres are similar, but the argumentative essay differs from the expository essay in the amount of pre-writing (invention) and research involved. The argumentative essay is commonly assigned as a capstone or final project in first year writing or advanced composition courses and involves lengthy, detailed research. Expository essays involve less research and are shorter in length. Expository essays are often used for in-class writing exercises or tests, such as the GED or GRE.

Argumentative essay assignments generally call for extensive research of literature or previously published material. Argumentative assignments may also require empirical research where the student collects data through interviews, surveys, observations, or experiments. Detailed research allows the student to learn about the topic and to understand different points of view regarding the topic so that she/he may choose a position and support it with the evidence collected during research. Regardless of the amount or type of research involved, argumentative essays must establish a clear thesis and follow sound reasoning.

The structure of the argumentative essay is held together by the following.

A clear, concise, and defined thesis statement that occurs in the first paragraph of the essay.

In the first paragraph of an argument essay, students should set the context by reviewing the topic in a general way. Next the author should explain why the topic is important ( exigence ) or why readers should care about the issue. Lastly, students should present the thesis statement. It is essential that this thesis statement be appropriately narrowed to follow the guidelines set forth in the assignment. If the student does not master this portion of the essay, it will be quite difficult to compose an effective or persuasive essay.

Clear and logical transitions between the introduction, body, and conclusion.

Transitions are the mortar that holds the foundation of the essay together. Without logical progression of thought, the reader is unable to follow the essay’s argument, and the structure will collapse. Transitions should wrap up the idea from the previous section and introduce the idea that is to follow in the next section.

Body paragraphs that include evidential support.

Each paragraph should be limited to the discussion of one general idea. This will allow for clarity and direction throughout the essay. In addition, such conciseness creates an ease of readability for one’s audience. It is important to note that each paragraph in the body of the essay must have some logical connection to the thesis statement in the opening paragraph. Some paragraphs will directly support the thesis statement with evidence collected during research. It is also important to explain how and why the evidence supports the thesis ( warrant ).

However, argumentative essays should also consider and explain differing points of view regarding the topic. Depending on the length of the assignment, students should dedicate one or two paragraphs of an argumentative essay to discussing conflicting opinions on the topic. Rather than explaining how these differing opinions are wrong outright, students should note how opinions that do not align with their thesis might not be well informed or how they might be out of date.

Evidential support (whether factual, logical, statistical, or anecdotal).

The argumentative essay requires well-researched, accurate, detailed, and current information to support the thesis statement and consider other points of view. Some factual, logical, statistical, or anecdotal evidence should support the thesis. However, students must consider multiple points of view when collecting evidence. As noted in the paragraph above, a successful and well-rounded argumentative essay will also discuss opinions not aligning with the thesis. It is unethical to exclude evidence that may not support the thesis. It is not the student’s job to point out how other positions are wrong outright, but rather to explain how other positions may not be well informed or up to date on the topic.

A conclusion that does not simply restate the thesis, but readdresses it in light of the evidence provided.

It is at this point of the essay that students may begin to struggle. This is the portion of the essay that will leave the most immediate impression on the mind of the reader. Therefore, it must be effective and logical. Do not introduce any new information into the conclusion; rather, synthesize the information presented in the body of the essay. Restate why the topic is important, review the main points, and review your thesis. You may also want to include a short discussion of more research that should be completed in light of your work.

A complete argument

Perhaps it is helpful to think of an essay in terms of a conversation or debate with a classmate. If I were to discuss the cause of World War II and its current effect on those who lived through the tumultuous time, there would be a beginning, middle, and end to the conversation. In fact, if I were to end the argument in the middle of my second point, questions would arise concerning the current effects on those who lived through the conflict. Therefore, the argumentative essay must be complete, and logically so, leaving no doubt as to its intent or argument.

The five-paragraph essay

A common method for writing an argumentative essay is the five-paragraph approach. This is, however, by no means the only formula for writing such essays. If it sounds straightforward, that is because it is; in fact, the method consists of (a) an introductory paragraph (b) three evidentiary body paragraphs that may include discussion of opposing views and (c) a conclusion.

Longer argumentative essays

Complex issues and detailed research call for complex and detailed essays. Argumentative essays discussing a number of research sources or empirical research will most certainly be longer than five paragraphs. Authors may have to discuss the context surrounding the topic, sources of information and their credibility, as well as a number of different opinions on the issue before concluding the essay. Many of these factors will be determined by the assignment.

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How to Write the AP Lang Argument Essay + Examples

What’s covered:, what is the ap language argument essay, tips for writing the ap language argument essay, ap english language argument essay examples, how will ap scores impact my college chances.

In 2023, over 550,148 students across the U.S. took the AP English Language and Composition Exam, and 65.2% scored higher than a 3. The AP English Language Exam tests your ability to analyze a piece of writing, synthesize information, write a rhetorical essay, and create a cohesive argument. In this post, we’ll be discussing the best way to approach the argumentative essay section of the test, and we’ll give you tips and tricks so you can write a great essay.

The AP English Language Exam as of 2023 is structured as follows:

Section 1: 45 multiple choice questions to be completed in an hour. This portion counts for 45% of your score. This section requires students to analyze a piece of literature. The questions ask about its content and/or what could be edited within the passage.

Section 2: Three free response questions to be completed in the remaining two hours and 15 minutes. This section counts for 55% of your score. These essay questions include the synthesis essay, the rhetorical essay, and the argumentative essay.

Synthesis essay: Read 6-7 sources and create an argument using at least three of the sources.
Rhetorical analysis essay: Describe how a piece of writing evokes meaning and symbolism.
Argumentative essay: Pick a side of a debate and create an argument based on evidence. In this essay, you should develop a logical argument in support of or against the given statement and provide ample evidence that supports your conclusion. Typically, a five paragraph format is great for this type of writing. This essay is scored holistically from 1 to 9 points.

Do you want more information on the structure of the full exam? Take a look at our in-depth overview of the AP Language and Composition Exam .

Although the AP Language Argument may seem daunting at first, once you understand how the essay should be structured, it will be a lot easier to create cohesive arguments.

Below are some tips to help you as you write the essay.

1. Organize your essay before writing

Instead of jumping right into your essay, plan out what you will say beforehand. It’s easiest to make a list of your arguments and write out what facts or evidence you will use to support each argument. In your outline, you can determine the best order for your arguments, especially if they build on each other or are chronological. Having a well-organized essay is crucial for success.

2. Pick one side of the argument, but acknowledge the other side

When you write the essay, it’s best if you pick one side of the debate and stick with it for the entire essay. All your evidence should be in support of that one side. However, in your introductory paragraph, as you introduce the debate, be sure to mention any merit the arguments of the other side has. This can make the essay a bit more nuanced and show that you did consider both sides before determining which one was better. Often, acknowledging another viewpoint then refuting it can make your essay stronger.

3. Provide evidence to support your claims

The AP readers will be looking for examples and evidence to support your argument. This doesn’t mean that you need to memorize a bunch of random facts before the exam. This just means that you should be able to provide concrete examples in support of your argument.

For example, if the essay topic is about whether the role of the media in society has been detrimental or not, and you argue that it has been, you may talk about the phenomenon of “fake news” during the 2016 presidential election.

AP readers are not looking for perfect examples, but they are looking to see if you can provide enough evidence to back your claim and make it easily understood.

4. Create a strong thesis statement

The thesis statement will set up your entire essay, so it’s important that it is focused and specific, and that it allows for the reader to understand your body paragraphs. Make sure your thesis statement is the very last sentence of your introductory paragraph. In this sentence, list out the key points you will be making in the essay in the same order that you will be writing them. Each new point you mention in your thesis should start a paragraph in your essay.

Below is a prompt and sample student essay from the May 2019 exam . We’ll look at what the student did well in their writing and where they could improve.

Prompt: “The term “overrated” is often used to diminish concepts, places, roles, etc. that the speaker believes do not deserve the prestige they commonly enjoy; for example, many writers have argued that success is overrated, a character in a novel by Anthony Burgess famously describes Rome as a “vastly overrated city,” and Queen Rania of Jordan herself has asserted that “[b]eing queen is overrated.”

Select a concept, place, role, etc. to which you believe that the term “overrated” should be applied. Then, write a well-developed essay in which you explain your judgment. Use appropriate evidence from your reading, experience, or observations to support your argument.

Sample Student Essay #1:

[1] Competition is “overrated.” The notion of motivation between peers has evolved into a source of unnecessary stress and even lack of morals. Whether it be in an academic environment or in the industry, this new idea of competition is harmful to those competing and those around them.

[2] Back in elementary school, competition was rather friendly. It could have been who could do the most pushups or who could get the most imaginary points in a classroom for a prize. If you couldn’t do the most pushups or win that smelly sticker, you would go home and improve yourself – there would be no strong feelings towards anyone, you would just focus on making yourself a better version of yourself. Then as high school rolled around, suddenly applying for college doesn’t seem so far away –GPA seems to be that one stat that defines you – extracurriculars seem to shape you – test scores seem to categorize you. Sleepless nights, studying for the next day’s exam, seem to become more and more frequent. Floating duck syndrome seems to surround you (FDS is where a competitive student pretends to not work hard but is furiously studying beneath the surface just like how a duck furiously kicks to stay afloat). All of your competitors appear to hope you fail – but in the end what do you and your competitor’s gain? Getting one extra point on the test? Does that self-satisfaction compensate for the tremendous amounts of acquired stress? This new type of “competition” is overrated – it serves nothing except a never-ending source of anxiety and seeks to weaken friendships and solidarity as a whole in the school setting.

[3] A similar idea of “competition” can be applied to business. On the most fundamental level, competition serves to be a beneficial regulator of prices and business models for both the business themselves and consumers. However, as businesses grew increasingly greedy and desperate, companies resorted to immoral tactics that only hurt their reputations and consumers as a whole. Whether it be McDonald’s coupons that force you to buy more food or tech companies like Apple intentionally slowing down your iPhone after 3 years to force you to upgrade to the newest device, consumers suffer and in turn speak down upon these companies. Similar to the evolved form of competition in school, this overrated form causes pain for all parties and has since diverged from the encouraging nature that the principle of competition was “founded” on.

The AP score for this essay was a 4/6, meaning that it captured the main purpose of the essay but there were still substantial parts missing. In this essay, the writer did a good job organizing the sections and making sure that their writing was in order according to the thesis statement. The essay first discusses how competition is harmful in elementary school and then discusses this topic in the context of business. This follows the chronological order of somebody’s life and flows nicely.

The arguments in this essay are problematic, as they do not provide enough examples of how exactly competition is overrated. The essay discusses the context in which competition is overrated but does not go far enough in explaining how this connects to the prompt.

In the first example, school stress is used to explain how competition manifests. This is a good starting point, but it does not talk about why competition is overrated; it simply mentions that competition can be unhealthy. The last sentence of that paragraph is the main point of the argument and should be expanded to discuss how the anxiety of school is overrated later on in life.

In the second example, the writer discusses how competition can lead to harmful business practices, but again, this doesn’t reflect the reason this would be overrated. Is competition really overrated because Apple and McDonald’s force you to buy new products? This example could’ve been taken one step farther. Instead of explaining why business structures—such as monopolies—harm competition, the author should discuss how those particular structures are overrated.

Additionally, the examples the writer used lack detail. A stronger essay would’ve provided more in-depth examples. This essay seemed to mention examples only in passing without using them to defend the argument.

It should also be noted that the structure of the essay is incomplete. The introduction only has a thesis statement and no additional context. Also, there is no conclusion paragraph that sums up the essay. These missing components result in a 4/6.

Now let’s go through the prompt for a sample essay from the May 2022 exam . The prompt is as follows:

Colin Powell, a four-star general and former United States Secretary of State, wrote in his 1995 autobiography: “[W]e do not have the luxury of collecting information indefinitely. At some point, before we can have every possible fact in hand, we have to decide. The key is not to make quick decisions, but to make timely decisions.”

Write an essay that argues your position on the extent to which Powell’s claim about making decisions is valid.

In your response you should do the following:

Respond to the prompt with a thesis that presents a defensible position.
Provide evidence to support your line of reasoning.
Explain how the evidence supports your line of reasoning.
Use appropriate grammar and punctuation in communicating your argument.

Sample Student Essay #2:

Colin Powell, who was a four star general and a former United States Secretary of State. He wrote an autobiography and had made a claim about making decisions. In my personal opinion, Powell’s claim is true to full extent and shows an extremely valuable piece of advice that we do not consider when we make decisions.

Powell stated, “before we can have every possible fact in hand we have to decide…. but to make it a timely decision” (1995). With this statement Powell is telling the audience of his autobiography that it does not necessarily matter how many facts you have, and how many things you know. Being able to have access to everything possible takes a great amount of time and we don’t always have all of the time in the world. A decision has to be made with what you know, waiting for something else to come in while trying to make a decision whether that other fact is good or bad you already have a good amount of things that you know. Everyone’s time is valuable, including yours. At the end of the day the decision will have to be made and that is why it should be made in a “timely” manner.

This response was graded for a score of 2/6. Let’s break down the score to smaller points that signify where the student fell short.

The thesis in this essay is clearly outlined at the end of the first paragraph. The student states their agreement with Powell’s claim and frames the rest of their essay around this stance. The success in scoring here lies in the clear communication of the thesis and the direction the argument will take. It’s important to make the thesis statement concise, specific, and arguable, which the student has successfully done.

While the student did attempt to provide evidence to support their thesis, it’s clear that their explanation lacks specific detail and substance. They referenced Powell’s statement, but did not delve into how this statement has proven true in specific instances, and did not provide examples that could bring the argument to life.

Commentary is an essential part of this section’s score. It means explaining the significance of the evidence and connecting it back to the thesis. Unfortunately, the student’s commentary here is too vague and does not effectively elaborate on how the evidence supports their argument.

To improve, the student could use more concrete examples to demonstrate their point and discuss how each piece of evidence supports their thesis. For instance, they could discuss specific moments in Powell’s career where making a timely decision was more valuable than waiting for all possible facts. This would help illustrate the argument in a more engaging, understandable way.

A high score in the “sophistication” category of the grading rubric is given for demonstrating a complex understanding of the rhetorical situation (purpose, audience, context, etc.), making effective rhetorical choices, or establishing a line of reasoning. Here, the student’s response lacks complexity and sophistication. They’ve simply agreed with Powell’s claim and made a few general statements without providing a deeper analysis or effectively considering the rhetorical situation.

To increase sophistication, the student could explore possible counterarguments or complexities within Powell’s claim. They could discuss potential drawbacks of making decisions without all possible facts, or examine situations where timely decisions might not yield the best results. By acknowledging and refuting these potential counterarguments, they could add more depth to their analysis and showcase their understanding of the complexities involved in decision-making.

The student could also analyze why Powell, given his background and experiences, might have come to such a conclusion, thus providing more context and showing an understanding of the rhetorical situation.

Remember, sophistication in argumentation isn’t about using fancy words or complicated sentences. It’s about showing that you understand the complexity of the issue at hand and that you’re able to make thoughtful, nuanced arguments. Sophistication shows that you can think critically about the topic and make connections that aren’t immediately obvious.

Now that you’ve looked at an example essay and some tips for the argumentative essay, you know how to better prepare for the AP English Language and Composition Exam.

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Objective 1. Make a debatable claim about a topic.

Central to any Academic Argument is a claim. This section will define this fundamental concept and address related concepts, such as how the claim is reflected in a thesis statement and how it is used to guide the development of the essay. In particular, this section will answer the following questions:

What is a claim?
When is a claim debatable?
How do I begin an argument essay?
How do I introduce a topic and explain its significance?
How do I use my thesis statement to state a main claim and key supporting ideas at the same time?
How do I use my thesis statement and key ideas to organize my argument?
How do I use my thesis and key ideas to organize my argument when speaking?
What is the purpose of a body paragraph in an argument essay?
How do I structure a body paragraph to support my thesis?

1. What is a claim?

A claim is an idea—or point—about a topic or issue that a writer or speaker makes in an argument. For example, let’s say that your topic is social media. Claims about social media might include one of the following:

Social media help people stay in touch across long distances.
Social media are hurting the communication skills of young Americans.

Social media are useful tools for social movements.

Social media are responsible for “slacktivism.”

2. When is a claim debatable?

A claim is debatable when it says something about the topic or issue that is not common knowledge or that most people have not generally agreed upon. Once again taking the topic of social media as an example, making the claim that “many people use social media” would not be debatable. But writing that “social media are hurting the communication skills of young Americans” would be debatable because the author must prove both that there is a problem with the communication skills of younger Americans and that social media are the cause of it.

3. How do I begin an argument essay?

Many students make the mistake of beginning their essays in overwhelmingly broad or obvious terms. For example, a student writing about the politics of same-sex marriage might begin a paper by saying, “People have been falling in love and getting married for thousands of years.” A sentence like this simply postpones the real work of an essay by giving its audience information that any reasonable person would already know. Students usually write overly vague introductions because they have been taught to “start broad” and then “narrow their focus.” More experienced writers understand that everything in an introduction needs to contribute substantially to their argument.

There is no strict formula for composing an introduction, but effective introductions usually do the following:

introduce the problem or issue;
explain the problem or topic’s significance to a community that may include the reader;
make a debatable claim about the topic or issue in a thesis statement, possibly one that includes supporting arguments; and
explain how the thesis contributes to the conversation in some way.

4. How do I introduce a topic and explain its significance?

There is no single formula for introducing a topic and explaining its significance, but here are some methods that writers return to again and again:

Providing information or data that draw the audience’s attention to the problem or issue. To present her research on electric car usage and ownership, Yuliya Chernova writes:

Electric cars are still such a novelty that little is known about their owners and how they use the vehicles. But recent research is beginning to unlock some of the mysteries. Plug-in vehicles—those that run entirely on battery power or that combine electric and gasoline drives—represent less than 1% of total U.S. vehicle sales, but in the past three years their numbers have grown rapidly. Sales nearly tripled in 2012 and are on track to nearly double this year, according to the Electric Drive Transportation Association, a trade group. (Chernova, 2013)

Employing anecdotes that dramatize the problem or issue. Brad Tuttle begins his article, ”The Major Problem with Cheap Electric Cars,” with the following account:

Mitsubishi is the latest in a long line of automakers to slash prices on an electric car, the unpronounceable, unfortunately named i-MiEV. The model is now the cheapest electric vehicle (EV) on the market, yet it’s still hard to imagine many drivers excitedly running out to buy one. (Tuttle, 2013)

Responding to a quotation that addresses the problem or issue in some way. Columnist George F. Will quotes President Barack Obama to begin his own argument about the United States’ policy on Iran’s nuclear program:

In his disproportionate praise of the six-month agreement with Iran, Barack Obama said: “For the first time in nearly a decade, we have halted progress of the Iranian nuclear program.” But if the program, now several decades old, had really been “halted” shortly after U.S. forces invaded neighboring Iraq, we would not be desperately pursuing agreements to stop it now, as about 10,000 centrifuges spin to enrich uranium. (Will, 2013)

5. How do I use my thesis statement to state a main claim and key supporting ideas at the same time?

You can use your thesis statement to state your main claim—the central point of the essay—but you also can use it to forecast the supporting claims that will explain and illustrate the main claim.

Here is a basic thesis statement:

This thesis statement, while it could be the main claim of an essay, does not hint at the path you will follow to explain and illustrate your claim.

Now look at this second, more elaborate thesis statement:

Social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube have been indispensable tools to young activists from Tahrir Square to Wall Street.

Here the general claim about social media has been made more specific as you have introduced particular examples of social media and occasions when these media proved to be significant. You have given your readers a clearer picture of what the essay will be about.

6. How do I use my thesis statement and key ideas to organize my argument?

While your main claim should guide the entire argument, key ideas included in the thesis statement can be used in topic sentences to guide your paragraphs.

Using the sample claim, “Social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube have been indispensable tools to young activists from Tahrir Square to Wall Street,” the argument might be outlined as follows:

Introduction: Social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube have been indispensable tools to young activists from Tahrir Square to Wall Street.
Arab Spring
Occupy Wall Street
Conclusion: The Arab Spring and Occupy Wall Street movements may not have happened without the use of social media.

In the above outline, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube are used to divide the body of the essay into three main sections, and then those sections are subdivided into Egypt and the United States. Alternately, you could divide the body of the essay into two main sections—one for Egypt and the other for the United States—and then subdivide by Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. The resulting outline would look like this:

Either of these outlines would be a clear progression from the thesis statement and would help the reader to see how each key idea furthers the main claim.

7. How do I use my thesis and key ideas to organize my argument when speaking?

A thesis statement that includes key ideas is a useful way to guide organization in both written and oral communication. Consider the thesis “Social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube have been indispensable tools to young activists from Tahrir Square to Wall Street.” The audience knows up front that you will cover at least three social media sites and at least two social movements in your discussion of young activists. They are well prepared for what will be covered in your speech and will be more likely to follow your argument. Conversely, if you promise these details and skip something, you are likely to confuse or disappoint your audience.

8. What’s the purpose of a body paragraph in an argument essay?

As with a personal essay, a body paragraph in an argument should be organized around a single point or supporting claim that furthers the thesis, should be fully developed with evidence (such as an illustration or an example), should contain a transition from the paragraph that precedes it, and should prepare the way for the paragraph that will follow it.

9. How do I structure a body paragraph to support my thesis?

Many authors use the PIE format to structure their essays. PIE = point, illustration, explanation. The point furthers your thesis or claim, the illustration provides support for the point, and the explanation tells your audience why the evidence you have provided furthers your point and/or your thesis.

For example, in his argument against the +/- grading system at Radford, student-writer Tareq Hajj makes the P oint that “Without the A+, students with high grades in the class would be less motivated to work even harder in order to increase their grades.”

He I llustrates with a quote from a professor who argues, “ ‘(students) have less incentive to try’ (Fesheraki, 2013).”

Hajj then E xplains that “not providing [the most motivated students] with additional motivation of a higher grade … is inequitable.”

Through his explanation, Hajj links back to his claim that “A plus-minus grading scale … should not be used at Radford University” because, as he explains, it is “inequitable.” The PIE structure of his paragraph has served to support his thesis.

Objective II. Support all claims with evidence.

Nowadays, it is common to read or hear the statement that “everyone is entitled to his opinion.” It is indeed true that people are free to believe whatever they wish. However, the mere fact that you believe something is not an argument in support of a position. If your goal is to communicate effectively, you must provide valid explanations and sufficient and relevant evidence to convince your audience to accept your position. If you cannot, it may be time to modify that position. In other words, “everyone is entitled to his opinion, but no one is entitled to have his opinion go unchallenged.” So “challenge” your opinion by considering how it stands up to the answers to the following questions.

What are the types of evidence?
How do you decide how much evidence you need?
How can you use STAR to assess appeals to logos?
What makes evidence relevant, not just related?

1. What are the types of evidence?

Any essay should provide illustrations for each of its points, but it is especially important to provide reliable evidence when preparing an academic argument. Evidence for an academic argument can be based on primary source material or data (your own experience and/or interviews, surveys, polls, experiments, that you have created and administered). Evidence can also stem from secondary source material or data (books, journals, newspapers, magazines, websites or surveys, experiments, statistics, polls, and other data collected by others).

Let’s say, for example, that you are arguing that college instructors should let students use cell phones in class. Primary source material might include a survey that asks students if policies forbidding cell phone usage actually stop them from using their phones in class and/or interviews with professors about what their cell phone policies are. Secondary sources might include articles about the issue from Faculty Focus or The Chronicle of Higher Education .

2. How do you decide how much evidence you need?

Four important terms are defined in the Approaches to Written Argument section of this Handbook: ethos* , logos *, pathos*, and *kairos . Writers and speakers are generally most successful with their audiences when they can skillfully and appropriately balance these, including the appeal to logos, which refers to the evidence and reasoning presented in support of a thesis. In appealing to the reasoning ability of the audience, an author or speaker might use a combination of different types of evidence, such as anecdotes, accepted facts, case studies, statistics, and experiments; analogies and logical reasoning; and citation of recognized experts on an issue.

How much of such evidence and reasoning is enough? This question is not always easy to answer. You cannot rely on intuition or on any formula. Rather, you need to become a careful, skilled judge of the quality and quantity of evidence and of the reasoning offered in support of claims. In addition, the answer to how much evidence to present will depend upon what kind of argument you are trying to make.

To review ethos, logos, pathos, and kairos, return to the Approaches to Written Argument assignment and read the answers to these questions:

What is ethos?
What is logos?
What is pathos?
What is kairos?

3. How can you use STAR to assess appeals to logos?

Mapping or diagramming your arguments may help you judge whether you are adequately supporting an appeal that depends upon evidence and reasoning. Applying the STAR Criteria— S ufficiency, T ypicality, A ccuracy, and R elevance—is one such technique for assessing whether your argument has sufficient depth and clarity.

Measure Question Examples & Notes

4. what makes evidence relevant, not just related.

The last element of the STAR criteria is Relevance . The evidence you are considering as potential support for your claims may be related in some way to the issue you are discussing, but you must ask yourself whether it actually serves to prove your claims or to disprove the claims of those who disagree with your assertions—in other words, whether it is relevant .

The difference between ‘relevant’ and ‘related’ can be illustrated by the claim that

College instructors should let students use cell phones in class.

Relevant support for that claim would be

surveys by yourself or others that show that strict policies prohibiting cell phones do not discourage students from using them.

You could use that relevant information to argue that

instructors should instead consider finding ways to incorporate smart phones into their teaching methods, for example, by asking students to use a student response app on their phones during class .

Evidence that is related, in this case, might include sources on

laptop or tablet usage in class. Neither your argument nor your claims focus on the use of those devices. However, in cases where specific information about cell phone use is unavailable, this related material might still provide useful information. You may be able to argue by analogy, suggesting that student use of laptops or tablets may parallel student use of cellphones.

Objective III. Analyze a multifaceted issue in writing.

The popular news media tend to present every issue as an either/or argument: Democrat vs. Republican; right vs. wrong; Mac vs. PC. Such divisions do make information easy to digest and categorize. In academia and in the professional world, however, people strive to unearth the complexities in every argument. Every issue you will encounter in these settings is multifaceted—many-sided—and will prompt more questions than answers. A primary way in which academics and professionals make sense of this complexity is through writing. As John C. Bean (2011) has argued, writing helps us to develop our critical thinking skills and communicate our ideas effectively (p. 4). These two skills are essential in every discipline and profession, so it is important that you begin to develop them early on in your college career. The following sections will provide you with some principles for engaging complex subjects in writing by answering the following questions:

Why is it important to be able to analyze an issue?
What kinds of things should I consider when analyzing an issue?
How do I identify the different people involved in an issue?
How do I identify a stakeholder’s assumptions?
How do I identify the facts of an issue?
How do I identify what is at stake in an issue?
How do I conclude an argument?

1. Why is it important to be able to analyze an issue?

Strong critical thinking skills help you to make better decisions personally and professionally. Your critical thinking skills will be put to the test every day of your life, whether you are preparing a proposal at work, deciding which candidate to vote for, or choosing which type of car to buy. It is in your best interest, then, to develop your critical thinking skills as much as possible.

In addition to the personal and professional benefits, thinking critically also has social benefits. Frequently, you will find yourself in positions where you may wish to convince people that your ideas are worth considering. You may speak or write to encourage a transformation in your community or to help others better understand an issue you find significant. Regardless of whether you want to find alternative sources of energy, explain the role of gender in popular culture, or improve parking on campus, you will need to communicate effectively, showing that you understand the topic at hand and illustrating how your ideas contribute to the conversation.

2. What kinds of things should I consider when analyzing an issue?

In order to understand an issue thoroughly, you will need to analyze the different facets of the issue: namely, the facts of the issue and what is at stake and the people involved in the conversation,. You will need to identify their various opinions, the reasons given for those opinions, and the attitudes and beliefs that underlie those opinions.

Questions to consider include these :

What reasons do people give in support of their opinions? To what extent are those reasons backed up by reliable facts?
What kinds of philosophies or belief systems underlie particular opinions on an issue? To what extent is there room for compromise between different perspectives?
What are the consequences or implications of different perspectives or opinions on an issue?
Which opinions (if any) do you agree with? What is convincing about the opinions that you agree with? What is unconvincing about the opinions that you disagree with?
What new and unique perspective, opinion, or approach can you add to the conversation?
How does your own opinion or your own perspective impact the way you respond to viewpoints on an issue?

3. How do I identify the different people involved in an issue?

Usually, any complex topic features multiple stakeholders : people who have an interest in or are affected by the outcome of decisions revolving around the issue. One of your goals as a student or a professional will be to identify the main parties involved. As you read a text, ask yourself:

Who are the different individuals or groups involved?
What are the interests of these individuals or groups?
What opinions have been stated or arguments made by the individuals or groups?
Who are the different individuals or groups affected by decisions about this issue?
What are the interests of each affected individual or group?
What opinions have been stated or arguments made by affected individuals or groups?
Does the bias or agenda of any of the above stakeholders weaken the credibility of their arguments?
Are the authors of any of the sources you are using associated with any individuals or groups that could be considered stakeholders? Does that association weaken the credibility of those sources?

When trying to identify the different people involved in an issue, it can be very helpful to take notes on the people or groups cited by the author. Write down what each person or group says about the topic and compare their positions.

The following example from CNN.com illustrates an issue with numerous stakeholders:

Since news first broke about the shooting at a Connecticut elementary school, people began wondering how something so horrible could happen. Within a few hours, before the magnitude of the tragedy was fully known, reports began to surface that the shooter, Adam Lanza, was autistic or had Asperger’s syndrome in addition to a possible personality or anxiety disorder such as obsessive-compulsive disorder. … However, national autism organizations cautioned against speculation about a link between violence and autism or Asperger’s. (Falco, 2012)

It is relatively easy to determine the stakeholders in the above quotation. While the most obvious are the alleged shooter, the victims, their families, and of course, anyone concerned with preventing violence in schools, Falco’s article provides insight into two other groups of people who have interest in the shootings: mental health professionals and those with mental conditions. The rest of the article lists the opinions of experts, who argue against a link between those with Autism Spectrum Disorder and violence.

4. How do I identify a stakeholder’s assumptions?

Often a writer or speaker expects her audience to share a particular belief or attitude. Such an assumption might not be an outright part of an argument. In fact, assumptions frequently are implied instead of being directly stated. However, an assumption may be part of an argument’s foundation because the writer or speaker is constructing that argument in the belief that the audience shares her attitudes or beliefs. The assumption is often a byproduct of a person’s standpoint, social position, and/or political leanings.

An example of an assumption might be the following opening to a piece on tanning beds:

“We all want that perfect summer tan.”

What is the author assuming here? Are there people who might not want “that perfect summer tan”? Who might they be? How can you point out a person’s assumptions without attacking the her personally?

5. How do I identify the facts of an issue?

When identifying the facts of an issue, a good place to start is with recently-published sources that strive to be as objective as possible. For more on evaluating sources for their accuracy and relevance, see the sections of this Handbook that answer these questions: How can you use STAR to assess appeals to logos? and What makes evidence relevant, not just related?

After you find several sources that meet proper standards for reliability and accuracy, look for aspects of the issue on which all or most of your sources agree, or try to find those aspects that nobody contests. The information that you gather as a result of this process will help you construct a baseline that you can use as you examine and evaluate the arguments of people with various positions on the issue.

6. How do I identify what is at stake in an issue?

Good writers always ask themselves the questions “so what?” or “why should people care about my ideas?” It’s the writer’s job to articulate what’s at stake in his writing, and it’s the reader’s job to understand what’s at stake. Sometimes, writers can be very straightforward, leaving little room for mistaking or overlooking what is at stake. Writing about how a scandal involving the British banking system can affect her audience, Denver Business Journal writer Heather Draper declares,

A global scandal involving London-based Barclays bank and the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) may seem like a distant problem, but it could affect Denver taxpayers. (Draper, 2012)

While Draper clearly states that a problem in one part of the world can affect a community thousands of miles away, other writers are less explicit. Take, for example, the following editorial from The Roanoke Times , which talks in general about the significance of a relatively minor compromise in the U.S. House of Representatives:

The level of comfort most Americans are feeling over the budget deal approved by the House of Representatives last week speaks more to the national hunger for boring but stable governance than to the brilliance of the compromise itself. Compromises, of course, are not designed to tickle anyone’s fancy. Their beauty lies in the aversion of more sorrowful consequences. Those consequences are well-known, lurking not in the imagination but in our collective short-term memory. October’s government shutdown and near miss with the menace of a credit default visited harm on the nation’s economy and its good name. (“A small but significant deal”, 2013)

Though not as explicit as Draper’s article, the editorial from The Roanoke Times argues that Americans’ happiness with the budget deal is an indication of how much they have come to expect partisan fighting and a shutdown of the United States government in October, 2013.

7. How do I conclude an argument?

Concluding an argument has some things in common with concluding a personal essay, so start by reviewing How do I conclude a personal essay? As with the personal essay, you want the conclusion to grow naturally out of the ideas in the paragraphs that preceded it, and you want to avoid bringing up new issues not previously covered in the essay. Specific strategies that worked for the conclusion of the personal essay may work for an argument as well, such as returning to something, such as a question, from the beginning of the essay or speech in order create a sense of closure.

One very natural move to make in the conclusion is to show why the argument matters. What is the significance of the issue that has been the subject of the argument? What are the implications for stakeholders, who may include members of the audience? Will their lives be impacted, for better or worse, by facets of the issue that is under debate?

Another natural move to make in the conclusion is to advocate action. What steps should be taken by stakeholders, their representatives, or society as a whole? Would it be wise for society to invest in research and search for a solution to a problem identified in the argument? Are there changes people should make in their lives? Are there political or social reforms stakeholders should be advocating? Should individuals or groups be taking steps to get involved in a political process or a social movement?

Showing why the argument matters and proposing actions are ways to “conclude” while at the same time encouraging the audience to continue thinking about the issue that has been the subject of the argument.

Objective IV. Acknowledge the legitimate concerns of others.

Arguments take place in the context of real world situations, and each situation affects a wide range of people. These people can be considered stakeholders—individuals who have an interest in the outcome of an issue—and they may be part of your audience. To help you communicate with stakeholders, this section will answer two questions:

Why is it important to acknowledge the legitimate concerns of others?
How do I acknowledge the legitimate concerns of others?

1. Why is it important to acknowledge the legitimate concerns of others?

Like you, stakeholders * have needs and wants, and like you, they will want to be heard. In order to achieve your goals, you need to be able to work with these stakeholders to see how both your goals and their goals can be achieved. Working with them requires that you communicate to them your willingness to listen to them, just as you hope they will be willing to listen to you.

When you’re studying a situation in order to develop an argument, then, you need to figure out who is affected by the situation and how they are affected. Consider the following questions:

Who are the people who benefit from the current situation?
How are people who benefit likely to be affected by any changes?
Who are the people who are harmed?
How are people who are harmed likely to be affected by any changes?
How do your priorities match up to those who benefit?
How do your priorities match up to those who are harmed by the current situation?

2. How do I acknowledge the legitimate concerns of others?

After you have analyzed the different facets of an issue you will be ready to respond with your own perspective. Remember that the purpose of scholarly writing or speaking is to participate in a larger conversation. To be an ethical—and effective—participant in that conversation, it is important for you to thoughtfully and respectfully acknowledge the views of other people, whether you agree with their positions or not.

Acknowledge the philosophies or belief systems that underlie the views of other people. Show that you understand that it is legitimate for people to have approaches, beliefs, and priorities different from your own.
Show that you have read and understood other people’s opinions by careful and accurate use of sources.
Show that you are fair and respectful by avoiding loaded or biased language when you paraphrase or summarize the opinions of others.
Consider directly quoting key statements to show that you are willing to let other people “speak up” even if you disagree with them in whole or in part. Be careful to quote accurately and to avoid placing the quotations in a context that might create a misleading impression.
Show readers that you are not afraid to let them consider other points of view by using documentation to help them to locate sources that contain opinions different from your own.

Having accurately and ethically represented the positions of others, you are now ready to present and explain your own position. In fact, by acknowledging different viewpoints, you are actually preparing yourself to write the strongest argument possible. Acknowledging opposing positions in advance allows you to respond to those positions and decreases the likelihood that your audience will think of a challenge to your argument that will be left unanswered.

References for Academic Argument

A small but significant deal. [Editorial]. (2013, December 16). The Roanoke Times . Retrieved from http://www.roanoke.com/opinion/editorial/2451620-12/a-small-but-significant-deal.html

Bean, J. C. (2011). Engaging ideas: The professor’s guide to integrating writing, critical thinking, and active learning in the classroom. 2 nd ed. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons.

Chernova, Y. (2013, September 23). Who drives electric cars? A close-up look at a small but fast-growing group of Americans. The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887324123004579055112450200336

Draper, H. (2012, July 20). LIBOR scandal may cost Denver schools money. Denver Business Journal . Retrieved from http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/print-edition/2012/07/20/libor-scandal-may-cost-denver-schools.html

Falco, M. (2012, December 19). Groups: Autism not to blame for violence. CNN.com . Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/17/health/connecticut-shooting-autism/index.html?iref=allsearch

Tuttle, B. (2013, December 7). The major problem with cheap electric cars. Time . Retrieved from http://business.time.com/2013/12/07/the-major-problem-with-electric-cars/?hpt=hp_t5

Will, G.F. (2013, December 8). Nuclear “containment” least worst option in Iran. The Boston Herald . Retrieved from http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/opinion/op_ed/2013/12/nuclear_containment_least_worst_option_in_iran

This work ( Radford University Core Handbook by Radford University) is free of known copyright restrictions.

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Argument-Driven Comparative Analysis (ELL)

Wr 112: essential lesson 2.

Our Essential Lessons are a sequence of lessons that form the backbone of the Writing Program curriculum, illustrating what we want all students to learn across our program’s diverse course topics. Bringing two texts into conversation with one another is a key aspect of WR 112 , and a significant challenge to students, who might be more familiar with surface-level compare/contrast papers. This lesson attempts to complicate what students think they know about comparative analysis, offering multiple ways to bring texts into conversation.

Students will be able to form arguable claims that respond to two texts and evaluate the effectiveness of other claims.

common ground, grounds for comparison, conversation, significance, claim, acknowledgment and response, analysis

This lesson spans a series of class sessions in the middle of the semester, after the first paper and leading up to the comparative analysis paper.

Conceptual Framework

Students’ prior knowledge of comparative analysis commonly centers on standard compare/contrast essays and does not extend much beyond the mere acknowledgment of common ground and the various similarities and/or differences between the texts. For an argument-driven comparative analysis, that discovery is a necessary first step in establishing the common ground between the two texts and clarifying their comparative relationship (their grounds for comparison). Without it, readers will not understand the importance of bringing the texts in the first place (why are these two particular texts being held up for comparison and what can we gain from exploring them further?). Acknowledging the comparative relationships of texts activates students’ consideration of the larger significance and purpose of the conversation, and their own reasons for entering it (what can they contribute to the discussion and why is it important to explore it further?). The establishment of the grounds for comparison facilitates students’ understanding of how to logically frame an argument via the three-part introduction, moving from context to a destabilizing moment/issue, while also considering the larger significance and importance of exploring that issue further, and eventually entering the conversation themselves with their claim.

Genre Awareness

While argumentative essays are a logical focal point for text selections in this lesson, students can also establish common ground across other genres of texts. Many narrative and journalistic essays also comment upon themes and issues that are central to the argumentative essays. Likewise, as students move on to the longer work (whether a novel or memoir), they will be synthesizing with previously-read essays based on shared themes as well. The various genres assigned in class can therefore foster important discussions about how the rhetorical situation informs how and why multiple viewpoints are expressed in a text. It is important for students to identify the multiple “voices” in different genres of texts to reinforce when the author is asserting a (subjective) position and/or introducing the views of others, and for what purpose.

Metacognition

Once students have drafted their own claims and critically assessed their classmates’ claims, ask them to consider how their understanding of an effective claim (and, in particular, an effective claim for a comparative analysis paper) has changed throughout this exercise. What obstacles have they faced in moving beyond the grounds for comparison to make an argumentative assertion as a result of placing the two texts in conversation? What greater understanding have they come to as a result of placing these texts in conversation (an understanding that they did not have when considering each text on its own)? What greater insights are they coming to about their own writing? What are their goals and priorities as they move on to the drafting stage?

PART I: MAKING CONNECTIONS

Put two different authors students have read into conversation with each other. You may want to use this exercise as homework; it prompts students to begin placing authors in conversation based on their thematic connections and to establish grounds for comparison. This handout also includes a list of the five comparative relationships and stresses that the students’ establishment of the comparative relationship is not their claim; rather, it is an initial step toward formulating a claim and engaging with and responding to the texts themselves, with the goal of shedding light on a topic, extending an argument or discussion, or potentially resolving a problem.
Discuss students’ ideas, and build on these in class. Interactive mind-mapping tools, such as Mindomo , can be another effective collaborative tool for students to establish common ground among texts/authors; they can create mind maps which they can update throughout the semester.
Brainstorm common ground between two different cultural groups quoted or otherwise featured in class readings and place them in conversation. This exercise can be done for homework, or in pairs in class, and facilitates intercultural competence, dialogue, and exchange as students enter into broader discussions about diversity and global citizenship, the existence of multiple cultural affiliations and identities, and the importance of challenging cultural assumptions and avoiding stereotypes. Students will also develop new ideas for paper topics as a result of this activity.

PART II: MOVING TOWARD CLAIMS

Stress , during a class debriefing session, the conversational nature of academic arguments, especially the importance of acknowledging a problem or question that arises out of the two texts being placed in conversation. This handout offers examples of ineffective and effective questions/problems that could lead to strong comparative claims. When students have appropriate claims, you can move them closer to actually planning comparative analysis essays.
Evaluate sample claims from former students’ papers and rank the claims according to how effective they are, in groups in class. Following this exercise, students will be better equipped to write their own claims for their argument-driven comparative analysis paper.

PART III: THE LANGUAGE OF COMPARISON

Commas vs. semicolons
Run-ons and comma splices
Conjunctions and coordination
Independent and dependent clauses

PART IV: CLAIMS AND INTRODUCTIONS

Review the three key elements of introductions with students, and help them decide what to include in their introductions, leading up to their claims. You may want to use this handout for students to fill out (in class or at home) as a planning document, to help them move logically through the three-part introduction form and set up their comparative claim.
Discuss and even peer-review students’ claims and introductions in class.
Share and analyze a sample argument-driven comparative analysis essay, such as this one from the 2019 WR journal , which was written for a WR 112 class and can serve as an effective model for discussing the distinction between the necessary elements of the three-part introduction and the framing of the argument, the comparative claim, and, eventually, the whole paper. The accompanying instructor’s note also offers some helpful suggestions for scaffolding and helping students come up with effective comparative arguments.

Variations and Follow-Ups

Alternative lesson ideas.

Have students choose one of the argumentative essays already discussed in class (or you may want to assign a specific essay that engages multiple perspectives especially well) and locate the different “voices” in the conversation, identifying the common ground between those “voices” and the significance of the rhetorical moves of acknowledgment and response and specific methods and structures that the author uses to distinguish their own point of view. This could also lead into a discussion of overall organization of the essay as a whole and/or specific points/paragraphs of comparison.
In connection with the WR 112 Hub unit on Global Citizenship & Intercultural Literacy , students could go outside the classroom and attend different cultural events on campus or off campus, and then establish common ground between the two, facilitating intercultural competence and dialogue.
You may want to introduce a focus on comparative analysis in a multimodal and/or oral format. If you have a class blog, you could post a position from one of the texts and ask students to respond–and respond to each other–using templates from They Say/I Say to enter into the conversation and practice the move of acknowledgment and response. Rather than written responses on a blog, you could also translate this exercise verbally and have students engage in brief debates in class, role-play as authors and debate their points of view, etc.
Note that students do not need to focus on producing an entirely academic essay for the comparative analysis assignment in WR 112. Instead, you may wish to introduce students to the idea of comparative analysis by having them take on the persona of one author and write a letter to another author. What would students say? How would they say it? And why? As students work through these questions, they notice things about the two authors, and they come closer to putting the authors into conversation with each other. You may choose to have students rewrite their author-to-author letters as a formal academic paper (though a shorter one than you might otherwise require), write a reflection on how their letters help them start to think more about comparative analysis, and/or explore comparative analysis in another genre, and count it for this assignment, as you see fit.

Suggested follow-ups

Students will draft their 3-part introduction paragraph, making sure that their comparative argument is motivated by a problem/question and makes an assertion about a greater understanding that they have come to as a result of considering these two texts together.
Prior to drafting the full paper, students can practice the moves of acknowledgment and response via the templates from Chapters 4 and 5 of They Say/I Say in response to a debate-driven question about one of the essays discussed in class (you can provide this question). If you have a class blog, students can also respond to one another (using one of the templates) in the comments to a post.
Finally, students will draft their comparative analysis paper. You may want to ask students to incorporate at least one or two They Say/I Say templates and voice markers in their draft to help them acknowledge and respond to authors and distinguish their points of view. Likewise, you may want to ask students to focus on employing conjunctions to establish logical relationships between voices and points of view.
An in-class peer-review workshop of the draft could function as a type of scavenger hunt for students to identify the various moves, templates, voice markers, and transitions/conjunctions as discussed earlier in the models presented in class.
Revisit this lesson and the primary rhetorical moves when planning and drafting the final paper, which requires conversations among multiple sources.

Suggested flipped learning modules

Comparative Analysis
Integrating Ideas from They Say/I Say Into Your Writing
Writing Arguments, Part 1 & Part 2

For instructors

Behrens, L., and Leonard Rosen. A Sequence for Academic Writing. Pearson, 2015.
Matsuda, P.K. and Matthew Hammill. “Second Language Writing Pedagogy.” A Guide to Composition Pedagogies , ed. Gary Tate, et al., Oxford University Press, 2014. 266-282.

See all Writing Program Essential Lessons Remote Implementation of Essential Lesson Activities

160 Good Argumentative Essay Topics for Students in 2024

April 3, 2024

The skill of writing an excellent argumentative essay is a crucial one for every high school or college student to master. In sum, argumentative essays teach students how to organize their thoughts logically and present them in a convincing way. This skill is helpful not only for those pursuing degrees in law , international relations , or public policy , but for any student who wishes to develop their critical thinking faculties. In this article, we’ll cover what makes a good argument essay and offer several argumentative essay topics for high school and college students. Let’s begin!

What is an Argumentative Essay?

An argumentative essay is an essay that uses research to present a reasoned argument on a particular subject . As with the persuasive essay , the purpose of an argumentative essay is to sway the reader to the writer’s position. However, a strong persuasive essay makes its point through diligent research and emotion while a strong argumentative essay should be based solely on facts, not feelings.

Moreover, each fact should be supported by clear evidence from credible sources . Furthermore, a good argumentative essay will have an easy-to-follow structure. When organizing your argumentative essay, use this format as a guide:

Introduction
Supporting body paragraphs
Paragraph(s) addressing common counterarguments

Argumentative Essay Format

In the introduction , the writer presents their position and thesis statement —a sentence that summarizes the paper’s main points. The body paragraphs then draw upon supporting evidence to back up this initial statement, with each paragraph focusing on its own point. The length of your paper will determine the amount of examples you need. In general, you’ll likely need at least two to three. Additionally, your examples should be as detailed as possible, citing specific research, case studies, statistics, or anecdotes.

In the counterargument paragraph , the writer acknowledges and refutes opposing viewpoints. Finally, in the conclusion , the writer restates the main argument made in the thesis statement and summarizes the points of the essay. Additionally, the conclusion may offer a final proposal to persuade the reader of the essay’s position.

How to Write an Effective Argumentative Essay, Step by Step

Choose your topic. Use the list below to help you pick a topic. Ideally, a good argumentative essay topic will be meaningful to you—writing is always stronger when you are interested in the subject matter. In addition, the topic should be complex with plenty of “pro” and “con” arguments. Avoid choosing a topic that is either widely accepted as fact or too narrow. For example, “Is the earth round?” would not be a solid choice.
Research. Use the library, the web, and any other resources to gather information about your argumentative essay topic. Research widely but smartly. As you go, take organized notes, marking the source of every quote and where it may fit in the scheme of your larger essay. Moreover, remember to look for (and research) possible counterarguments.
Outline . Using the argument essay format above, create an outline for your essay. Then, brainstorm a thesis statement covering your argument’s main points, and begin to put your examples in order, focusing on logical flow. It’s often best to place your strongest example last.
Write . Draw on your research and outline to create a first draft. Remember, your first draft doesn’t need to be perfect. (As Voltaire says, “Perfect is the enemy of good.”) Accordingly, just focus on getting the words down on paper.
Does my thesis statement need to be adjusted?
Which examples feel strongest? Weakest?
Do the transitions flow smoothly?
Do I have a strong opening paragraph?
Does the conclusion reinforce my argument?

Tips for Revising an Argument Essay

Evaluating your own work can be difficult, so you might consider the following strategies:

Read your work aloud to yourself.
Record yourself reading your paper, and listen to the recording.
Reverse outline your paper. Firstly, next to each paragraph, write a short summary of that paragraph’s main points/idea. Then, read through your reverse outline. Does it have a logical flow? If not, where should you adjust?
Print out your paper and cut it into paragraphs. What happens when you rearrange the paragraphs?

Good Argumentative Essay Topics for Middle School, High School, and College Students

Family argumentative essay topics.

Should the government provide financial incentives for families to have children to address the declining birth rate?
Should we require parents to provide their children with a certain level of nutrition and physical activity to prevent childhood obesity?
Should parents implement limits on how much time their children spend playing video games?
Should cell phones be banned from family/holiday gatherings?
Should we hold parents legally responsible for their children’s actions?
Should children have the right to sue their parents for neglect?
Should parents have the right to choose their child’s religion?
Are spanking and other forms of physical punishment an effective method of discipline?
Should courts allow children to choose where they live in cases of divorce?
Should parents have the right to monitor teens’ activity on social media?
Should parents control their child’s medical treatment, even if it goes against the child’s wishes?
Should parents be allowed to post pictures of their children on social media without their consent?
Should fathers have a legal say in whether their partners do or do not receive an abortion?
Can television have positive developmental benefits on children?
Should the driving age be raised to prevent teen car accidents?
Should adult children be legally required to care for their aging parents?

Education Argument Essay Topics

Should schools ban the use of technology like ChatGPT?
Are zoos unethical, or necessary for conservation and education?
To what degree should we hold parents responsible in the event of a school shooting?
Should schools offer students a set number of mental health days?
Should school science curriculums offer a course on combating climate change?
Should public libraries be allowed to ban certain books? If so, what types?
What role, if any, should prayer play in public schools?
Should schools push to abolish homework?
Are gifted and talented programs in schools more harmful than beneficial due to their exclusionary nature?
Should universities do away with Greek life?
Should schools remove artwork, such as murals, that some perceive as offensive?
Should the government grant parents the right to choose alternative education options for their children and use taxpayer funds to support these options?
Is homeschooling better than traditional schooling for children’s academic and social development?
Should we require schools to teach sex education to reduce teen pregnancy rates?
Should we require schools to provide sex education that includes information about both homosexual and heterosexual relationships?
Should colleges use affirmative action and other race-conscious policies to address diversity on campus?
Should public schools remove the line “under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance?
Should college admissions officers be allowed to look at students’ social media accounts?
Should schools abolish their dress codes, many of which unfairly target girls, LGBTQ students, and students of color?
Should schools be required to stock free period products in bathrooms?
Should legacy students receive preferential treatment during the college admissions process?
Are school “voluntourism” trips ethical?

Government Argumentative Essay Topics

Should the U.S. decriminalize prostitution?
Should the U.S. issue migration visas to all eligible applicants?
Should the federal government cancel all student loan debt?
Should we lower the minimum voting age? If so, to what?
Should the federal government abolish all laws penalizing drug production and use?
Should the U.S. use its military power to deter a Chinese invasion of Taiwan?
Should the U.S. supply Ukraine with further military intelligence and supplies?
Should the North and South of the U.S. split up into two regions?
Should Americans hold up nationalism as a critical value?
Should we permit Supreme Court justices to hold their positions indefinitely?
Should Supreme Court justices be democratically elected?
Is the Electoral College still a productive approach to electing the U.S. president?
Should the U.S. implement a national firearm registry?
Is it ethical for countries like China and Israel to mandate compulsory military service for all citizens?
Should the U.S. government implement a ranked-choice voting system?
Should institutions that benefited from slavery be required to provide reparations?
Based on the 1619 project, should history classes change how they teach about the founding of the U.S.?
Should term limits be imposed on Senators and Representatives? If so, how long?
Should women be allowed into special forces units?
Should the federal government implement stronger, universal firearm licensing laws?
Do public sex offender registries help prevent future sex crimes?
Should the government be allowed to regulate family size?
Should all adults legally be considered mandated reporters?
Should the government fund public universities to make higher education more accessible to low-income students?
Should the government fund universal preschool to improve children’s readiness for kindergarten?

Health/Bioethics Argumentative Essay Topics

Should the U.S. government offer its own healthcare plan?
In the case of highly infectious pandemics, should we focus on individual freedoms or public safety when implementing policies to control the spread?
Should we legally require parents to vaccinate their children to protect public health?
Is it ethical for parents to use genetic engineering to create “designer babies” with specific physical and intellectual traits?
Should the government fund research on embryonic stem cells for medical treatments?
Should the government legalize assisted suicide for terminally ill patients?
Should organ donation be mandatory?
Is cloning animals ethical?
Should cancer screenings start earlier? If so, what age?
Is surrogacy ethical?
Should birth control require a prescription?
Should minors have access to emergency contraception?
Should hospitals be for-profit or nonprofit institutions?

Good Argumentative Essay Topics — Continued

Social media argumentative essay topics.

Should the federal government increase its efforts to minimize the negative impact of social media?
Do social media and smartphones strengthen one’s relationships?
Should antitrust regulators take action to limit the size of big tech companies?
Should social media platforms ban political advertisements?
Should the federal government hold social media companies accountable for instances of hate speech discovered on their platforms?
Do apps such as TikTok and Instagram ultimately worsen the mental well-being of teenagers?
Should governments oversee how social media platforms manage their users’ data?
Should social media platforms like Facebook enforce a minimum age requirement for users?
Should social media companies be held responsible for cases of cyberbullying?
Should the United States ban TikTok?
Is social media harmful to children?
Should employers screen applicants’ social media accounts during the hiring process?

Religion Argument Essay Topics

Should religious institutions be tax-exempt?
Should religious symbols such as the hijab or crucifix be allowed in public spaces?
Should religious freedoms be protected, even when they conflict with secular laws?
Should the government regulate religious practices?
Should we allow churches to engage in political activities?
Religion: a force for good or evil in the world?
Should the government provide funding for religious schools?
Is it ethical for healthcare providers to deny abortions based on religious beliefs?
Should religious organizations be allowed to discriminate in their hiring practices?
Should we allow people to opt out of medical treatments based on their religious beliefs?
Should the U.S. government hold religious organizations accountable for cases of sexual abuse within their community?
Should religious beliefs be exempt from anti-discrimination laws?
Should religious individuals be allowed to refuse services to others based on their beliefs or lifestyles? (As in this famous case .)
Should the US ban religion-based federal holidays?
Should public schools be allowed to teach children about religious holidays?

Science Argument Essay Topics

Would the world be safer if we eliminated nuclear weapons?
Should scientists bring back extinct animals? If so, which ones?
Should we hold companies fiscally responsible for their carbon footprint?
Should we ban pesticides in favor of organic farming methods?
Should the federal government ban all fossil fuels, despite the potential economic impact on specific industries and communities?
What renewable energy source should the U.S. invest more money in?
Should the FDA outlaw GMOs?
Should we worry about artificial intelligence surpassing human intelligence?
Should the alternative medicine industry be more stringently regulated?
Is colonizing Mars a viable option?
Is the animal testing worth the potential to save human lives?

Sports Argument Essay Topics

Should colleges compensate student-athletes?
How should sports teams and leagues address the gender pay gap?
Should youth sports teams do away with scorekeeping?
Should we ban aggressive contact sports like boxing and MMA?
Should professional sports associations mandate that athletes stand during the national anthem?
Should high schools require their student-athletes to maintain a certain GPA?
Should transgender athletes compete in sports according to their gender identity?
Should schools ban football due to the inherent danger it poses to players?
Should performance-enhancing drugs be allowed in sports?
Do participation trophies foster entitlement and unrealistic expectations?
Should sports teams be divided by gender?
Should professional athletes be allowed to compete in the Olympics?
Should women be allowed on NFL teams?

Technology Argumentative Essay Topics

Should sites like DALL-E compensate the artists whose work it was trained on?
Should the federal government make human exploration of space a more significant priority?
Is it ethical for the government to use surveillance technology to monitor citizens?
Should websites require proof of age from their users? If so, what age?
Should we consider A.I.-generated images and text pieces of art?
Does the use of facial recognition technology violate individuals’ privacy?
Is online learning as effective as in-person learning?
Does computing harm the environment?
Should buying, sharing, and selling collected personal data be illegal?
Are electric cars really better for the environment?
Should car companies be held responsible for self-driving car accidents?
Should private jets be banned?
Do violent video games contribute to real-life violence?

Business Argument Essay Topics

Should the U.S. government phase out the use of paper money in favor of a fully digital currency system?
Should the federal government abolish its patent and copyright laws?
Should we replace the Federal Reserve with free-market institutions?
Is free-market ideology responsible for the U.S. economy’s poor performance over the past decade?
Will cryptocurrencies overtake natural resources like gold and silver?
Is capitalism the best economic system? What system would be better?
Should the U.S. government enact a universal basic income?
Should we require companies to provide paid parental leave to their employees?
Should the government raise the minimum wage? If so, to what?
Should antitrust regulators break up large companies to promote competition?
Is it ethical for companies to prioritize profits over social responsibility?
Should gig-economy workers like Uber and Lyft drivers be considered employees or independent contractors?
Should the federal government regulate the gig economy to ensure fair treatment of workers?
Should the government require companies to disclose the environmental impact of their products?
Should companies be allowed to fire employees based on political views or activities?
Should tipping practices be phased out?
Should employees who choose not to have children be given the same amount of paid leave as parents?
Should MLMs (multi-level marketing companies) be illegal?
Should employers be allowed to factor tattoos and personal appearance into hiring decisions?

In Conclusion – Argument Essay Topics

Using the tips above, you can effectively structure and pen a compelling argumentative essay that will wow your instructor and classmates. Remember to craft a thesis statement that offers readers a roadmap through your essay, draw on your sources wisely to back up any claims, and read through your paper several times before it’s due to catch any last-minute proofreading errors. With time, diligence, and patience, your essay will be the most outstanding assignment you’ve ever turned in…until the next one rolls around.

Looking for more fresh and engaging topics for use in the classroom? You might consider checking out the following:

125 Good Debate Topics for High School Students
150 Good Persuasive Speech Topics
7 Best Places to Study
Guide to the IB Extended Essay
How to Write the AP Lang Rhetorical Analysis Essay
AP Lit Reading List
How to Write the AP Lang Synthesis Essay
49 Most Interesting Biology Research Topics
High School Success

Lauren Green

With a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing from Columbia University and an MFA in Fiction from the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas at Austin, Lauren has been a professional writer for over a decade. She is the author of the chapbook A Great Dark House (Poetry Society of America, 2023) and a forthcoming novel (Viking/Penguin).

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Reviewer’s Notes

Jennifer Haytock

Writing in College: From Competence to Excellence assists well-prepared high school students as they transition to college writing, helping them understand how they, as young independent scholars, fit into the university and can improve their writing to succeed in their new environment. Focusing on the argument-driven essay, Guptill guides beginning college students through the sometimes arcane practices of the academy and does so with warmth, enthusiasm, and humor. The textbook takes students through deciphering assignments, developing sophisticated arguments, finding and using appropriate sources, and some basics of paragraphing, sentence structure, and style. Instructors will find this textbook to be a handy tool for explaining the argument-driven essay and reference for addressing common college-level writing issues. With a diverse range of examples, useful references to other sources, and purposeful exercises, Writing in College focuses on developing students’ skills in practical ways—and helps students understand why their instructors have them do what they do.

Jennifer Haytock is professor and chair in the English Department at the College at Brockport, SUNY.

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How to Write an Argument Driven Essay (according to Standards in France)

In France , many schools and universities evaluate students on their capacity to write argumentative texts called 'dissertations.' These 1200-2000 word texts follow strict formal guidelines, which are often taken for granted at a University level. This method is quite different from the way professors evaluate their students in North-American or Anglo-Saxon Universities.

Indeed, the French 'dissertation' (known as a variety of the 'argument driven essay' in English) should be distinguished from the dissertation in Anglo-Saxon countries, which refers to an entirely different exercise, part of a doctoral thesis. Foreign students may not be aware of some of the French guidelines, and may never even fully understand their subtleties during their short stay in France. For this reason, this article aims to explain – very briefly – what characterises an argument driven essay according to standards in France. Furthermore, we will try to determine which element is most characteristic of this type of essay.

Firstly, we will examine how the 'heart' of this type of essay is fuelled by one core question, which is referred to as 'problématique.' Secondly, we will approach the form of such essays, i.e. how they are organised. Thirdly and lastly, we will study how the introduction and conclusion parts are linked to the body of the text in a characteristic way.

In a first part, it is generally well known that essays are oriented, implicitly if not explicitly, by one core question, known in French as 'problématique.' In the case of the argument driven essay, the 'problématique' is a question which will fuel every subsequent argument of the essay. In this view, it can be argued that this interrogative element is perhaps the most important and characteristic element of this type of essay. This fundamental question should be stated at the beginning of the essay in order to allow the reader to gain a clear idea of the subject the writer has chosen to examine, and also to allow him to anticipate the subsequent articulations of the essay.

In schools and Universities, such a subject is often given to the students by their teacher at the beginning of the exam, so that all students can be evaluated on the same theme. Such subjects can be declined in three types: firstly, a thematic type , which does not explicitly set a question, but rather states a general theme; this type of essay question incites the student to study and analyse a given subject in the essay. Here is an example of this first type of subject: “Bebop in Asia.” Secondly, an interrogative type , in which a question is explicitly advanced. This type of essay favours a discussion between the professor and the student. Here is an example of this second type of subject: “Can one still speak of a proletariat?” Thirdly and lastly, an implicit subject , occurs when the student must relate two or more themes to one another.

The student is expected to articulate each element of the question to one another, not separately. Here is an example of this third type of subject: “space and emptiness in Polish fiction.” After having received such a subject, the student is expected to elaborate a 'problématique,' which in a way represents the angle of approach of the essay. However, if the core question of the essay does have considerable importance in the case of the argument driven essay, there's more to this type of literary construction than one single question, as we shall now see.

In a second part, one must remember that each of the subsequent elements of the essay is usually directly related to this 'problématique,' and examines some of its complimentary dimensions. In this view, it can be argued that the form of the essay distinguishes the argument driven essay from other varieties of essays. In France, argument-driven essays are generally composed of three distinct argumentative parts, each consisting of one single paragraph, so that in the end, it should contain only five paragraphs with the introduction and conclusion (although sometimes the introduction alone can be divided into two paragraphs to better isolate the aforementioned 'problématique').

Typically, each part should contain one major argument – supported by three examples, or minor arguments – and each part is often articulated to the others through a dialectic logic in the attempt to account for the whole complexity of the subject in question. This means the first part will present a thesis, the second an antithesis and the third a synthesis. For example, if a student were to base his essay on a 'problématique' about corruption during the cold war, he could examine NATO members and allied countries in a first part, USSR countries and soviet allies in a second, and argumentatively compare how corruption exists in both sides in a third part.

Furthermore, each of the three parts should ideally be of the same length; in some cases, the teacher may demand that each part contain between X and Y lines. Finally, each part should ideally be linked to one another with “linking phrases” which sum up the last paragraph and introduce the following one, in regards to the 'problématique.' This way, the reader will more easily be able to understand the writer's progression from one idea to another, and ultimately from introduction to conclusion. However, if the tripartite form of the argument driven essay is indeed one of its key characteristics, this type of form must be coordinated by proper introductory and conclusive elements, as we shall now see.

In a third and final part, the introduction and conclusion of argument driven essays are important inasmuch as they provide an entrance and term to the subject. An essay would not be functional without them. In this view, in can be argued that the way one introduces and concludes an argument driven essay is essential. Both the introduction and conclusion should begin with general catch phrases which allow the reader either to enter the subject or take distance from it, accordingly. Regarding the introduction, the student is expected to locate the topic of the essay within the corresponding field of study.

Subsequently, the way in which the student appropriates the subject, through the 'problématique,' is expected to be clearly indicated. Finally, the outline of the essay, including each of the three succeeding parts, should be briefly indicated at the very end of the introduction; this last element can sometimes be contained within its own little paragraph. Regarding the conclusion, the principle arguments of each part should be briefly recalled. The student is expected to conclude by providing an opening which may allow the reader to link the present essay with other subjects, still unstudied. Hence, if both the 'problématique' and tripartite form are essential to the argument driven essay, the introduction and conclusion are both essential in structuring the readers relationship with the text.

As a conclusion, after having studied the heart of the argumentative essay (its 'problématique'), its tripartite form and the functions of its introduction and conclusion paragraphs, we may perhaps have less difficulty in answering the question of how an argument-driven essay is constructed in France. As for determining which element is the most characteristic of this type of essay, we have observed that all of them are important in their own way.

It has been observed that foreign students are often unaware of the exact particularities of the argument-driven essay in France (aka 'dissertation' in French) upon arriving in their examination rooms. This is very unfortunate, since not only will this hinder their final grades, but it will also hinder their access to culture in a larger sense. Indeed, many prominent authors of today still follow the tripartite form of the 'dissertation' when writing their articles (ex: André Green in various chapters of his book, The Work of the Negative ). In an attempt to give a rough example of the French 'dissertation,' this very article – as the attentive reader will have observed – follows its typical treatment of subject and its tripartite form, albeit in very clumsy and imprecise manner.

Hence, the reader may now grasp how the 'dissertation' in France is a complex argumentative exercise, linking together ideas , form and rhetoric . The student who is aware of this will undoubtedly be better disposed to succeed in his courses and even understand Latin culture in general. Indeed, the exercise of this type of argument-driven essay is deeply rooted in the history of Latin countries , and originates in the XVIIth century from the medieval disputos . The 'dissertation' in France was initially a philosophy exercise. From 1864 onwards, it extended itself to other subjects, such as literature, history, etc. and still exists to this day.

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Campus Protests Give Russia, China and Iran Fuel to Exploit U.S. Divide

America’s adversaries have mounted online campaigns to amplify the social and political conflicts over Gaza flaring at universities, researchers say.

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By Steven Lee Myers and Tiffany Hsu

An article on a fake online news outlet that Meta has linked to Russia’s information operations attributed the clashes unfolding on American college campuses to the failures of the Biden administration. A newspaper controlled by the Communist Party of China said the police crackdowns exposed the “double standards and hypocrisy” in the United States when it comes to free speech.

On X, a spokesman for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Kanaani, posted a cartoon of the police arresting a young protester in the guise of the Statue of Liberty. “Imprisonment of #freedom in the U.S.A.,” he wrote.

As protests over the war in Gaza have spread across the United States, Russia, China and Iran have seized on them to score geopolitical points abroad and stoke tensions within the United States, according to researchers who have identified both overt and covert efforts by the countries to amplify the protests since they began.

There is little evidence — at least so far — that the countries have provided material or organizational support to the protests, the way Russia recruited unwitting Black Lives Matter protesters to stage rallies before the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.

Nonetheless, the campaigns have portrayed the United States as a country rived by social and political turmoil. In the past two weeks alone, state media in Russia, China and Iran have produced nearly 400 articles in English about the protests, according to NewsGuard, an organization that tracks misinformation online. The countries have also unleashed a wave of content through inauthentic accounts or bots on social media platforms like X and Telegram or websites created, in Russia’s case, to mimic Western news organizations.

“It’s a wound that our adversaries are going to try to spread salt on because they can,” said Darren Linvill, a director of the Media Forensics Hub at Clemson University, which has identified campaigns by all three countries. “The more we fight amongst ourselves, the easier their life is and the more they can get away with.”

Researchers are concerned that some foreign influence operations are also pivoting toward the presidential election in November, seeking to inflame partisan tensions , denigrate democracy and promote isolationism . All three adversaries have unleashed a deluge of propaganda and disinformation ever since the war over Gaza began in October, seeking to undercut Israel and, as its principal ally, the United States while expressing support for Hamas or the Palestinians generally.

The campus protests, which gained momentum in recent weeks, have allowed them to shift their propaganda to focus on the Biden administration’s strong support for Israel, arguing that it has undermined its international standing while not reflecting popular sentiment at home.

“The policies of the Biden administration are complicating the situation inside the country,” the article on TruthGate, one of a handful of websites that Meta said last year were created by a Russian information operation known as Doppelgänger to spread propaganda under the guise of an American news outlet, said on Wednesday. “In the rush to help our controversial allies, they have completely forgotten about domestic affairs. Now the situation seems irreparable.”

The influence efforts have been tracked by researchers at Clemson and NewsGuard, as well as the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute and Recorded Future, a threat intelligence company.

One covert Chinese influence campaign known as Spamouflage , which was first linked to an arm of the Ministry of Public Security in 2019, has also turned its attention to the protests. Some posts on X claimed that the United States was “DISPLAYING TOTALITARIANISM.” Similar language — such as “how could there be such rough police officers in the world” and “expulsion, arrest, suppression!” — echoed across several accounts identified by the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, a research organization in Washington focused on national security.

Max Lesser, a senior analyst for the foundation, described the “high volume” of protest-related content as “a clear example of a foreign adversary actively exploiting an ongoing domestic crisis.”

Many of the accounts linked to Spamouflage share similar content. One on X, with nearly 18,000 followers, retweeted a post from a Chinese diplomat in Pakistan that criticized the police response to student protesters and featured Mandarin-subtitled footage of the campus demonstrations. Its profile photo was an image of Winter, the South Korean pop singer. It listed its location as the United States but typically posted during Asia’s day, while its content frequently included grammatical errors.

Another account on X, which according to Mr. Linvill of Clemson was also linked to Spamouflage, an operation sometimes known as Dragonbridge, reposted a message by a prominent pro-Palestinian organization in New York City calling on protesters to “flood the encampments” at the city’s universities.

The researchers, however, have not detected a direct effort to organize protests or provoke violence. The focus, rather, has been to highlight the divisions that the war in Gaza has exposed in public opinion in the United States — and the potential effect that has on government policy.

Brian Liston, an analyst with Recorded Future, said that in the case of Russia, the campaign “was attempting to stoke tensions on both sides of the protest argument,” alternately praising the protesters and denouncing them as antisemitic.

In many instances, the campaigns are simply amplifying sentiments expressed by the protesters and their supporters. Chen Weihua, an outspoken editor and columnist for China Daily, the official state newspaper in English, has recently reposted messages on X from people like Jill Stein, the presidential candidate of the Green Party, and Cynthia Nixon, the actress from “Sex in the City.”

For China, the scenes of American police officers in riot gear arresting young protesters have particular resonance because of the sharp criticism the Communist government faced from the United States and other democracies when its security forces clashed with protesters in Hong Kong for months in 2019 over the reversal of political freedoms that the government had promised to preserve in the former British colony.

“When Hong Kong students destroyed schools, blocked roads, and threw gasoline bombs, the United States told the Hong Kong government to exercise restraint and not disrupt reasonable demonstrations,” one account linked to Spamouflage declared. “Now facing American students, the police take direct action and arrest them!”

Melanie Smith, the director of research for the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a research organization that studies online disinformation, polarization and extremism, said China’s efforts had become notably more aggressive toward the Biden administration.

Her organization and others previously identified an incipient effort to undermine President Biden’s re-election prospects. That effort has included creating fake accounts posing as those run by Americans critical of Mr. Biden’s policies.

“Their content is relatively aggressively talking about how young people are unlikely to vote for Biden over this as an issue,” Ms. Smith said of the Chinese response to the protests.

Bret Schafer, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund who studies information manipulation, said China, Russia and Iran had different motivations for getting involved. They all, however, benefited from highlighting narratives that damage global perceptions of the United States. State media in Iran, which has long supported Hamas, has posted more about the protests than Russia or China and amplified criticism of the police response from American commentators such as Jackson Hinkle , he said.

The emphasis on the protests follows similar efforts to criticize the $95.3 billion foreign aid package for Israel, Taiwan and Ukraine that Congress passed and Mr. Biden signed last month.

The Information Epidemiology Lab, a research group that studies malign influence campaigns, said the Russian information operation Doppelgänger had been posting content critical of the aid package or focused on the political debate surrounding it. The goal is to portray the United States as an unreliable global ally — some posts claimed that it had abandoned Israel.

Instead, the posts suggested, Israel and other countries should seek new partnerships with Russia and China. Another series of posts shared an article from a website masquerading as Fox News, which claimed that former President Donald J. Trump would “stop the plundering of the U.S. budget.”

Steven Lee Myers covers misinformation and disinformation from San Francisco. Since joining The Times in 1989, he has reported from around the world, including Moscow, Baghdad, Beijing and Seoul. More about Steven Lee Myers

Tiffany Hsu reports on misinformation and disinformation and its origins, movement and consequences. She has been a journalist for more than two decades. More about Tiffany Hsu

Our Coverage of the U.S. Campus Protests

News and Analysis

The most recent pro-Israel counter demonstration was at the University of California, Los Angeles, home to large Israeli and Jewish populations. More are planned in the coming days , stirring fears of clashes.

An officer whose gun went off inside a Columbia University building fired it accidentally as the police were removing pro-Palestinian protesters from the campus, the New York Police Department said.

A union representing academic workers said it would file unfair labor charges against the U.C.L.A. and potentially walk out over the handling of protests this week.

Exploiting U.S. Divide: America’s adversaries have mounted online campaigns to amplify the social and political conflicts over Gaza flaring at universities, researchers say.

A Year Full of Conflicts: The tumult in Bloomington, Ind., at Indiana University where large protests have led to dozens of arrests and calls for university leaders to resign, shows the reach of the protest movement .

Seizing Hamilton Hall: Some of those arrested during the pro-Palestinian demonstration at Columbia were outsiders who appeared to be unaffiliated with the school, according to an analysis of Police Department data.

A Collision Course: Desperate to stem protests that have convulsed campuses across the country , a small number of universities have agreed to reconsider their investments in companies that do business with Israel. But how?

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COMMENTS

How to Write an Argumentative Essay
Make a claim. Provide the grounds (evidence) for the claim. Explain the warrant (how the grounds support the claim) Discuss possible rebuttals to the claim, identifying the limits of the argument and showing that you have considered alternative perspectives. The Toulmin model is a common approach in academic essays.
3 Strong Argumentative Essay Examples, Analyzed
Argumentative Essay Example 2. Malaria is an infectious disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through female Anopheles mosquitoes. Each year, over half a billion people will become infected with malaria, with roughly 80% of them living in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Argumentative Essay Examples to Inspire You [+Formula]
Argumentative essay formula & example. In the image below, you can see a recommended structure for argumentative essays. It starts with the topic sentence, which establishes the main idea of the essay. Next, this hypothesis is developed in the development stage. Then, the rebuttal, or the refutal of the main counter argument or arguments.
Informed Arguments: A Guide to Writing and Research
Some of the chapters and sections seem a bit broad and generic given the text's stated focus on thesis-driven argument. And some examples of thesis statements seem too simplistic for argument - or don't really match the genre of thesis-driven argument. Modularity rating: 5 The text is easily and readily divisible.
12 Constructing the Thesis and Argument from the Ground Up
Because the organic essay is driven by an ambitious, nonobvious argument, the reader comes to the concluding section thinking, "OK, I'm convinced by the argument. ... Another benefit of the three-story thesis framework is that it demystifies what a "strong" argument is in academic culture. In an era of political polarization, many ...
How to Write a Good Argumentative Essay: Easy Step-by-Step Guide
1. Introductory paragraph. The first paragraph of your essay should outline the topic, provide background information necessary to understand your argument, outline the evidence you will present and states your thesis. 2. The thesis statement. This is part of your first paragraph.
9.3: The Argumentative Essay
In an academic argument, you'll have a lot more constraints you have to consider, and you'll focus much more on logic and reasoning than emotions. Figure 1. When writing an argumentative essay, students must be able to separate emotion based arguments from logic based arguments in order to appeal to an academic audience.
Argumentative Essays
The argumentative essay is commonly assigned as a capstone or final project in first year writing or advanced composition courses and involves lengthy, detailed research. Expository essays involve less research and are shorter in length. Expository essays are often used for in-class writing exercises or tests, such as the GED or GRE.
How to Write the AP Lang Argument Essay + Examples
2. Pick one side of the argument, but acknowledge the other side. When you write the essay, it's best if you pick one side of the debate and stick with it for the entire essay. All your evidence should be in support of that one side. However, in your introductory paragraph, as you introduce the debate, be sure to mention any merit the ...
Argumentative Essay Examples & Analysis
Introduction Example. Now let's move on to those argumentative essay examples, and examine in particular a couple of introductions. The first takes on a common argumentative essay topic —capital punishment. The death penalty has long been a divisive issue in the United States. 24 states allow the death penalty, while the other 26 have ...
Argument-Driven Paper in WR 112
At the beginning of WR 112, students need to write a formal, argument-driven academic essay on one of the short, anthologized essays that have been assigned.(Consult the sidebar here for notes on the essays currently used in WR 112.) Scaffold the assignment with a series of reading journals, summaries, claim-writing workshops, and other pre-writing assignments as you see fit, and walk students ...
PDF Thesis-Driven Essays
sciences!). Since thesis-driven essays are prevalent across disciplines, you may see them referred to by different names: an analytical paper, an expository paper, or an argumentative paper.1 The main purpose of a thesis-driven essay is to make an argument or prove a point. This "point" is explicitly articulated in your thesis statement ...
Core 101
The Academic Argument assignment is intended to help you develop the writing skills necessary to perform such an analysis and to report the results. In the course of this assignment, you will write a thesis-driven essay that articulates reasons and examples that support your claims. Your objectives as you work your way through this assignment ...
PDF Argument Essay See It in Practice APA 7th Edition
Commented [A7]: The author uses logos here to counter an argument made by the clothing company. By exploring the logic of an argument, authors can use that logic to support or counter a point. manufacturing, transportation, retail, and disposal, which makes accountability a real challenge. (p. 448).
130 New Prompts for Argumentative Writing
Explore diverse topics for argumentative writing, from mental health and sports to video games and dating, and take a stand on the issues that matter to you.
Argument-Driven Paper in WR 111
Major assignment. At the end of WR 111, students need to write a formal, argument-driven academic essay on the longer work (novel or memoir) that has been assigned. (Consult the sidebar here for the current list of longer works used in WR 111.) For this assignment, students should be mainly focused on thematic analysis, rather than primarily ...
Argument-Driven Comparative Analysis (ELL)
Share and analyze a sample argument-driven comparative analysis essay, such as this one from the 2019 WR journal, which was written for a WR 112 class and can serve as an effective model for discussing the distinction between the necessary elements of the three-part introduction and the framing of the argument, the comparative claim, ...
160 Good Argumentative Essay Topics for Students in 2024
April 3, 2024. The skill of writing an excellent argumentative essay is a crucial one for every high school or college student to master. In sum, argumentative essays teach students how to organize their thoughts logically and present them in a convincing way. This skill is helpful not only for those pursuing degrees in law, international ...
Reviewer's Notes
Focusing on the argument-driven essay, Guptill guides beginning college students through the sometimes arcane practices of the academy and does so with warmth, enthusiasm, and humor. The textbook takes students through deciphering assignments, developing sophisticated arguments, finding and using appropriate sources, and some basics of ...
Argument Driven
Argument Driven/ Persuasive Essay. Persuasive essay is known as a academic writing use logic and reason show that you point legit. Outline your paper Must have both sides Intro will have background info Use evidence quotes in all sentences Disprove the opposite side.
How to Write an Argument Driven Essay (according to Standards ...
In France, argument-driven essays are generally composed of three distinct argumentative parts, each consisting of one single paragraph, so that in the end, it should contain only five paragraphs with the introduction and conclusion (although sometimes the introduction alone can be divided into two paragraphs to better isolate the ...
Campus Protests Give Russia, China and Iran Fuel to Exploit U.S. Divide
Brian Liston, an analyst with Recorded Future, said that in the case of Russia, the campaign "was attempting to stoke tensions on both sides of the protest argument," alternately praising the ...

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What Is an Argumentative Essay?

3 Good Argumentative Essay Examples + Analysis

Argumentative Essay Example 1

Argumentative Essay Example 2

Argumentative Essay Example 3

3 Tips for Writing a Good Argumentative Essay

#1: Make Your Thesis Crystal Clear

#2: Show Why the Other Side Is Weak

#3: Use Evidence to Support Your Side

Summary: Argumentative Essay Sample

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Argumentative Essay Examples to Inspire You (+ Free Formula)

Table of contents

Meredith Sell

Argumentative essay formula & example

What Is an Argumentative Essay?

How do you start an argumentative essay

6 Steps to Write an Argumentative Essay (Persuasion Formula)

1. Research an issue with an arguable question

2. Choose a side based on your research

3. Organize the evidence — for your side and the opposition

4. Freewrite or outline to think through your argument

There are three typical structures for argumentative essays:

5. Write your first draft

As you write, be sure to include:

6. Revise (with Wordtune)

Words to start an argumentative essay

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Table of Contents

Ancillary Material

About the Contributors

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12 Constructing the Thesis and Argument from the Ground Up

Amy Guptill Adapted by Liz Delf, Rob Drummond, and Kristy Kelly

The Three-Story Thesis

Three-Story Theses and the Organically Structured Argument

Discussion Questions

Additional Resources

Works Cited

Media Attributions

9.3: The Argumentative Essay

Learning Objectives

Argumentative Essays

Causal Arguments

Evaluation Arguments

Proposal Arguments

Narrative Arguments

Rebuttal Arguments

Definition Arguments

Essay Examples

Link to Learning

Contributors and Attributions

Argumentative Essays

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

What is an argumentative essay?

A complete argument

The five-paragraph essay

Longer argumentative essays

What are your chances of acceptance?

Your chancing factors

How to Write the AP Lang Argument Essay + Examples

1. Organize your essay before writing

2. Pick one side of the argument, but acknowledge the other side

3. Provide evidence to support your claims

4. Create a strong thesis statement

Sample Student Essay #1: