Argumentative Essay Writing 4 Paragraphs

Writing an Argumentative Essay
for 3rd year FMS
KSWE Eva Sarrafan

August 2023
Step 1 – Choose a topic
Choose the topic that interests you the most and where you think you will have the most to
say. Make sure you do know some counter arguments as well.
Step 2 – Gather ideas
Collect your thoughts in two columns for both sides of the argument. If you haven’t already,
decide which side you want to argue.
(+) (-)
Nuclear power is a good energy source
Nuclear power is not a good energy
source
- -
- -
- -
Step 3 – Organize
What is the purpose of each feature in the Content column? Choose from the following list
and write in the Purpose column.
• to underline the writer’s point of view and to look into the future
• to express important ideas
• to tell the reader what you intend to cover in this essay
• to introduce the reader to the topic – pro and con
• to remind the reader of the key ideas
• to support ideas with examples
Stage of essay Content Purpose

introduction 1 general statements 1
2 scope of essay/thesis 2
body 3 Arguments 3
4 Evidence 4
conclusion 5 Summary 5
6 Relate arguments to a 6
more general world view
The body of the essay will be divided into two paragraphs. One paragraph = one main idea! From
the ideas gathered in step 2, you will find 2 arguments you want to work with. Either these
are arguments from the side you have chosen to argue, in which case you will have
supporting evidence for them, OR they are arguments from the other side, in which case you
will find ways to refute (prove to be incorrect) or rebut (prove to be irrelevant) them using
your evidence. You will end up with a 4-paragraph essay: introduction, 2 body paragraphs,
and conclusion.
Based on the arguments you have collected, you can now create your 4-paragraph outline
along the lines of this example:
Don’t Support Nuclear Energy!

I. Nuclear power is not a good energy source for the world
II. Nuclear materials are not safe
A. Nuclear fuels are dangerous

1. Mining fuels produces radioactive gas
2. Working with radioactive fuels can harm workers
B. Nuclear waste products are dangerous

1. Very radioactive
2. Difficult to dispose of or store safely
III. There is a great possibility of accidents
A. Nuclear power stations can fail

1. Three Mile Island, USA (1979)
2. Tarapur, India (1992)
3. Darlington, Canada (1992)
B. Workers can make mistakes

1. Chernobyl, USSR (1986)
2. Kola, Russia (1991)
3. Tokaimura, Japan (1999)
C. Natural disasters can occur

1. Earthquake: Kozloduy, Bulgaria (1977)
2. Tornado: Moruroa, the Pacific (1981)
IV. Because of the dangers, the world should develop different types of
energy to replace nuclear power
Step 4 – Write the introduction
A strong introduction…
- introduces the topic well
- is catchy and signals to the reader why the topic is interesting and relevant
- states the thesis (the main idea) of the essay in a clear way
An interesting fact or story or example or a thought-provoking quotation can help to
make an introduction more appealing to the reader => this is called the “hook”
(= Aufhänger)
Any of the following will make an introduction weak:
- It doesn’t give enough information about the topic (not enough substance)
- It gives too much information (irrelevant details, information overload)
- It talks about too many different topics
- The main point and the direction of the essay is not clear
Thesis Statement
The thesis statement is a sentence (or two) that states your opinion and what you are
going to do in your essay. It usually comes at the end of the introduction.
• A thesis statement gives the author’s opinion or states an important idea about
the topic. It should give an idea that can be discussed and explained with
supporting ideas.
The qualifications for getting into university in my country are unreasonable.
This is a strong thesis statement. It can be discussed and explained.
• A thesis statement should not be a sentence that only gives a fact about the topic:
In the Northern Hemisphere, the summer months are warmer than the winter months.
This is not a strong thesis statement. It cannot be discussed or argued about.
• A thesis statement should not state two sides of an argument equally:

There are advantages and disadvantages to using nuclear power.
This could be a topic sentence, but it is not a thesis statement. It gives two sides
of an argument without giving a clear opinion of support or disagreement. It could
be revised like this:
Although there are some advantages, using nuclear power has many disadvantages and
should not be a part of our country’s energy plan.
This is a strong thesis statement. It clearly gives the writer’s opinion about nuclear
power.
How to develop a thesis statement
One way to develop a thesis statement for an essay is to write opinions you have about the topic.
Begin, I think that … and complete the sentence with your opinion. Then remove the I think
that … and the remaining words make a possible thesis statement.
Topic: diet / food
I think that a vegetarian diet is one of the best ways to live a healthy life.
I think that governments should restrict the use of chemicals in agriculture and food production.
After you have written several opinion statements, choose the one that would make the best
thesis. Remember to decide if the sentence gives a clear opinion, states a fact, or presents two
sides without a clear argument.
In order to integrate your thesis statement into your essay, you might opt to also talk about the
plan you have for this essay by preceding the thesis statement with
- In this essay I will …
- This essay looks at …
- This essay will discuss …
Step 5 – Write paragraphs
Besides the overall structure, paragraph structure is an important way of organizing your
ideas. It is crucial for the quality of your essay because it is closely connected to how clear
your line of thought is.
In general, a paragraph should be organized around/focused on one main controlling idea.
As you are writing, make sure you create a link between your individual sentences and
between your paragraphs as well. Here is some vocabulary that might help you with
that:
SENTENCE STARTERS
• Some people think that…

• It is claimed that…
• Some people feel that…
• It is a widespread belief that…
• It is widely known/believed/accepted that…
ONE SENTENCE
• While it is true that…, I believe…

• Despite the fact that…, many people/I believe...
• Although many people are convinced that…, I feel that…
• Although it is often said that…, in fact the opposite is true.
TWO SENTENCES
• It is undoubtedly true that… . However, …

• It is often argued that… . However, …
• Some people say that… . They claim that… . However, I feel…
• Supporters of this viewpoint say that… . However, I believe…
LISTING POINTS
• Firstly, Secondly, Thirdly, Finally, …

• First of all, …
• To begin with, …
• In the first place, …
• In addition, …
• Furthermore, …
• What is more, …
• Moreover, …
• Another point is …
CONCLUDING
• In conclusion, …
• To sum up, …
• All in all, …
• To conclude, …
Step 6 – Write conclusion

The conclusion is the end of the essay and the part that the reader may remember most. It
should be clear and avoid confusing the reader.
The reader expects the conclusion to do some or all of the following:
- rephrase the question
- summarize the main ideas
- give your opinion
- look to the future (say what will happen if the situation continues or changes)
The reader DOES NOT expect new information in the conclusion. Never add a new idea just
because you have thought of it at the end!
The conclusion is very similar to the introduction. However, you should avoid repeating the
same words.
It might be tempting to think that you’re done now, but the following step is crucial to the
success of your essay!
Step 7 – Revise
In this stage you will check your essay for its structure and content. You might look for
places where you can add more information, and check to see if you have any unnecessary
information. You will ask yourself:
• Is the overall structure of the essay clear? Does it have an introduction, a main part, and a
conclusion?
• Does my essay have a good and catchy introduction?
• Does it have a conclusion that wraps up the topic well?
• Are the paragraphs in themselves coherent?
• Are the different parts and individual paragraphs linked well?
• Is my line of thought clear and coherent?
• Are my examples, illustrations and arguments plausible and relevant?
You will also proofread your text to check your spelling, grammar and vocabulary.
• Have I checked the essay for mistakes regarding grammar, syntax, spelling and
punctuation?
• Is the vocabulary used in the essay rich and varied enough?

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Writing an Argumentative Essay

for 3rd year FMS

KSWE Eva Sarrafan

Step 2 – Gather ideas

Stage of essay Content Purpose

Don’t Support Nuclear Energy!

II. Nuclear materials are not safe

A. Nuclear fuels are dangerous

B. Nuclear waste products are dangerous

III. There is a great possibility of accidents

A. Nuclear power stations can fail

B. Workers can make mistakes

C. Natural disasters can occur

Any of the following will make an introduction weak:

• A thesis statement should not state two sides of an argument equally:

• Some people think that…

• While it is true that…, I believe…

• It is undoubtedly true that… . However, …

• Firstly, Secondly, Thirdly, Finally, …

Step 6 – Write conclusion

• Is the vocabulary used in the essay rich and varied enough?

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