Tips for writing an argumentative essay
In an essay, you must argue, formulate an opinion on a specific subject in a formal written language.
- Analyze the keywords of the subject
- Mobilize ideas in the rough. If the subject asks you to analyze the advantages and the disadvantages, make 2 columns where you will classify the arguments FOR / VS (FOR / AGAINST)
- Keep only the most relevant ideas, categorize them and make a plan based on your opinion (thus your conclusion) / chain ideas coherently and logically using transitions and linking words below: “Useful vocabulary to write my essay“) / give examples / develop explaining the causes, the consequences… / always place last arguments that are consistent with your opinion, so with your conclusion.
- Write the introduction after making the plan and expressing your opinion only in the conclusion.
- Use MAY, MIGHT to be less categorical in your affirmations: “We may / might wonder whether…”: we can / might wonder if…
- Re-read your essay (spelling / punctuation / mistakes you usually make).
- Indicate the number of words used.
Avoid:
- clichés
- to repeat an idea already expressed
- to build up an accumulation of unrelated and unrelated ideas
- to contradict you (check consistency)
- to say: “an important problem”, but rather “a serious problem”
- to use “good” / “bad”
Good (think of other positive adjectives): excellent, great, fine, serious, interesting, amazing, exciting…
Bad (think of other negative adjectives); dangerous, boring, hard, difficult…
The test follows very formal rules:
- Please present your essay clearly: an introduction, development (at least 2 parts with several paragraphs), and conclusion. Make sure to air your homework: skip a line between introduction and development, and another between development and conclusion. Remember to change paragraphs each time you change your mind.
Introduction:
- The introduction has 3 steps: you must bring the subject by announcing the theme, introduce a problem and announce the plan indirectly (by formulating questions for example).
- It’s a shorter paragraph than the others.
- If you need to analyze a social problem you can:
– begin by evoking the rise of the phenomenon by insisting on its newness, its importance
– from a cliché that will have to be refuted next
You do not have to mention your opinion in the introduction.
Development:
- There are 3 main types of plans:
– the Cartesian plane (as soon as there is an opposition in the subject)
ex: Introduction / thesis / antithesis / synthesis (= conclusion / opinion)
– the logical plan (facts / causes / consequences)
– the explanatory plan (analysis of the principal terms of the subject illustrated with examples)
Conclusion:
- In the conclusion, you will have to answer the question posed by the subject and the problematic presented in the introduction.
- You must also express your opinion, which can be decided or nuanced.
- You can expand the subject (‘This might lead us to’: this may lead us to / ‘this might result in’ = this may result in / ‘what is at stake is’ = what is at stake, it is / ‘Time will tell whether’: the future will say if / ‘it is to be hoped that’: one can hope that…)
- You can end with a question (‘what is to become of…?’). End with a formula that marks the reader.