Chapter 8: Presentational Writing: The Argumentative Essay
Exam Section II, Task 2
Summary
- The essay requires you to take a position on an issue and to write an essay to support your position.
- You’ll have 3 sources (a text, a visual source and an audio selection)- they need to be incorporated into your writing
Strategies and Tips
- ==Read the question== carefully and find keywords
- ==Take a position==- yes or no.
- Look for ==info that will support== your position
- ==Take notes== while the audio is playing
- Integrate all the ==three sources== in your narrative (as shown below):
- l’article, l’audio, l’infographie
- la source 1, la source 2, la source 3
- ==Present your arguments== with pertinent analysis and vocab
- Use ==transition words==- moves your idea forward
- Write a ==conclusion== (even if it’s short)
- ==Proofread== your work
The Guide
a) The Introduction
- Introduce the topic
- State your opinion
- Mention in which part of your essay you’ll approach a point- this will provide a structure of your essay and the arguments
b) The Body
- do not make a montage of quotes- integrate them into your own writing
- show your vocabulary! Avoid repetitions, for ex the word idée (replacements):
- Cette affirmation, contestation, confirmation, question, explication, nuance, analyse ou précision
- Ce souhait, conseil, sous-entendu, sentiment ou détail
- you need to include all 3 sources
- use specific transition words:
- D’une part… d’autre part, en fait, ceci étant
- En effet, en ce qui concerne, par ailleurs, néanmoins
- use specific verbs to explain your point of view (textbook p. 247)
c) The Conclusion
- summarize your point of view, restate your position, briefly explain why
- look beyond the issue and link what you have written to a broader issue
d) Proofread
2-3 minutes
decide what you wish to proofread first to be more efficient:
- verb-subject agreement throughout the essay
- noun-adjective agreement throughout the essay
- spelling and conjugation
use the Self-Evaluation Checklist (p.248)