Argumentative Essay Structure Sample

In the first paragraph of an argument essay, students should set the context by reviewing the topic in a general way.Next the author should explain why the topic is important (exigence) or why readers should care about the issue.Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission.

As noted in the paragraph above, a successful and well-rounded argumentative essay will also discuss opinions not aligning with the thesis.

It is unethical to exclude evidence that may not support the thesis.

Rather than explaining how these differing opinions are wrong outright, students should note how opinions that do not align with their thesis might not be well informed or how they might be out of date.

The argumentative essay requires well-researched, accurate, detailed, and current information to support the thesis statement and consider other points of view.

Some paragraphs will directly support the thesis statement with evidence collected during research.

It is also important to explain how and why the evidence supports the thesis (warrant).It is not the student’s job to point out how other positions are wrong outright, but rather to explain how other positions may not be well informed or up to date on the topic.It is at this point of the essay that students may begin to struggle.Each paragraph should be limited to the discussion of one general idea.This will allow for clarity and direction throughout the essay.Expository essays are often used for in-class writing exercises or tests, such as the GED or GRE.Argumentative essay assignments generally call for extensive research of literature or previously published material.However, argumentative essays should also consider and explain differing points of view regarding the topic.Depending on the length of the assignment, students should dedicate one or two paragraphs of an argumentative essay to discussing conflicting opinions on the topic.Some factual, logical, statistical, or anecdotal evidence should support the thesis.However, students must consider multiple points of view when collecting evidence.