How to write an Argumentative Essay: A guide to the art of essay writing.
Argumentative essays are undoubtedly among the most essential types of writing students will encounter. Every language course emphasises the importance of writing essays, and even non-language-related subjects demand that students sharpen their argumentative skills. It’s critical to understand that mastering argumentative essays is not just an academic requirement — it’s a vital skill that empowers you to articulate your views and influence others. This guide will provide you with the tools you need to write compelling and persuasive essays that effectively convey your arguments.
The structure of argumentative essays
Like all other essays, argumentative essays follow the same structure: (1) an introduction, (2) body paragraphs, and (3) a conclusion.
How to write the introduction of an argumentative essay.
Your introduction is the ‘front page’ of your essay and usually follows the funnel shape. This means that the content of your introduction starts broadly, which means that you put the topic in a context and ends specific, which usually entails your thesis statement. The thesis statement, then, is the heart of your argumentative essay; it’s a statement that covers the intent and direction of your argumentative essay, and if you need to put an ‘opinion’ somewhere, the thesis statement is where you’d put your stance.
A basic thesis statement can have the following structure: “The aim of this essay is to convince/argue that …”. So, in the case of an essay arguing that exposure to a language is more important than grammatical knowledge, the thesis statement could be: “The aim of this essay is to argue that exposure to a foreign language is more important than grammatical knowledge.”
The thesis statement could also include why what is argued is argued, but that’s not always required. In these cases, the topic sentences of the paragraphs can help clarify the arguments in the thesis statement.
Now, here’s something important to remember about your introduction: you write your introduction last! You want to make sure that your introduction funnels properly, and by writing your introduction last, you make sure that this happens. If necessary, you can constantly adjust your thesis statement because your essay could take a different direction, or your arguments might change.
The body paragraphs of an argumentative essay
The body paragraphs of an argumentative essay are the piece de resistance: they bring the content that tries to convince your reader.
Your body paragraphs need a good structure because structured paragraphs are more convincing and help the reader understand your strain of thought. You can use linking words, linking phrases, or other connectors to link your ideas together, both between your paragraphs and within your paragraphs.
The structure I always teach uses levels: level 1 is your topic sentence, which is the main idea of your paragraph. Level 2 explains your topic sentence or adds some additional information to this topic sentence. Level 3 is your example, and in the case of an argumentative essay, this example is usually evidence from a different source, such as a research paper. Level 4 could, if necessary, explain your example or link it to your topic sentence. Finally, level 5 is your concluding sentence, which, when you’ve thoroughly explained your argument, ends your paragraph by highlighting the most essential element.
This structure is the absolute bare bone of a paragraph, and other varieties exist (such as paragraphs with more than one example to support the thesis statement). If you want to learn more about paragraph structures, review this article here.
How to write a conclusion of an argumentative essay.
The conclusion of your argumentative essay summarises the main points of your essay. You never, ever, EVER want to include new arguments in your conclusion. Your conclusion follows the upside-down or inverted funnel shape. This means that you start specific (which is what you do when you summarise the main points of your essay) and you end broadly by placing your findings in perspective or, in the case of a research essay, you propose ideas for future research.
The writing process: from idea to essay
This might sound controversial, but most work lies in planning your argumentative essay, not the writing part. While planning, you try to come up with good arguments and evidence that supports your arguments, and the more time you spend planning, the easier writing your essay will be.
Step 1: plan your essay with a mind map
The best way to plan your essay is with a mind map or word map. The benefit of a visual tool like a mind map is that you’re able to visualise the relationship between your arguments and your evidence. That will, in the end, result in stronger arguments.
Every branch of your mind map should include a topic that you will write about in your essay, and sub-branches could be evidence or explanations related to your topic. Don’t forget to include your citations here, too; otherwise, you’ll have a lot of trouble when you’re ready to create your reference list.
Step 2: create an outline of your essay.
If you’re ready to start writing, you want to create the outline of your argumentative essay. Even though an argumentative essay outline is not the final draft of your essay, you should diligently plan how each element of your essay will fit the entire essay.
The outline is also the best place to see how your paragraph structure comes together, and this is where you’d consider adding level 2 or level 4 sentences that explain your topic sentence or your evidence.
After you’ve created the blueprint of your essay in your outline, you’d want to see whether you can add linking words/connectors to your outline to enhance the flow of your essay.
Step 3: Write your essay.
Writing your argumentative essay should, at this stage, be the easiest part. Your information collection and findings have been ordered in the previous two steps, so you only need to put everything from your outline in a nicely flowing text.
Step 4: READ YOUR WORK and adjust your thesis statement.
It might sound like I’m stating the obvious, but remember to read your work when you’re done writing. You want to check whether everything still fits together and whether your content is still covered by your thesis statement. If not, adjust your thesis statement so it does.
Mastering the art of essay writing
I enjoy teaching about writing essays as much as I enjoy writing them myself. Diving into a topic to find arguments that support my ideas or new ideas is always a nice challenge. In the end, writing good essays requires practice, and mastering the art of essay writing will make you a good essayist or thinker overall.
If you’ve written something you’re proud of, even if it’s for an academic degree, consider publishing your work online and sharing your ideas with others.
More resources on essay writing:
Tutorial on How to Write an Argumentative Essay: https://youtube.com/live/K9UFjmW6p-Y
