Discursive essay

A discursive essay thoroughly investigates an argument by offering two opposing perspectives.

It's a practical method of establishing the writer's opinion on a topic and persuading one's stance
by exploring the reasons why each view may or may not be valid. The author usually maintains a
calm and neutral stance throughout the text to establish an unbiased and informative argument.
1. Define your topic
Before you begin your essay you need to define what the topic is. Discursive essay topics can be
about anything, but they are primarily used to argue ideas about controversial topics such as gun
control or abortion. You should decide at this point which side you are supporting.
2. Outline
The foundation of any well structured essay is an outline. A discursive essay should have:

 Introduction: The Introduction clearly states the topic and explains why it is important.
 Body: The Body contains the arguments and logic for both sides.
 Conclusion: The Conclusion is where you establish your personal stance on the argument
and explain why. Here you explain why it is difficult to establish a solid stance on the
topic.

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3. Write 4-6 different points to include in body
"Discursive writing does not argue for or against a point throughout the essay".
Knowing in advance which points you will discuss will help during the actual writing process.
Make sure that each point has a counterargument. For example, if you have 3 points for one side,
you should have 3 points against it to balance it out. This ensures your argument is unbiased as
well as thorough.
Hint: Try to choose strong and valid points that would be difficult to argue against. This makes it
more exciting and informative to the reader when you DO introduce its counter-argument.
The points should descend in order from strongest argument to least supportive argument.
Alternate back and forth between each perspective to illustrate the argument. Think of it like a
"ping-pong" match. The body of the outline should appear as follows:
Body:
-Point A)
-Point B)
-Point A)
-Point B)
-etc..
Each individual argument is a paragraph. The amount of paragraphs is up to your discretion, but
if this is for a class there should be at least 4.
4. Fill in the content

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Now that you've fully outlined your essay, it's time to flesh it out. Establish credibility by citing
valid sources. Don't believe everything you read. Look for scientific studies or valid statistics.
Hard facts enrich any argument.
Your tone should be neutral throughout the body, giving each point its turn to truly speak. Try to
be as thorough and unbiased as possible.
5. Write a conclusion
In the last paragraph you will wrap up the argument by stating your personal stance on the issue.
Try to explain why you feel the way you do, and if you don't actually have an opinion, try to
define as to why that is. Mention again why the issue is important and should be evaluated
further.
Tips:

 Stay in formal third person perspective throughout the body.

 Before you begin writing, you should create a "spider-diagram", or "mind-map" to help
clearly relate your points.
 When writing the separate arguments, try to pretend as though a person from that specific
viewpoint "has the floor". Pretend as though you are trying to convince another person of
that viewpoint, even if you don't necessarily agree with it. Make sure to keep a third
person writing style, though.
 Well, it’s time to talk about the structure of a discursive essay. Like the most of
assignments, a discursive paper starts with an introduction and ends with a conclusion:
 1. Introduction
 The first question you may ask is how to start a discursive essay introduction. Simple!
Give your readers a hook – something that would sound interesting to them. Provide the
short explanation of the problem. You may use quotations, as well as rhetorical questions.
Show your readers both sides of the arguments and sum up.
 You may be wondering…
 Is there something I should avoid in my discursive essay introduction?
 Yes. No stereotypes and generalizations, please!

2. Main body

The next step under formal essay writing you should take is to compose the body. There are few
points you should remember:

 First and foremost: stay unprejudiced and assess all of the aspects of an issue. Leave your
feelings for the conclusion.
 Second: build your argumentation. If you have few arguments for your viewpoint –
provide them in separate paragraphs. This will help you to keep your essay
comprehensible and distinct. Don’t forget to submit supporting evidence.
 Third: write the body of an essay in an alternate manner. What does it mean? If your first
paragraph supports the paper’s argument, then in second paragraph you should write
something in the opposite of it. Such combination of supporting and opposite paragraphs
will make your essay look apparent, and well researched.

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  Fourth: The paragraph structure should include the topic sentence and evidence. Write a
summary of the argument at the beginning of the paragraph. It will allow the reader to
easier understand what the paragraph is about.
 3. Conclusion
 Well, you’ve almost finished your writing. Now you should focus on the last section.
Keep reading, and you will learn how to write a conclusion for a discursive essay.
 The last section involves the summary of the main points, specified in the body
paragraphs. You may also logically express your opinion. Remember: it should resonate
with your evidence stated in the body paragraphs. Don’t repeat findings, just summarize
them.
 What else?
 Keep it short. Your conclusion length should not exceed one paragraph.

Do you want more discursive essay writing tips? Fine! Just check them below:

1. Basic do’s of a discursive essay:

 Write in formal, impersonal style.

 Introduce each point in a separate paragraph
 Use topic sentences for each paragraph
 Write well-developed paragraphs
 Give reasons and examples for each point
 Use sequencing
 Use linking words and phrases
 Make references to other sources and make sure that you follow proper citation style
 Identify used sources

2. Basic don’ts of a discursive essay:

 Don’t use short forms, like I’ll, don’t, they’ve

 Don’t use informal/colloquial language, for example: old as the hills, ain’t, gonna, etc.
 Don’t use very emotional language, since it might make your discursive article look
prejudiced
 Don’t use over-generalizations. The extending the features of some elements from a group
more than it is reasonable will lead to generous and inaccurate conclusions.
 Don’t express your personal opinion too insistently
 Don’t refer to statistics without proper referencing (check our citation guides here)
 Don’t use personal examples, leave it for a personal experience essay

Well, now you know what does discursive essay mean, what are its main types and how to
structure it.

Let’s summarize three main discursive essay writing tips:

1. Keep neutrality. Present the essay topic with two opposite points of view.
2. Select sources. Look through various sources and form your attitude to the issue. Don’t
forget about proper citation!

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 3. Provide your opinion in conclusion. End up your essay after both sides of the topic are
described in body paragraphs.

Good luck with your discussions and discursive essays! Be sure to check out the articles on our
blog for more academic wisdom. By the way, on Custom Writing website you may find
best essay topics for your academic writing.

Structure
A basic structure employed when planning a discursive essay could include:

 an interesting introduction
 a clear indication of your position in relation to the topic
 your first argument, with supporting evidence
 your second argument, with supporting evidence, and so on (the number of paragraphs like
this will depend on the number of arguments you can offer)
 a conclusion, in which you reiterate your position
The timeline below shows a basic structure.
Introductions
The opening of an essay is important. It should capture the reader's attention and avoid being
bland or dull. The reader should be interested and keen to read on.

Some examples of different styles that could be used in an introduction are:

 provocative
 balanced
 quotation
 illustrative
 anecdotal
An example of a provocative introduction is - "It is difficult to see how anyone can approve of
fox hunting."

An example of a balanced introduction is - "Fox hunting is a subject about which people hold
strongly contrasting views."

An example of a quotation introduction is - "Oscar Wilde once described fox hunting as 'The
unspeakable in pursuit of the uneatable."

An example of a illustrative introduction is - "On a glorious autumn morning a terrified,

exhausted animal is savaged to death by a pack of baying dogs while a group of expensively
dressed humans encourage the dogs in their bloody work."

An example of an anecdotal introduction is - "I have always detested fox hunting since I was
almost physically sick while watching a television film of the kill at the end of a hunt."
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Linking ideas
There will be a number of arguments in a piece of discursive writing. Using linking words
effectively can help you achieve this.

These words are usually used at the beginning of a new paragraph, but they can also be used to
link ideas within a paragraph.

Type of link Example

furthermore, likewise, in addition, similarly, also, moreover -

Same line of
numbering your points (‘firstly’, ‘secondly’, etc) is a rather
thought
mechanical method of linking and is best avoided

Conclusion or thus, therefore, consequently, accordingly, in retrospect, hence, in

summary conclusion, in brief, as a result

Definite
without question, without doubt, unquestionably, absolutely
statement

Contrasting yet, on the other hand, nevertheless, however, although,

idea conversely, otherwise, on the contrary

Further because, for instance, since, for example, so that, despite the fact
examples that, accordingly, although, if, though, unless

Tone
It is important to write formally in a discursive essay. This means you should write in complete
sentences, using full words and expressions and standard English. Contractions should be
avoided. For example, 'is not' should be used instead of 'isn't'.

It is advisable to try and avoid expressions like 'a lot' or 'lots of'. More formal expressions such
as 'many', 'much', 'a number of', or 'numerous' are more suitable for discursive writing.

Do Do not use

Write in proper, complete sentences Abbreviations (ie/eg/etc/UK)

Use complete words and expressions Contractions (isn't/don't/won't)

Use proper, standard English Slang (bloke/geezer etc)

Colloquial language (mate/bolshy etc)

How Do I Write A Good Discursive Essay?

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A discursive essay provides a critical analysis of a controversial topic that supports an opinion
about that topic. The writer of a discursive essay attempts to present both sides of an issue, while
showing why one side has greater merit. Therefore, this type of essay resembles an
argumentative essay. Discursive writing is a good way to learn how to structure an argument
logically and to anticipate and counter the arguments of the other side. The following are
guidelines recommended by iwriteessays.com on how to write a good discursive essay.
How To Write A Discursive Essay Introduction
The writer introduces the topic to the audience by giving a background about the situation.
Present your topic in such a way that it raises a motion from the beginning. Your topic should be
able to raise a discussion.
List The Arguments ‘For’
If you support the motion created by your topic, start with the arguments ‘for’. In this paragraph,
express the attitudes and reasons to support this point of view. It will also be necessary to
provide examples and facts to back your arguments.
List The Arguments Against
Express attitudes and reasons to support why you might be against this point of view. Again,
here give examples and facts that act as evidences of your arguments.
How To Write A Conclusion For A Discursive Essay
The concluding paragraph should be an account of the writer’s personal opinion. You can start
with the words….in my opinion or overall I believe that.
Other Important Elements Include:
1. Style
For a discursive essay, the writer has to list the main arguments for both the proposing and
opposing sides. It is only in the conclusion that the writer is at liberty to declare his own point of
view.
2. List Arguments
This is done through using words such as ‘feel that’ to express a point. Formal linkers like
moreover, furthermore also find important use while emphasizing a point.
3. Give Reasons, Examples, And Facts
Reasons help in justifying the statements a writer gives in his arguments. Examples are useful to
the reader as they emphasize on the validity of the arguments. Facts on the other hand help the
writer in establishing a final stand in any of the argument he/she has taken to support.
4. Checking
Use the outline and guideline provide above to check whether your essay fits to be a discursive
essay. The important points to consider include the layout, linking and the style. Finally check
for any grammar and spelling mistakes to ensure you come up with an incredible paper.