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S4 FOLIO - THE DISCURSIVE ESSAY/GROUP DEBATE

Task 1
In your groups, brainstorm ideas for the discursive essay. You should consider many different
issues but they must be something you have an interest in. Fill in the table below with your ideas
- try to find at least five issues under each heading.

PERSONAL LOCAL NATIONAL WORLDWIDE

Task 2
When writing a discursive essay you need to decide on your viewpoint. You can be totally
positive or totally hostile or you may take a balanced view. In the table below 3 topics have
been looked at from each of these viewpoints.
APPROACH POSITIVE HOSTILE BALANCED
FOOTBALL AND A healthy and An excuse for Social outlet or social
YOUNG PEOPLE socially desirable hooliganism disease?
pastime

WORKING Lead to comfortable A blueprint for Material comfort or

MOTHERS families and adolescent problems emotional cost?
stimulated children

VIOLENCE ON Harmless escapism A recipe for copycat Reflection of a violent

TELEVISION killing society or rejection of
traditional values?

In your groups take one topic from each of the columns in task one (personal, local, national,
worldwide) and fill in the following table.
APPROACH POSITIVE HOSTILE BALANCED
Personal -

Local -

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National -

Worldwide -

Task 3
On your own you now have to decide on a topic you would like to examine. You can either
choose something that you have discussed in your groups or think about an issue that has not
been raised yet. You must now decide on your approach. Fill in the table below with your ideas
and then pick the approach that most suits your point of view.
APPROACH POSITIVE HOSTILE BALANCED
Your Topic -

Task 4
You now need to make notes and find information. You are looking for evidence to back up
your view of the topic. It is a good idea to consider what you know about the topic and to speak
to family and friends to assess other people's opinions. There are many sources of information
(books, newspapers, leaflets, posters, internet, Encarta, the news, etc) and you need to find the
sources, which will give you the most information on your topic. Once you have compiled all of
your information you need to gather all of your related ideas together, this will help you when
you come to write your essay.

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Task 5
You are now going to plan your essay. Below are two plans - one for an Argumentative essay,
and one for a Balanced essay - use these plans to write out a plan for your essay.

Structuring a Argumentative essay

Use this plan if you are taking a positive or hostile approach.

1. SUBJECT:
2. MY POINT OF VIEW:
3. MY FIRST REASON:
4. ARGUMENT/EVIDENCE:
5. MY SECOND REASON:
6. ARGUMENT/EVIDENCE:
7. MY THIRD REASON:
8. ARGUMENT/EVIDENCE:
9. OTHER REASONS:
10. ARGUMENT/EVIDENCE:
11. OPPOSING POINT OF VIEW:
12. MY ARGUMENT/EVIDENCE COUNTERING IT:
13. RESTATEMENT OF MY MAIN POINT OF VIEW:

Structuring a Balanced essay

Use this plan if you are taking a balanced approach to your essay.
1. SUBJECT;
2. FIRST POINT OF VIEW:
3. FIRST REASON:
4. ARGUMENT/EVIDENCE:
5. SECOND REASON:
6. ARGUMENT/EVIDENCE:
7. ADDITIONAL REASONS FOR 1ST POINT OF VIEW:
8. OPPOSING POINT OF VIEW:
9. FIRST REASON:
10. ARGUMENT/EVIDENCE:
11. SECOND REASON:
12. ARGUMENT/EVIDENCE:
13. ADDITIONAL REASONS FOR 2ND POINT OF VIEW:
14. MY CONCLUSION

Task 6

You are now going to start writing your essay. Firstly you need to consider how you are going
to start your essay. It is important that your opening paragraph is clear and concise and states
exactly the point of view you are adopting.

Points of view/openings - the following is an example of different points of views and the
openings you could use. The issue of fox hunting has been used as an example.

1. Provocative - It is difficult to see how anyone could possibly approve/disapprove

of fox hunting.
2. Balanced - Fox hunting is a subject which holds many contrasting views.

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3. Personal - I have always detested fox hunting since I was once physically sick
while....
4. Literary - Oscar Wilde described fox hunting as 'the unspeakable in pursuit of
the uneatable...'
5. Illustrative - On a glorious autumn morning, a terrified exhausted animal is
savaged to death by a pack of barking dogs while a group of expensively dressed humans
encourage the dogs in their bloody work.

Linking
Your essay needs to be well structured and follow a logical argument. You need to use linking
words to link each argument on to the next.
The following is a list of words that show different methods of linking.
1. Comparisons - similarly, likewise, in the same way

2. Contrast - although, however, on the contrary, otherwise, yet, but, even so, nevertheless.
3. Reasons - to this end, for this reason, for this purpose.
4. Results - accordingly, as a consequence, as a result, hence, therefore, inevitably,
moreover, furthermore
5. Examples - for example, for instance, in other words, by the way of illustration
6. Conclusions - as has been noted, finally, in brief, in short, on the whole, in other words.

Task 7
You will now have finished writing your essay. Use the following checklist before you hand
your essay in.
• Have I written from a personal viewpoint?
• Have I supported my argument with evidence from a range of sources?
• Have I shown that I fully understand the main issues of this topic?
• Have I shown awareness of other views on my chosen topic?
• Do I state my point of view in the opening paragraph?
• Does my essay expand and enlarge on the point of view I am adopting?
• Does my conclusion restate my point of view?
• Is my essay written in well-constructed and linked paragraphs?
• Have I checked my sentence structure and spelling?

Discursive Essay worksheets - S4 02/12/09