Guide to Write an Argumentative Essay with examples for Students

Writing a good argumentative essay with examples as a student requires the ability to organize one’s thoughts, reason logically, and present evidence in support of claims. Also, argumentative essays can be a powerful tool to convince others of your point of view. A good argumentative essay uses evidence and facts to support the claim it’s making apart from the writer’s thoughts and opinions to make strong reasoning. Below you will start by learning “what an argumentative essay is all about?”.

What is an argumentative essay?

Writing a winning argumentative essay not only showcases your ability to critically analyze a topic but also demonstrates your skill in persuasively presenting your stance backed by evidence. So, an Argumentative essay is a type of essay writing that takes a strong stance on any given issue or point of view. It uses logic and reasoning to defend a position or point of view. The main goal of an argumentative essay is to persuade the reader to agree with the argument being made which is backed by providing evidence, facts, and statistics.

When should I write an argumentative essay? 

You should write an argumentative essay when presented with the following positions : 

• When you want to explore and critically analyze different perspectives on a topic. 
• When you need to present evidence and logical reasoning to support your claims. 
• When you want to convince others of the validity of your position. 
• When there is a controversial or debatable issue that requires discussion. 

What is the length of an argumentative essay? 

The length of an argumentative essay can vary, but it typically falls within the range of 1,000 to 2,500 words. However, the specific requirements may depend on the guidelines provided. Read Top 25 Perfect College Essay Examples Common App.

How Argumentative Essays Are Structured  

Majority of Students often ask if their Argumentative essay has “a good structure”. A good way of assessing this for yourself is to list (list can be created after writing during the editing phase, or before you start writing) the question(s) each paragraph answers and asking yourself if that list is:

• comprehensive (e.g. answers all the questions an interested reader would have and covers all important points of view).
• in a logical order (e.g. problem identification – solutions for the identified problems; terms are defined before you start discussing them in earnest).
• doesn’t include anything irrelevant to the overall argument.

Argumentative Essays Structure will depend on 3 distinct approaches which are Rogerian, Aristotelian or Classical, and Toulmin. 

For Toulmin Structure

Introduction: 

• Introduce the issue. 
• Provide background information. 
• Present the claim or thesis. 

Claim: 

• Clearly state the main argument or claim. 

Data (Provide Evidence): 

• Provide evidence to support the claim. 
• Include facts, examples, and statistics. 

Warrant: 

• Explain the reasoning that connects the evidence to the claim. 
• Make the implicit assumptions explicit. 

Backing: 

• Provide additional support for the warrant. 
• Offer further justification for the reasoning.

Counterclaim: 

• Address potential counterarguments. 
• Provide evidence and reasoning to refute counterclaims. 

Rebuttal: 

• Respond to counterarguments and reinforce the original claim. 

Conclusion: 

• Summarize the main points. 
• Reinforce the strength of the argument.

For Rogerian Argumentative Essay Structure

Introduction: 

• Introduce the issue. 
• Provide background information. 
• Establish a neutral and respectful tone.

Contextualization:

• Describe opposing viewpoints without judgment. 
• Show an understanding of the different perspectives.

Thesis and Common Ground: 

• Present your thesis or main argument. 
• Identify areas of common ground between opposing views. 

Body: 

• Present your arguments while acknowledging opposing views. 
• Emphasize shared values or goals. 
• Seek compromise and understanding. 

Conclusion: 

• Summarize areas of agreement. 
• Reiterate the importance of finding common ground. 
• End on a positive note.

Classical or Aristotelian approache for Argumentative Essay

Introduction: 

• Introduce the topic. 
• Provide background information. 
• Present the thesis statement or main argument.

Narration: 

• Provide context or background information. 
• Set the stage for the argument. 

Confirmation: 

• Present the main argument with supporting evidence. 
• Use logical reasoning. 
• Address counterarguments and refute them. 

Refutation: 

• Acknowledge opposing views. 
• Provide counterarguments and evidence against them. 

Conclusion: 

• Summarize the main points. 
• Reassert the thesis. 
• End with a strong concluding statement.

Good Tips for Writing an Argumentative Essay

1. Start by providing the context or background which provides the motivation for discussing the issue or question ad- dressed by the essay.
2. Provide a thesis statement in the introduction: the overall claim that will be defended with evidence and reasoning in the body of the essay. A good thesis implies a structure.
3. The first paragraph should starts with a topic sentence which introduces the topic of the paragraph. In the body of the essay, analysis is important for top marks. Evidence and reasoning should be provided to supports the claim being made in the paragraph.
4. For the second paragraph, topic sentence should be stated again in the form of a sub-claim. Explain the argument being made in this paragraph.
5. In the third paragraph, the topic of the paragraph should be announced with a question rather than a claim, which illustrate that there is more than one way of “introducing” a paragraph.
6. For the concluding paragraph, you can start with “In conclusion”. It signals the topic of this paragraph. Summarize your main points, restate your thesis, and leave a lasting impression in your conclusion.
7. Provide a reference list for your essay. A list of references, or bibliography, is always included with an argumentative essay. 
8. Essays would require several references to support you comprehensive analysis. However, ask your lecturer about the expectations for your particular essays.

How Can I Write an Argumentative Essay?

Start by selecting a topic that you are passionate about or interested in. Ensure that the topic is debatable and has two or more sides.

Introduction

The introduction begins with a hook, an attention-grabbing statement about the topic. Start with a hook to grab the reader’s attention (a quote, a question, a surprising fact). The hook is followed by two to three background sentences about the topic. The last part of the introduction includes a clearly defined thesis statement. The thesis statement is also called the claim.

Body Paragraphs 1 & 2 

The first two body paragraphs provide reasons, evidence, and explanations to support the argument presented in the thesis. Each body paragraph begins with a transition word. Next, a reason to support the thesis is stated. The reason must be followed with credible evidence. Examples of credible evidence include examples, quotes, facts, and statistics. It is important to give credit to the author whose work is used as evidence.

Body Paragraph 3 

The third body paragraph includes the counterargument and rebuttal. The counterargument is the opposing position. Providing a counterargument adds credibility to the essay and helps gain the reader’s trust. The counterargument is followed by the rebuttal. The rebuttal provides a reason to disprove the counterargument.

The Conclusion

The final paragraph of an argumentative essay restates the thesis, summarizes the reasons that support the thesis, and ends with a strong statement about the topic. The concluding paragraph should not introduce new reasons or evidence to support the writer’s position. 

Example: “In conclusion, adopting sustainable practices and reducing single-use plastic is crucial for preserving our oceans and marine life.” 

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Free Argumentative Essay Examples for students

Essay Topic: Diversity: Help or Hindrance to Group Performance?

Introduction

In an increasingly complex and competitive business world, how is a company to generate the creative ideas needed for ongoing success? Many managers believe that forming teams with cross-functional diversity is the answer (Sethi et al., 2002), and this is becoming increasingly common (Mu & Gnyawali, 2003). However, while diversity in group mem- bership may lead to the diversity of ideas needed for inno- vative problem solving, it is argued here that that managers need to be aware that there are many ways that diversity can in fact hinder team performance, though there are strategies that both teams and their managers can use to reduce the potential negatives and enhance the potential positives.

Body Paragraphs 1

Aside from the cross-functional diversity, many other types of diversity can have effects on team performance and some of these types of diversity can have inherently nega- tive effects. For example, any negative stereotyping by group members resulting from diversity in terms of gender, age or ethnicity will reduce team social cohesion and hence group performance (Fiske & Neuberg, 1990, as cited in Har- rison et al., 2002) because a certain amount of social cohe- sion has been found to be correlated with effective group performance (Harrison et al., 2002). Other aspects of diver- sity, such as in attitudes towards the group’s tasks, in values, and in time management styles, can also negatively affect group social cohesion and hence group performance (Fiske & Neuberg, 1990, as cited in Harrison et al., 2002).

Body Paragraphs 2 

The sorts of diversity that are most likely to be beneficial to group performance, such as diversity in relevant knowledge, experience and skills (Harrison et al., 2002), can unfortunately also cause problems for group performance. Having too many diverse views and opinions to coordinate can, for example, cause cognitive overload amongst group members and so impede its decision making processes (Mu & Gnyawali, 2003; Sethi et al., 2002). This is especially likely to be a problem when the team has a limited amount of time to complete its tasks (Mu & Gnyawali, 2003). The cross -functional diversity mentioned above can also cause prob- lems if group members have difficulty understanding and coordinating the differing world views and values of group members from different functional areas (Colbeck et al., 2000 and Gallos, 1989, as cited in Mu & Gnyawali, 2003).

Body Paragraphs 3

Given all the above-mentioned problems associated with diversity, are there strategies that a team and its managers can implement to reduce the potential negatives and enhance the potential positives? Regard- ing cognitive overload, evidently a team needs to be given an adequate amount of time to complete its task. Scheduling frequent collaboration can also be used to build social cohesion and overcome the potential negative impacts of stereotypes (Harrison et al., 2002) provided “team psychological safety” is fostered in the group (Mu & Gnyawali, 2003). And since too much social cohesion can cause teams to avoid the robust debate needed to generate the best thinking in order to protect social relationships, management encouragement of the group to be “venturesome” in its work can also be helpful (Sethi et al., 2002).

The Conclusion

In conclusion, it appears that if managers wish to create especially effective teams, they should seek to minimise diversity in terms of task and time management values, while looking to maximise differences in relevant knowledge and skills. They should further aim to foster as much collaboration as possible so as to develop team social cohesion, have rules about interactions which foster team psychological safety, and encourage the team to be venturesome. Unless these things are done, managers will likely find diversity more a hindrance than a help for group performance.

References

Harrison, D. A., Price, K. H., Gavin, J. H., & Florey, A. T. (2002). Time, teams, and task perfor- mance: changing effects of surface- and deep-level diversity on group functioning. Academy of Management Journal, 45(5), 1029-1045.

Mu, S., & Gnyawali, D. R. (2003). Developing synergistic knowledge in student groups. The Journal of Higher Education, 74(6), 689-711.

Sethi, R., Smith, D. C., & Park, C. W. (2002). How to kill a team’s creativity. Harvard Business Review, 80(8), 16-17.