How To Write an Argumentative Essay (With Example)

Key Takeaways

A strong argumentative essay uses credible evidence, logical reasoning, and counterarguments to create a well-rounded paper.
Before you start writing your argumentative essay, you’ll need to do thorough research and create an outline that details how you’ll support your main topic.
To help you prepare for writing your next essay, read the example below and then take a look at what works well along with improvements that could be made.

At some point, your teacher will ask you to defend your opinion on a topic by writing an argumentative essay. These are some of the most common essays you’ll write, so it’s important to know how to choose a strong topic and present a persuasive argument. Need some inspiration? In this guide, we’ll break down the basics of argumentative essays and provide examples to help you understand what makes them effective.

What Is an Argumentative Essay?

As the name would suggest, an argumentative essay argues a case for a specific topic by relying on evidence and facts to support the argument. Unlike persuasive essays, which lean on personal thoughts and opinions, argumentative essays require you to back up your claims with credible sources and logical reasoning. For instance, simply stating, “Disney World is a great vacation spot for families,” isn’t enough. You need to support the statement with factual evidence—giving data on their family-friendly attractions, ticket pricing, and amenities—to make it a convincing argument.

What Makes a Strong Argument?

The elements of a strong argument are based on evidence, logical reasoning, and counterarguments.

Evidence: Using reliable data, statistics, studies, or expert opinions to claim credibility.
Logical Reasoning: Presenting your points in a clear and structured way that makes sense.
Counterarguments: Addressing opposing viewpoints to strengthen your essay and show you’ve considered multiple sides.

Argumentative Essay Topics

Here are some popular argumentative essay topics you could choose to write on:

Does technology make us more alone?
Are digital photographs too plentiful to be meaningful?
Should guns be permitted on college campuses?
Should we ban aggressive contact sports like boxing and MMA?
Do participation trophies foster entitlement and unrealistic expectations?
Is the school day too short?
Should the school day start later?
Should the government fund public universities to make higher education more accessible to low-income students?

How To Start an Argumentative Essay

If you want your argumentative essay to flow and make sense, you’ve got to start with an outline. This will help you stay on topic and achieve what you set out to do: prove your argument. Once you’ve chosen a strong, debatable topic, do some research. This will ensure your argument has depth and give you a few strong reasons that you can use to argue your topic. Trust us, having an outline will save you from going off on random tangents and make the writing process way easier.

The Argumentative Essay Structure

Your essay might end up being longer than the standard “five-paragraph format”, but this basic structure is the blueprint you’ll follow: an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Hook/Introduction

As with all great papers and stories, you’ll need to start with a hook. The idea is that if you are going to convince the reader that your argument is true, you need to be, well—convincing. Grab their attention from the beginning. Your introduction should entice them to keep reading the rest of the essay. Your thesis will come at the end of your introduction to explain what the paper will discuss.

Body Paragraphs (Minimum of Three)

After the introduction, your body paragraphs will do the heavy lifting to support your thesis statement. This is where you lay out your strongest points, backing them up with evidence, and also where you explore the strengths and weaknesses of your argument.

Each body paragraph should dig into one main point with extreme detail. You will also need to round out your essay by addressing the opposing argument. Why? Because acknowledging the other side (and then totally dismantling it) shows you’ve done your homework and makes your argument even stronger. Think of it like a debate—you win by showing you’ve thought of the better answers to everything.

Conclusion

These are your final words to convince the reader to take your side. You’ll need to rephrase your thesis statement and summarize all the key points you made throughout your essay. Your last sentence is your chance to leave them with a lasting impression—so make it count!

Argumentative Essay Example

Let’s look at an argumentative essay example and then an analysis of what works and what could be improved (Example of argumentative essay for ELC 501, 2021-2022).:

As college sports continue to be hugely popular and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) brings in large amounts of revenue, people have revived the debate on whether college athletes should get paid.

There are many ways payments could work. They could be in the form of a free-market approach, where athletes are able to earn whatever the market is willing to pay them, it could be a set amount of money per athlete, or student athletes could earn income from endorsements, autographs, and control of their likeness, similar to the way top Olympians earn money.

Proponents of the idea believe that, because college athletes are the ones who are training, participating in games, and bringing in audiences, they should receive some sort of compensation for their work. If there were no college athletes, the NCAA wouldn’t exist, college coaches wouldn’t receive there (sometimes very high) salaries, and brands like Nike couldn’t profit from college sports. In fact, the NCAA brings in roughly $1 billion in revenue a year, but college athletes don’t receive any of that money in the form of a paycheck. Additionally, people who believe college athletes should be paid state that paying college athletes will actually encourage them to remain in college longer and not turn pro as quickly, either by giving them a way to begin earning money in college or requiring them to sign a contract stating they’ll stay at the university for a certain number of years while making an agreed-upon salary.

Supporters of this idea point to Zion Williamson, the Duke basketball superstar, who, during his freshman year, sustained a serious knee injury. Many argued that, even if he enjoyed playing for Duke, it wasn’t worth risking another injury and ending his professional career before it even began for a program that wasn’t paying him. Williamson seems to have agreed with them and declared his eligibility for the NCAA draft later that year. If he was being paid, he may have stayed at Duke longer. In fact, roughly a third of student athletes surveyed stated that receiving a salary while in college would make them “strongly consider” remaining collegiate athletes longer before turning pro.

Paying athletes could also stop the recruitment scandals that have plagued the NCAA. In 2018, the NCAA stripped the University of Louisville’s men’s basketball team of its 2013 national championship title because it was discovered coaches were using sex workers to entice recruits to join the team. There have been dozens of other recruitment scandals where college athletes and recruits have been bribed with anything from having their grades changed, to getting free cars, to being straight out bribed. By paying college athletes and putting their salaries out in the open, the NCAA could end the illegal and underhanded ways some schools and coaches try to entice athletes to join.

People who argue against the idea of paying college athletes believe the practice could be disastrous for college sports. By paying athletes, they argue, they’d turn college sports into a bidding war, where only the richest schools could afford top athletes, and the majority of schools would be shut out from developing a talented team (though some argue this already happens because the best players often go to the most established college sports programs, who typically pay their coaches millions of dollars per year). It could also ruin the tight camaraderie of many college teams if players become jealous that certain teammates are making more money than they are.

They also argue that paying college athletes actually means only a small fraction would make significant money. Out of the 350 Division I athletic departments, fewer than a dozen earn any money. Nearly all the money the NCAA makes comes from men’s football and basketball, so paying college athletes would make a small group of men–who likely will be signed to pro teams and begin making millions immediately out of college–rich at the expense of other players.

Those against paying college athletes also believe that the athletes are receiving enough benefits already. The top athletes already receive scholarships that are worth tens of thousands per year, they receive free food/housing/textbooks, have access to top medical care if they are injured, receive top coaching, get travel perks, and free gear, and can use their time in college as a way to capture the attention of professional recruiters. No other college students receive anywhere near as much from their schools.

People on this side also point out that, while the NCAA brings in a massive amount of money each year, it is still a non-profit organization. How? Because over 95% of those profits are redistributed to its members’ institutions in the form of scholarships, grants, conferences, support for Division II and Division III teams, and educational programs. Taking away a significant part of that revenue would hurt smaller programs that rely on that money to keep running.

While both sides have good points, it’s clear that the negatives of paying college athletes far outweigh the positives. College athletes spend a significant amount of time and energy playing for their school, but they are compensated for it by the scholarships and perks they receive. Adding a salary to that would result in a college athletic system where only a small handful of athletes (those likely to become millionaires in the professional leagues) are paid by a handful of schools who enter bidding wars to recruit them, while the majority of student athletics and college athletic programs suffer or even shut down for lack of money. Continuing to offer the current level of benefits to student athletes makes it possible for as many people to benefit from and enjoy college sports as possible.

Here’s What Works:

The essay starts with a clear topic of paying college athletes and sets the stage for discussion.
The essay presents both sides of the argument: the benefits of paying athletes and the drawbacks.
Real-life examples have been included, like Zion Williamson’s injury and the 2013 University of Louisville scandal.
The conclusion takes a clear stance (that the negatives outweigh the positives) and summarizes the key points mentioned throughout the essay.

Here’s What Could Be Improved:

The paragraphs are well-organized, but the topic sentences of the body paragraphs could be more direct. For example, instead of starting with “Supporters of this idea point to Zion Williamson,” it could say, “Supporters argue that paying athletes could prevent injuries from pushing players to leave college early.”
Transition words or phrases could be added to improve flow. For example: “On the other hand,” or “However,” (with commas included).
The conclusion could have had a more impactful ending. For example, “Is it worth risking the future of college sports to pay a small handful of athletes, or should we focus on preserving a system that benefits the most players possible?”

Tips for Writing a Great Argumentative Essay

The difference between good and great comes down to following a few important tips.

Have a Clear Thesis: Don’t hide the main argument from your readers. Tell them exactly what you are going to be debating throughout your paper.
Research Thoroughly: The last place you want to end up is in the middle of writing your paper and realizing you have no evidence left to back up your argument. Do your research in advance and you will thank yourself later.
Use Evidence: Once you’ve done all that research, use it! For every point you make, you need to have facts and data to back it up. That is what is going to make your paper convincing.
Show Why the Other Side Is Weak: Don’t ignore the other side of your argument. The best argumentative essays show their readers exactly why they shouldn’t believe the opposing side. This will make your paper well-rounded and that much more effective.

An argumentative essay uses facts and evidence to support your argument, but it helps if you believe in what you’re writing about, too. This will make it that much more powerful. By reading argumentative essay examples, you can learn how to better structure and write your own. Just remember to do your research, make your thesis clear, and back up your claims. Happy writing!

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Works Cited: Example of argumentative essay for ELC 501. (2021-2022). Studocu