Key focus: discursive writing and writing to argue

Discursive writing is when you consider a particular issue, problem, or situation and
outline the arguments on both sides before coming to a reasoned conclusion. Th e keys
to eff ective discursive writing are:

■ to present both, or multiple, points of view

■ to write in a detached, objective manner (avoiding first person statements such as I think … )
■ to move towards a more personal response at the end of the piece, at which point you give
your ‘verdict’ on the issue.

Argumentative writing is very close in style to discursive writing and indeed discursive writing
usually sets out or explores key arguments around a specifi c issue. However, argumentative
writing draws more strongly on the writer’s sense of voice from the very beginning. You are, to a
large extent, trying to persuade or convince the reader of your point of view from the outset
rather than off ering a more restrained and briefer judgment at the end. Th erefore,
argumentative writing tends to have a more personal, direct style.

Features

■ a topic sentence or an initial question to outline the subject of that paragraph

■ a consideration of arguments about that point in the paragraph.
■ exemplifi cation – examples to illustrate each argument (e.g. you might refer to surveys or
statistics, real or feasible ones)
■ evidence of connectives linking sentences. Th e use of connectives might include words and
phrases which suggest:
■ a consequence or result – because of this, the eff ect of this, consequently
■ additional and reinforcing points – furthermore, moreover, in addition, besides this, similarly, in
the same way. Th ere should also be connectives linking the paragraphs themselves. Such
connectives might include words and phrases which suggest:
■ organisation and order – to begin with, fi rstly, at the same time, ultimately, fi nally, in
conclusion, overall, as a whole
■ contrast – however, on the one hand … on the other hand, yet, despite this, conversely

A magazine publishes an article called Can You Have Too Much of a Good Th ing? The
article looks at the issue of whether the school-leaving age should be lowered or raised
in your country. In your writing, create a sense of controlled and balanced viewpoints.

Sample 1
Some people believe that education, the learning of skills and knowledge, is one of the most
important ingredients in young people’s lives, vital for their personal development and the future
of the country. However, others believe that the benefits of long-term education are over-stated
and that it is far better for young people to experience the world of work early in their lives for
the personal development of the individual and the good of the nation.

Sample 2
Two famous sayings – ‘You are never too old to learn’ and ‘a little knowledge goes a long way’ –
are oft en heard in this country. Yet is education (the transfer of knowledge and skills to other
people) that important? Does it really matter if you do not achieve a certain number of grades at
a certain level by the time you leave school? Could the money spent on education be invested
more wisely?

Some people believe that education is the most precious gift a young person can receive. It
gives, they argue, a foundation for personal development and participation in society, … for
example, a survey carried out by the EEC recently found that most students who received an
education up to the age of eighteen felt more adjusted and ready to experience the world at
large than those who had left school or college at sixteen.

■ whether people should be allowed to carry fi rearms

■ the internet does more harm than good
■ there is too much money in sport
■ marriage is an old-fashioned idea
■ animal rights are as important as human rights
■ the punishment should fit the crime
■ science does more harm than good
■ terrorism can never be defeated.

A newspaper aimed at parents and families publishes an article called Should Teachers
Be Paid by Results? The article offers diff erent views about the topic. Write the article. In
your answer, create a sense of controlled and balanced arguments.

Teachers are people who give us knowledge about education and the world from their own
experience and hard working student life. Teachers should be paid for the degree and
knowledge they have got. Well they give the education to students in class and well students do
nothing and are always daydreaming or texting on their phones or talking in the lectures of
teacher’s and why should they be the reason for bad grades? They are providing their education
and experience. Well it’s all the fault of students who aren’t interested or working hard at home
or even revising after leaving school. Teachers cannot feed you spoon in mouth to get good
grades. It’s the job of students to earn and acquire good grades.
An online magazine aimed at teenagers publishes a feature called Are Beauty Contests a
Thing of the Past? Write the article. In your writing, create a sense of reasoned
arguments.

‘Mirror, mirror on the wall: who is the fairest of them all?’: this is a well known line from a
fairytale, a myth, from a world in which magic lives and the ‘goodies’ always come out on top in
the end. Yet it can also be seen as a reflection of the world’s preoccupation with vanity. So many
people want to be beautiful. So many people want to be the fairest in the land. It’s an obsession
most people seem to possess these days: the need to be admired, even worshiped, and
accepted. Is there anything wrong with this? Must the mirror give us a reflection? Does
someone really need to be set apart, as the most appealing? Does there need to be a Snow
White?

Beauty contests, it can be argued, have long-lasting eff ects on mostly women and girls. Some
people believe that these eff ects can be positive: image, they believe, is important in the world
around us nowadays. For example, job interviews, public presentations and public
appearances, all require a certain degree of image-consciousness. Furthermore, a recent
survey by the NBC television channel in America showed that many respondents felt that
beauty contests teach girls to present themselves eff ectively, to be polite and ladylike and, to a
degree, to take pride in their appearance by caring for their bodies and adopting a healthy
lifestyle. There was evidence girls acquired greater confidence and addressed their fears and
concerns about mixing with other people and learned to deal with peer pressure. Beauty
contests, it revealed, gave girls aspiration, hope and motivation, elements which are very
important at any stage in life.

One of the major issues associated with beauty contests is the type of negative self-image it can
foster in participants. It seems that beauty should not be judged in this way: competitions, after
all, are based on opinions not facts. ‘Beauty’, it is said, ‘lies in the eye of the beholder.’ Those
who lose out in such competitions may lose self-esteem and motivation, developing feelings of
inferiority in relation to those around them. It may well be that these contests would provide a
more positive and beneficial influence if they were controlled, and embraced all kinds of beauty:
physical and spiritual. We should be very, very careful: the mirror on the wall may reflect the
kinds of negative things we don’t really want to see.

Age requirements for elderly drivers

Dear Sir or Madame ,

I am writing about that article in your paper last week about the age when elderly people are
stopped from driving. I do believe their age should be lowered.
Many people of the required age are usually not in great shape. Statistics show nineteen out of
twenty old people of that age suffer from poor eyesight. I don’t think they can recognise people
and objects or situations any more like younger people do.

There is no doubt that it is true that as we get older our reflexes get much more slow and not as
good. These old people usually find themselves unable to react to situations anywhere near
quickly enough , putting their lives at risk as well as the people, especially children, around
them. I’ve seen loads of occasions when children are being chauff eured around by their
grandparents. It’s just not safe. If some other driver decides to go through the lights a car with
children driven by an old grandparent could run into them: the grandparent and the children will
be really badly injured.

It is often said by people that the older we get the more set in our ways and the more difficult
and less active we are. Most old people, especially old men , take little notice of their doctors
and insist on carrying on driving. They are endangering their health by pushing the limits, and
they are putting others at risk. What would happen if they collapsed behind the wheel? Without
any doubt , they will cause a serious accident. There is a lot of evidence showing that old
people are likely to suffer from dementia, a stroke or a heart attack when driving. There is a
strong chance they will not survive and this also increases the risk to other people. If they
stayed at home, there are more likely to get help and survive .

This kind of thing could all be prevented if the age at which old people could drive was lowered.
I think we would all be far more safe. I strongly believe that old people should think long and
hard about these things and that those who are in power should make these legal changes as
soon as possible.

Yours sincerely ,