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Argumentative/discursive writing will be one of three tasks for you to choose between in Section C of the exam. There are certain techniques you will need to know in order for you to be able to effectively write a piece of argumentative/discursive writing on your own. Therefore, we will also look at how to analyse this form of writing as this will benefit you in your own writing. We will now go on to discuss these individual techniques in detail in the next few chapters.
Having a balanced argument
You may remember from discussing texts to persuade in Unit 3 of this course that having a balanced and rational argument is essential for this type of writing. There are always two (or more) sides to every story and when you write a piece of argumentative/discursive writing in Section C of the exam you are expected to be able to present different views and opinions to a topic. Although similar, argumentative/discursive writing is slightly different than writing to persuade. When writing to persuade, you express your emotions more than when writing a piece of argumentative/discursive writing. Argumentative/discursive writing requires you to be more rational and open-minded. It is fine to highlight a specific opinion to the argument at the end of the essay but try and stay neutral throughout to avoid coming across as biased to the reader.

Your writing should be written in the third person throughout. This will avoid having a biased impression at any point throughout the essay. You need to have a strong argument that clearly shows the reader what point the essay is making.
However, it needs to remain professional and consist of both sides of the argument. It is a good idea to write a plan outlining both sides before you begin writing anything else – make sure that there is a balanced and equal amount of writing on both topics, not just the one you agree with more; this will lose you marks. You are required to be able to discuss views and opinions which are different to your own. Let’s look back over a plan of a ‘to persuade’ essay; you may remember looking over this in Unit 3 of this course but the one below has been adapted to suit a piece of argumentative/discursive writing.
Basic Structure | Content |
---|---|
Introduction Paragraph | Topic sentence (gets to the point straight away).Briefly mention what your essay will go on to discuss – making it clear which opinion the essay is ‘for’ and which opinion it is ‘against’ (mention that you will discuss both sides of the argument as this prevents you coming off as biased to the reader). |
Logical Argument(s) | This will be your argument – to make your argument more logical you should back it up with evidence. This can be including facts/statistics, quotations, real-life examples (if you do not know the specifics of any of these then you can make them up – but make sure they seem realistic). |
Counterargument(s) | Here, you should state the counterargument(s). Again, back them up using facts and techniques mentioned above. |
Emotional Argument(s) | In this paragraph you can be a bit more personal. You must continue to maintain the third person point of view but can start being more direct with the reader – using a range of rhetorical techniques (we will discuss ‘rhetorics’ shortly). |
Conclusion Paragraph | In your conclusion you should weigh up both sides of the argument (briefly going over what you have just discussed). Ensure you make the point of your argument clear and conclude with an explanation as to why the essay is for the particular point that it is. |
When planning in your exam you could create a table like the one below and fill it in using brief bullet points:
For | Against |
---|---|
This table will help you to present both sides to the topic you are asked to write about. The order of your argumentative/discursive essay may vary depending on the specific task you are asked to complete. However, whichever task you are asked to complete, make sure you present a logical argument that discusses different views and opinions.
Use connectives to connect the paragraphs of your essay. Connectives refer to using conjunctions at the beginning of every new paragraph or point, or to explain a point in more detail. We will split them up into ‘for’ and ‘against’ connectives:
For | Against |
---|---|
Accompanying this, | Alternatively, |
Additionally, | Be that as it may, |
As well as, | By contrast, |
Consequently, | However, |
Furthermore, | In contrast, |
In addition, | In other respects, |
Likewise, | Nevertheless, |
Moreover, | On the contrary, |
Similarly, | On the other hand, |
Therefore, | Whereas, |
It is vital that your argument flows fluently with a concise structure. Using the connectives mentioned above can help you achieve this. For example, in the paragraph that your logical argument contains, you can use an ‘against’ connective to introduce your counterargument paragraph: ‘However, some people may think that …’ or ‘Be that as it may, an alternative perspective to this situation is …’. Take note that a comma is always placed after a connective. If you apply this technique appropriately in any of your essays in Section A, B, or especially if you decide to do the argumentative/discursive task in Section C of the exam, then this will impress the examiner and gain you extra marks.
Techniques of Argumentative/Discursive Writing
When conducting argumentative/discursive pieces of writing your purpose will always be to inform and sometimes to persuade your audience to have a certain point of view. In order to persuade someone, you need to be convincing. Having a logical position on a topic and sticking with it throughout your essay is vital; nevertheless, it is equally as important for you to show that you have considered different opinions and points of view as this proves to the reader that you are well informed and unbiased – making your writing more convincing. Some useful techniques for you to learn and eventually use in your exam will be covered here.
Rhetorical Techniques
‘Rhetoric’ is an art form that can be defined as the effective use of techniques of persuasive forms of speaking or writing. These techniques include some of the ones we have already discussed in Unit 1 of this course but there are some which you may not have come across before. A table of these techniques, including their definitions and examples, is provided below.
Techniques | Definitions | Examples |
---|---|---|
Alliteration | The repetition of consonant sounds to convey a particular mood, atmosphere or emotion, or to emphasise a point. The repetition of the consonants normally appears at the beginning of words. | ‘The dark dreary day.’ |
Allusion | A reference to something outside of the text. This can be a person, film, literary work etc. It is a passing comment that does not describe the allusion in much detail but the reader is expected to understand what is meant by the comment. | If someone makes the comment ‘Hey Romeo!’ to someone, it is a reference from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The reader should then be able to make the connection and understand that the person being called ‘Romeo’ must have a current romantic interest. |
Analogy | Comparing one idea to another, making it easier to understand the concept. These ideas normally have similar characteristics. | ‘Nobody wants to deal with the state of the country now. It’s like everyone is pushing all the mess under the bed and letting it build up and up.’ |
Anaphora | The repetition of words or phrases in successive clauses which creates parallelism and rhythm. It can be used to emphasise a certain point. | ‘Who would do such a thing? Who would actually go that far just to prove a point?’ |
Antiphrasis | The use of contrasting words together which usually creates irony and humour. | ‘The sleeping giant slept like a new-born baby.’ |
Assonance | The repetition of the same vowel sounds in a sentence to convey a particular mood, atmosphere or emotion, or to emphasise a point. | ‘We will light a fire tonight.’ |
Consonance | Consonance is very similar to alliteration in that it is the repetition of the same consonant sounds. However, this repetition occurs in the middle or at the end of words rather than the beginning. Consonance is still used to convey a particular mood, atmosphere or emotion, or to emphasise a point. | ‘The pitter-patter of feet.’ |
Hyperbole | An over exaggerated statement to add extra effect/emphasis to a point. Sometimes it can also create a dramatic or comedic effect. | ‘He runs faster than the speed of light.’ |
Metanoia | A statement that corrects or qualifies itself. This usually either strengthens or softens it in some way. | ‘The most beautiful flower in the world; in fact, the universe.’ |
Metaphor | A figure of speech, often a person or object, that contains an implied comparison to something else to add emphasis and effect. | ‘She is fishing for trouble.’ |
Metonymy | A word that is used to describe something else that is closely linked to it. | The word ‘crown’ refers to the King or Queen. |
Onomatopoeia | A word or phrase that mimics the sound it is describing. | ‘Cuckoo’‘Boom’ |
Oxymoron | When contradictory words appear close together. | ‘Bitter sweet.’‘You must be cruel to be kind.’ |
Rhetorical Questions | Questions that appear in a text that are not meant or expected to be answered by anyone in particular. They are a device that is used to get the audience involved and thinking about a certain subject or situation. They can sometimes convey sarcasm and humour as well. | ‘What were they thinking?’ |
Simile | Similes are similar to metaphors in that they are figures of speech that use comparisons. They most commonly consist of ‘like’ or ‘as’ in their comparisons and so are easily recognisable. | ‘It hit me like a cold bucket of icy water.’ |
Emotive Language
This involves using language with the intention that it will have an emotional impact on the audience. Emotive language can either be positive or negative depending on the desired effect the writer is wishing to have on the reader. You need to not only be able to recognise if a text has emotive language and what effect it has on you, but also how you can include emotive language in your own writing to create a desired effect on the target audience of your text.
Using emotive language in argumentative/discursive writing can be an effective technique to use if you pick an argumentative task in Section C of your exam. Logical reasoning is crucial for this question but that does not mean we cannot use some emotive language too. If you show that you are passionate about a topic (but also perceptive to other points of view) when you are writing an argumentative/discursive piece of writing, then this can gain the reader’s interest and make them want to sit up and listen.
Emotive language consists of the use of words, phrases, clauses or sentences that evoke a strong emotion in the reader. Connotations are common when using emotive language (refer back to Unit 1 if you are still unsure of this term). It is a good technique for getting the reader feeling involved in the discussion and swaying their point of view either ‘for’ or ‘against’ the specific discussion. Let’s have a look at some positive and negative uses of emotive language:
Topic | Positive | Negative |
---|---|---|
The homeless. | If they are described as ‘victims of society’, this would be the use of emotive language with the intention to create sympathy. | If they are described as ‘scroungers’ or ‘intoxicated’, this will create a negative impression of them based on negative stereotyping. |
Pregnancy multivitamins. | If they are described as ‘essential to your baby’s development’, women will be more likely to buy them. | If they are described as ‘unnatural’, ‘a waste of money’ or ‘pointless’, women will be less likely to buy them. |
Climate change. | If described as ‘taking control of climate change’ through ‘renewable energy’, this will evoke a positive feeling in the reader that we are taking control of the situation. | If described as ‘poorly prepared for climate change’, ‘catastrophic’ or ‘climate change having a domino effect around the world’, this will evoke a sense of concern and worry in the reader. |
Using emotive language is important if you are writing to persuade and if you are wanting to put across a desired opinion.
Speaking Directly to the Reader
A lot of persuasive texts speak directly to the reader. This is either through the use of first person – ‘I’, ‘me’, ‘we’ (plural), ‘us’ (plural) – and second person personal pronouns – ‘you’, ‘you’ (plural). However, speaking indirectly to the reader can be just as effective. For example, through opening statements such as ‘Who could deny that…’, ‘All sane people will agree that…’ and ‘It cannot be disputed…’. These statements effectively manipulate the reader into agreeing as they allow them to feel included, all whilst remaining consistent with a third person point of view.
Using Facts, Statistics and Quotations
As you are required to make a balanced and rational argument when writing a piece of argumentative/discursive writing, using facts, statistics and quotations can help back up and evidence both sides of an argument to a topic. It is advised that if you are unable to provide any facts, statistics or quotations to back up your points in the exam, then you can make them up; however, they must be realistic and relevant to the topic.
- Facts and Statistics: facts and statistics are used by a writer to help convince the reader about a certain topic/idea. They are a very convincing technique to use and the reader will be less likely to disagree or argue with a point if facts and statistics are being provided to support it.
- Quotations: quotations are used to provide further information and to back up a point already mentioned. Often quotations will be taken from something a leading expert in their field has said or written, or from other reliable sources, e.g. academic textbooks, journal articles etc. Quotations make an argument seem more appealing as you are showing that other people also agree, or disagree, with the argument you are making which helps convince the reader to take the same view.
