What is an Argumentative Essay?

An argumentative essay is a piece of writing where someone takes a firm stance on an issue and tries to win over the reader to their point of view. That’s the main goal – to try and get the reader to agree with the writer’s side of things. And that’s done by coming up with a strong argument and backing it up with evidence.

An argumentative essay needs a whole lot of research and analysis of every single relevant source out there. Unlike some other kinds of writing where you try to tug at the heartstrings of your readers, this kind of writing is all about the facts.

A good argumentative essay should have:

• A clear and concise thesis statement at the end of the first paragraph
• A logical transition after every element of the essay
• Enough supporting evidence in every body paragraph
• A meaningful conclusion going beyond mere restatement

Getting started

Being able to write a strong argumentative essay is a real skill that can help you in all sorts of real-life situations. It will set you apart from others and show that you are able to think on your feet and persuade people of your point of view. It’s not just about writing a good paper to get a good grade – it’s about being able to express your opinions and ideas in a way that gets through to others.

First things first – let’s define what an argumentative essay is. It’s basically a piece of academic writing where someone makes a claim and then has to prove it. Being able to write a strong argumentative essay can come in handy in all sorts of situations – like persuading someone to invest in your business. By using the skills you’ve learned while writing one, you can make a real difference.

One common challenge for students is selecting a topic. However, there are several other important factors to consider before diving into a strong argumentative essay:

• Fact-checking
• Enough background knowledge
• Proving the topic’s relevance

Answer these questions when choosing a topic:

• Are my arguments specific enough?
• Will I be able to support my arguments with verified evidence?
• Is my topic a yes-no question? (Avoid such topics)
• Will there be people with opposing views? What are their arguments?

Topic example: Let’s assume you want to write about gun control in your city or state. In a persuasive essay, you would try to persuade people that the government must implement stricter policies or make them less stringent. But, in an argument paper, you would also have to suggest a specific way of dealing with gun control in your area.

180 Argumentative Essay Topics – discover more topics for argumentative papers.

How to Write About Your Position

In the real world, it’s always good to consider different viewpoints and try to find some common ground. Not so much in an argumentative essay, though.

Here, you need to choose one side and stick to it. What you want to do is show the reader your own thoughts and ideas – not just regurgitate what other people have said.

When talking about your position in an argumentative essay:

• Avoid the indicators of uncertainty, words like “probably,” “I feel,” “might,” and so on.
• Don’t pretend to be an expert if you don’t have enough knowledge – cite those who do.
• Don’t base your evidence on moral claims – use statistics and facts instead.
• Don’t try to paint opponents in a bad light, but address their opinions and refute them.

How to address the opposing side

If you struggle to understand what’s happening in the minds of people with opposing viewpoints, try following this algorithm:

1. Try to think of several reasons you’d want to be on the other side of the discussion and list them.
2. Study that list. Ask yourself, “Who and why will agree with the points listed? What arguments will they use?”
3. Analyze your audience. That includes their background, interests, and factors shaping their personality the most.
4. Start thinking about how you can refute their arguments and look for credible evidence that can help you with that.
5. When structuring your essay, place the part where you address their views after your argumentation.

How to Use Evidence in Argumentative Writing

Just presenting evidence is not enough. You need to explain why it’s relevant and how it supports your argument. You want to make it clear to the reader how it all fits together.

Don’t assume your reader knows everything about the topic – they might not! And don’t think that a topic is so simple that you don’t need to explain it in detail. Yes, they might know a bit about the subject – but they need to know how you plan to use it to back up your argument.

You can always cut out a few sentences. It’s like cutting a statue from a chunk of crude marble by removing the excess — it takes time to carve out a masterpiece from it.

Ask yourself these questions when evaluating evidence:

1. Why should anyone consider this? Why is it significant?
2. What are the implications this piece of evidence has?
3. How can I develop my train of thought if I take this position?
4. How does what I have said happen? Why is it like this?
5. How is it linked to my thesis statement?
6. Is there a relevant example I can give?

By answering those questions, you should be able to show how your evidence is connected with your argument.

Steps to Writing an Argumentative Essay

What do you actually do after you’ve got a handle on what an argumentative essay is? How do you actually start writing one?

We also have a separate detailed guide dedicated solely to this section: How to Write an Argumentative Essay

Start by coming up with some ideas for your essay topic. The single most important thing is to have a cool and level-headed analysis of the subject you choose, some good sources to back you up, and some arguments that are actually going to persuade people. The key is to pick a topic that you find interesting and feel pretty confident about – you may struggle to come up with one, so try to choose something that relates to your class.

Try to steer clear of boring topics or ones that are just impossible to solve. If you can’t find any information online you can try searching at a local library or archives – and try localising the topic a bit too. The idea of an argument paper is that you use evidence from trusted and up-to-date sources, so try to cut out any references that are older than five to ten years if you can.

Another critical pre-writing step is devising a plan. Referred to as an essay outline, it usually includes three major parts, but it’s not limited to that number. A standard argumentative essay is made up of three to five body paragraphs that explain your stance on the topic. Below is a detailed example of how an argumentative essay can be structured.

Having a plan will help you focus on the topic a bit more. If you use a search engine, you’ll probably find loads of different template variations – so just stick to the most common one and then decide how many body paragraphs you need based on how much supporting evidence you have. The information you find during your research should help you decide.

Your introductory paragraph is the first thing the readers will set their eyes on. However, you should put it on the back burner and come back to it after you’re done writing the rest. You may consider including some surprising information or a funny story in the introduction to grab the readers’ attention. It would also be a good idea if you gave your readers some background details on the discussed matter.

Mention opposing views. When your work cites arguments of all the involved parties, it makes the audience perceive the author as more trustworthy and competent. So, you can mention some opposite standpoints to disprove them, thus strengthening your arguments.

Put all the core pieces together and sum up your arguments in the conclusion. Refer back to what you were talking about and summarize (rephrase) all the main points you have raised so far in your conclusion paragraph.

Examples of Argument Essays

Below are resources where you can find good examples of argumentative essays on different topics.

1. Four samples by Skyline College.

Below, you can study four archived samples of argumentative papers in MLA style written on the following topics:

1. Biotechnology in sports
2. Preserving Yellowstone
3. What news is fit to print
4. Credit hooks for students

Each sample contains informative commentaries that explain every part of the paper. By studying the best examples, you can learn about:

• Various methods of starting an argumentative essay
• The right ways of formulating a thesis statement
• What evidence you can use to support the claim
• How to present opposing views and counter them
• How to introduce examples and make transitions
• Some techniques of echoing your thesis at the end
• MLA paper formatting and citation rules

2. Seven samples by Paola Brown from Maricopa Community College.

Although samples cannot boast explanatory comments, studying them will still be beneficial. Below are the argumentative papers by topic:

• Single parent struggle
• Biased anti-marijuana propaganda
• Independence of Puerto Rico
• Female circumcision
• Stay-at-home mothers
• Public schools in the US
• School choice in the US

3. This final one by Ashford University is just one example. However, the commentaries are exhaustive: highlighting and clarifying almost every little aspect.

By reviewing these samples, you’ll gain valuable insights into argumentative writing and be well-equipped to craft your own paper.

Video analysis of an argumentative essay

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Final Recommendations

Here are four easy argumentative essay writing tips:

• Write in the first person; you’re arguing your stance, so using “I” is fine.
• Decide early on how many paragraphs you need in your body section.
• Write down all the references to the sources you’ve used during your research.
• Always revise your work before handing it to your instructor.

Now, we hope you have a better idea of what argumentative assignments are and the best ways to handle this kind of task.