Pieces of Advise for Writing an Argument Essay

For classes and standardized tests, writing an argument essay is a must-have skill. This type of essay requires the student to evaluate an argument or proposal. When the essay is graded, it must show that the student is able to organize their ideas, creates strong examples and use standard written English. To get the best score on this type of essay, students should make sure to follow these simple tips.

Look at the Diction

Diction refers to how a sentence or phrase is structured. This is one of the easiest ways to find fault in an argument. Students can pick apart the argument piece by piece. Look for words like “a lot” or “occasional”. Terms like these are not quantifiable and are extremely vague. This makes it easier to critique the argument and ensures that the student never runs out of things to write about.

Stay Honest With Data

Although it is tempting to makeup statistics or facts in an argument essay, students have to stay away from this tendency. Made-up statistics will not impress teachers or anyone grading standardized tests. Instead, students should focus on having a strong organization and well-developed argument. Supportive examples are also necessary for a top score.

Be Coherent

When writing the essay, students need to make sure the argument is coherent and succinct. Forceful, direct sentences convey the meaning. If students use long-winded phrases and excessively bombastic sentences, it will only distract from the argument. Instead of sounding scholarly, students end up creating a tedious, pedantic essay.

Focus on the Essay

In an argument essay, the student already knows their thesis. The teacher or test gives a prompt and the students job is too show its flaws. Since the thesis is already known, students have to immediately jump into the planning stages. Select three examples of the flaws in the argument and layout the main points. Before writing, make sure that the outline is logical and complete.

Writing on a Time Line

For the argument essay in tests like the GMAT, students have just 30 minutes to plan, write and edit. Only five minutes should be spent on planning. Twenty minutes should go to writing the essay and five minutes should be spent revising. Once the essay is written, students need to read through it again and make sure that the grammar is correct. If there are problems with clarity, the order or structure can be switched around as well.