Argumentative Writing v

Discursive Writing
Structure
Discursive Writing
The structure of discursive essays
is traditional.

You should remain impartial and
look fairly at both sides of the
situation.

Discursive Writing
The introduction should not have an opinion
nor suggest any conclusion

There should be no personal pronouns in the
introduction

The thesis statement (last sentence of
introduction) will formally outline the aim of
the essay

Discursive Writing structure
(based on the 5 paragraph model)
Introduction. The structure of discursive essays is traditional. You should remain impartial and look fairly at
both sides of the situation. The thesis statement appears here in the final sentence of the introduction and
should be impartial (no bias).

Body paragraph 1. The body paragraphs should be balanced and fair (looking impartially at both sides of the
subject). The body paragraphs should be balanced and fair (looking impartially at both sides of the subject).
The body paragraphs should be balanced and fair (looking impartially at both sides of the subject). The body
paragraphs should be balanced and fair (looking impartially at both sides of the subject)

Body paragraph 2. The body paragraphs should be balanced and fair (looking impartially at both sides of the
subject). The body paragraphs should be balanced and fair (looking impartially at both sides of the subject).
The body paragraphs should be balanced and fair (looking impartially at both sides of the subject). The body
paragraphs should be balanced and fair (looking impartially at both sides of the subject)

Body paragraph 3. The body paragraphs should be balanced and fair (looking impartially at both sides of the
subject). The body paragraphs should be balanced and fair (looking impartially at both sides of the subject).
The body paragraphs should be balanced and fair (looking impartially at both sides of the subject). The body
paragraphs should be balanced and fair (looking impartially at both sides of the subject)

Conclusion. The conclusion should summarise the key points from above and conclude based on the main
points from above in a fair and impartial way. At this point it is acceptable to state an opinion (but based on the
facts and not using the 1
st
person).

Argumentative Writing
The structure of argumentative
essays is non-traditional

You should not remain impartial
and you should be biased to your
opinion

Argumentative Writing
The introduction should have an opinion in the
first paragraph (usually in the thesis statement)

There can be personal pronouns in the
introduction (I think that

The thesis statement (last sentence of
introduction) will outline the aim of the essay but
can be biased

Argumentative Writing structure
(based on the 5 paragraph model)
Introduction. The structure of argumentative essays is not traditional. You can be biased and be unequal when
writing about a topic. The thesis statement appears here in the final sentence of the introduction and should
be biased to your opinion. It can contain personal pronouns I think that....

Body paragraph 1. The body paragraphs should be un-balanced and only support your opinion (supporting only
your argument). The body paragraphs should be un-balanced and only support your opinion (supporting only
your argument). The body paragraphs should be un-balanced and only support your opinion (supporting only
your argument).

Body paragraph 2. The body paragraphs should be un-balanced and only support your opinion (supporting only
your argument). The body paragraphs should be un-balanced and only support your opinion (supporting only
your argument). The body paragraphs should be un-balanced and only support your opinion (supporting only
your argument).

Body paragraph 3. You can mention the other side of an argument ONLY if it supports your main argument
(these are called counter arguments) in situations where you can not ignore something. For example if your
essay is titled Why smoking is healthy then you need to mention that some evidence suggests smoking can be
unhealthy (because to ignore it would be to weaken your argument). E.g. some people suggest smoking is
unhealthy, however smoking helps people to relax and many people gain a lot of weight when they quit
smoking, which is equally if not more unhealthy

Conclusion. The conclusion should summarise the key points from above and conclude based on the main
points from above in a biased way. Re-cap the original opinion from the introduction.