An argumentative essay is a standard paper for college-level assignments and AP exams. As such, mastering the elements and structure of a persuasive essay is crucial to ensure excellent scores.
Here, we’ll cover the elements of an argumentative essay for college the structure and offer some argumentative essay ideas to inspire your topic selection.
An argumentative essay is a paper that shows your position on a topic while presenting relevant evidence to persuade readers towards your claim. The goal of an argumentative essay is thus to persuade your reader that your argument is logical and correct.
Ample research is thus needed to negate counterarguments that may challenge your standpoint.
An argumentative essay comprises the introduction, the claim, criticism, evidence, and a conclusion. These components allow you to analyze the paper in detail and prepare an argument that a reader can easily follow.
It is best that your thesis statement be arguable and focused on a specific idea. This inspires your research and helps you make a more solid argument without veering off the topic.
Unlike other types of essays, an argumentative essay is less limiting on the topic of discussion. Argumentative essays are also longer than most college-level assignments due to the time required to structure a solid argument,
It is thus essential to conduct extensive research on your selected topic to determine the criticism and evidence to support your claims.
The main error for many students is rushing to complete the paper without following any process. This often results in a poorly structured argument, resulting in poor performance.
Some of the steps for writing an argumentative essay are:
When selecting a topic, ensure that credible sources can support it. However, avoid issues that have already been covered, as they may limit your argument or cause a massive amount of plagiarism.
Also, avoid too attached topics as they may limit your ability to analyze them critically.
The thesis statement is the engine of your paper as it dictates the directions your essay will take. This statement informs the reader of what your essay is about and summarizes your argument.
When writing a thesis statement for an argumentative essay:
Some of the unique approaches to structure the body of your argument and achieve a quality flow of ideas include:
This approach is the most common and primary method to write an argumentative essay. When following this format:
When using the Toulmin approach, start your paper by making a claim. In the subsequent sections, provide evidence that shows support for your argument. Finally, cover the criticisms of your essay and reasons why the counterarguments are not worth consideration.
In the Rogerian approach, you should first discuss why the counterargument is often considered correct.
Next, tackle why the approach you have stated is problematic and present your argument, showing how it covers the inadequacies of the counterargument. Lastly, cover various criticisms that you may make against your claim.
These approaches are crucial when making an argumentative essay outline. When used, they allow you to gauge the flow of your paper and to organize points gained during research in a manner that is easy to follow.
Some important topics for argumentative essays include:
Writing an argumentative essay does not have to cause you sleepless nights. This guide should serve as a map to help you determine your topic and prepare a quality paper. Feel free to engage our experts for further assistance with your paper.