What Makes A Good Argumentative Essay: 5 Essential Points
As you may probably know, there are different types of essay and an argumentative essay is just one of those types. But while the choice of topic, knowledge of the structure of the essay and your skill as a writer are all important, there are five essential points you need to understand in creating a good argumentative essay.
- It must be a controversial or argumentative topic.
- You must not sit on the fence but adopt a strong and clear position.
- You must be able to provide evidence to back up your claims.
- You must be able to argue against the other point of view.
- Your conclusion must be a very clever summation of what has gone before.
You cannot write a quality argumentative essay when you choose a topic which is bland or of little interest. It must be a topic which invites controversy and divides opinion. A wrong choice of topic will seriously weaken an argumentative essay. You must care about the topic but it must cause people to argue about its merits or failings.
You cannot become a person who sits on the fence in regard to the topic of your essay. You must choose one side of the argument and then present a strong advocacy for your belief. There is no place for a wishy washy proponent as the writer of an argumentative essay.
It's a waste of time if you make a claim in arguing a point of view and are unable to support that claim with verifiable and reliable evidence. Check and recheck your sources. The better the authority for your evidence, the stronger will be your essay. In planning your essay, always look for evidence before you start to add a point to your argument. It’s not your opinion which counts, but rather the evidence you have to support your opinion.
There will be another point of view which arises in any good argumentative essay. You need to be able to successfully attack the opposite point of view. By all means promote your side of the argument but be able to negate points made by your opponent.
Having written a strong argumentative essay following the advice listed above, the conclusion of your work must sustain and describe what has gone before and reinforce the point you have made. You do not add new information, you simply repeat the strength of your argument already listed.
