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)