Introduce the topic.
Provide background information.
Present the thesis statement or main argument.
Have a looming deadline for your argumentative essay? Write 2x faster with Paperpal – Start now!
An argumentative essay presents a specific claim or argument and supports it with evidence and reasoning. Here’s an outline for an argumentative essay, along with examples for each section: 3
1. Introduction :
Example: “Did you know that plastic pollution is threatening marine life at an alarming rate?”
Example: “Plastic pollution has become a global environmental concern, with millions of tons of plastic waste entering our oceans yearly.”
Example: “We must take immediate action to reduce plastic usage and implement more sustainable alternatives to protect our marine ecosystem.”
2. Body Paragraphs :
Example: “The first step towards addressing the plastic pollution crisis is reducing single-use plastic consumption.”
Example: “Research shows that plastic straws alone contribute to millions of tons of plastic waste annually, and many marine animals suffer from ingestion or entanglement.”
Example: “Some argue that banning plastic straws is inconvenient for consumers, but the long-term environmental benefits far outweigh the temporary inconvenience.”
Example: “Having addressed the issue of single-use plastics, the focus must now shift to promoting sustainable alternatives.”
3. Counterargument Paragraph :
Example: “While some may argue that individual actions cannot significantly impact global plastic pollution, the cumulative effect of collective efforts must be considered.”
Example: “However, individual actions, when multiplied across millions of people, can substantially reduce plastic waste. Small changes in behavior, such as using reusable bags and containers, can have a significant positive impact.”
4. Conclusion :
Example: “In conclusion, adopting sustainable practices and reducing single-use plastic is crucial for preserving our oceans and marine life.”
Example: “It is our responsibility to make environmentally conscious choices and advocate for policies that prioritize the health of our planet. By collectively embracing sustainable alternatives, we can contribute to a cleaner and healthier future.”
A claim is a statement or proposition a writer puts forward with evidence to persuade the reader. 4 Here are some common types of argument claims, along with examples:
Understanding these argument claims can help writers construct more persuasive and well-supported arguments tailored to the specific nature of the claim.
If you’re wondering how to start an argumentative essay, here’s a step-by-step guide to help you with the argumentative essay format and writing process.
Struggling to start your argumentative essay? Paperpal can help – try now!
Here are eight strategies to craft a compelling argumentative essay:
Let’s consider a sample of argumentative essay on how social media enhances connectivity:
In the digital age, social media has emerged as a powerful tool that transcends geographical boundaries, connecting individuals from diverse backgrounds and providing a platform for an array of voices to be heard. While critics argue that social media fosters division and amplifies negativity, it is essential to recognize the positive aspects of this digital revolution and how it enhances connectivity by providing a platform for diverse voices to flourish. One of the primary benefits of social media is its ability to facilitate instant communication and connection across the globe. Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram break down geographical barriers, enabling people to establish and maintain relationships regardless of physical location and fostering a sense of global community. Furthermore, social media has transformed how people stay connected with friends and family. Whether separated by miles or time zones, social media ensures that relationships remain dynamic and relevant, contributing to a more interconnected world. Moreover, social media has played a pivotal role in giving voice to social justice movements and marginalized communities. Movements such as #BlackLivesMatter, #MeToo, and #ClimateStrike have gained momentum through social media, allowing individuals to share their stories and advocate for change on a global scale. This digital activism can shape public opinion and hold institutions accountable. Social media platforms provide a dynamic space for open dialogue and discourse. Users can engage in discussions, share information, and challenge each other’s perspectives, fostering a culture of critical thinking. This open exchange of ideas contributes to a more informed and enlightened society where individuals can broaden their horizons and develop a nuanced understanding of complex issues. While criticisms of social media abound, it is crucial to recognize its positive impact on connectivity and the amplification of diverse voices. Social media transcends physical and cultural barriers, connecting people across the globe and providing a platform for marginalized voices to be heard. By fostering open dialogue and facilitating the exchange of ideas, social media contributes to a more interconnected and empowered society. Embracing the positive aspects of social media allows us to harness its potential for positive change and collective growth.
Writing a winning argumentative essay not only showcases your ability to critically analyze a topic but also demonstrates your skill in persuasively presenting your stance backed by evidence. Achieving this level of writing excellence can be time-consuming. This is where Paperpal, your AI academic writing assistant, steps in to revolutionize the way you approach argumentative essays. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to use Paperpal to write your essay:
Paperpal not only simplifies the essay writing process but also ensures your argumentative essay is persuasive, well-structured, and academically rigorous. Sign up today and transform how you write argumentative essays.
The length of an argumentative essay can vary, but it typically falls within the range of 1,000 to 2,500 words. However, the specific requirements may depend on the guidelines provided.
You might write an argumentative essay when: 1. You want to convince others of the validity of your position. 2. There is a controversial or debatable issue that requires discussion. 3. You need to present evidence and logical reasoning to support your claims. 4. You want to explore and critically analyze different perspectives on a topic.
Argumentative Essay: Purpose : An argumentative essay aims to persuade the reader to accept or agree with a specific point of view or argument. Structure : It follows a clear structure with an introduction, thesis statement, body paragraphs presenting arguments and evidence, counterarguments and refutations, and a conclusion. Tone : The tone is formal and relies on logical reasoning, evidence, and critical analysis. Narrative/Descriptive Essay: Purpose : These aim to tell a story or describe an experience, while a descriptive essay focuses on creating a vivid picture of a person, place, or thing. Structure : They may have a more flexible structure. They often include an engaging introduction, a well-developed body that builds the story or description, and a conclusion. Tone : The tone is more personal and expressive to evoke emotions or provide sensory details.
Paperpal is a comprehensive AI writing toolkit that helps students and researchers achieve 2x the writing in half the time. It leverages 21+ years of STM experience and insights from millions of research articles to provide in-depth academic writing, language editing, and submission readiness support to help you write better, faster.
Get accurate academic translations, rewriting support, grammar checks, vocabulary suggestions, and generative AI assistance that delivers human precision at machine speed. Try for free or upgrade to Paperpal Prime starting at US$19 a month to access premium features, including consistency, plagiarism, and 30+ submission readiness checks to help you succeed.
Experience the future of academic writing – Sign up to Paperpal and start writing for free!
Choose the type, level, urgency, and length to start off
If you're reading this article, chances are you have been given an assignment that involves writing. And, that's the argumentative one. An argumentative essay does include some basic elements found in other types of academic papers, but here, we'll focus on its conclusion. After reading this article, you'll learn how to write a strong essay conclusion for a text with an argumentative implication.
As always, it's useful to recall that an argumentative essay consists of the introduction, body, and that element we're going to discuss in detail. All of these sections should be organized well and be developed around the main idea of your assignment . An introduction prepares grounds for your ideas, your essay body provides all necessary details and supporting evidence, and an argumentative essay conclusion is the last chance for you to defend a point and strengthen a final impression. All these elements ensure a logical flow and interconnection of the ideas discussed. And, to finish the writing well, it is important to know the standards and requirements of the essay's last part.
So, why is it necessary to have a conclusion in your argumentative essay? First, without it, the entire assignment will appear incomplete. Recall listening to a piece of music or song which abruptly comes to an end, or reading a book that ends in a cliffhanger. That would leave a bad taste in the mouths of those reading your paper or make the audience think poorly of the author's writing skills. Not only is the conclusion an obligatory part of any assignment, but it also brings wholeness to each of those. You may think of it as the last piece of a jigsaw puzzle: whatever is depicted in it, without that last piece, it's still incomplete. Also, a conclusion in the argumentative essay can highlight the central idea once again. That will not only help you end the writing logically but show your attention to details and competence in academic standards.
When people read lengthy argumentative essays, they can easily lose their bearings. One can use too many ideas, counterarguments, or evidence. A concluding paragraph helps the reader sort of "refresh" the whole text in their minds. That said, it isn't merely a mechanical task of summarizing the central points. The essence of doing so is even more meaningful and powerful - it can help to understand and draw connections between the issues under discussion. So, you write an argumentative conclusion to expand your readers' outlook, providing them with some relevant ideas or points they may have missed or never thought about.
Conclusions are significant for all types of papers. And, the process of writing one can be a hurdle for college students . That's because a lot more is expected from them in terms of the complexity of arguments, the use of advanced grammar, relevant references, and length of a written work. In light of this, it makes sense to offer you useful insights into how to write an argumentative essay conclusion.
There is no best way to end an argumentative essay. The process of writing the conclusion is just as creative and subjective as that of working on other paragraphs of the work. However, some crucial elements should be included here. An argumentative essay requires you to repeat the thesis statement (optional), make the audience believe that the arguments made are valid, and cross all the T's.
Here are 3 simple steps involved in writing a good argumentative conclusion:
What follows next are some effective ways to accomplish the above-mentioned stages and achieve a well-written text. To start a concluding paragraph, you may want to do the following:
The highlighted part of the above sentences is a possible creative restatement of the main thesis. That can be as follows: Nursing mothers should be able to breastfeed their babies in public places without the fear of being shamed or intimidated.
To end the argumentative conclusion, consider using one of the methods below:
Keep in mind that our examples are just templates. If you're writing an argument essay on a different topic, you need to come up with ideas relevant to it.
In this section, we'll talk about the outline and give you some advice. This element lists the content of your essay - it can cover the whole text or its part. You may wonder why it's necessary to create an outline for a conclusion. The answer is simple - it helps you figure out how the last paragraph is organized and interconnected with the rest of the writing.
Remember that an outline is only a tool, but a very useful one. Unless you are a versatile and experienced writer, you may have some trouble writing a compelling essay without this element. The outline for an argumentative conclusion can be compared to a skeleton or foundation. Just as a skeleton gives shape and support to the body, it provides form and logical flow to your essay conclusion. Let's look through the following example:
The example above clearly serves as a foundation upon which the argumentative concluding paragraph can be formulated. Remember - the argumentative essay conclusion isn't for new ideas. Stick to your main questions and make sure your arguments are relevant.
If you have any difficulties or issues with writing your essays, don't hesitate to contact us and receive professional support. Our skilled writers and expert support agents are always ready to help you by creating assignments that will meet your student needs!
Christopher
More than 176 testimonials from clients make up a 9.6 / 10 rate of success , making our organization one of the best in the industry.
"I'm dreaming about the day when PowerPoint Presentations become vestiges from the past! I didn't have time to put it all together for my History assignment, so I asked you - and you dealt with it expertly! Thank you for my A+!"
"I totally spaced up and almost missed a deadline for my argumentative essay. Thankfully, your stuff helped me and took my order right away. A day later I had my essay. You're worth your salt, that's for sure."
"I am so stressed out with all the tasks. I can sit doing my homework for days. And I don’t exaggerate at all, some assignments waste 2 or 3 days of my free time. Thanks God I found this service to get a life. "
"I am so grateful to you people! I hate math but I have it as my compulsory freshmen year class. If it weren't for you, I would've failed it long ago, but you always help me out flawlessly!"
"The essay was just on time. Thank you for good services and friendly support. Every assignment you complete is a surprise, the writing quality is always high and I never needed a single revision. I am happy that I found you one day and I'll order again, as long as I keep studying!"
"Thank you!!! Last research paper you completed for me was just perfect. I could never please my tutor with papers I wrote but you helped to change it. You provide a very well written original paper."
Miscellaneous
You'll no doubt have to write a number of argumentative essays in both high school and college, but what, exactly, is an argumentative essay and how do you write the best one possible? Let's take a look.
A great argumentative essay always combines the same basic elements: approaching an argument from a rational perspective, researching sources, supporting your claims using facts rather than opinion, and articulating your reasoning into the most cogent and reasoned points. Argumentative essays are great building blocks for all sorts of research and rhetoric, so your teachers will expect you to master the technique before long.
But if this sounds daunting, never fear! We'll show how an argumentative essay differs from other kinds of papers, how to research and write them, how to pick an argumentative essay topic, and where to find example essays. So let's get started.
There are two basic requirements for any and all essays: to state a claim (a thesis statement) and to support that claim with evidence.
Though every essay is founded on these two ideas, there are several different types of essays, differentiated by the style of the writing, how the writer presents the thesis, and the types of evidence used to support the thesis statement.
Essays can be roughly divided into four different types:
#1: Argumentative #2: Persuasive #3: Expository #4: Analytical
So let's look at each type and what the differences are between them before we focus the rest of our time to argumentative essays.
Argumentative essays are what this article is all about, so let's talk about them first.
An argumentative essay attempts to convince a reader to agree with a particular argument (the writer's thesis statement). The writer takes a firm stand one way or another on a topic and then uses hard evidence to support that stance.
An argumentative essay seeks to prove to the reader that one argument —the writer's argument— is the factually and logically correct one. This means that an argumentative essay must use only evidence-based support to back up a claim , rather than emotional or philosophical reasoning (which is often allowed in other types of essays). Thus, an argumentative essay has a burden of substantiated proof and sources , whereas some other types of essays (namely persuasive essays) do not.
You can write an argumentative essay on any topic, so long as there's room for argument. Generally, you can use the same topics for both a persuasive essay or an argumentative one, so long as you support the argumentative essay with hard evidence.
Example topics of an argumentative essay:
The next three types of essays are not argumentative essays, but you may have written them in school. We're going to cover them so you know what not to do for your argumentative essay.
Persuasive essays are similar to argumentative essays, so it can be easy to get them confused. But knowing what makes an argumentative essay different than a persuasive essay can often mean the difference between an excellent grade and an average one.
Persuasive essays seek to persuade a reader to agree with the point of view of the writer, whether that point of view is based on factual evidence or not. The writer has much more flexibility in the evidence they can use, with the ability to use moral, cultural, or opinion-based reasoning as well as factual reasoning to persuade the reader to agree the writer's side of a given issue.
Instead of being forced to use "pure" reason as one would in an argumentative essay, the writer of a persuasive essay can manipulate or appeal to the reader's emotions. So long as the writer attempts to steer the readers into agreeing with the thesis statement, the writer doesn't necessarily need hard evidence in favor of the argument.
Often, you can use the same topics for both a persuasive essay or an argumentative one—the difference is all in the approach and the evidence you present.
Example topics of a persuasive essay:
An expository essay is typically a short essay in which the writer explains an idea, issue, or theme , or discusses the history of a person, place, or idea.
This is typically a fact-forward essay with little argument or opinion one way or the other.
Example topics of an expository essay:
An analytical essay seeks to delve into the deeper meaning of a text or work of art, or unpack a complicated idea . These kinds of essays closely interpret a source and look into its meaning by analyzing it at both a macro and micro level.
This type of analysis can be augmented by historical context or other expert or widely-regarded opinions on the subject, but is mainly supported directly through the original source (the piece or art or text being analyzed) .
Example topics of an analytical essay:
There are many different types of essay and, over time, you'll be able to master them all.
The average argumentative essay is between three to five pages, and will require at least three or four separate sources with which to back your claims . As for the essay topic , you'll most often be asked to write an argumentative essay in an English class on a "general" topic of your choice, ranging the gamut from science, to history, to literature.
But while the topics of an argumentative essay can span several different fields, the structure of an argumentative essay is always the same: you must support a claim—a claim that can reasonably have multiple sides—using multiple sources and using a standard essay format (which we'll talk about later on).
This is why many argumentative essay topics begin with the word "should," as in:
These topics all have at least two sides of the argument: Yes or no. And you must support the side you choose with evidence as to why your side is the correct one.
But there are also plenty of other ways to frame an argumentative essay as well:
Though these are worded differently than the first three, you're still essentially forced to pick between two sides of an issue: yes or no, for or against, benefit or detriment. Though your argument might not fall entirely into one side of the divide or another—for instance, you could claim that social media has positively impacted some aspects of modern life while being a detriment to others—your essay should still support one side of the argument above all. Your final stance would be that overall , social media is beneficial or overall , social media is harmful.
If your argument is one that is mostly text-based or backed by a single source (e.g., "How does Salinger show that Holden Caulfield is an unreliable narrator?" or "Does Gatsby personify the American Dream?"), then it's an analytical essay, rather than an argumentative essay. An argumentative essay will always be focused on more general topics so that you can use multiple sources to back up your claims.
So you know the basic idea behind an argumentative essay, but what topic should you write about?
Again, almost always, you'll be asked to write an argumentative essay on a free topic of your choice, or you'll be asked to select between a few given topics . If you're given complete free reign of topics, then it'll be up to you to find an essay topic that no only appeals to you, but that you can turn into an A+ argumentative essay.
What makes a "good" argumentative essay topic depends on both the subject matter and your personal interest —it can be hard to give your best effort on something that bores you to tears! But it can also be near impossible to write an argumentative essay on a topic that has no room for debate.
As we said earlier, a good argumentative essay topic will be one that has the potential to reasonably go in at least two directions—for or against, yes or no, and why . For example, it's pretty hard to write an argumentative essay on whether or not people should be allowed to murder one another—not a whole lot of debate there for most people!—but writing an essay for or against the death penalty has a lot more wiggle room for evidence and argument.
A good topic is also one that can be substantiated through hard evidence and relevant sources . So be sure to pick a topic that other people have studied (or at least studied elements of) so that you can use their data in your argument. For example, if you're arguing that it should be mandatory for all middle school children to play a sport, you might have to apply smaller scientific data points to the larger picture you're trying to justify. There are probably several studies you could cite on the benefits of physical activity and the positive effect structure and teamwork has on young minds, but there's probably no study you could use where a group of scientists put all middle-schoolers in one jurisdiction into a mandatory sports program (since that's probably never happened). So long as your evidence is relevant to your point and you can extrapolate from it to form a larger whole, you can use it as a part of your resource material.
And if you need ideas on where to get started, or just want to see sample argumentative essay topics, then check out these links for hundreds of potential argumentative essay topics.
101 Persuasive (or Argumentative) Essay and Speech Topics
301 Prompts for Argumentative Writing
Top 50 Ideas for Argumentative/Persuasive Essay Writing
[Note: some of these say "persuasive essay topics," but just remember that the same topic can often be used for both a persuasive essay and an argumentative essay; the difference is in your writing style and the evidence you use to support your claims.]
KO! Find that one argumentative essay topic you can absolutely conquer.
Argumentative Essays are composed of four main elements:
If you're familiar with essay writing in general, then you're also probably familiar with the five paragraph essay structure . This structure is a simple tool to show how one outlines an essay and breaks it down into its component parts, although it can be expanded into as many paragraphs as you want beyond the core five.
The standard argumentative essay is often 3-5 pages, which will usually mean a lot more than five paragraphs, but your overall structure will look the same as a much shorter essay.
An argumentative essay at its simplest structure will look like:
Now let's unpack each of these paragraph types to see how they work (with examples!), what goes into them, and why.
Your first task is to introduce the reader to the topic at hand so they'll be prepared for your claim. Give a little background information, set the scene, and give the reader some stakes so that they care about the issue you're going to discuss.
Next, you absolutely must have a position on an argument and make that position clear to the readers. It's not an argumentative essay unless you're arguing for a specific claim, and this claim will be your thesis statement.
Your thesis CANNOT be a mere statement of fact (e.g., "Washington DC is the capital of the United States"). Your thesis must instead be an opinion which can be backed up with evidence and has the potential to be argued against (e.g., "New York should be the capital of the United States").
These are your body paragraphs in which you give the reasons why your argument is the best one and back up this reasoning with concrete evidence .
The argument supporting the thesis of an argumentative essay should be one that can be supported by facts and evidence, rather than personal opinion or cultural or religious mores.
For example, if you're arguing that New York should be the new capital of the US, you would have to back up that fact by discussing the factual contrasts between New York and DC in terms of location, population, revenue, and laws. You would then have to talk about the precedents for what makes for a good capital city and why New York fits the bill more than DC does.
Your argument can't simply be that a lot of people think New York is the best city ever and that you agree.
In addition to using concrete evidence, you always want to keep the tone of your essay passionate, but impersonal . Even though you're writing your argument from a single opinion, don't use first person language—"I think," "I feel," "I believe,"—to present your claims. Doing so is repetitive, since by writing the essay you're already telling the audience what you feel, and using first person language weakens your writing voice.
For example,
"I think that Washington DC is no longer suited to be the capital city of the United States."
"Washington DC is no longer suited to be the capital city of the United States."
The second statement sounds far stronger and more analytical.
Even without a counter argument, you can make a pretty persuasive claim, but a counterargument will round out your essay into one that is much more persuasive and substantial.
By anticipating an argument against your claim and taking the initiative to counter it, you're allowing yourself to get ahead of the game. This way, you show that you've given great thought to all sides of the issue before choosing your position, and you demonstrate in multiple ways how yours is the more reasoned and supported side.
This paragraph is where you re-state your argument and summarize why it's the best claim.
Briefly touch on your supporting evidence and voila! A finished argumentative essay.
Your essay should have just as awesome a skeleton as this plesiosaur does. (In other words: a ridiculously awesome skeleton)
It always helps to have an example to learn from. I've written a full 5-paragraph argumentative essay here. Look at how I state my thesis in paragraph 1, give supporting evidence in paragraphs 2 and 3, address a counterargument in paragraph 4, and conclude in paragraph 5.
Topic: Is it possible to maintain conflicting loyalties?
Paragraph 1
It is almost impossible to go through life without encountering a situation where your loyalties to different people or causes come into conflict with each other. Maybe you have a loving relationship with your sister, but she disagrees with your decision to join the army, or you find yourself torn between your cultural beliefs and your scientific ones. These conflicting loyalties can often be maintained for a time, but as examples from both history and psychological theory illustrate, sooner or later, people have to make a choice between competing loyalties, as no one can maintain a conflicting loyalty or belief system forever.
The first two sentences set the scene and give some hypothetical examples and stakes for the reader to care about.
The third sentence finishes off the intro with the thesis statement, making very clear how the author stands on the issue ("people have to make a choice between competing loyalties, as no one can maintain a conflicting loyalty or belief system forever." )
Paragraphs 2 and 3
Psychological theory states that human beings are not equipped to maintain conflicting loyalties indefinitely and that attempting to do so leads to a state called "cognitive dissonance." Cognitive dissonance theory is the psychological idea that people undergo tremendous mental stress or anxiety when holding contradictory beliefs, values, or loyalties (Festinger, 1957). Even if human beings initially hold a conflicting loyalty, they will do their best to find a mental equilibrium by making a choice between those loyalties—stay stalwart to a belief system or change their beliefs. One of the earliest formal examples of cognitive dissonance theory comes from Leon Festinger's When Prophesy Fails . Members of an apocalyptic cult are told that the end of the world will occur on a specific date and that they alone will be spared the Earth's destruction. When that day comes and goes with no apocalypse, the cult members face a cognitive dissonance between what they see and what they've been led to believe (Festinger, 1956). Some choose to believe that the cult's beliefs are still correct, but that the Earth was simply spared from destruction by mercy, while others choose to believe that they were lied to and that the cult was fraudulent all along. Both beliefs cannot be correct at the same time, and so the cult members are forced to make their choice.
But even when conflicting loyalties can lead to potentially physical, rather than just mental, consequences, people will always make a choice to fall on one side or other of a dividing line. Take, for instance, Nicolaus Copernicus, a man born and raised in Catholic Poland (and educated in Catholic Italy). Though the Catholic church dictated specific scientific teachings, Copernicus' loyalty to his own observations and scientific evidence won out over his loyalty to his country's government and belief system. When he published his heliocentric model of the solar system--in opposition to the geocentric model that had been widely accepted for hundreds of years (Hannam, 2011)-- Copernicus was making a choice between his loyalties. In an attempt t o maintain his fealty both to the established system and to what he believed, h e sat on his findings for a number of years (Fantoli, 1994). But, ultimately, Copernicus made the choice to side with his beliefs and observations above all and published his work for the world to see (even though, in doing so, he risked both his reputation and personal freedoms).
These two paragraphs provide the reasons why the author supports the main argument and uses substantiated sources to back those reasons.
The paragraph on cognitive dissonance theory gives both broad supporting evidence and more narrow, detailed supporting evidence to show why the thesis statement is correct not just anecdotally but also scientifically and psychologically. First, we see why people in general have a difficult time accepting conflicting loyalties and desires and then how this applies to individuals through the example of the cult members from the Dr. Festinger's research.
The next paragraph continues to use more detailed examples from history to provide further evidence of why the thesis that people cannot indefinitely maintain conflicting loyalties is true.
Paragraph 4
Some will claim that it is possible to maintain conflicting beliefs or loyalties permanently, but this is often more a matter of people deluding themselves and still making a choice for one side or the other, rather than truly maintaining loyalty to both sides equally. For example, Lancelot du Lac typifies a person who claims to maintain a balanced loyalty between to two parties, but his attempt to do so fails (as all attempts to permanently maintain conflicting loyalties must). Lancelot tells himself and others that he is equally devoted to both King Arthur and his court and to being Queen Guinevere's knight (Malory, 2008). But he can neither be in two places at once to protect both the king and queen, nor can he help but let his romantic feelings for the queen to interfere with his duties to the king and the kingdom. Ultimately, he and Queen Guinevere give into their feelings for one another and Lancelot—though he denies it—chooses his loyalty to her over his loyalty to Arthur. This decision plunges the kingdom into a civil war, ages Lancelot prematurely, and ultimately leads to Camelot's ruin (Raabe, 1987). Though Lancelot claimed to have been loyal to both the king and the queen, this loyalty was ultimately in conflict, and he could not maintain it.
Here we have the acknowledgement of a potential counter-argument and the evidence as to why it isn't true.
The argument is that some people (or literary characters) have asserted that they give equal weight to their conflicting loyalties. The refutation is that, though some may claim to be able to maintain conflicting loyalties, they're either lying to others or deceiving themselves. The paragraph shows why this is true by providing an example of this in action.
Paragraph 5
Whether it be through literature or history, time and time again, people demonstrate the challenges of trying to manage conflicting loyalties and the inevitable consequences of doing so. Though belief systems are malleable and will often change over time, it is not possible to maintain two mutually exclusive loyalties or beliefs at once. In the end, people always make a choice, and loyalty for one party or one side of an issue will always trump loyalty to the other.
The concluding paragraph summarizes the essay, touches on the evidence presented, and re-states the thesis statement.
Writing the best argumentative essay is all about the preparation, so let's talk steps:
If you have the option to pick your own argumentative essay topic (which you most likely will), then choose one or two topics you find the most intriguing or that you have a vested interest in and do some preliminary research on both sides of the debate.
Do an open internet search just to see what the general chatter is on the topic and what the research trends are.
Did your preliminary reading influence you to pick a side or change your side? Without diving into all the scholarly articles at length, do you believe there's enough evidence to support your claim? Have there been scientific studies? Experiments? Does a noted scholar in the field agree with you? If not, you may need to pick another topic or side of the argument to support.
Now's the time to pick the side of the argument you feel you can support the best and summarize your main point into your thesis statement.
Your thesis will be the basis of your entire essay, so make sure you know which side you're on, that you've stated it clearly, and that you stick by your argument throughout the entire essay .
You've taken a gander at what the internet at large has to say on your argument, but now's the time to actually read those sources and take notes.
Check scholarly journals online at Google Scholar , the Directory of Open Access Journals , or JStor . You can also search individual university or school libraries and websites to see what kinds of academic articles you can access for free. Keep track of your important quotes and page numbers and put them somewhere that's easy to find later.
And don't forget to check your school or local libraries as well!
Follow the five-paragraph outline structure from the previous section.
Fill in your topic, your reasons, and your supporting evidence into each of the categories.
Before you begin to flesh out the essay, take a look at what you've got. Is your thesis statement in the first paragraph? Is it clear? Is your argument logical? Does your supporting evidence support your reasoning?
By outlining your essay, you streamline your process and take care of any logic gaps before you dive headfirst into the writing. This will save you a lot of grief later on if you need to change your sources or your structure, so don't get too trigger-happy and skip this step.
Now that you've laid out exactly what you'll need for your essay and where, it's time to fill in all the gaps by writing it out.
Take it one step at a time and expand your ideas into complete sentences and substantiated claims. It may feel daunting to turn an outline into a complete draft, but just remember that you've already laid out all the groundwork; now you're just filling in the gaps.
If you have the time before deadline, give yourself a day or two (or even just an hour!) away from your essay . Looking it over with fresh eyes will allow you to see errors, both minor and major, that you likely would have missed had you tried to edit when it was still raw.
Take a first pass over the entire essay and try your best to ignore any minor spelling or grammar mistakes—you're just looking at the big picture right now. Does it make sense as a whole? Did the essay succeed in making an argument and backing that argument up logically? (Do you feel persuaded?)
If not, go back and make notes so that you can fix it for your final draft.
Once you've made your revisions to the overall structure, mark all your small errors and grammar problems so you can fix them in the next draft.
Use the notes you made on the rough draft and go in and hack and smooth away until you're satisfied with the final result.
A checklist for your final draft:
Once you've brought that final draft to a perfect polish and turned in your assignment, you're done! Go you!
Be prepared and ♪ you'll never go hungry again ♪, *cough*, or struggle with your argumentative essay-writing again. (Walt Disney Studios)
Theory is all well and good, but examples are key. Just to get you started on what a fully-fleshed out argumentative essay looks like, let's see some examples in action.
Check out these two argumentative essay examples on the use of landmines and freons (and note the excellent use of concrete sources to back up their arguments!).
The Use of Landmines
A Shattered Sky
At first, writing an argumentative essay may seem like a monstrous hurdle to overcome, but with the proper preparation and understanding, you'll be able to knock yours out of the park.
Remember the differences between a persuasive essay and an argumentative one, make sure your thesis is clear, and double-check that your supporting evidence is both relevant to your point and well-sourced . Pick your topic, do your research, make your outline, and fill in the gaps. Before you know it, you'll have yourself an A+ argumentative essay there, my friend.
Now you know the ins and outs of an argumentative essay, but how comfortable are you writing in other styles? Learn more about the four writing styles and when it makes sense to use each .
Understand how to make an argument, but still having trouble organizing your thoughts? Check out our guide to three popular essay formats and choose which one is right for you.
Ready to make your case, but not sure what to write about? We've created a list of 50 potential argumentative essay topics to spark your imagination.
How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League
How to Get a Perfect 4.0 GPA
How to Write an Amazing College Essay
What Exactly Are Colleges Looking For?
ACT vs. SAT: Which Test Should You Take?
When should you take the SAT or ACT?
Get Your Free
Find Your Target SAT Score
Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests
Score 800 on SAT Math
Score 800 on SAT Reading and Writing
Score 600 on SAT Math
Score 600 on SAT Reading and Writing
Find Your Target ACT Score
Complete Official Free ACT Practice Tests
Get a 36 on ACT English
Get a 36 on ACT Math
Get a 36 on ACT Reading
Get a 36 on ACT Science
Get a 24 on ACT English
Get a 24 on ACT Math
Get a 24 on ACT Reading
Get a 24 on ACT Science
Stay Informed
Get the latest articles and test prep tips!
Courtney scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT in high school and went on to graduate from Stanford University with a degree in Cultural and Social Anthropology. She is passionate about bringing education and the tools to succeed to students from all backgrounds and walks of life, as she believes open education is one of the great societal equalizers. She has years of tutoring experience and writes creative works in her free time.
Have any questions about this article or other topics? Ask below and we'll reply!
Last Updated: July 22, 2024 Fact Checked
What to avoid, brainstorming tricks.
This article was co-authored by Jake Adams and by wikiHow staff writer, Aly Rusciano . Jake Adams is an academic tutor and the owner of Simplifi EDU, a Santa Monica, California based online tutoring business offering learning resources and online tutors for academic subjects K-College, SAT & ACT prep, and college admissions applications. With over 14 years of professional tutoring experience, Jake is dedicated to providing his clients the very best online tutoring experience and access to a network of excellent undergraduate and graduate-level tutors from top colleges all over the nation. Jake holds a BS in International Business and Marketing from Pepperdine University. There are 8 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 3,217,181 times.
So, you’ve written an outstanding essay and couldn’t be more proud. But now you have to write the final paragraph. The conclusion simply summarizes what you’ve already written, right? Well, not exactly. Your essay’s conclusion should be a bit more finessed than that. Luckily, you’ve come to the perfect place to learn how to write a conclusion. We’ve put together this guide to fill you in on everything you should and shouldn’t do when ending an essay. Follow our advice, and you’ll have a stellar conclusion worthy of an A+ in no time.
Share a quick video tip and help bring articles to life with your friendly advice. Your insights could make a real difference and help millions of people!
To end an essay, start your conclusion with a phrase that makes it clear your essay is coming to a close, like "In summary," or "All things considered." Then, use a few sentences to briefly summarize the main points of your essay by rephrasing the topic sentences of your body paragraphs. Finally, end your conclusion with a call to action that encourages your readers to do something or learn more about your topic. In general, try to keep your conclusion between 5 and 7 sentences long. For more tips from our English co-author, like how to avoid common pitfalls when writing an essay conclusion, scroll down! Did this summary help you? Yes No
Eva Dettling
Jan 23, 2019
Mar 7, 2017
Jul 16, 2021
Gabby Suzuki
Oct 17, 2019
Nicole Murphy
Apr 26, 2017
wikiHow Tech Help Pro:
Develop the tech skills you need for work and life
What is an argumentative essay.
An argumentative essay requires the writer to investigate a specific topic by collecting and evaluating evidence to establish a position on the subject matter.
When preparing to compose a good argumentative essay, utilize the following steps:
Step 1: Select a topic.
Step 2: Identify a position.
Step 3: Locate appropriate resources.
Step 4: Identify evidence supporting the position. ( NOTE: If there is little evidence in support of the claim, consider re-examining the main argument.)
When gathering evidence, use credible sources . To determine the credibility of the source, consider authority, currency, accuracy, and objectivity:
Who is the author ? Are they an expert in the field? Has a reputable publisher published the work?
How current is the information in the source? Does the currency of the source matter? Does the age of the source impact the content? Is there newer information that disproves the source’s information?
Can other sources verify the accuracy of the information? Does the information contradict that found in other commonly accepted sources?
Is there any evidence of bias, or is the source objective ? Is the research sponsored by an organization that may skew the information?
The following are typically recognized as providing appropriate, credible research material:
Peer-reviewed journals/research papers
Government agencies
Professional organizations
Library databases
Reference books
Writers should avoid using the following sources:
Social media posts
Out-of-date materials
Step 5: Utilize the research to determine a thesis statement that identifies the topic, position, and support(s).
Step 6: Use the evidence to construct an outline, detailing the main supports and relevant evidence.
After gathering all of the necessary research, the next step in composing an argumentative essay focuses on organizing the information through the use of an outline:
Introduction
Attention Grabber/Hook
Background Information: Include any background information pertinent to the topic that the reader needs to know to understand the argument.
Thesis: State the position in connection to the main topic and identify the supports that will help prove the argument.
Topic sentence
Identify evidence in support of the claim in the topic sentence
Explain how the evidence supports the argument
Evidence 3 (Continue as needed)
Support 2 (Continue as needed)
Restate thesis
Review main supports
Concluding statement
Invite the audience to take a specific action.
Identify the overall importance of the topic and position.
Regardless of the writer’s topic or point of view, an argumentative essay should include an introductory paragraph, body paragraphs, a conclusion, and works cited.
Background information
Body Paragraphs
Analysis of evidence
Rephrased thesis
Review of main ideas
Call to action
Works Cited
The introduction sets the tone for the entire paper and introduces the argument. In general, the first paragraph(s) should attract the reader’s attention, provide relevant context, and conclude with a thesis statement.
To attract the reader's attention , start with an introductory device. There are several attention-grabbing techniques, the most common of which consist of the following:
The writer can emphasize the topic’s importance by explaining the current interest in the topic or indicating that the subject is influential.
Pertinent statistics give the paper an air of authority.
There are many reasons for a stimulating statement to surprise a reader. Sometimes it is joyful; sometimes it is shocking; sometimes it is surprising because of who said it.
An interesting incident or anecdote can act as a teaser to lure the reader into the remainder of the essay. Be sure that the device is appropriate for the subject and focus of what follows.
Provide the reader with relevant context and background information necessary to understand the topic.
Conclude with a thesis statement that identifies the overall purpose of the essay (topic and position). Writers can also include their support directly in the thesis, which outlines the structure of the essay for the reader.
Avoid the following when writing the introduction to argumentative writing:
Starting with dictionary definitions is too overdone and unappealing.
Do not make an announcement of the topic like “In this paper I will…” or “The purpose of this essay is to….”
Evidence supporting or developing the thesis should be in the body paragraphs, not the introduction.
Beginning the essay with general or absolute statements such as “throughout history...” or “as human beings we always...” or similar statements suggest the writer knows all of history or that all people behave or think in the same way.
The thesis statement is the single, specific claim the writer sets out to prove and is typically positioned as the last sentence of the introduction . It is the controlling idea of the entire argument that identifies the topic, position, and reasoning.
When constructing a thesis for an argumentative paper, make sure it contains a side of the argument, not simply a topic. An argumentative thesis identifies the writer’s position on a given topic. If a position cannot be taken, then it is not argumentative thesis:
Topic: Capital punishment is practiced in many states.
Thesis: Capital punishment should be illegal.
While not always required, the thesis statement can include the supports the writer will use to prove the main claim. Therefore, a thesis statement can be structured as follows:
TOPIC + POSITION (+ SUPPORTS)
No Supports: College athletes (TOPIC) should be financially compensated (POSITION).
Supports: College athletes (TOPIC) should be financially compensated (POSITION) because they sacrifice their minds and bodies (SUPPORT 1), cannot hold
Body paragraphs can be of varying lengths, but they must present a coherent argument unified under a single topic. They are rarely ever longer than one page, double-spaced; usually they are much shorter.
Lengthy paragraphs indicate a lack of structure. Identify the main ideas of a lengthy paragraph to determine if they make more sense as separate topics in separate paragraphs.
Shorter paragraphs usually indicate a lack of substance; there is not enough evidence or analysis to prove the argument. Develop the ideas more or integrate the information into another paragraph.
The structure of an argumentative paragraph should include a topic sentence, evidence, and a transition.
The topic sentence is the thesis of the paragraph that identifies the arguable point in support of the main argument. The reader should know exactly what the writer is trying to prove within the paragraph by reading the first sentence.
The supporting evidence and analysis provide information to support the claim. There should be a balance between the evidence (facts, quotations, summary of events/plot, etc.) and analysis (interpretation of evidence). If the paragraph is evidence-heavy, there is not much of an argument; if it is analysis-heavy, there is not enough evidence in support of the claim.
The transition can be at the beginning or the end of a paragraph. However, it is much easier to combine the transition with the concluding observation to help the paragraphs flow into one another. Transitions in academic writing should tell the reader where you were, where you are going, and relate to the thesis.
Some essays may benefit from the inclusion of rebuttals to potential counterarguments of the writer’s position.
The conclusion should make readers glad they read the paper. It can suggest broader implications that will not only interest readers but also enrich their understanding in some way. There are three aspects to follow when constructing the conclusion: rephrase the thesis, synthesize information, and call the reader to action.
Rephrased the thesis in the first sentence of the conclusion. It must be in different words; do not simply write it verbatim.
Synthesize the argument by showing how the paper's main points support the argument.
Propose a course of action or a solution to an issue. This can redirect the reader's thought process to apply the ideas to their life or to see the broader implications of the topic.
Avoid the following when constructing the conclusion:
Beginning with an unnecessary, overused phrase such as "in conclusion," "in summary," or "in closing;" although these phrases can work in speeches, they come across as trite in writing
Introducing a new idea or subtopic in the conclusion
Making sentimental, emotional appeals that are out of character with the rest of the paper
Including evidence (quotations, statistics, etc.) that should be in the body of the paper
Examples of argumentative essays vary depending upon the type:
Academic essays differ based upon the topic and position. These essays follow a more traditional structure and are typically assigned in high school or college. Examples of academic argumentative essay topics include the following:
Advantages or disadvantages of social media
Animal testing
Art education
Benefit or detriment of homework
Capital punishment
Class warfare
Immigration
School uniforms
Universal healthcare
Violence in video games
Argumentative literary essays are typically more informal and do not follow the same structure as an academic essay. The following are popular examples of argumentative literary essays:
“Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Death of the Moth” by Virginia Woolf
“Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell
“Thoughts for the Times on War and Death” by Sigmund Freud
“Does the Truth Matter? Science, Pseudoscience, and Civilization” by Carl Sagan
“Self-Reliance” by Ralph Waldo Emerson
The importance of writing argumentative essays in education.
If you want to create a convincing argumentative essay, follow these essential steps:
1. Choose a Controversial Topic: Select a topic that sparks debate and has two opposing sides.
2. Research Thoroughly: Gather credible sources to support your arguments and counterarguments.
3. Develop a Strong Thesis: Clearly state your position in a concise and debatable thesis statement.
4. Outline Your Argument: Organize your points logically and plan the structure of your essay.
5. Write with Conviction: Craft each paragraph with strong evidence and persuasive language.
6. Address Counterarguments: Acknowledge opposing views and refute them to strengthen your argument.
7. Conclude Effectively: Summarize your key points and leave a lasting impression on your readers.
Follow these steps to create a compelling argumentative essay that will engage your audience and showcase your writing skills.
Before you start writing your argumentative essay, it is crucial to fully grasp the topic you are dealing with. Take the time to research and gather information about the issue from reliable sources. This will help you form a solid foundation for your arguments and ensure that you have a thorough understanding of the subject matter.
When analyzing the topic, consider different perspectives and viewpoints that exist around it. Identify the key components of the issue and determine the main arguments that are being made. This will enable you to present a well-rounded view in your essay and address potential counterarguments effectively.
Additionally, it is essential to define the scope of the topic and establish the boundaries of your argument. Be specific and focused in your approach to avoid ambiguity and ensure clarity in your writing. By understanding the topic thoroughly, you will be better equipped to craft a compelling argumentative essay that engages readers and persuades them to consider your point of view.
Once you have chosen a topic for your argumentative essay, the next step is to research key points that will support your argument. This involves conducting thorough research to gather evidence and data that will strengthen your position.
Identify Reliable Sources: Start by identifying credible sources such as academic journals, books, and reputable websites. Make sure to use sources that are current and relevant to your topic.
Analyze and Evaluate Information: As you gather information, critically analyze and evaluate the sources to determine their credibility and reliability. Consider the author’s credentials, the publication date, and any potential biases.
Organize Your Research: Create an outline or a structured plan to organize your research findings. This will help you stay focused and ensure that you include all the necessary information in your essay.
Take Notes: While researching key points, take detailed notes to keep track of important information and ideas. Note down key statistics, quotes, and arguments that you can use to support your thesis.
Use Different Perspectives: Explore different perspectives on the topic to gain a comprehensive understanding of the issue. Consider counterarguments and opposing viewpoints to address them effectively in your essay.
Stay Objective: It’s important to remain impartial and objective during the research process. Base your arguments on facts and evidence rather than personal opinions or emotions.
By thoroughly researching key points, you can develop a strong argumentative essay that persuasively presents your position on the topic.
Present the Key Arguments: In the body of your argumentative essay, elaborate on your main points. Each paragraph should focus on a single argument and provide supporting evidence or examples to back it up. Make sure to address opposing views and counterarguments to strengthen your stance.
Logical Organization: Structure your essay in a logical manner by following a clear progression of ideas. Start with an introduction that introduces the topic and presents your thesis statement. Then, develop your arguments in the body paragraphs, ensuring a smooth transition between each point. Conclude the essay with a strong summary that reinforces your main arguments.
Evidence and Examples: Support each argument with relevant evidence and examples to make your points convincing and persuasive. Use credible sources, statistics, quotations, and real-life examples to back up your claims. Make sure to explain how the evidence supports your argument to make your essay more compelling.
Engage the Reader: Keep your audience engaged by using varied sentence structures, transitions, and vivid language. Use persuasive techniques such as rhetorical questions, anecdotes, and emotional appeals to capture the reader’s attention and make your essay more impactful.
One of the most crucial elements of crafting a compelling argumentative essay is creating a strong thesis statement. Your thesis statement is the central argument that you will be defending or proving throughout your essay. It should be clear, concise, and specific, setting the tone for the rest of your paper.
When crafting your thesis statement, make sure to clearly state your position on the topic and provide a brief overview of the main points you will be discussing to support your argument. Avoid vague or general statements and strive to make your thesis statement debatable and thought-provoking.
Remember that your thesis statement should guide the reader through your essay, providing a roadmap for what to expect and highlighting the key points you will be addressing. It is the foundation upon which your argumentative essay will be built, so take the time to craft a compelling and effective thesis statement that will set the stage for a persuasive essay.
When structuring an argumentative essay, it is important to follow a clear and logical format. A well-structured essay will help you present your arguments effectively and persuade your audience. Here are some key steps to structuring your argumentative essay:
By structuring your essay in this way, you can effectively communicate your ideas and persuade your audience to agree with your viewpoint. Remember to use clear and concise language throughout your essay to make your argument compelling and convincing.
With a clear understanding of your topic and a strong thesis statement in place, the next step is to develop compelling arguments to support your position. Here are some key strategies to help you build a convincing argumentative essay:
Start by conducting thorough research to gather evidence and supporting data for your argument. Look for credible sources, statistics, and examples that will strengthen your position. | |
Create a logical outline that organizes your key points and evidence effectively. This will help you stay organized and ensure a coherent flow in your essay. | |
Acknowledge and address counterarguments to show that you have considered different perspectives. Refuting opposing views will strengthen your argument and persuade your audience. | |
Use logical reasoning and sound evidence to support your claims. Avoid fallacies and emotional appeals, focusing instead on well-supported arguments. | |
Organize your essay with a clear introduction, body paragraphs that present your arguments cohesively, and a strong conclusion that reinforces your main points. |
By following these steps and crafting strong arguments, you can create a compelling argumentative essay that persuades your readers and effectively conveys your viewpoint.
How to master the art of writing expository essays and captivate your audience, convenient and reliable source to purchase college essays online, step-by-step guide to crafting a powerful literary analysis essay, unlock success with a comprehensive business research paper example guide, unlock your writing potential with writers college – transform your passion into profession, “unlocking the secrets of academic success – navigating the world of research papers in college”, master the art of sociological expression – elevate your writing skills in sociology.
Be more productive in school
The argumentative essay is a staple in university courses, and writing this style of essay is a key skill for students across multiple disciplines. Here’s what you need to know to write an effective and compelling argumentative essay.
An argumentative essay takes a stance on an issue and presents an argument to defend that stance with the intent of persuading the reader to agree. It generally requires extensive research into a topic so that you have a deep grasp of its subtleties and nuances, are able to take a position on the issue, and can make a detailed and logical case for one side or the other.
It’s not enough to merely have an opinion on an issue—you have to present points to justify your opinion, often using data and other supporting evidence.
When you are assigned an argumentative essay, you will typically be asked to take a position, usually in response to a question, and mount an argument for it. The question can be two-sided or open-ended, as in the examples provided below.
Examples of argumentative essay prompts:
Two-sided Question
Should completing a certain number of volunteer hours be a requirement to graduate from high school? Support your argument with evidence.
Open-ended Question
What is the most significant impact that social media has had on this generation of young people?
Once again, it’s important to remember that you’re not just conveying facts or information in an argumentative essay. In the course of researching your topic, you should develop a stance on the issue. Your essay will then express that stance and attempt to persuade the reader of its legitimacy and correctness through discussion, assessment, and evaluation.
Although you are advancing a particular viewpoint, your argumentative essay must flow from a position of objectivity. Your argument should evolve thoughtfully and rationally from evidence and logic rather than emotion.
There are two main models that provide a good starting point for crafting your essay: the Toulmin model and the Rogerian model.
This model is commonly used in academic essays. It mounts an argument through the following four steps:
As an example of how to put the Toulmin model into practice, here’s how you might structure an argument about the impact of devoting public funding to building low-income housing.
This model is also frequently used within academia, and it also builds an argument using four steps, although in a slightly different fashion:
The persuasiveness of this model owes to the fact that it offers a balanced view of the issue and attempts to find a compromise. For this reason, it works especially well for topics that are polarizing and where it’s important to demonstrate that you’re arguing in good faith.
To illustrate, here’s how you could argue that smartphones should be permitted in classrooms.
It’s not essential to adhere strictly to one model or the other—you can borrow elements from both models to structure your essay. However, no matter which model of argumentation you choose, your essay will need to have an outline that effectively presents and develops your position.
A clear and straightforward structure works best for argumentative essays since you want to make it easy for your reader to understand your position and follow your arguments. The traditional essay outline comprises an introductory paragraph that announces your thesis statement, body paragraphs that unfold your argument point by point, and a concluding paragraph that summarizes your thesis and supporting points.
Introductory paragraph
This paragraph provides an overview of your topic and any background information that your readers will need in order to understand the context and your position. It generally concludes with an explicit statement of your position on the topic, which is known as your thesis statement.
Over the last decade, smartphones have transformed nearly every aspect of our lives, socially, culturally, and personally. They are now incorporated into almost every facet of daily life, and this includes making their way into classrooms. There are many educators who view smartphones with suspicion and see them as a threat to the sanctity of the classroom. Although there are reasons to regard smartphones with caution, there are ways to use them responsibly to teach and educate the next generation of young minds. Indeed, the value they hold as teaching tools is nearly unlimited: as a way to teach digital literacy, to reach students through a medium that is familiar and fun for them, and to provide a nimble and adaptable learning environment.
Body paragraphs
Most argumentative essays have at least three body paragraphs that lay out the supporting points in favor of your argument. Each paragraph should open with a topic sentence that presents a separate point that is then fleshed out and backed up by research, facts, figures, data, and other evidence. Remember that your aim in writing an argumentative essay is to convince or persuade your reader, and your body paragraphs are where you present your most compelling pieces of information in order to do just that.
The body of your essay is also where you should address any opposing arguments and make your case against them, either disproving them or stating the reasons why you disagree. Responding to potential rebuttals strengthens your argument and builds your credibility with your readers.
A frequent objection that teachers have to smartphones in the classroom is that students use them to socialize when they should be learning. This view overlooks the fact that students are using smartphones to connect with each other and this is a valuable skill that should be encouraged, not discouraged, in the classroom. A 2014 study demonstrated the benefits of providing students with individual smartphones. Sanctioned smartphone use in the classroom proved to be of particular importance in improving educational outcomes for low-income and at-risk students. What’s more, learning apps have been developed specifically to take advantage of the potential of smartphones to reach learners of various levels and backgrounds, and many offer the ability to customize the method and delivery of lessons to individual learner preferences. This shows that the untapped potential of smartphones is huge, and many teachers would do well to consider incorporating them into their classrooms.
Your concluding paragraph wraps up your essay by restating your thesis and recapping the arguments you presented in your body paragraphs. No new information should be introduced in your conclusion, however, you may consider shifting the lens of your argument to make a comment on how this issue affects the world at large or you personally, always keeping in mind that objectivity and relevance are your guiding principles.
Smartphones have a growing place in the world of education, and despite the presence of legitimate concerns about their use, their value as teaching tools has been clearly established. With more and more of our lives going digital and with the growing emphasis on offering distance learning as an option, educators with an eye to the future won't wait to embrace smartphones and find ways to use them to their fullest effect. As much time and space as we could devote to weighing the pros and cons of smartphones, the fact is that they are not going to disappear from our lives, and our best bet is to develop their, and our students', potential.
Your argumentative essay starts with an introductory paragraph. This paragraph provides an overview of your topic and any background information that your readers will need in order to understand the context and your position.
Like any traditional essay, the argumentative essay consists of three parts:
There are do's and don'ts in argumentative writing. This article summarizes some of them well - you should, for example, avoid coming to an argument based on feelings, without any evidence. Everything you say needs to be backed up by evidence, unless you are the renowned expert in the field.
Yes, you can start your argumentative essay with a question or with a thesis statement. Or you can do both - ask a question and then immediately answer it with a statement.
There are contrasting views on that. In some situations it can make sense to end your argumentative essay with a question - for example, when you want to create room for further discussions or want the reader to leave thinking about the question.
Make your life easier with our productivity and writing resources.
For students and teachers.
Essay conclusion generator.
Captivating your readers until the very end is a crucial goal in essay writing. The conclusion holds the power to leave a lasting impression, reinforcing your arguments and providing a sense of closure. In this article, we will delve into the art of crafting essay conclusions that resonate with your audience. Whether you’re a student seeking guidance or a seasoned writer in search of inspiration, this comprehensive guide will equip you with the tools to master the art of concluding your essays effectively.
Size: 110 KB
Size: 857 KB
Size: 529 KB
Size: 507 KB
Size: 66 KB
Size: 668 KB
Size: 220 KB
Size: 42 KB
Size: 58 KB
Size: 257 KB
Size: 728 KB
Size: 158 KB
Size: 103 KB
Size: 148 KB
Size: 120 KB
Size: 72 KB
Size: 151 KB
Size: 566 KB
Size: 584 KB
Size: 22 KB
Size: 46 KB
Size: 494 KB
Size: 188 KB
Size: 283 KB
Size: 182 KB
Size: 123 KB
Size: 194 KB
Size: 276 KB
An essay conclusion serves as the final segment of your written composition. It brings together all the ideas, arguments, and evidence presented throughout the essay and synthesizes them into a concise and coherent final statement. Think of it as the grand finale that encapsulates your main points and leaves a lasting impression on your readers.
To create a compelling essay conclusion, follow these step-by-step guidelines
Begin by restating your thesis statement, reminding readers of the central argument you have been supporting throughout your essay. However, avoid repeating it verbatim. Instead, rephrase it to maintain reader engagement.
Provide a succinct summary of the key points and arguments discussed in the body paragraphs. Focus on the most significant aspects while maintaining a logical flow. Avoid introducing new information or ideas at this stage.
Highlight the broader implications of your essay’s topic and the relevance of your arguments in a wider context. Convey the importance of your findings and their potential impact on the subject matter or the reader’s perspective.
Create an emotional connection with your readers by emphasizing the significance of your topic or appealing to their values and beliefs. Stirring emotions can leave a lasting impact and make your conclusion more memorable.
Depending on the nature of your essay, conclude with a call to action or a thoughtful recommendation that encourages readers to consider further action or reflection on the topic. This can inspire them to continue exploring or take specific steps related to the subject matter.
The length of an essay conclusion varies depending on the overall length of your essay. As a general guideline, aim for a conclusion that is concise yet comprehensive, spanning approximately 10-15% of your total essay length.
Avoid introducing new information or arguments in your conclusion. Instead, focus on summarizing and reinforcing the ideas already presented, providing a sense of closure to your essay.
To make your essay conclusion more impactful, strive for clarity, emotional resonance, and a sense of closure. Utilize strong language, vivid imagery, and rhetorical devices to leave a lasting impression on your readers.
Just as every book needs a captivating ending to satisfy its readers, your essay deserves a conclusion that lingers in the minds of your audience. By employing the strategies discussed here, you can transform your essay conclusions into thought-provoking reflections, leaving your readers with a sense of fulfillment and a desire to explore your ideas further.
If you’re hungry for more examples and guidance, here are some related articles to inspire you:
Remember, the conclusion is your final chance to leave a lasting impact on your readers. Mastering the art of essay conclusions will undoubtedly elevate your writing and captivate your audience. So, go forth and craft memorable endings that resonate with the hearts and minds of your readers.
Text prompt
Write an essay conclusion on the future of space exploration.
Develop an essay conclusion on the long-term effects of the internet on human cognition.
LSAC strives to ensure LSAT ® takers have the information and resources they need to succeed on test day, including up-to-date information about LSAT Argumentative Writing SM . The FAQs below have been compiled based on common questions we receive about LSAT Argumentative Writing and have been divided into subjects to help you find the information you’re looking for.
Additional FAQ collections address specific aspects of the test, such as The LSAT , Testing Accommodations , and LSAT Score Preview .
If you can’t find an answer to your question, please contact our Candidate Services team:
Chat: You can start a conversation with an LSAC customer service representative via chat by using the icon at the bottom-right corner of your screen. Our chat feature is available during business hours.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 1.800.336.3982
Hours: Monday-Friday: 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET Saturday and Sunday: 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET Please note that holiday hours may differ.
Registering for lsat argumentative writing, preparing for lsat argumentative writing, disability-related test accommodations, test and test-taker security, taking lsat argumentative writing, lsat scores and law school admission, how do i register for lsat argumentative writing.
One administration of LSAT Argumentative Writing is included in your LSAT registration. By registering for the LSAT, you will be automatically eligible to complete the writing section as early as eight (8) days prior to taking the multiple-choice portion of the LSAT. You can access LSAT Argumentative Writing from your LSAC JD Account.
The LSAT registration fee includes both the multiple-choice portion of the LSAT and LSAT Argumentative Writing. There are no additional fees associated with LSAT Argumentative Writing.
No. Test takers are only required to have one writing sample on file for their LSAT to be considered complete. Writing samples may be from either a previous LSAT administration, an administration of LSAT Writing, or an administration of LSAT Argumentative Writing.
No, we are not offering standalone LSAT Argumentative Writing. For questions, please contact LSAC’s Customer Relationships team via chat or at [email protected] or 1.800.336.3982 .
Yes. LSAT Argumentative Writing is available in all locations with access to the internet.
Back to Top
LSAT Argumentative Writing requires a desktop or laptop computer running Windows or Mac OS that has a webcam, a microphone, only one connected monitor, and an internet connection.
Test takers will launch LSAT Argumentative Writing using the link provided on the LSAT Argumentative Writing page of their LSAC JD Account. The link will be made available at 12 a.m. (ET) eight (8) days prior to the start of the test taker’s LSAT administration. LSAT Argumentative Writing can only be launched from the individualized link provided in the test taker’s account.
Every test taker is required to present a physical, valid international passport or a physical, valid government-issued photo ID issued by the United States of America, U.S. Territories, or Canada. The ID must be current (or have expired within 3 months of your test date) and must contain:
The first and last name listed on your ID must exactly match the legal first and last name associated with your LSAC JD Account. You can make changes to your legal name on the “Profile” page in your account. For more information, please visit Biographical Information Changes .
This is important. By law, U.S. military IDs cannot be photographed and thus cannot be used for this purpose.
Learn more about ID accepted for LSAT admission
LSAT Argumentative Writing’s interface offers:
Additionally, misspellings in the LSAT Argumentative Writing essay are underlined in accordance with the web browser’s spell-check feature. However, alternate spelling suggestions are not available within the test environment.
To get familiar with the LSAT Argumentative Writing interface and experience, we encourage test takers to explore the LSAT Argumentative Writing Prep #1 practice prompt available for free through LawHub™.
There is no word or space limit for LSAT Argumentative Writing. You are advised not to worry about the length of your writing sample, but instead to concentrate on crafting a response to the prompt that is well-written, cogent, and well-argued.
Yes. Test takers can submit requests for accommodations for LSAT Argumentative Writing at the same time they request accommodations for the multiple-choice portion of the LSAT, using the same online form.
For information regarding available testing accommodations, visit Accommodations that May Be Available on the LSAT .
Some accommodations that are available on the LSAT will not be needed for LSAT Argumentative Writing (e.g., extra breaks between sections, a non-Scantron answer sheet).
The secure proctoring platform uses input from the webcam, microphone, and screen of the test taker’s computer to ensure that the writing sample is the test taker’s own work, and that the test taker is not receiving any inappropriate assistance.
Prior to the test, test takers will complete a video check-in process. As part of the check-in process, test takers will be required to clearly display a physical, valid government-issued photo ID issued by the United States of America, U.S. Territories, or Canada, or a physical, valid international passport for the camera to capture. This image must not be blurry or out of focus. Test takers will also be required to show their workspace using their webcam, to ensure that only permissible items are in that space. The room will be scanned to make sure no other people or prohibited items are present. Test takers who require additional items in their workspace due to a disability may seek appropriate accommodations through the standard procedures for requesting testing accommodations .
Audio and video from every testing session will be reviewed by trained proctors.
Initial reviews of LSAT Argumentative Writing videos will be conducted by trained proctors in a secure, supervised environment. If a video is flagged for suspicious behavior or test conduct violations, LSAC trained staff will review it for the limited purpose of investigating and handling any such misconduct or violations . Please see the LSAC Privacy Policy for how LSAC collects, uses, discloses, and otherwise processes information.
Input from the test taker’s webcam and microphone will be recorded, as well as everything happening on the test taker’s screen during the test. No videos or images from LSAT Argumentative Writing will be shared with any law schools. However, audio and video data will be retained in a secure location for later review in the event of a test security investigation and/or misconduct and irregularities investigation. See Misconduct & Irregularities and the LSAC Candidate Agreement for more information.
Devices that cannot be in the room during LSAT Argumentative Writing include timers of any kind, watches of any kind, electronic cigarettes, fitness-tracking devices, mobile phones, beepers, pagers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), calculators, cameras, recording devices, listening devices (including, but not limited to headphones, ear buds, Air Pods, and other electronic listening devices and/or noise-canceling devices other than generic foam ear plugs), headsets, and iPods and other media players. Please note that tablets, laptops, and personal computers not being used to take LSAT Argumentative Writing are prohibited.
Prohibited electronic devices may not be in the room during the test because they cannot be monitored via your webcam feed. Please be aware that your testing session will be flagged, and your writing sample canceled, if any prohibited electronics are noted during the room scan portion of your check-in. This includes any monitors or desktop computers that happen to be on the desk you may be resting your laptop on during the writing session. If your session is flagged, your audio and video data may be referred for an investigation by the Misconduct and Irregularities Subcommittee. More information can be found at Misconduct & Irregularities and in the LSAC Candidate Agreement .
Test takers may not use briefcases, handbags, or backpacks of any kind. Head coverings of any kind (e.g., hats, hoods, bonnets, durags, scarves, etc.) may not be worn, unless the head covering is a religious requirement. Sunglasses or other eyewear with tinted lenses may not be worn. Books, printed materials, scratch paper, writing implements (regular or mechanical pencils, and/or ink pens), erasers, highlighters, and any reference materials (including, but not limited to, sticky notes, whiteboards, calendars, notebooks, guides, flyers, or other outside materials) prepared prior to the start of your session may not be used.
Non-electronic prohibited items can remain in the room, but they must be put away and not used, accessed, or referenced during the test.
Unlike the multiple-choice portion of the LSAT, physical scratch paper and writing utensils are not permitted during the standard administration of LSAT Argumentative Writing. Instead, the LSAT Argumentative Writing interface includes a built-in, digital “Scratch Paper” section where you’ll be able to type notes, instead of writing them on a physical piece of scratch paper.
Test takers may use soft, non-electronic, non-corded/banded, generic foam ear plugs. They must be individually shown to the camera during the security check-in procedure.
Please note: Unless a specified accommodation has been granted, test takers cannot wear headphones, earbuds, or anything similar that is not a soft, non-electronic, non-corded/banded, generic foam ear plug. Additionally, e lectronic noise-canceling devices and/or other noise-canceling devices other than generic foam ear plugs approved by LSAC and/or LSAT Argumentative Writing personnel are expressly prohibited. These types of items are unable to be monitored and inhibit LSAC’s ability to ensure a fair and equal testing environment. LSAC’s goal is to safeguard your test and score by putting this policy in place to mitigate testing irregularities that could result in the cancellation of your LSAT Argumentative Writing sample.
If someone else enters the room, you must ask them to leave immediately. You may continue testing once the person leaves the room. It is not necessary to restart LSAT Argumentative Writing if a brief interruption occurs.
If a pet wanders into the room while you are testing, you may continue testing. Your face must be clearly visible throughout the test, and once you begin, you cannot move out of view of the webcam until the test is over.
Test takers are eligible to take LSAT Argumentative Writing starting eight (8) days prior to their LSAT administration. For your LSAT to be considered complete, you will need to take the LSAT Argumentative Writing section of the test if you do not already have a writing sample on file from a previous LSAT administration. Most law schools require a writing sample as an integral part of their admission decision, and therefore, you should take the writing sample immediately to meet schools’ application deadlines. Once completed, reviewed, and approved, your writing sample will be shared with the law schools to which you have applied. Test takers will be required to have an approved writing sample in their file in order to see their test score or have their score released to law schools.
Most test takers will have a total of 50 minutes — 15 minutes for prewriting analysis and 35 minutes for essay writing.
If you do not have a writing sample on file, we encourage you to complete LSAT Argumentative Writing as soon as you can. LSAT Argumentative Writing opens eight (8) days prior to every test administration. Test takers must have a complete writing sample in their file in order to see their score or have their score released to schools. Most law schools require a writing sample as an integral part of their admission decision, and therefore, you should complete your writing sample to meet schools’ application deadlines.
In case you are not applying in the current cycle, please note you have a maximum of one year to complete your LSAT Argumentative Writing sample. For questions, please contact LSAC’s Candidate Services team at [email protected] or 1.800.336.3982 .
Yes. LSAT Argumentative Writing can only be launched from Chrome or Firefox. The three most recent versions of these browsers are supported. Safari and Edge are not supported at this time.
You are allowed to use the following items while taking LSAT Argumentative Writing:
Each of these items must be shown to the camera during the security check-in procedure.
This is important. Use of scratch paper is not permitted during LSAT Argumentative Writing, unless requested and approved as a testing accommodation. (The LSAT Argumentative Writing interface includes a digital “Scratch Paper” section where test takers can type notes, instead of writing them on a physical piece of scratch paper.)
Adhering to the highest moral and ethical standards is essential for those in the legal profession. Every test taker is required to sign a Candidate Agreement each time they take the LSAT. Please make sure you read the entire Agreement; rushing through it or ignoring any of it could have serious adverse consequences.
Generally, during the test you may not:
After the test you may not:
LSAT Argumentative Writing sessions are recorded and reviewed by a proctor after submission. The proctor will audit the recording for any testing irregularities or violations that may have occurred during the session, such as an illegible ID or possession of a prohibited item. If such an irregularity is discovered, the session will be flagged for LSAC to conduct an additional review and/or investigation.
Generally, a live proctor will not be available to guide you through the onscreen instructions. We strongly encourage you to carefully read all of the onscreen prompts and to familiarize yourself with the FAQs on this page. Skipping any steps may result in additional reviews and could cause your LSAT Argumentative Writing sample to be canceled and reset.
If you experience technical difficulties while taking LSAT Argumentative Writing, please contact the 24/7 technical support line at 1.855.772.8678 . Technical support is available through your entire LSAT Argumentative Writing session.
When prompted, you must clearly display a physical, valid international passport or a physical, valid government-issued photo ID issued by the United States of America, U.S. Territories, or Canada to be photographed by the system. The first and last name on your ID must exactly match the legal first and last name associated with your LSAC JD Account.
Please ensure that the photo of your ID is clear and recognizable before capturing it. If the image of your ID is blurry, out of focus, or unrecognizable, a proctor will flag your ID as invalid when they review your session, your writing sample will be canceled, and you will need to submit a new writing sample. This may delay the release of your LSAT score to you and to law schools.
No. LSAC will only accept physical identification. Digital images, photocopies, etc., are not acceptable under any circumstances.
No. Before launching LSAT Argumentative Writing, be sure to shut down all non-essential applications and disable any grammar-checking extensions, including Grammarly, Microsoft Editor, etc. LSAT Argumentative Writing is designed to showcase an individual’s persuasive writing skills, and any program that adjust s the essay wording or structure can modify the response into something that is no longer the test taker’s own work.
A spellcheck feature is built into the LawHub interface, but external AI-assistive extensions and aids, such as Grammarly, MS Editor, Writefull, Wordtune, Reverso, etc., are not permitted.
Upon request, all LSAT Argumentative Writing test takers (with or without test accommodations) are permitted to use external computer programs to make web content accessible, such as screen magnification or keyboard-controlled screen reader software. To protect the security of test content, selectable text functionality (i.e., the ability to select text or place the cursor on the screen) is not available on any of LSAC’s products. Therefore, the computer-based LSAT Argumentative Writing is accessible with screen reader software programs that can be controlled and navigated using keystrokes and keyboard commands rather than text-to-speech software controlled and navigated using the mouse and cursor.
If you plan to use assistive technology programs while taking LSAT Argumentative Writing, you must inform LSAC by completing the Assistive Technology Form during registration. Test takers who require the use of special equipment to access the test are encouraged to use your programs and equipment to explore the LSAT Argumentative Writing Prep #1 practice prompt available through LawHub. This practice prompt is designed to enable test takers to become familiar with the LSAT Argumentative Writing interface and experience.
If you have any questions about the accessibility of LSAC’s products, please contact [email protected] .
If you require additional accommodation to access LSAT Argumentative Writing due to a disability, we encourage you to contact an LSAC Disability Customer Service Representative at [email protected] or 855.384.2253 for assistance. Any request for testing accommodations must be submitted by the applicable registration deadline. LSAC is committed to working with test takers to facilitate accessibility to LSAT Argumentative Writing.
Choose a quiet, well-lit, fully enclosed, and private work area, where you can complete the test without interruption. You may not take the test in a location with transparent/glass walls, in a cubicle, or in a hotel lobby. Please ensure that your workspace is clean and clear of any prohibited items. You must be clearly visible from chin to forehead and from shoulder to shoulder throughout the test; once you begin, you cannot move out of view of the webcam until the test is over.
No. Test takers will be presented with a randomly selected prompt that they have not seen during a previous administration of the LSAT or LSAT Argumentative Writing.
The link to launch LSAT Argumentative Writing will not be available in your account until eight (8) days prior to the start of your LSAT administration. You can find the date that LSAT Argumentative Writing will open for each administration at Upcoming LSAT Dates .
If you’re checking after your available date and you still don’t see the link, please call LSAC at 1.800.336.3982 and press 0 or send an email to [email protected] for assistance.
If you accidentally close out of LSAT Argumentative Writing during testing, you should immediately attempt to relaunch the test. To do this, return to your LSAC JD Account and select the “Launch LSAT Argumentative Writing” link.
If you are unable to relaunch LSAT Argumentative Writing, you will need to contact LSAC to reset your eligibility. This will allow you to restart LSAT Argumentative Writing with a new writing prompt. Please call LSAC at 1.800.336.3982 and press 0 or send an email to [email protected] for assistance.
If you experience technical difficulties, please contact the 24/7 technical support line at 1.855.772.8678 . Please note that test takers who experience technical problems that prevent them from completing their writing sample will be given the opportunity to test again with a different writing prompt.
For your LSAT to be considered complete, you must have at least one writing sample on file — either from an earlier administration of the LSAT or from LSAT Argumentative Writing.
If you do not have a writing sample on file, we encourage you to complete LSAT Argumentative Writing as soon as you can. Test takers are required to have a completed writing sample in their file in order to see their test score or have their score released to law schools. Most law schools require a writing sample as an integral part of their admission decision, and therefore, you should take the writing sample immediately to meet schools’ application deadlines. Once completed, reviewed, and approved, your writing sample will be shared with the law schools to which you have applied.
To help test takers complete their writing sample, LSAT Argumentative Writing opens eight (8) days prior to each test administration and can be completed at any time.
If you already have a reportable writing sample on file, you do not need to complete LSAT Argumentative Writing.
Once completed, reviewed, and approved, your writing sample will be shared with the law schools to which you have applied. In many cases, LSAT Argumentative Writing samples will be processed within a week of completion. However, test takers are advised to allow up to three weeks for processing before their writing sample can be included in a CAS Report.
No. LSAT Argumentative Writing samples are not scored . However, you must complete LSAT Argumentative Writing to receive your LSAT score .
Most law schools require an LSAT Argumentative Writing sample as an integral part of their admission decision, and many admission professionals have reported that LSAT Argumentative Writing is useful in their candidate evaluation processes. However, each school follows its own policies on the use of writing samples for admission decisions.
No. LSAC will include up to the three most recent reportable writing samples with your law school report. Writing samples are only reportable for five testing years. Writing samples that are more than five years old will not get reported to law schools.
Note that candidates only need to have one reportable writing sample on file for their LSAT to be considered complete.
Once completed, reviewed, and approved, your LSAT Argumentative Writing sample will be shared with you and the law schools to which you have applied.
Yes. Each test taker will have an opportunity to read their writing sample immediately after completing the test. It is strictly prohibited to take any pictures or screenshots of your completed writing sample, including the “Test Completion” screen. Violation of this policy may result in an LSAT Argumentative Writing cancellation and a referral to the Subcommittee on Misconduct and Irregularities in the Admission Process, as it is strictly prohibited, and you are still in the testing session.
In most cases, a canceled writing sample is not reported to law schools. When your LSAT Argumentative Writing is canceled for certain rules violations (such as an unacceptable ID or an incomplete room scan), your eligibility will be reset, and you will have the opportunity to retake LSAT Argumentative Writing. However, if the cancellation is due to a violation of test security policies (e.g., use of a prohibited electronic device), you may be referred to the Misconduct and Irregularities Subcommittee for further investigation. If the subcommittee representative determines that a preponderance of the evidence shows misconduct or irregularity, then a report of the determination is sent to all law schools to which the individual has applied, subsequently applies, or has matriculated. See Misconduct & Irregularities for further information.
If you’re a student, you probably know how to write a good essay. But what if you need a little assistance with a tricky task? Well, in that case, you can use AI tools like ChatGPT to find inspiration, decide on the paper’s structure, and create model samples.
When you use the chatbot this way, there’s one thing you need to remember – the prompt is everything. The quality of the tool’s responses directly depends on how good your prompt is, so you need to be smart about it.
How? Read this article to find out!
Here, our experts will:
🔗 references, ✍️ chatgpt’s essay writing capabilities.
First, let’s talk about ChatGPT’s capabilities and how it can help you write a great essay.
The chatbot is generally used for various language-related tasks such as translating, summarizing, or creating text. Its ability to generate fluent and well-written content makes it popular among students.
But why is ChatGPT so good at writing?
Well, it’s designed to understand and process natural language . The chatbot is trained on huge amounts of data and is capable of recognizing words and grammar patterns. All this allows the algorithm to analyze the prompt and generate natural-sounding, coherent responses.
Essays created by ChatGPT are also well-structured. Their introductions contain catchy hooks and clear thesis statements, while each paragraph has a topic sentence and linkers.
All this makes the chatbot a great academic writing assistant.
One of the most common mistakes students make while working with ChatGPT is using it to create references.
Well, that’s a terrible idea.
Despite being an advanced AI tool with an extensive database, the chatbot can’t cite real sources. And what’s worse, it tends to come up with nonexistent citations and pretend they’re real.
Here’s an example of what the generated references may look like:
A quick fact-check will show that none of these articles actually exist. They even look suspicious, with names repeating and one person named “Fluorescence.”
If you ask the chatbot about them, here’s what it will have to say:
Trust us: you shouldn’t take everything the chatbot produces at face value and delegate every single aspect of essay writing to it.
Aside from fake citations, the chatbot has many other limitations and cons that you should know about:
Stealing ideas from copyrighted texts is not the only ethical issue with AI usage – keep reading to learn more about them.
One essential aspect of using ChatGPT in your studies is that, in most cases, it’s seen as an unethical practice. There are many reasons for that, such as:
Of course, there are ways to use the chatbot ethically but many students choose to ignore them and generate entire paragraphs or even essays. This is seen as academic dishonesty and can have serious consequences, from failing a class to getting expelled.
The fluency of AI texts can trick people into believing they won’t be caught if they submit a generated paper. The truth is, there are plenty of advanced AI-detecting tools that can identify texts written by ChatGPT. Even if you paraphrase every sentence of the essay, it doesn’t mean you won’t get caught cheating.
At this point, you may be wondering if creating essays with ChatGPT is even worth it.
Well, it is if you do it the right way .
Artificial intelligence can indeed create well-written texts, but it doesn’t mean you can copy and submit them as your own. This practice won’t get you an A+ or make you smarter. It will only put you at risk of being punished or even expelled from school.
But there’s another way of using ChatGPT that is both safe and beneficial. You can freely use the chatbot as an assistant and a source of inspiration for writing your own paper. This way, you’ll make the writing process easier and get an authentic, high-quality text in the end.
All you need is the correct prompts . Without them, you will get irrelevant results that won’t be of any help. In contrast, a well-written prompt will help you get exactly what you need.
Want to know how to develop the best possible prompts? Keep reading!
To get the best out of AI-assisted essay writing process, follow the five steps:
In the following sections, we will tell you all about these steps and show you examples of effective prompts that you can use.
If you were not assigned a specific topic for an essay, you can use AI to brainstorm ideas. For better results, give the bot as many details as possible, such as:
You may also ask the tool to add descriptions to the generated topics. This will allow you to have a clear starting point for your research.
To get the best topic ideas, you can use prompts like these:
Now, you can choose the idea you like best and modify it however you wish.
After you’ve chosen a topic, the next step is to find suitable sources. ChatGPT can’t provide sources with links, so you’ll have to look for them on your own. However, the tool can still suggest the works you can study and use as references.
When creating a prompt, you can specify what kind of sources you need.
For instance:
These prompts will yield results including real titles of existing works.
Tip: What if you want to include a quotation from a source, but you’re not sure about its meaning? In that case, feel free to use our quote explainer .
Now, you have all the necessary information to create an outline. Structuring an essay is one of the most challenging tasks for students. If that’s the case with you, ChatGPT will once again come in handy.
To get a good outline, specify the number of words and the topic of your essay in your prompt. We also recommend mentioning the main aspects you want to discuss in your work.
Here are prompt examples you could use:
Now, all you need to do is write your own essay plan based on what you’ve generated.
We strongly discourage you from using AI-made outlines as is since they may contain irrelevant information or be too for your word count. For example, if you look at the 500-word smoking essay outline above, you will notice that the first body paragraph includes as many as six discussion points. There’s no way you’ll be able to review them all in 100 words.
Tip: Want to get a customized outline without having to write a detailed prompt? Try using our essay outline generator .
After you finish your outline, you can finally use ChatGPT to create a sample essay. Remember that you should use the generated text as an inspiration only. Instead of copy-pasting the sample, use it as a blueprint to write your own paper.
The easiest way to get a great sample is to include the outline in your prompt and ask the tool to write an essay based on it. Describing the essay’s contents in detail will ensure that the generated text is exactly what you need it to be.
It’s also possible to use simpler prompts, such as these:
Keep in mind that if you choose to use simple prompts like the ones above, you can’t be so sure of the results and how relevant they will be. We recommend taking your time to develop an outline and then use it to generate a sample essay.
The last step is to edit and improve the sample. While ChatGPT is capable of generating a complete essay, it may miss important details or include parts that are irrelevant.
Luckily, you can add or remove information by continuing your conversation with the chatbot. Just explain the tool what changes you want to make.
Suppose ChatGPT didn’t discuss the importance of the relationship between co-workers in an essay about the workplace environment. To add this information to your paper, you can use a request like this:
We also recommend you highlight the part you want to edit and click the “reply” button that will appear. The selected text will be automatically quoted in your prompt. This way, you will give the tool a clear idea of what exactly you want it to change without copying and pasting anything.
And there you have it – a customized essay sample on your topic. Use it to compose your own paper, and make sure to add a personal twist to it.
Tip: Our AI-based tools will help you make your essay perfect:
The main goal of a narrative essay is to capture readers’ attention with its story. That’s why a prompt for such an essay needs to include:
Suppose you want to inspire your audience or convey a particular message. Here are two good examples of prompts that will help you achieve this:
Both of these prompts:
Compelling and memorable descriptions are crucial when writing a descriptive essay . ChatGPT can help you with that, but there is one important thing you should keep in mind to get the best results.
If you simply ask the AI tool to write a descriptive essay on your topic, you’ll get an unreadable text filled with awkward metaphors and corny descriptions like this:
Example: As I wrap myself in the comforting embrace of the quilt, I am enveloped in a cocoon of emotions. Joy mingles with sorrow, nostalgia with longing, creating a bittersweet symphony that resonates deep within my soul. In this moment, I am not just reliving memories, but experiencing them anew, each stitch a thread connecting past and present, heart and soul.
Terrible, right?
What you need is a more natural-sounding sample. So, how can you achieve this?
First, you need to choose a well-written descriptive fragment from a literary work you like. We chose this passage from Nabokov’s story “First Love”:
“In the early years of this century, a travel agency on Nevski Avenue displayed a three-foot-long model of an oak-brown international sleeping car. In delicate verisimilitude it completely outranked the painted tin of my clockwork trains. Unfortunately, it was not for sale. One could make out the blue upholstery inside, the embossed leather lining of the compartment walls, their polished panels, inset mirrors, tulip-shaped reading lamps, and other maddening details. Spacious windows alternated with narrower ones, single or geminate, and some of these were of frosted glass. In a few of the compartments, the beds had been made.”
Now, we will ask ChatGPT to point out the text’s distinctive features using a prompt like this:
After that, you can include the features ChatGPT described in your essay prompt. Here’s what it can look like:
The result will be a readable descriptive text that you can slightly improve and use as a foundation for your essay.
Tip: Any descriptive essay needs to open with a great attention grabber. Feel free to use our hook generator to develop a catchy opening sentence.
To write a comparative essay , you first need to identify the parameters according to which you’re comparing two or more things. ChatGPT can help you find them quickly and efficiently.
For instance, to compare fiction with non-fiction, you can use this prompt:
Now, you have your points of comparison: content and purpose. You can use this information to develop a brief outline and later use it in your prompt to generate an essay sample.
For a compare-and-contrast outline, specify what each part should cover:
Next, copy the outline and add it to your prompt, like this:
Tip: You can generate a similar paper tailored to your needs with just a couple of clicks using our compare and contrast essay generator .
Persuasive essay’s main goal is to convince the audience that the opinion or idea expressed in the paper is the right one. For that reason, persuasive essays are created with their audience in mind.
To write a good prompt, you must mention:
Here’s a pro tip:
Before you start, try asking ChatGPT what persuasive strategies are best suited for your topic. Your prompt may look like this:
These strategies can be included in your prompt to get a better answer.
This is what your final prompt may look like:
Tip: Try our persuasive essay maker to generate a sample paper in seconds.
The most important thing for an argumentative essay is to have a strong argument and counterargument. That’s why it’s best to take your time and develop these elements before generating a sample essay.
You can start by asking ChatGPT to help you develop counterarguments for your essay:
You may also ask the chatbot how to make your main argument more compelling:
Finally, you need to combine your arguments, counterarguments, and persuasive strategies in your prompt. The chatbot will generate a fantastic essay that includes everything you want:
Tip: Another way to generate a customized text of this type is to use our argumentative essay maker .
We also recommend using the following AI-powered tools to help you ace other types of assignments:
ChatGPT can be super beneficial if you’re writing an essay and need a model paper on your topic for inspiration.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when you decide to use this AI tool for assistance:
Thanks for reading our article! We hope it helped you learn how to generate excellent essay samples with the power of AI. Have you tried using the chatbot this way? Tell us in the comment section!
Check out our guide on using ChatGPT for literature review writing to enhance your studies even further.
We have helped 10,000s of undergraduate, Masters and PhD students to maximise their grades in essays, dissertations, model-exam answers, applications and other materials. If you would like a free chat about your project with one of our UK staff, then please just reach out on one of the methods below.
Writing a nursing essay can be a challenging yet rewarding task. As a nursing student, you are expected to demonstrate your understanding of the nursing profession, apply critical thinking, and communicate your ideas clearly. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the process of writing an effective nursing essay, from understanding what a nursing essay is to providing examples and tips for a strong introduction and critical analysis.
A nursing essay is an academic paper that discusses topics related to the nursing profession. It can cover a wide range of subjects, including patient care, medical practices, ethical issues, and healthcare policies. The primary purpose of a nursing essay is to showcase your knowledge, analytical skills, and ability to apply theoretical concepts to practical situations.
A well-structured nursing essay typically includes the following sections:
The introduction is crucial as it sets the tone for your essay and grabs the reader's attention. Here's a nursing essay introduction example to illustrate:
"Nursing is a dynamic and challenging profession that requires a blend of compassion, critical thinking, and clinical expertise. As the healthcare landscape continues to evolve, the role of nurses becomes increasingly significant in providing quality care and improving patient outcomes. This essay explores the critical role of nurses in modern healthcare, highlighting the importance of evidence-based practice and ethical considerations in nursing."
Critical thinking is an essential component of nursing practice. It involves analysing information, evaluating evidence, and making informed decisions. In a nursing essay, demonstrating critical thinking is key to showcasing your ability to tackle complex issues and provide high-quality patient care.
Reviewing nursing student essay examples can provide valuable insights into effective writing strategies and help you understand what makes a compelling essay. Here are some short excerpts of nursing essays.
"During my clinical placement in a busy hospital ward, I encountered a patient who was struggling with chronic pain. This experience taught me the importance of holistic care and the need to consider both physical and emotional aspects of a patient's well-being. By employing pain management techniques and providing emotional support, I was able to improve the patient's comfort and overall experience."
"The implementation of nurse-led clinics has significantly improved patient access to healthcare services. This essay argues that expanding the scope of practice for nurses can enhance the efficiency of healthcare delivery, reduce waiting times, and provide patients with more comprehensive care. Evidence from recent studies supports the positive impact of nurse-led clinics on patient satisfaction and health outcomes."
Crafting a compelling nursing essay requires a combination of knowledge, critical thinking, and effective communication skills. By following the guidelines outlined in this guide, you can create a well-structured and insightful essay that showcases your understanding of the nursing profession.
Writing services.
Cryptocurrency payments.
January 17, 2024
In IELTS Writing Task 2, students are asked to write a formal essay of at least 250 words, in 4-5 paragraphs based on the given writing task 2 essay topics. The task is similar for both Academic and General Training with regards to the type of questions and the scoring, but the topics given for General Training will be slightly easier than Academic. Given below is an argumentative essay with sample answers that will help you to practise and get a good score.
Leaders and directors in an organisation are normally older people. Some people think having a younger leader would be better. Do you agree or disagree?
It is true that higher positions are usually held by older members in many organizations these days. While some people believe younger people would demonstrate better leadership, it is in my opinion that senior managers possess more advantages over their younger counterparts in leading a company.
To begin with, it is usually difficult for the young to compete with the old in terms of experience. those who have gained adequate experience can more effectively manage to lead the individuals of an organization than those who do not. The reason for this is that business matters often require the people in charge to have not only the knowledge of coping with problematic situations but also strong nerves to calmly find a feasible solution. As a result, years of experience in a relevant position tend to make the elderly better candidates than those who are relatively young and new to the tasks.
Another advantage belonging to aged people is that they are likely to receive more support from the people in an organization. As the time spent working with the staff of the senior is often longer, they can understand their colleagues better, achieving more popularity. It is interpersonal communication skills and approval of other people that can tremendously affect the success of a leader. Younger members, on the other hand, will need more time to make contributions over time to prove themselves worthy.
In conclusion, I believe that critical positions of authority should be given to senior staff members for the certain reasons mentioned rather than the young.
• Prevalent (adj): existing very commonly or happening often ==>Health problems such as obesity and diabetes are prevalent amongst young people in developing countries today. • To demonstrate sth(v): to show or make something clear ==>The problems of unsatisfactory productivity which Canadian workers are facing demonstrate the importance of enhancing the quality of learning and teaching in tertiary education. • Senior (adj) : older ==>Senior family members are expected to set an example to the younger children in order that these junior members can adopt good manners in their adulthood. • Leadership (n) : the set of characteristics that make a good leader ==>The lack of leadership in young and inexperienced directors can sometimes put the company in jeopardy. • Problematic (adj) : difficult to deal with or to understand; full of problems; not certain to be successful ==>Despite acknowledging the dangers of fast food, many consumers find it problematic to switch to a healthier food choice. • Feasible (adj) : that is possible and likely to be achieved ==>With the public support of abandoning polluting vehicles, the prospect of the improved air quality seems more feasible.
People have different views about whether older or younger people are more suitable for important positions in organisations. While I accept that old individuals have significantly important qualities, I believe younger ones are more likely to become good leaders.
On the one hand, elderly people can be good leaders for some reasons. Firstly, as old people have worked for many years, they have accumulated much more work experience compared to younger workers. This might allow them to make wiser decisions and bring success to the company they work for. Secondly, older people are often more respected by others. Therefore, they can have a more powerful voice within the company, and people are more likely to listen to them. If leaders are young, they might find it hard to influence other employees.
On the other hand, I believe it will be better if young people take up important positions. The first reason is that since young individuals tend to be physically stronger, they can handle big responsibilities and much work. Being a leader requires people to work with much pressure, and old people are often not capable of doing that. Additionally, younger people are usually more creative, so they are more likely to find newer and better improvements which benefit the entire organisation. For example, a young manager can come up with a new advertising strategy for a product, which contributes to the increasing sales of the company.
In conclusion, while I accept that old individuals can be good leaders of an organisation, I believe these important positions should be given to younger people.
Practice writing topic: It is better for young people to get advice from older people than young people. Do you agree or disagree?
Do you have an essay on this topic? Please post it in the comments section. One of our IELTS trainers will evaluate your essay from an examiner’s point of view and reply to the comment. This service is completely FREE of cost.
Also check :
Nafia Zuhana is an experienced content writer and IELTS Trainer. Currently, she is guiding students who are appearing for IELTS General and Academic exams through ieltsmaterial.com. With an 8.5 score herself, she trains and provides test takers with strategies, tips, and nuances on how to crack the IELTS Exam. She holds a degree in Master of Arts – Creative Writing, Oxford Brookes University, UK. She has worked with The Hindu for over a year as an English language trainer.
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God — Personification in Sinners in The Hands of an Angry God
About this sample
Words: 819 |
Published: Aug 1, 2024
Words: 819 | Pages: 2 | 5 min read
Let us write you an essay from scratch
Get high-quality help
Dr. Heisenberg
Verified writer
+ 120 experts online
By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email
No need to pay just yet!
3 pages / 1428 words
2 pages / 1022 words
5.5 pages / 2475 words
1.5 pages / 674 words
Remember! This is just a sample.
You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.
121 writers online
Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled
Jonathan Edwards' sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," delivered in 1741 during the First Great Awakening in America, remains one of the most influential and controversial religious texts in American history. In this [...]
Edwards declared, “There is the dreadful pit of the glowing flames of the wrath of God; there is hell’s wide gaping mouth open; and you have nothing to stand upon, nor any thing to take hold of”(Edwards 1). This quote is a great [...]
Jonathan Edwards’ sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” is a powerful and controversial piece of literature that has sparked debates and discussions for centuries. This essay will analyze the key themes and arguments [...]
Born in East Windsor, Connecticut, Johnathan Edwards was a graduate from Yale and a Prime Minister in his later years at a church in Massachusetts. Edwards soon became a powerful preacher, delivering sermons resulting in [...]
Jonathan Edwards' sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," is a powerful piece of literature that utilizes various persuasive techniques to convey its message. One such technique is the use of pathos, which appeals to the [...]
Jonathan Edwards, a prominent theologian and preacher in the 18th century, utilized various writing conventions to persuade his audience. His essay, which is often referred to as "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," is a [...]
By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.
Where do you want us to send this sample?
By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.
Be careful. This essay is not unique
This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before
Download this Sample
Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts
Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.
Please check your inbox.
We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!
We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
What to Write in the Conclusion for an Argumentative Essay. To write a conclusion argumentative essay, you first need to recall all the key points of your essay. Author Note: You should check your outline for significant findings or arguments. Do that before starting with the first sentence of your conclusion.
Emphasize the Significance of Your Arguments. The conclusion of your essay is a good place to highlight the importance of your argument and the implications of your findings. Briefly explain why your essay topic is significant and how your perspective relates to the wider context. For example, if you're writing on the rising cost of medicine ...
Step 1: Return to your thesis. To begin your conclusion, signal that the essay is coming to an end by returning to your overall argument. Don't just repeat your thesis statement —instead, try to rephrase your argument in a way that shows how it has been developed since the introduction. Example: Returning to the thesis.
Conclusions Conclusions wrap up what you have been discussing in your paper. After moving from general to specific information in the introduction and body paragraphs, your conclusion should begin pulling back into more general information that restates the main points of your argument. Conclusions may also call for action or overview future possible research. The following outline may help ...
An argumentative essay presents a complete argument backed up by evidence and analysis. It is the most common essay type at university.
How to write a conclusion Learning how to write a conclusion for an essay doesn't need to feel like climbing Everest. It is wholly possible to tie everything together while considering the broader issues and implications of your argument. You just need the right strategy. What do you want to leave your readers with?
In conclusion, writing a strong conclusion for an argumentative essay requires a clear and concise summary of your main points along with effectively addressing counterarguments, and broadening your perspective.
When you're writing a persuasive essay, you need more than just an opinion to make your voice heard. Even the strongest stance won't be compelling if it's not structured properly and reinforced with solid reasoning and evidence. Learn what elements every argumentative essay should include and how to structure it depending on your audience in this easy step-by-step guide.
An argumentative essay builds logic and support for an argument. Learn how to structure it and what to include, from thesis to evidence.
What is an argumentative essay? Learn what sets this form of writing apart and how to write an argumentative paper.
Learn to write effective conclusions for your argumentative essays with our step-by-step guide. Discover tips, common mistakes to avoid, and more.
An argumentative essay in academic writing is where one takes a stance on a particular topic, presents arguments to support that stance, and aims to persuade readers to accept the point of view presented. Read this to learn how to write an argumentative essay with examples, create an argumentative essay outline, and gain expert tips for authors.
An argumentative essay does include some basic elements found in other types of academic papers, but here, we'll focus on its conclusion. After reading this article, you'll learn how to write a strong essay conclusion for a text with an argumentative implication.
Conclusions One of the most common questions we receive at the Writing Center is "what am I supposed to do in my conclusion?" This is a difficult question to answer because there's no one right answer to what belongs in a conclusion. How you conclude your paper will depend on where you started—and where you traveled. It will also depend on the conventions and expectations of the ...
Ending the Essay: Conclusions So much is at stake in writing a conclusion. This is, after all, your last chance to persuade your readers to your point of view, to impress yourself upon them as a writer and thinker. And the impression you create in your conclusion will shape the impression that stays with your readers after they've finished the essay.
Writing an argumentative essay? What's a good topic? Learn how to write a great argumentative essay and read our expert examples.
An argumentative essay is a piece of writing that uses logical evidence and empirical data to convince readers of a particular position on a topic. Because of its reliance on structure and planning, the first step in writing one is often drafting a solid argumentative essay outline.
Learn how to end an essay with a strong conclusion that summarizes your main points and leaves a lasting impression. wikiHow provides easy-to-follow steps and examples for any type of essay.
Learn the purpose of an argumentative essay conclusion and how to write it. See how to restate a thesis and how to use an argumentative essay...
How to write an argumentative essay Regardless of the writer's topic or point of view, an argumentative essay should include an introductory paragraph, body paragraphs, a conclusion, and works cited.
Learn how to write a compelling argumentative essay with tips on structuring your argument, supporting your claims with evidence, and effectively countering opposing viewpoints.
The argumentative essay is a staple in university courses, and writing this style of essay is a key skill for students across multiple disciplines. Here's what you need to know to write an effective and compelling argumentative essay.
Discover the art of crafting captivating essay conclusions that leave a lasting impact. Learn how to restate your thesis, summarize key points, evoke emotions, and offer recommendations. Explore examples and gain valuable insights in this comprehensive guide. Elevate your writing skills with 29+ Essay Conclusion Examples in PDF.
Before launching LSAT Argumentative Writing, be sure to shut down all non-essential applications and disable any grammar-checking extensions, including Grammarly, Microsoft Editor, etc. LSAT Argumentative Writing is designed to showcase an individual's persuasive writing skills, and any program that adjust s the essay wording or structure can ...
Want to know how to use ChatGPT to write an essay? ️ Check out this detailed guide! Learn about the most effective ChatGPT essay writing prompts for different essay types.
Learn how to write a compelling nursing essay with our comprehensive guide. Discover nursing essay introduction examples, tips on critical thinking, and explore nursing student essay examples to craft your perfect essay.
Here's a band 9 and 8 sample answers for the IELTS argumentative essay on the topic: "Leaders and directors in an organization are normally older people." This resource includes sample answers and vocabulary to help you craft your own high-scoring essay.
When it comes to persuasive writing, one of the most powerful tools at an author's disposal is the use of personification. This literary device allows the writer to breathe life into inanimate objects or abstract concepts, making them relatable and engaging for the reader.