Part 5: Understanding the writing point
Task 7: In what ways is an argumentative essay (the genre of the text in Part 3) different from a descriptive essay (found in the previous unit)? Refer back to page 74 to remind yourself of the features of a descriptive essay. Discuss your ideas with a partner.
Task 8: Read the text below to find out more about argumentative essays.
1. An argumentative essay requires the student to investigate a topic and to collect and evaluate evidence. As such, planning and background reading is very important. If your sources are not appropriate or do not directly support your argument, they may not be suitable. A poor-quality or irrelevant source can substantially weaken your piece of writing.
2. In an argumentative essay, it is also very important to present a clear and unambiguous position. This should be written in the form of a thesis statement, which is found in the introduction. You should defend your thesis statement throughout your essay and refer to it again in your conclusion. This does not mean you should just repeat your thesis statement, but rather show how you have answered the question.
3. It is important to note that your position can be balanced, that is, it does not have to be ‘I completely agree’ or ‘I completely disagree’. It might be ‘I generally agree, but …’. Academic positions are often not black or white, but different shades of grey.
4. Within an argumentative essay, it can often be useful to refute other positions (i.e., to show why these positions are wrong). Doing this can strengthen your own argument.
5. When writing an argumentative essay, it can be useful to imagine that you are a lawyer defending your client in a court of law. You are using all the available information to prove why your position is right and why other positions are wrong. If there is anything in your essay which is not helping you do this, it may be that this information needs to be deleted.
Part 6: Checking your understanding
Task 9: Imagine you are writing an essay on the following subject: Should mobile phones be banned in educational establishments? First of all, brainstorm your ideas connected to this topic by looking at the two opposing positions.
Mobile phones
should be banned
Mobile phones
should not be banned
Task 10: Looking at what you have brainstormed above, now consider what your position is. Write a draft of your thesis statement below.
This essay argues that …
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