After reading the essay answer the following questions

Discursive essay writing

The aim of a discursive essay is to set out the key issues (for and against), not to argue a personal opinion. The essay can, however, look at how a person presents his/her views on the theme.

Discursive essay structure

Introductory paragraph

· Explain what the issue is that you are going to discuss

· Explain why it is important to discuss this issue

· Highlight the differing opinions people have about the issue (your thesis statement)

Main body paragraphs

Paragraph 1

Paragraph 2

These two main body paragraphs provide clear understanding of your position in relation to the topic and present your first and second arguments with supporting evidence

· The first sentence of each of the two paragraphs (paragraph leaders) should clearly state one reason why people believe that ………

· You should then support each of the two reasons with an example from your sources (articles). The evidence can come in the form of quotes, description of actions or a mixture of both.

· The last (concluding) sentence of the paragraph discusses in more details how the evidence you have provided supports the point you made in the paragraph leader. BE CAREFUL NOT TO JUST REPEAT WHAT YOU HAVE SAID IN THE PARAGRAPH LEADER!

Paragraph 3

This paragraph indicates that there is another side to your argument, with some ideas of the points likely to be made for the view which are opposite to your own.

· The first sentence (paragraph leader) should clearly state a reason why some people believe that something should not be done.

· You should then support this reason with details from your sources (articles). The evidence can come in the form of quotes, description of actions or a mixture of both.

· The last (concluding) sentence of the paragraph discusses in more details how the evidence you have provided supports the point you made in the paragraph leader. BE CAREFUL NOT TO JUST REPEAT WHAT YOU HAVE SAID IN THE PARAGRAPH LEADER!

Conclusion

Make a statement that again strongly emphasizes the importance of discussing this issue. Try to word it differently to the way you did in your introductory paragraph.

Sample of a discursive essay (Adapted from BBC-Education Scotland-Standard Grade Bitesize Revision-English-Writing)

1. A subject which always arouses strong feelings on both sides of the argument is the use of animals in medical research. I believe, that, though this may have been necessary in the past, other ways can be developed to test drugs and, in the future, animals should not be used.

2. One of my main reasons for saying this is that animals are not always like humans. They do not suffer from all human diseases, so scientists have to give them the illnesses artificially. The joints in rabbit legs are inflamed with chemicals to help research in rheumatism. These tests do not always work because animals do not react to drugs in the same way as humans. Aspirin, for example, damages pregnant mice and dogs, but not pregnant women. Arsenic, which is a deadly poison for humans, has no effect on sheep, while penicillin, which is so valuable to humans, kills guinea pigs.

3. Moreover, animal experiments should not be used because of the unnecessary pain that they cause to animals. The government introduced new rules about the use of animals in experiments in 1986. Scientists claim that these rules safeguard animals because they state that discomfort must be kept to minimum and that painkillers must be used where necessary and appropriate. Surely this means, however, that scientists can still decide not to use painkillers in the animal experiments because they do not consider them appropriate. The British Union against Vivisection claims that 75% of animals experimented on are given no anaesthetic.

4. On the other hand, scientists claim that some experiments are so small, for example giving an injection, that painkillers are not needed. They also argue that experiments on animals have been useful in the past. For in stance, the lives of ten million human diabetics have been saved because of experiments with insulin on dogs. Dogs also benefited, as the same drug can be used on them. In fact, a third of medicines used by vets are the same as those used by doctors.

5. In conclusion, I accept that animal experiments have brought great benefits in the past, but now money needs to be spent on developing other methods of testing drugs and medical procedures, so that the use of animals can be phased out altogether.

After reading the essay answer the following questions

1. What is the main idea the writer is arguing about? _________________________________________________________

2. Each paragraph has a sub-topic which contributes to the essay’s main topic: what does each paragraph contribute to the argument?

Paragraph 1 ___________________________________________

Paragraph 2____________________________________________

Paragraph 3 ___________________________________________

Paragraph 4____________________________________________

Paragraph 5 ___________________________________________

3. What evidence does the writer offer to support the arguments?

Paragraph 2____________________________________________

Paragraph 3____________________________________________

Paragraph 4____________________________________________

4. What is the writer’s position? ___________________________

5. Does the writer link ideas clearly in the essay?

Write down the linking words used by the writer __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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