Argumentative Essay Examples

Making a point about any issue is an important quality for every person, regardless of profession. At some point, you’ll be asked why you prefer this laptop over that, what makes your insurance company worth paying money, and why you want to work with a particular company. What unites all these questions? The need to give reasons for your choices or actions. Shortly put, the need to argue, and sometimes you need to do it in writing in the form of an argumentative essay. In this article, we’ll provide a comprehensive definition of an argumentative essay, explain what makes it good, how to start an argumentative essay, and where you can encounter it outside the school.  

Argumentative essay definition

  An argumentative essay is a piece of writing aimed at providing factual evidence to the claim that is made by its author. It doesn’t necessarily have to be of imperative or categorical nature or sound angry — the main point of such essays is to back up the idea with arguments. However, it is important to make your point sound like the only possible way to look at the issue.  

What should a well-written argumentative essay sample do?

• Introduce a topic that evokes various opinions on it
• Show potential counter-arguments and proofs to make them irrelevant
• Make the reader stick to your point

When will you need examples of argumentative essays?

  Samples of argumentative essays are plenty, and they go far beyond the school or college walls. Think of convincing your friend to go and see the Black Widow instead of Space Jam, or arguing with your boss that you do deserve a raise. Yes, they do differ in format and style, but these conversations/texts are just a smaller, compressed version of what the argumentative essay is. And this brings up a logical conclusion: you need to know how to operate with your arguments in written form to convince the reader.  

Let’s see when you’ll need to have a solid argumentative essay example.

• To do your college assignment. The subject can vary here, but from our experience, it will be every single one in your academic curriculum. Trust us.
• To complete the application task. Sometimes, the colleges (especially the ones with humanities programs) give their applicants an assignment to write an example of an argumentative essayon a given topic. After they assess the quality of the written piece, they add points to the applicant’s profile in favor of enrolling him/her.
• As a part of standardized tests. SATs or GCSEs, writing is one of the skills that will be assessed, and the most widespread way to do it is to ask the students to write a persuasive essay.
• To write any article (especially if you’re a blogger). Why exactly should your followers buy a product advertised by you? No reason, until you convince them there is one. And arguments laid out logically can help you to win their attention.
• To present any arguments or to persuade people. Whether you’re planning a career as a politician, doctor, or musician, persuading people is a vital skill. Knowing how to do it in writing is probably even more essential, so learning how to writeargumentative essays examples will help you become a better communicator and influencer.

Argumentative Essay Examples

1. Argumentative Essay on Love

2. Extra Curricular Argumentative Essay

3. The Story of an Hour Argumentative Essay

How to spot good argumentative essays?

  Whether you’re writing one yourself, searching for professional help, or delegating its writing to anyone, you need to know how to tell if what you’ve got is good enough. Here’s how to spot.  

A well-written sample of an argumentative essay will:

• Present a thesis statement clearly in the very first paragraph
• Show a unique focus on the issue
• Back up the argument/thesis with hefty research and facts
• Observe possible counter-arguments and provide the data that disqualify them
• Use quotes and links to the sources for the reader to make sure it’s not the author’s imagination
• Have an easy-to-scan structure depending on the type the author has chosen

Now, as we’ve covered what makes a persuasive essay good, let’s move on to the structure. And here, it may become a bit complicated.  

Structure of argumentative essays: Types and Uses

  There are three major types of persuasive essays: Aristotelian (or classic), Toulmin, and Rogerian. The structure of an argumentative essay will depend on the type you’ll choose. Let’s review each of them.  

Aristotelian (Classic)

  This type can be used for nearly any argument you’re making. It has a clear 5-point structure and explains straightforward arguments and shows ethos, pathos, and logos (credibility, emotion, and logic) in each argument. Structure-wise, it should look like this:

• Problem introduction + a clear thesis statement
• The perspective you’re suggesting
• The opponent’s perspective and arguments that dismiss it one by one
• The evidence to back up your perspective
• Conclusion

Toulmin

  This type works best when the argument you’re making isn’t obvious, and you need to take the reader to it, OR when you need to persuade people from the point of denying the already known arguments. It’s based on heavy research and deals a lot with finding arguments to combat the established thoughts and ideas rather than presenting your own. It has a six-part structure but can be modified depending on the topic or research.  

• Problem introduction + a clear thesis statement
• The paragraphs with evidence or generally known facts
• Paragraph with the thesis-evidences links
• Additional evidence and facts
• A paragraph that explores the limits to your claim
• Paragraphs including the opposite opinions and criticism to the claim you’re making + data-driven arguments to refute

Rogerian

  If your topic is to explore polarizing arguments or those that can be considered equal or presented to mixed audiences, the Rogerian type is the best fit for that. It equally explores the arguments, addresses the issues of both camps, and creates the reasons for the middle ground to appear. Structurally, the Rogerian sample of argumentative essays looks like this:  

• Problem introduction that presents both sides of the arguments
• The opposite perspective with the valid arguments for it
• Your perspective with the valid arguments for it
• Creating the middle ground for both perspectives
• Conclusion with the balanced arguments

As you choose what structure will work best for the purpose of your essay, you jump to the next stage: preparation. Let’s see how to make it less time-consuming and more efficient.  

Writing an argumentative essay: Preparation, outlining, writing

  As the argumentative essay is fact-based, proper research is what a writer needs to do first. However, it’s just one step on the way. There are a few more steps you need to follow to get the result.  

Preparation

  Whatever your thesis or topic is, the preparation stage includes doing your research first to write the statement you’ll pursue. What do you need to research?

• Recent studies (no older than 5-10 years) on the topic
• Alike arguments that were made recently
• Arguments against your thesis
• Surveys and stats regarding your essay

Reading alike and counter-arguments will help to shape your vision of the problem. Don’t forget to write out the ideas that you’ll definitely use in your essay and make the reference list of the needed format along the way.  

Outlining

  Having a plan is 50% of work done, they say — and it’s hard to disagree when talking about persuasive writing. Why? Because having a clear and detailed plan of your essay, a) speeds up the process as you see what you need to cover in the paragraph, and b) keeps you focused.   How to make a perfect outline, then?  

1. Choose the type of essay and structure based on it
2. Define the introduction, main body, and conclusion
3. Divide the main part into a few paragraphs
4. 1 idea — 1 paragraph
5. Each of the paragraphs should have its own 3-part structure (thesis sentence, arguments, conclusion)
6. Write a logical conclusion. Note that it shouldn’t contradict your arguments.

Statement

Your thesis must be arguable; it must state a claim or refute a claim about your issue. A thesis must have some chance of being true in order to be debatable. It should not, however, be widely recognized as true; instead, it should be a statement that people can disagree with. It's important to remember that a thesis includes both an observation and an opinion:

observation + opinion (the "why") = thesis

Seeing if your thesis creates a powerful antithesis is an excellent approach to determine how strong it is.

Common thesis pitfalls:

• A thesis in the form of a fragment.
• A thesis that is overly broad.
• A thesis that is phrased as a question. (The thesis is usually derived from the solution to the question.)
• Extraneous information is included in a thesis.
• A thesis that begins with the words "I believe" or "In my opinion."
• A thesis that deals with a tired or cliched topic.
• A thesis that includes phrases that lead to erroneous generalizations (all, none, always, only, everyone, etc.)

Writing

  When you have a detailed outline, you need to fill this ‘skeleton’ with text. Check out these tips to organize the work and do it faster.

• Write short sentences and paragraphs — it will make your essay easy to read
• Keep the vocabulary simple but academic — leave the ‘gottas’ and gonnas’ for your smartphone
• Use linking words and phrases — it will make the text look cohesive and coherent
• Think about the reader — it will help you to achieve your goal
• Edit and proofread it until you like what you read — in this way, you’ll present the best version of your essay
• Use plagiarism and grammar checkers —  it will spot the hard-to-understand parts and typos
• Take breaks between writing — it will help you to spot inconsistencies and mistakes to correct later
• Write with the airplane mode on — it will keep you focused on the process

How to get a good grade for your argumentative essay?

Learning how to write well is a skill — and sometimes we don’t always have time to master it because we need a good argumentative essay written now. What to do? Contact PHDessay for professional writing help for students!

You can find plenty of argumentative essay introduction examples on our website, sample of argumentative essays on any topic and level, and order writing help from professional writers at any time. Check out our website and see how we can help you with your essay today!

Argumentative Essay Topics

Social Media Argumentative Essay Topics

1. How Social Media affects Communication Skills?
2. Is Social Media Making Us Less Social?
3. Nescafe and Social Media
4. Standardisation and Pseudo-Individuation
5. The Three Little Pigs
6. Instagram: Business Details, Marketing Strategies And Analysis
7. Linkedin: Business Details, Marketing Strategies And Analysis
8. Facebook is better than Twitter when it comes to news updates
9. Facebook and the ways it promotes excellent academic performance
10. The effects of Instagram on young adults

Sports Argumentative Essay Topics

1. Sustaining effective staff training in the workplace Argumentative Essay
2. Health problems related to the energy drinks taken by student-athletes
3. Student-Athletes should receive allowances for participating in sports
4. Cheerleading: why it should be part of the Olympics.
5. Allowing fights in hockey
6. Dangers of football to players
7. Is there discrimination against women in sports? If yes, give examples.
8. What role do media play in sports events?
9. Is there any way to prevent injuries in football?
10. Do all athletes experience stress and how to avoid it?

Mental Health Argumentative Essay Topics

1. Is there discrimination against women in sports? If yes, give examples.
2. What role do media play in sports events?
3. Is there any way to prevent injuries in football?
4. Do all athletes experience stress and how to avoid it?
5. Which country in the world has the best mental health? Why?
6. What causes some children to become self-destructive?
7. Identifying the Main Factors Affecting Brain Screenings
8. The Effects of Depression on Psychological Condition
9. The Main Protective Factors in Mental Health
10. Difference Between Anxiety Disorders

Psychology Argumentative Essay Topics

1. Abnormal Psychology Argumentative Essay
2. Psychological Scientific Arguments
3. Why Do Students Procrastinate Their Homework And Essays?
4. How to Positively Influence Your Teachers For Better Relationships
5. The Positive Effects of Standardized Testing And IQ Testing On the Brain
6. How to Get Away With Telling a White Lie
7. An analysis of mental health and the gym
8. The way physical & mental health are interrelated
9. Exercise adherence and an average teenager’s body
10. Assessing future trends in various types of sports

Helpful videos about How to Write an Argumentative Essay

1. How to Write an Argumentative Essay - Planning

2. How to write an argument essay

3. How to Write a Good Argumentative Essay: Logical Structure

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