How to Write an Argumentative Essay |

Examples & Tips

Published on July 24, 2020 by Jack Caulfield. Revised on July 23, 2023.

An argumentative essay expresses an extended argument for a particular thesis statement. The
author takes a clearly defined stance on their subject and builds up an evidence-based case for it.

Argumentative essays are by far the most common type of essay to write at university.

When do you write an argumentative essay?

You might be assigned an argumentative essay as a writing exercise in high school or
in a composition class. The prompt will often ask you to argue for one of two positions,
and may include terms like “argue” or “argument.” It will frequently take the form of a
question.

Example: Two-sided argumentative essay promptHas the rise of the internet had a net positive or
negative impact on education? Support your argument with evidence.

The prompt may also be more open-ended in terms of the possible arguments you
could make.

Argumentative writing at college level

At university, the vast majority of essays or papers you write will involve some form of
argumentation. For example, both rhetorical analysis and literary analysis essays
involve making arguments about texts.

In this context, you won’t necessarily be told to write an argumentative essay—but

making an evidence-based argument is an essential goal of most academic writing, and
this should be your default approach unless you’re told otherwise.

Examples of argumentative essay prompts

At a university level, all the prompts below imply an argumentative essay as the
appropriate response.

Your research should lead you to develop a specific position on the topic. The essay
then argues for that position and aims to convince the reader by presenting your
evidence, evaluation and analysis.

Discuss the effects of globalization on the economy of Nigeria.

 Don’t just list all the effects you can think of.
  Do develop a focused argument about the overall effect and why it matters,
backed up by evidence from sources.

Assess the effectiveness of workplace anti-discrimination measures in the last decade.

 Don’t just provide a selection of data on the measures’ effectiveness.

 Do build up your own argument about which kinds of measures have been most
or least effective, and why.

Analyze the role of the doppelgänger in 19th-century Gothic fiction.

 Don’t just analyze a random selection of doppelgänger characters.

 Do form an argument about specific texts, comparing and contrasting how they
express their thematic concerns through doppelgänger characters.

Approaches to argumentative essays

An argumentative essay should be objective in its approach; your arguments should rely
on logic and evidence, not on exaggeration or appeals to emotion.

There are many possible approaches to argumentative essays, but there are two
common models that can help you start outlining your arguments: The Toulmin model
and the Rogerian model.

oulmin arguments
The Toulmin model consists of four steps, which may be repeated as many times as
necessary for the argument:

1. Make a claim
2. Provide the grounds (evidence) for the claim
3. Explain the warrant (how the grounds support the claim)
4. Discuss possible rebuttals to the claim, identifying the limits of the argument and
showing that you have considered alternative perspectives

The Toulmin model is a common approach in academic essays. You don’t have to use
these specific terms (grounds, warrants, rebuttals), but establishing a clear connection
between your claims and the evidence supporting them is crucial in an argumentative
essay.

Say you’re making an argument about the effectiveness of workplace anti-discrimination

measures. You might:
 1. Claim that unconscious bias training does not have the desired results, and
resources would be better spent on other approaches
2. Cite data to support your claim
3. Explain how the data indicates that the method is ineffective
4. Anticipate objections to your claim based on other data, indicating whether these
objections are valid, and if not, why not.

Rogerian arguments
The Rogerian model also consists of four steps you might repeat throughout your
essay:

1. Discuss what the opposing position gets right and why people might hold this
position
2. Highlight the problems with this position
3. Present your own position, showing how it addresses these problems
4. Suggest a possible compromise—what elements of your position would
proponents of the opposing position benefit from adopting?

This model builds up a clear picture of both sides of an argument and seeks a
compromise. It is particularly useful when people tend to disagree strongly on the issue
discussed, allowing you to approach opposing arguments in good faith.

Say you want to argue that the internet has had a positive impact on education. You
might:

1. Acknowledge that students rely too much on websites like Wikipedia

2. Argue that teachers view Wikipedia as more unreliable than it really is
3. Suggest that Wikipedia’s system of citations can actually teach students about
referencing
4. Suggest critical engagement with Wikipedia as a possible assignment for
teachers who are skeptical of its usefulness.

You don’t necessarily have to pick one of these models—you may even use elements of
both in different parts of your essay—but it’s worth considering them if you struggle to
structure your arguments.

Regardless of which approach you take, your essay should always be structured using
an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.

Introducing your argument

Like other academic essays, an argumentative essay begins with an introduction. The
introduction serves to capture the reader’s interest, provide background information,
present your thesis statement, and (in longer essays) to summarize the structure of the
body.
Hover over different parts of the example below to see how a typical introduction works.

The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of
education. (HOOK)The use of the internet in academic contexts is on the rise, and its role in learning is
hotly debated. For many teachers who did not grow up with this technology, its effects seem alarming
and potentially harmful.bACKGROUND This concern, while understandable, is misguided. The negatives
of internet use are outweighed by its critical benefits for students and educators—as a uniquely
comprehensive and accessible information source; a means of exposure to and engagement with
different perspectives; and a highly flexible learning environment. Thesis statement

The body: Developing your argument

The body of an argumentative essay is where you develop your arguments in detail.
Here you’ll present evidence, analysis, and reasoning to convince the reader that your
thesis statement is true.

In the standard five-paragraph format for short essays, the body takes up three of your
five paragraphs. In longer essays, it will be more paragraphs, and might be divided into
sections with headings.

Each paragraph covers its own topic, introduced with a topic sentence. Each of these
topics must contribute to your overall argument; don’t include irrelevant information.

A common frustration for teachers is students’ use of Wikipedia as a source in their writing. (Topic
Sentence: Tells us what the paragraph is about) Its prevalence among students is not
exaggerated; a survey found that the vast majority of the students surveyed used Wikipedia (Head &
Eisenberg, 2010). An article in The Guardian stresses a common objection to its use: “a reliance on
Wikipedia can discourage students from engaging with genuine academic writing” (Coomer, 2013).
(Evidence) Teachers are clearly not mistaken in viewing Wikipedia usage as ubiquitous among their
students; but the claim that it discourages engagement with academic sources requires further
investigation.(Interpretation) This point is treated as self-evident by many teachers, but Wikipedia itself
explicitly encourages students to look into other sources. Its articles often provide references to
academic publications and include warning notes where citations are missing; the site’s own guidelines
for research make clear that it should be used as a starting point, emphasizing that users should always
“read the references and check whether they really do support what the article says”
(“Wikipedia:Researching with Wikipedia,” 2020). Indeed, for many students, Wikipedia is their first
encounter with the concepts of citation and referencing.(Counter Argument) The use of Wikipedia
therefore has a positive side that merits deeper consideration than it often receives.(Final Sentence:
Provide a concise statement of the point the author has made in this paragraph)

Concluding your argument

An argumentative essay ends with a conclusion that summarizes and reflects on the
arguments made in the body.

No new arguments or evidence appear here, but in longer essays you may discuss the
strengths and weaknesses of your argument and suggest topics for future research. In
all conclusions, you should stress the relevance and importance of your argument.

Hover over the following example to see the typical elements of a conclusion.

The internet has had a major positive impact on the world of education; occasional pitfalls aside, its
value is evident in numerous applications. The future of teaching lies in the possibilities the internet
opens up for communication, research, and interactivity. (summary)As the popularity of distance
learning shows, students value the flexibility and accessibility offered by digital education, and educators
should fully embrace these advantages. (significance)The internet’s dangers, real and imaginary,
have been documented exhaustively by skeptics, but the internet is here to stay; it is time to focus
seriously on its potential for good. (Strong closing statement)