Writing your discussion essay – a generic staging
Purpose of a discussion text:
to consider an issue from differing positions (points of view);
to draw a conclusion(s) as to the relative merits of the differing positions, thus giving your recommended position on the issue.
Step 1: Present the Issue
State the issue
Explain the issue and give some relevant background information.
Explain the two sides to the issue
Preview briefly (i.e. without elaboration, evidence or example), the points you will argue for each side.
Either track
Step 5 – Conclude the discussion
Summarise both sides of the issue.
Indicate your own recommendation about which side is stronger.
Argue why you have chosen this side, i.e. Explain what evidence is more convincing, more relevant, more worthy, etc. Consider developing this argument by referring to what the alternative to your choice would be and what the implications would be – in terms of the original issue of course.
Finishing – it is not always necessary to add any other stages once your conclusion has been explicitly presented and argued. However it is common to add some observation or comment that is relevant to your argument or your conclusion, often a rhetorical question, that challenges, provokes or re-assures the reader in regard to the original issue.
Most common flaws in discussion essays:
· forgetting about the issue and getting side tracked
· not making argument points explicitly clear at the beginning of an argument paragraph – make the point the paragraph’s topic sentence.
· not elaborating an argument point with Explanation, Evidence and Example.
· drawing a conclusion from argument points or evidence that has not been presented earlier in the essay. Don’t introduce new points or evidence in the conclusion stage.
*Conjunctions – these are conjunctions (single words or word groups / phrases) that operate at text level to link different parts of a text in an additive or comparative way. They are not sentence level conjunctions (e.g. and, or, but. so) which link parts within a sentence.
Examples: However, On the other hand, Alternatively, In opposition to this, By contrast, etc.
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
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