Argumentative & Discursive Writing
The difference between arguing a case and discussing an issue, and how to build paragraphs that persuade instead of merely asserting.
What this lesson covers
Argumentative & Discursive Writing is a 8-part O Level English lesson. Each part makes one point and then hands over to the next, so it can be read in a sitting or picked up again at the part you stopped on. It defines the idea in plain words before using it, works through an example step by step, breaks the topic into its parts and compares them, shows where it is used outside the textbook, names the mistakes that cost marks in an exam, ends with a recap of what to remember.
How it begins
Argumentative: you hold a position and defend it. "Homework should be abolished in the final year." You may acknowledge the other side, but only to answer it. Discursive: you examine an issue from more than one side and reach a measured conclusion. "The advantages and disadvantages of social media for students." Sitting on the fence is allowed; having no view at all is not. Read the title carefully.
The 8 parts
- Two different tasks that look the same
- The paragraph that scores: PEEL
- Worked: assertion versus argument
- Counter-argument as a strength
- Connectives, and the tone of a serious argument
- Where marks go
- What to remember
- Watch one worked through
Practise Argumentative & Discursive Writing
Everything on QuizByt for O Level English that goes with this lesson: read it first, then test yourself while it is fresh.
🧠 7 quizzes on Argumentative & Discursive Writing (4 easy, 2 medium, 1 hard)
Work up from easy to hard: the hard quiz asks the O Level exam-style questions on Argumentative & Discursive Writing.
🖨️ Printable worksheet
Argumentative & Discursive Writing on paper for O Level, with room to write the working out. Preview the first page free.
🎮 Games for O Level English
Word games at the right level for O Level. Passing a quiz on Argumentative & Discursive Writing earns the credits that open them.
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