Today, many students are curious about improving their writing skills. Having to write an argumentative essay helps young learners to come up with a unique viewpoint and present it to the reader in persuasive form. Usually, students don’t know how to do well with their academic texts, but the rules are quite simple. Our guide on how to write an argumentative essay will help you be successful in your studies!
Look for a catchy prompt.
One of the main points to make your text engaging is to develop an exciting idea for an essay even before you start writing. As a rule, teachers give argumentative essays for science, health care, technology, and political studies. It is valuable training for young writers to analyze the issue they have in the topic and develop it into a strong thesis statement.
Follow consistency.
The essay’s layout typically has five paragraphs, consisting of an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. This type of structure is also known as the hamburger essay. Include two arguments supporting your view in two sections of the body, and one argument against in the last section.
A well-organized argumentative essay ensures the reader can follow the progression of your proof. Format your paper according to the instructions in citation styles such as APA, MLA, or Chicago. In an exam, it also means you will get good marks for organization and structure.
Choose a method.
Authors use a method to find the necessary information and plan it in the essay correctly. You can create a “spider” diagram, a flowchart, or a positive-negative table to compare the collected details. Combine answers you get during a brainstorming session and information from such references as books, articles, or videos.
Provide question analysis.
Look for clues in the essay title, as it will tell you what the task requires. They will help you to answer effectively. For example, let’s say your topic question is something like, “why does equality matter today?” The main clues you can get from the text are in the form of a question: “Why?” This is your purpose. It indicates that you need to give a reason in your essay. The keywords “equality matters” tell us the subject we are writing about. This is asking your opinion as an author, so it requires your voice.
Keep it laconic.
Some students find writing challenging, while others like to write excessively long texts. Avoid adding unnecessary information that will only overwhelm your essay. The word “argumentative” is a hint by itself that the author should provide readers only with reasonable evidence.
Remember that the examiner doesn’t want to read too much or too little. Therefore, write an essay of 300-500 words if a different word count is not assigned in the instructions.
Make it flexible.
It would be best if you gave both sides of the argument in your essay, so that means you will write two paragraphs supporting your opinion and one section presenting an opposite idea. When you depict your central position to readers in the thesis statement, the first and second paragraphs should give your viewpoint evidence. A last counterargument is just an object for the writer to shoot down, providing even more confidence to stand for the thesis.
To wrap up
An argumentative essay requires not only a prominent idea but strong editing skills. If you hesitate about the quality of your text, you can ask one of your peers for a response or get help from a specialist in your school. Note everything that you feel is essential – comments on corrections of spelling, grammar, and punctuation can play a central role in affecting your grade.
