Contents
Discursive Arguments
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Discursive Arguments
First paragraph states issue.
‘There is a lot of discussion about whether…’
Second paragraph states three arguments in favour, linked
by connectives.
‘People who agree with this argument claim that…..’
‘They also argue that…..’
‘A further point they make is……’
Third paragraph states three arguments against, linked by
connectives.
‘However there are also strong arguments against this
point of view……..believe that……..’
‘They say that……’
‘Furthermore they claim that…….’
Fourth paragraph states which side of the argument the
author comes down on and say why.
‘On balance I think that ……’
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Issue
There is a lot of discussion about whether animals should be kept
in 2006.
st nd
1 Argument for 2 Argument for
Some people claim that it is cruel because wild animals need their
freedom and like lots of space. They also argue that the British
climate is not suitable for many wild animals and they are never
completely healthy. A further point they make is that people only
come to zoos to be entertained and that they might just as well
watch nature films.
rd
3 Argument for
st
1 Argument against
However, there are also good arguments against this point of
view. Zoo owners argue that they now make great efforts to make
sure animals are kept in a space simi lar to their own environment.
They say that animals can cope with different climates as long as
their diet is right. Furthermore they claim that they serve an
important purpose by breeding rare animals that are dying out in
the wild. nd
2 Argument against
rd
3 Argument against
On balance I think that zoos are a good idea because they are
both educational and scientific. They educate people about animal
behaviour and they preserve endangered species.
Summing up on one side or the other
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There is an issue of discussion about whether animals should be
kept in 2006.
Some people claim that it is cruel because wild animals need their
freedom and like lots of space. They also argue that the British
climate is not suitable for many wild animals and they are never
completely healthy. A further point they make is that people only
come to zoos to be entertained and that they might just as well
watch nature films.
However, there are also good arguments against this point of
view. Zoo owners argue that they now make great efforts to make
sure animals are kept in a space similar to their own environment.
They say that animals can cope with different climates as long as
their diet is right. Furthermore they claim that they serve an
important purpose by breeding rare animals that are dying out in
the wild.
On balance I think that zoos are a good idea because they are
both educational and scientific. They educate people about animal
behaviour and they preserve endangered species.
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There is a lot of discussion about whether children should be
given pocket money.
People who agree that they should, claim that it is a part of their
education to get children used to handling money. They also
agree that children should be encouraged to make choices, for
example, whether to spend their money straight away on sweets
or to save up for something big. A further point they make is that it
is hard for children to buy presents unless they have some money
of their own.
However, there are also arguments against this point of view.
Other people feel that children shouldn’t be given something for
nothing. They say that children should earn money for doing jobs.
Furthermore, they claim that some parents can’t afford pocket
money and that others giving it creates bad feeling.
On balance, I think that children should be given some pocket
money in order to buy things they need but if they want more they
should earn it.
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There is a lot of discussion as to whether children should be given
homework or not.
Some people claim that children do enough work in school
already. They also argue that children have hobbies that they
want to do after school, such as sports or music. A further point
they make is that a lot of homework is pointless and doesn’t help
the child learn at all.
However there are also strong arguments against this point of
view. Parents and teachers argue that it is important to find out
whether children can work on their own without support from the
teacher. They say that the evening is a good time for children to
sit down and think about what they have learned in school.
Furthermore they claim that the school day is too short to get
anything done that needs doing and it makes sense to send home
tasks like independent reading or further writing tasks that don’t
need teacher support.
On balance I think that some homework is a good idea but that it
should only be given at the weekend when children have more
time.
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Discursive Argument Checklist
I have used four paragraphs
My first argument states the issue being discussed
My second paragraph gives three arguments for the issue
My third paragraph gives three arguments against
My final paragraph states which side of the argument I’m
coming down on and says why
I have used a range of connectives
I have checked my spelling
I have checked my punctuation
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