Persuasive Writing in Context

The purpose of this task is to select and employ specific arguments in order to argue a position
on a contentious issue. You should aim to acknowledge the complexity of the issue, while
attempting to prove that your position is the best to adopt.

This task is worth 15% of your total diploma exam mark.

Suggested time: 40-60 minutes

Suggested word count range: 300-600 words (try for the higher end)

Process

1) Read “The Situation.” Note your assigned name and position. This will usually be a
gender-neutral name of either a current student or recent graduate.

2) Clarify for yourself the nature of the issue. What is being debated and what are the two
sides? This should be clearly outlined in “The Situation”

3) Read and annotate the source material. Mark arguments as “in favor” or “against” the
proposal. Remember that within a given source, there may be multiple arguments, some
which may be in favor and some which may be opposed to the proposal.

4) Sort your evidence. Group similar pieces together under common categories. Frequent
categories include prohibitive cost considerations, positive economic benefits, benefits to
social life, detriments to social life, benefits for individuals, detriments for individuals.

At this point, you should be trying to paraphrase the direct quotes of individuals. Your
job is to take their idea and generalize it into an argument.

Sources to quote directly: experts (a professor or doctor, if they are speaking on their area of
expertise), poll data statistics.

Sources from which to generalize an argument: the stated opinion of random citizens,
information contained in advertisements, newsletters, memos, online forums.

Extend the thinking of the argument. If a person suggests that something might be a problem
or a benefit, answer WHY and HOW that is the case.

You may wish to add additional arguments based on your own experience. Remember
though, that you are not sharing “real” personal details, but rather drawing on your situation to
craft an argument that would be plausible for the scenario.
 5) Choose which side you will argue.

There is sufficient evidence to argue both sides convincingly.

Format (Letter)

Salutation - a formal greeting to the recipients of your letter (note the comma placement)

E.g. Dear Members of Prosper Town Council:

Introduction -
Introduce yourself.
Establish an understanding of the issue.
Clearly indicate which side you intend to argue.

E.g.

I am writing this letter as a recent graduate of Prosper High School. I am aware that you have
proposed a ban on junk food in schools. While I appreciate that this is a complex issue and that
you are attempting to make schools healthier places, I believe that the detriments of this
proposal far outweigh the benefits. I strongly urge you to reject this proposal and allow students
the ability to make their own choices regarding their diet.

Body Paragraphs - One paragraph for each category of argument (2-3 paragraphs altogether).

Use a topic sentence to indicate what the focus of that argument is.

Include evidence from the sources.

Expand on the evidence. Show WHY it is persuasive.

E.g.

Students are autonomous individuals who deserve the right to make their own choices. In a
recent poll, a wide majority of students and parents indicated that they did not believe it was the
school’s role to dictate diet. The role of public schools is to teach the curriculum. Parents are
ultimately responsible for teaching their children life skills, including meal planning and healthy
eating. Furthermore, how will students learn how to make healthy choices when they are denied
from practicing making choices while they are young? Instituting this proposal would mean that
students do not learn how to balance healthy choices with so-called “junk” food options.
Conclusion

Reiterate your key arguments (based on your topic sentences)

Reiterate your position.
Thank you readers for their consideration of your position.

E.g. The proposal to ban junk food at Prosper High School is an egregious overreach of power
that will not do anything to meaningfully improve the health outcomes for students while actively
making daily life more unaffordable for students. I urge you to reject this proposal. Thank you
for your consideration of this important issue.

Closing - Sign your letter appropriately with your assigned name.

E.g.

Sincerely,

Reggie Rivers

Things to consider:

Remember the three modes of persuasion:

○ Ethos - appeal to character (e.g. quoting an expert from the “Academic Journal”)
○ Pathos - evoking emotions to help persuade (e.g. evoking hope, fear, joy,)
○ Logos - making a logical argument based on facts

Remember to focus on your TONE. Use formal, polite language.

Try to evoke Confidence and certainty. Use forceful language that illustrates your arguments
are strong.

E.g. I urge you to reject this proposal.

This council must adopt this proposal.

The benefits of this proposal are too great to ignore.

This proposal will undoubtedly cause immense harm if adopted.

Advanced Technique: Acknowledge an argument from the other side, and then point out WHY
that argument is flawed and what a better idea is instead.

E.g. While proponents of this proposal suggest that limiting junk food choices in schools
promotes healthy eating, research from Dr. _________ actually demonstrates the flaws in this
approach. By labeling some foods as “bad,” students develop unhealthy attitudes and value
judgements about food, rather than learning to consume all foods in moderation in an effort to
properly fuel their bodies. Instead, we should focus our resources on educating students about
how to make better choices while enjoying a balanced diet.

Sentence Starters

Introduction Paragraph:

"It is imperative that we..."

"As a society, we need to acknowledge that..."
"It's time to take action and..."
"In today's world, it's more important than ever that we..."
"There's no denying that..."
"It's clear that..."
"If we don't act now, then..."
"It's time to put an end to..."
"We must recognize the fact that..."
"It's our responsibility to..."
"The evidence speaks for itself, and it's clear that..."
"The time for change is now..."
"We cannot afford to ignore the issue of..."
"It's time for us to take a stand and..."
"In order to create a better future, we must..."
"Contrary to popular belief, it's important to realize that..."
"In light of recent events, it's become increasingly clear that..."

Body Paragraphs (arguments)

General "It's essential to note that..."

"First and foremost, it's important to recognize "It's important to remember that..."
that..." "When considering this issue, we must take into
"One of the key factors to consider is..." account..."
"There is overwhelming evidence to suggest that..."
"It's impossible to ignore the fact that..." "There are several compelling reasons to support
"To begin with, let's consider the following..." the argument that..."
"It's clear that the benefits of... outweigh the "It's worth noting that the evidence supports the
drawbacks of..." notion that..."
"To make a convincing argument, it's essential to..." “Some people think that…”
"The key to making a persuasive argument is to..." “One point of view is that…”
“It is often thought that…” “It has been claimed that…”
“Many people believe that…” “Current opinion suggests that…”

Specific “Based upon…” “I know that…”

“According to X….” Personal
“To quote from x…” “In my view…” Evaluation
“X makes the point that…” “In my opinion…” “Clearly…”
“X draws our attention to the “To my mind…” “It is clear…”
fact that…” “I personally think that…” “Obviously…”
“X suggests that…” “I personally believe that…” “Without a doubt…”
“Research suggests…” “It seems to me that…” “It is easy to see why…”
“It is vitally important that…”

Conclusion Paragraph

"In conclusion, it's clear that..."

"Overall, there can be no doubt that..."
"To sum up, it's important to remember that..."
"In light of these arguments, it's clear that..."
"Taking all of these factors into account, it's safe to say that..."
"Ultimately, the evidence supports the conclusion that..."
"To put it simply, the argument presented here suggests that..."
"In the end, it's important to recognize that..."
"It's clear that the best course of action is to..."
"In light of these findings, it's important that we..."
"As a result, it's clear that the argument is..."
"To conclude, it's clear that the evidence supports the notion that..."
"Taking everything into consideration, the argument is..."
"Given the evidence presented, it's reasonable to conclude that..."
"In summary, it's clear that the argument presented is..."

Words to help make your point

“Furthermore…” “Moreover…”
“In addition…” “Similarly…”
“Also…” “Surely…”
“Likewise…” “Specifically…”
“Besides…” “Certainly…”
“Again, it is clear that…”