Discursiv

e
ESSAYS
 AGENDA

1. Different essay formats

2. The LO discursive essay
3. Structuring a discursive essay

• Planning your essay

• Introduction
• Body
• Paragraph structure
• PEEEL
• Conclusion & referencing

4. Tips and strategies for writing your essay

• Discursive essay tips

• Critical thinking
• Helpful terminology
 [Link]
essay formats
 DIFFERENT ESSAY FORMATS

PERSUASIVE ESSAY:
Attempts to persuade the reader of the writer’s opinion.

DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY:
Describes something like a person, place or even an experience in
great detail, often using vivid imagery.

NARRATIVE ESSAY:
Tells a story, fictional or real-life, using the conventions of storytelling
(climax, setting, plot, and ending).

EXPOSITORY ESSAY:
Uses facts, data, statistics and researched information to analyse a
subject.
 2. The LO
discursive essay
 THE LO DISCURSIVE ESSAY

An LO discursive essay allows you to form your own opinions

and to justify them in the form of a thought-provoking argument.
This in turn helps to develop your critical thinking skills and
encourages you to consider multiple perspectives - all of which
are skills that you will use after school.

Discursive essays require you to:

• Investigate a topic by gathering and evaluating evidence
• Present a position (stance) on your topic based on your
evidence
• Provide justification for your points of view
• Consider alternative perspectives on the topic
• Present your ideas in a well-structured and logical way
• Use a formal register and avoid obvious bias
 DISCURSIVE ESSAYS

You will need to write a discursive essay as part of your CAT B

examination. Therefore, it is important that you spend time
working on your essay-writing skills.

On the next slide you will find an example of a discursive

essay. This will give you an idea of what a discursive essay
entails.

You could also refer to the IEB CAT B discursive essay

questions from previous years to familiarise yourself with the
requirements of the question.
 DISCURSIVE ESSAY EXAMPLE

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the

following statements:
The romantic view of relationships is that we are all meant to find
that one special partner who just gets us. This involves the hope that
we will find someone who completes us and who automatically
understands what we are thinking and going through.

The classic view, by contrast, acknowledges that relationships are

more hard work than that. They require us to develop a skill-set to
help us understand and clearly communicate with the important
people in our lives.

Your response should consider the relevant perspectives found in

your research, as well as your own stance.
 3. Structuring a
discursive essay
 PLANNING

1. UNPACK THE TOPIC

• this means that you need to explore the complexity of the
question by analysing the purpose and meaning of key words
• look specifically at the VERBS used in the topic - what do they
require you to do?

2. READ THROUGH THE SOURCES and underline the points

that you think you may be able to use as evidence.

3. CREATE A MIND MAP / CONCEPT MAP or PLAN for your

essay - this will help you to organise your ideas.
 PLANNING

The following structure may help you when doing your own planning:

My stance is: ____________________________________________

Argument (reasons for stance): Counterargument:

1. _______________________ 1. ______________________

2. _______________________

3. Optional paragraph ___________________

What can I conclude? ______________________________________

 PLANNING

Below you will find a discursive essay

topic and on the next slide is an
example of a possible plan for this
essay:

For the sake of long-term

sustainability, conscious
consumerism is vital. It is therefore
the role of corporate enterprise, and
not the individual, to make an actual
and measurable impact.
 PLANNING

Example of a possible plan:

My stance: For example: Conscious consumerism helps humankind achieve long term sustainability goals and it is therefore vital
that corporate enterprise is invested in making a measurable contribution to this end.

Argument (reasons for stance): Possible counterargument:

1, It is the role of corporate enterprises to make an It could be argued that it is the responsibility of the
actual impact as their practices have a significant individual to be more aware of the brands we support and
effect on our environmental health. Air pollution, the work environments and fair labour practice of these
greenhouse gas emissions and hazardous waste are brands as, from an ethical point of view, conscious
some of the areas in which these enterprises can improve. consumerism revolves around the idea of having a positive
They need to take more responsibility for the production
social and economic impact.
process of their products, including the disposal of bulk waste,
to improve their environmental footprint.

2. Individuals cannot make enough of a

difference on their own, we need corporate
enterprise to be more invested as this will
only be effective if it works from the top down.

3. (The 3rd paragraph is optional)

What can I conclude?: The responsibility of conscious consumerism should be predominantly with corporate enterprise as they
will have the most impact on curbing the negative effects on the environment which will, in turn, create a sustainable world.
 PLANNING

CHECKLIST

Consider the following after you have completed your planning

and before you begin writing your essay:

• Have you sourced a variety of credible viewpoints on the topic?

• Do you have more than one perspectives on the topic?
• Is the evidence and research that you have chosen to use relevant to
your argument?
• Have you considered relevant current affairs, case studies and
statistical evidence in your research?
• Have you thought about the structure of your essay?
 STRUCTURE: INTRODUCTION

Your introduction is very important as it gives your reader a clear

idea of what you will be writing about.

It should provide a brief overview of the topic to give your essay

context.

It should also provide a map of your essay:

• you need to provide a clear stance or position,
• and outline your arguments.

Keep your expression concise and focused.

 STRUCTURE: BODY (2-3 paragraphs):

• Introduce each point in a separate paragraph.

• Use topic sentences for each paragraph so that it is immediately clear
what your paragraph is about.
• Make sure that you link your paragraphs in a logical manner.
• Use the following format for each paragraph:
Point – the first sentence, also known as the topic sentence, should
express the main point of the paragraph.
Elaborate – (explain) – elaborate on how your evidence supports your
point. You are encouraged to use your own voice.
Evidence – support your point with factual evidence or examples from
credible sources.

Evaluate – explain the relevance and significance of your evidence and

examples.
Link – link this point to the essay topic in order to reinforce your
 STRUCTURE: BODY

COUNTERARGUMENT (1 paragraph):

After providing an argument for your stance, you need to

provide a counterargument or a perspective that opposes the
idea developed in your main argument.

Your counterargument must:

• have substance
• be convincing
• include a well-researched alternative to your stance

Make sure that you use the PEEEL format for this paragraph
as well.
 STRUCTURE: CONCLUSION & REFERENCING

CONCLUSION:
The conclusion provides you with the opportunity to bring all your
points together.
• In a concise manner, refer to the key arguments in your essay
• Make sure that you do not contradict your position
• Do not provide any new thoughts, ideas or information

When you have finished writing your essay, it is important that you
read over and EDIT it carefully so that you can correct and/or
remove any errors.

REFERENCES:
• Use a standard referencing style to acknowledge all sources.
• Ensure that you include a comprehensive reference list at the
end of your essay.
4. Tips and strategies
for writing your essay
 DISCURSIVE ESSAY TIPS

DO:
• Maintain a formal tone and an academic register
• Stay focused on the topic throughout
• Keep the 500-600 word count in mind
• Use linking words to create a logical flow between paragraphs
• Integrate your research seamlessly into your argument
• Ensure that you leave yourself enough time in your CAT B examination
to write your essay
• Ensure that your essay is not one-dimensional - it must include a
counterargument of substance in order to achieve an ‘A’
• Use your ‘own voice’ to present your argument

BE CAREFUL OF:
• Relying on emotive language to make your point
• Using anecdotal examples as evidence without referring to the sources
and/or research
• Lapsing into narrative when explaining your evidence
 CRITICAL THINKING

Remember that CRITICAL THINKING is key

to developing your argument

Always ask yourself the following:

1. Have I thoroughly investigated the arguments?

2. Have I questioned the evidence?
3. For each argument, have I ensured that it is relevant to my stance.
4. Have I ensured that I have not taken the topic at face value?
5. Have I questioned my assumptions and challenged my thinking in
order to avoid bias?
6. Are my research sources credible?
 HELPFUL TERMINOLOGY

SENTENCE STARTERS:
The first source suggests that…
The second source raises the issue of …
The author’s perspective is that …
The two sources contain contrasting perspectives …..
In conclusion …

GENERALISING:
On the whole...
In general…
For the most part…
As a general rule…
It is usually the case that…
 HELPFUL TERMINOLOGY

PRESENTING AN ARGUMENT:
Considering …
On the question of …

PRESENTING ONE SIDE OF THE ARGUMENT:

One argument in favour of this is ...
In support of …
It is true that …

PRESENTING ANOTHER SIDE OF THE ARGUMENT:

At the same time/ simultaneously …
On the other hand …
In contrast to …
Weighed against this is ...
 HELPFUL TERMINOLOGY

Some more LINKING WORDS and PHRASES:

• Alternatively • In another case

• Although • In particular
• Apart from this • However
• As a result • Likewise
• As well as • Moreover
• Furthermore • Similarly
• In addition
 ANY
QUESTIONS?
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