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How to Write an Argumentative Essay: A Full Guide

An argumentative essay is one of the popular college writing assignments that require a text with a clear and well-grounded position on some topic. The name of this essay stresses that the author must provide valuable arguments. And, both own opinion on the matter and the opposite points of view should be present.

The focus of this essay is on independent researches. A student can’t refer to personal experience only – it is necessary to collect and analyze a lot of reliable data. The requirement to do thorough research ensures that the student will explore the topic and understand it correctly. And it guarantees that the author will be able to deal with arguments pro and contra, which is very useful for critical thinking development. 

An argumentative essay is a common task in colleges, meaning that students must know how to write this type of essay. Even if arguing is not your cup of tea, you can’t ignore the assignment. However, the task is not so problematic. You need to know the topic – this depends on you only. And we, from our side, we’ll explain how to do this job comfortably.

The Topic for an Argumentative Essay

An argumentative essay is a common homework task for many subjects. Your teacher might specify the exact topic, or let you choose your own. In the first case, you will have to research it. No matter how you treat it – it is a good exercise in self-discipline. But if you have more freedom and may choose the exact aspect to research, doing this essay can be fun.

• If you already feel excited about some topics, and you discuss them and argue with enthusiasm, you can dedicate your argumentative essay to it. Personal engagement is a great motivation, and you can brightly present the topic and grasp your audience.

• Consider the relevancy of the topic for your audience. The basic rule is to write about the things that worry people at the moment. It should not be a trouble for you, as there are many exciting and controversial concepts. Also, try to project reaction – other people will judge your personality via the contents and form of your essay;

• You should choose a topic where people have different opinions. There is no use to make argumentative essays about the things with only one interpretation and proved long ago. Besides, you need to present the opposite points of view on your subject in the essay, so make sure to have one.

Plan your Essay

When you have the topic, start your researches. Note that the argumentative essay is very demanding for the reliability of the evidence. Thus, you have to collect information from trustworthy sources. Refer to the published books and articles of known experts, examine the results of polls run by established institutions. You can create and run your own polls and interview people too.

When you collect enough data, analyze them. You should select evidence that would support your point of view on the problem, and also research the opposite positions and their grounds. To acknowledge the rival point of view is the requirement of the argumentative essay.

The structure of the argumentative essay is similar to the other types, but it has some distinctions. Most of the college essays are the so-called “five-paragraphs” essays:

• One opening paragraph is for Introduction;
• One paragraph, in the end, is for the Conclusion;
• Three paragraphs are for the Body part.

The Introduction and the Conclusion usually take approximately 20-25% of the entire text, and the rest is for the exposition of the topic.

If you prefer working with the outline of your essay, the basic structure is as follows:

• The Introduction;
• The Body part dedicated to your opinion and arguments in its favor (approx. 2/3 of the volume);
• The Body part dedicated to the opposite point of view and how you deal with it (approx. 1/3 of the size);
• The Conclusion.

Your goal is to prove your own rightness, but, as it is already mentioned, you should show that you are familiar with other points of view and respect them.

Write the Essay Step by Step

Most essay writing guidelines recommend creating the Introduction and the Conclusion in the end. First, you should compose the Body part with your statements and arguments. But the critical task in your work is to form a thesis statement.

How to Create Essay Theses

The thesis statement is the pivot of your essay. You should formulate it for yourself after clarifying the topic, and build the essay on this pillar.

• The thesis statement should include the main idea of the essay which you will prove;
• It should be clear and describe your opinion;
• Don’t include questions into your thesis – just the affirmation.

How to Create an Introduction

It is a shorter piece of text – one paragraph in size. However, you need to reach several goals in it:

1. Attract the attention of the audience. For this, you need a catchy first sentence – a hook. Here you can pose a question – it is suitable. Or, you can present some interesting facts, or even joke to take the strain off.
2. Give the background information that your audience needs to get all your claims. It is optional.
3. Explain why this topic is actual and essential.
4. Present the thesis statement and make a transition to the Body section.

How to Write a Body

In the Body, you make claims and support them. One paragraph is for one statement, and each paragraph must have its own opening sentence and a conclusion. Use the data you collected during the research to provide valid arguments. It is important to mention your sources and cite them correctly – this way, you make your arguments stronger.

Dedicate the smaller part of the Body to the opposing point of view. You aim to disprove them, but you should not state they are wrong and nothing more. Find the reasons why people have other opinions on the problem, and explain why those reasons might not be relevant. For instance, there can be superstitions or outdated information, or some people might not have access to the correct information on the topic at all.

When you compose this part, check the logical connection of all meaningful fragments. Make sure they are connected with each other and with the thesis statement.

How to Make a Conclusion

There are several rules for this part:

• The Conclusion must contain the information from the Body – don’t introduce any new data;
• It should be connected with the Introduction, but it mustn’t restate it;
• The best way is to transfer the thesis statement to the next level. Your argumentative essay is a research paper, and you should come to your own opinion on the topic. That judgment is the basis of the Conclusion;
• Compose a strong final sentence to get the emotional response from the audience. You may use a question to make them think of the topic more, or stress the importance of the issue once again.

Get Professional Assistance with the Essay

It can be so that you are stuck at some stage, even if you understand the topic. The writer’s block is not something unusual. Or, you might be lacking time severely, and be loaded with other tasks. It is not a problem, as you can order professional help from the essay writers. What we can offer is our vast experience of more than ten years in this field. Even if the deadline comes in several hours, we can cope with the task and provide an original and excellently written text for you.