The arguments you make will be more credible if you:
a) Use a variety of detail
b) Use examples that support your ideas
c) Give suggestions and solutions rather than just posing problems
d) Reference relevant literature, places, cultural events or key figures in the area you’re talking about
e) Pre-empt counter-arguments
f) Show understanding of views rather than your own – this makes you seem more rational
Activity 1:
Look at these two examples of an argument written in response to the task:
Write the words of a speech to give to your teachers about ways the school behavior system should be changed.
For what reasons is Example Two more credible?
Example One:
I believe that we should change the 1 to 5 system we have at school. How would you feel if you were
kept here against your will for so long after the end of the day? I think you probably wouldn’t like it.
It isn’t fair that hardworking young people like us are punished so severely for just having an “off”
day or doing one little thing that’s bad when other people have done much worse. I think the
teachers haven’t considered our feelings or stress in this and it’s not good for our mental health so
we should make it shorter.
Example Two:
The 1 to 5 system we use currently in school is not fulfilling the mental health or behavioral needs of our most complex students. Think of a student you tutor or teach who has had a number of behavioural struggles this academic year. Do you feel that the use of the 1 to 5 system has improved the behavior of that student? Or is it in fact the hard work of the teachers and staff building relationships with that student that has really made a difference? We have all seen the inspiring practice occurring in places like Educating Essex or Educating Yorkshire every day in England, but the reason they are so inspiring is that they use their relationships with students to help solve their issues and make their mental health better, which is the main reason behavior improves. I am
aware that some teaching staff might be concerned that without a sanction, students will behave poorly in lessons, but I am not proposing the removal of the system altogether. What I am proposing is
that we use 1 to 5 to help students deal with the issues behind their behavior, employing psychological, mindfulness or behavior experts to work with these young people and solve their problems from the core outward – rather than simply leaving them to sit in silence.
Activity Two
– What references could I use to support my arguments?
Fill in the table to show yourself the variety of different references you know and could use to
illustrate an argument. Sometimes these can be used to replace an anecdote, and references are
often useful for helping an audience understand an idea they may not be familiar with.
Books I have read
Places I have visited
Famous figures I
follow/know about
Films or music I
love/know well
Charities I know
something about
Jobs I have
experienced/have
knowledge of
Facts I know about
teenage life now
Hobbies I am passionate
about
Apps, websites or
technology I use often
Activity Three
– Considering others’ points of view
Often in transactional writing, you have to consider many points of view. Even if you’re writing
persuasively you will need to keep in mind that the people you’re persuading might not agree with
you.
Read the statements and write down one view you have, and one view others might hold, for each
Statement My view… Another person might believe
Homeless people are our
responsibility as a society.
We need to protect children
from the internet.
It is unreasonable to say
teenagers are lazy and
materialistic.
Exams do not reflect real life
and so aren’t a good measure
of skill.
Books are no longer needed in
the world because we have
better ways of accessing
stories.
True lov
True love is life-long; people
don’t try hard enough to stay
together.
Obesity is on the rise because
people now are incredibly lazy
Religions are not relevant to
life now – they were more
suited to previous time
periods.