Argument
In argument essays, students develop and defend a position according to the demands of the given prompt. The overall goal of argument is to provide appropriate and sufficient evidence for a central claim.
Effective argument consists of the following elements:
Claim—arguable points the writer poses, which he or she will later defend
Data—evidence to back up a claim, including facts, statistics, examples, illustrations, personal experience, or expert opinions
Commentary (known in argument as Warrant)—a discussion of how the data provided prove the claim (often answering the question “So what?”; this piece of the argument elaborates on how the reader should interpret the data the student provides
An acknowledgement (and refutation) of the counter-argument at some point in the essay
What to avoid
using evidence or explanations that are insufficient or less convincing
failing to develop the argument (see steps 1-3) or demonstrating lapses in coherence
Please see the PDF file below for an Argument essay sample.
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