How To Write An Argumentative Essay - A Step By Step Guide
The best way to convince someone of your point of view is by providing evidence and logic. An argumentative essay relies heavily on facts, drawing from other studies or sources that support what you're trying to say in order for people to start believing as well.
An argumentative essay is a type of written work that strives to present the reader with evidence from both sides. The goal is an argument, then: show how your side can be right while others may not agree; make sure you provide enough information for people who are on these other opinions so they know why their position isn't justifiable.
When you are writing an argumentative essay, you need more than just an opinion on a particular topic. Even a strong point of view would not compel readers if not structured properly.
Learn the elements that should be included in an argumentative essay and how to structure it. Thus, you can easily get a good grade from your teacher.
Contents
What is an Argumentative Essay?
The argumentative essay is a type of writing that tries to persuade the reader on behalf of one point of view. In an argumentative essay, the author presents both sides of a debate or issue.
The main purpose is to inform rather than convince - that's why this type should not be confused with a persuasive essay.
The argumentative essay is a type of writing that requires students to debate an issue and come up with convincing arguments as well. This essay aims to convince the reader, and the writer can accomplish this by writing:
- A clear and convincing thesis statement in the introductory paragraph
- The body of your essay provides strong evidence to back up the argumentative stance you take.
- A conclusion that summarizes all the main points.
It requires more than what your eyes see first. From thorough research to collecting data and arranging it appropriately, all things become even harder when it comes to structuring the essay. With multiple sections and subsections, this particular type of writing is daunting and tedious.
We are sure that the above four points will make your life easier. Just note these points and read on to know how this writing takes place to have the required impact on the target audience.
Elements of an Argumentative Essay
The below table shows the elements of an argumentative essay.
| Elements | Description |
|---|---|
| Position | You need to choose a side when you argue. For example, you might argue that tobacco products should be illegal. Say why you think this is a good idea. Give reasons, like how tobacco products may damage people’s health. |
| Evidence |
Giving evidence for your statement is important. The evidence you provide should come from outside sources and be in the form of citations or references. If your statement lacks proof, then it will not count towards reaching a conclusion.
For example: citing health studies on how tobacco products affect people's overall wellness; or giving specific details about what these substances do to our bodies (e). |
| Counterarguments | Here is where you need to present the other side of an issue. State your opposing argument from this point of view, and then provide some counterarguments for why they're wrong or weak as well. |
Argumentative Essay Structure - Ways to Approach an Argumentative Essay
The three main ways to approach an argumentative essay are;
- 1. Classical Approach
One of the most common ways to organize an essay is the classical approach. This type of approach includes five parts such as;
- Introduction: Introduce the topic and state the thesis statement.
- Background: Provide some background information about the chosen topic.
- Main arguments: Discuss the main points.
- Refutation: Talk about the counterarguments.
- Conclusion: Sum up the entire essay.
- 2. Rogerian Approach
This approach can be used if the topic of your essay is highly controversial or could lead to different discussions. There is no specific structure that needs to be followed when using the Rogerian approach.
- 3. Toulmin Approach
This strategy can be helpful when you have a disagreement with someone. It tries to find common ground in the argument and get rid of any arguments that are not necessary. For example, if your topic is about whether drugs should be legal, then you need to look at both sides of the argument and talk about the pros and cons.
How to Write an Argumentative Essay Step by Step?
An argumentative essay should be organized in a certain way. You need to follow the below-mentioned steps to write a great essay.
Step 1: Choose a Good Topic
The first thing you need to do is choose an appropriate topic for your essay. Avoid picking broad and narrow essay topics.
If your teacher has not assigned you a topic, take it as a great opportunity to choose something you are familiar with. Choosing a topic you have an opinion about is the best thing you can start with. In this way, you will easily do the research and writing on it.
Below are some great argumentative essay topics for your help.
- Is social media bad for kids?
- Should smoking be illegal?
- Should monopolies be allowed?
- Do CEOs make too much money?
- Are cell phones dangerous?
Good Argumentative Essay Topics for High School
- Do commonly assigned topics make your writing process easy?
- Should education be free for everyone?
- Is our future in the hands of AI?
- Should vaccines be mandatory?
- How many text messages are too many?
Argumentative Essay Topics for College
- Does rap count as music?
- Why do cats act so entitled?
- Importance of education
- Bedtime storytelling is a dying art.
- MBA is not as effective as it used to be.
- Is your thesis statement is strong enough to argue either for or against
- Are your arguments written in a clear and precise manner
- Is the paper contains the best examples and research to back up the argument
- Did you successfully present the counter-argument
- Is the conclusion presenting a compelling idea for the future of this essay topic
- Importance of physical education in high school.
- How should society deal with anorexia?
- Reasons why swimming is one of the best sports.
- The dangers of social media pranks and challenges.
- Is cheating out of control?
- Are cell phones dangerous to our health?
- Does boredom lead to trouble?
- Why are girls so mean to each other?
- Why do we need to control alcohol usage?
- Why do people like watching scary movies?
- Take time and choose a compelling topic that helps win over your target audience.
- Even if you are perfect at writing, your poor grammar and punctuation skills will make it difficult for you to achieve the high grades you are hoping for. So, it is important to ensure your paper is free from language mistakes.
- Always look for sentence structure, punctuation, and grammar mistakes. Also, make sure the paper is free from any type of typo and sentence structure error.
- Edit and proofread your essay before submitting your paper. If you are unable to do it by yourself, ask someone else to do it for you, and provide you feedback.
- Cite your sources and do not fabricate and use evidence from trustworthy sources.
- Avoid using emotional language that can count as irrational.
- Make sure to end the essay with a logical conclusion and not with an emotional point of view.
- Use strong evidence that supports your argument.
- Last but not least, practice is the key to enhancing your essay writing skills. The more you practice, the more you will be able to write perfect essays.
- Introduction
- Main body paragraphs
- Conclusion
- Claim
- Reasons
- Counterclaims
- Evidence
Step 2: Research
The more research you do on your topic, the better you will write your essay. Read up about it and find helpful material from credible sources such as books or blogs that cover similar topics.
When writing your essay, cover the most important issues and the opposing side of the argument as well. Look for ideas that are not explored yet. This will make you stand out for including something out of the box.
Step 3: Write an Argumentative Essay Outline
An argumentative essay outline will make the whole writing process less daunting for you. If you want to craft a well-written argumentative essay, the outline is the step you should start with, yes, after deciding on the topic.
How to Write an Argumentative Essay Introduction?
When writing an argumentative essay, you need to include some background information on the topic. The essay introduction should be written around your thesis statement so that readers know what arguments are being made in support of it and why they matter.
The focal point of your essay should be clearly stated in the last sentence. The thesis statement needs to directly state what you're arguing for and why it's correct. So that readers know where they stand when reading on about how great this new idea or discovery is.
How to Write an Argumentative Essay Body Paragraphs?
The body of your essay is where you should focus most of the attention. In this section, go into detail and discuss both sides in great length so that readers can make up their own minds on which perspective they prefer.
Use your discovered information cleverly to discredit the opposing points of view. Use evidence from statistics to other studies to support the claim.
Each body paragraph should start with a topic sentence. The topic sentence is the most important part of every paragraph. It states what information will be discussed in that particular section.
How to Write an Argumentative Essay Conclusion?
It is the last section of your essay where you summarize the entire essay. The conclusion should always state the main points of your essay. Make sure to use assertive language and present it in an "I have 100% proven this point" kind of way so that audiences become more inclined toward what you are arguing.
Now you must be clear on how to write a conclusion for an argumentative essay. Thus, start writing it without any issues.
Step 4: Edit
Once you are done with the writing process, take a break and then go back to edit it. In the editing step, keep the following things in your mind:
Step 5: Proofread
Proofread your final draft to remove any kind of grammatical or spelling mistakes. Proofreading is important to correct the structure of the essay. Check if your argument is in a logical flow.
Argumentative Essay Examples
By reading some good argumentative essay examples, you will be able to craft your essay easily by providing enough information to make your reader agree with your viewpoint.
Here is an excellent argumentative essay example to help you find out all the details and make your next essay writing assignment easy.
Argumentative Essay Example
Argumentative Essay Topics
While choosing a great essay topic, it is important to focus on only one subject instead of focusing on several ideas and confusing the readers. Therefore, have a look at this argumentative essay topics list and choose the one you find interesting.
Related: 100+ Interesting Argumentative Essay Topics
Argumentative Essay Writing Tips
For writing a perfect argumentative paper, here are some tips that you can consider to formulate your ideas into a cohesive presentation.
When writing your argumentative essay, consider this guide and craft the perfect essay for your target audience.
It all seems very simple, just select the topic, write an essay, and edit. But choosing a great topic to write a well-structured argumentative essay can be a daunting task if you don’t know the techniques for handling such an important essay type.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are the 3 elements of an argumentative essay?
The three elements of an argumentative essay are;
What are the 4 main components of argumentative essays?
The four main components of argumentative essays are;
