Task: Argue a point of view by demonstrating why your position stands up to scrutiny
What to do
State your position
- Sum up your argument in one brief, clear sentence
- Don’t be tempted to sit on the fence. You can sound cautious, and show that there are strong arguments on more than one side, but indicate which side is the most convincing
Support your argument
- Show why your position is a good one
- For each main point, give evidence (dates, names, statistics, examples, opinions from other sources)
- Consider: ‘Would the evidence stand up in court?’ Is it really convincing?
- Consider the opposition
- Assume that your reader disagrees with you: you have to convince the reader with good evidence and examples
- What could your opponents argue?
- What evidence might they have?
- How could you persuade a neutral party that your case and evidence are better?
Use a framework
To help with structuring your arguments in an essay, download and adapt the template below:
Download and adapt these templates for help on structuring other types of essays:
