As university students you are sometimes required to write essays and research papers, and your studies will culminate in writing and defending a bachelor or master thesis. You can be given the topic to write about or you can be encouraged to choose a topic of your own interest. Whatever the case, you need to think about the topic, do some research, and express your position on the topic/ your argument/ thesis statement.

What is an argument / a thesis statement?

• It summarizes the main topic of the essay and expresses your thoughts/opinions on the topic (thus telling the reader what to expect from the rest of the essay)
• It is an interpretation of the subject/topic/question (the topic/question you were assigned or the topic of your choice), not the topic itself
• It is specific (not too broad and vague)
• It is debatable; it makes a claim that others might dispute
• It is usually written at the beginning of the essay, in the introductory paragraph, in the form of thesis sentence or sentences

How you develop an argument/ thesis statement?

You choose the topic, think about it and do research. When you have enough information and knowledge of the topic, you express your opinion on/ interpretation of the topic.

Examples of weak and strong theses statements/ arguments  

from Essay Writing Blog at https://www.kibin.com/essay-writing-blog/thesis-statement-examples/ 

A good thesis is focused and not too broad.

Don’t write:

“Eating fast food is bad and should be avoided.”

Do write:

“Americans should eliminate the regular consumption of fast food because a fast food diet leads to preventable and expensive health issues, such as diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.”

A good thesis is centered on a debatable topic.

Don’t write:

“There are high numbers of homeless people living in Berkeley, California.”

Do write:

“Homeless people in Berkeley should be given access to services—such as regular food donations, public restrooms, and camping facilities—because it would improve life for all inhabitants of the city.”

A good thesis picks a side.

Don’t write:

“Secondhand smoke is bad and can cause heart disease and cancer; therefore, smoking should be outlawed in public places, but outlawing smoking is unfair to smokers so maybe non-smokers can just hold their breath or wear masks around smokers instead.”

Do write:

“Secondhand smoke is just as harmful as smoking and leads to a higher prevalence of cancer and heart disease; therefore, smoking in any public place should be banned.”

(Source: "15 Thesis Statement Examples to Inspire Your Next Argumentative Essay" https://www.kibin.com/essay-writing-blog/thesis-statement-examples/

Writing task 7: developing arguments (6 points)

Peer assessment of writing task 7 (2 points)

If you have submitted the writing task for this session, you can assess someone else’s writing. Please choose a contribution that hasn't been assessed by anyone else yet (if possible). 

Here are the criteria you can take into consideration:

• Does the thesis statement both announce the topic and give the author's opinion on the topic?
• Does it tell the reader what to expect from the essay that should follow?
• Does it make a claim that others might dispute? (If your thesis simply states facts that no one would, or even could, disagree with, it’s possible that you are simply providing a summary, rather than making an argument.)
• Is the thesis statement specific enough?
• Do you have any suggestions on how to improve the thesis statement?

To get points for the feedback, you need to write at least 5 sentences.  

Comments on writing task 7

1) Do not introduce your arguments with phrases in my opinion,  I think, I believe and the like. The arguments express your opinions, however, you will support them with evidence, so they are much stronger than just opinions. By prefacing them with phrases like in my opinion, you suggest you are not so sure about what you claim. If you really want to introduce your arguments, you can do it with a phrase I argue that … 

However, it is enough simply to skip phrases such as in my opinion,  I think, I believe. When you write an argument/ an argumentative essay, whatever your express (and it should be everything that is not referenced) are YOUR OWN ideas.

2) When formulating the argument, you need to take a stance on the topic. When you collect the evidence for your argument, you might consider also possible objections, but this comes only later in the essay. When formulating the argument, however, it should be clear where you stand on the topic:

"Some of the children may prefer to starting school earlier in the morning, but there is a disadvantage of ending later in the afternoon."

Does it mean that children should start school early or late?

“Waking up late and then going to school might seem as a good idea for many students - maybe also for many teachers. Starting classes at about 10 a.m. instead of 8 a.m. would bring better study results, if students arrive to the lesson fresh and ready to work hard. Even though, the shift of timetable would bring also a later endings of the course, and students would be deprived of a big part of their free time.”

Again, does it mean that children should start school early or late?

“I strongly believe that young people, who study for the first time, should have an opportunity to study for free. It is important to encourage young people to be educated and our society needs experts in various fields. On the contrary, students who pay for a college, have higher motivation to finish their studies successfully.”

Here the author's stance is clear, however, it is weakened by the counter-argument. Possible counter-arguments can be mentioned later in the essay and the author should also explain why these counter-argument do not beat the main argument.

You can present both sides of the problem when you write an essay on advantages and disadvantages. When you write an argument (that you can later develop into an argumentative essay), you need to express your position on the topic clearly. 

3) A couple of well-formulated arguments (from Yumi Grace Okereke, Sarah Palet, Veronika Čevelová, Denisa Puršová, Jelena Marjanović, Michaela Žmolová, Dominik Janýška)

Should sexual education be taught in early grades in schools?

Sexual education in schools can help students learn correct information about their future relationships, sexual health, and human development before they grow up and choose unsafe options.

Should grades (assessment) be abolished in elementary schools?

Assessment in elementary schools could affect students to lower their self-esteem or performance because of its feature to give scores to them; therefore, it must be abolished.

Should students be allowed to have phones in elementary schools?

Banning the usage of phones in elementary schools would provide a break from their constant use, increasing the concentration on learning and development of in-class relations with peers.

Should grades (assessment) be abolished in elementary schools?

Society is systemically dependent on the grading system and performances. At first glance, grading appears beneficial as it functions as immediate feedback to quantify students’ abilities while allowing teachers to process them faster. However, our educational system has become so dependent on this immediate feedback that grading systems have become established facts starting in elementary school. Grades should be abolished in elementary schools because they create a fear of failure from a young and delicate age as well as create a limitation that signals the end of the learning process by creating a glass ceiling that students are not able to break through.

 

Should schools start later in the morning?

On average schools start early in the morning. However, with the advent of technology and artificial lights, individuals are sleeping later. Despite this trend, schools have not changed their practices. Schools should start later in the morning for the benefit of students’ health as later start times lead to increased focus, attention, performance and decreased irritability and risk-taking behaviors (Suni, 2021).

Sexual education should be taught in early grades in schools to reduce the number of myths and misinformation about sex and relationships that are spread among young children.

Should students’ textbooks be replaced by notebook computers or tablets?

If we want to save the earth, we should replace school textbooks with notebooks or tablets. By lowering the amount of paper used, we save trees. Our education system needs to be more environmentally friendly, and this is the first step.

 

Should schools start later in the morning?

School should start later in the morning because according to several types of research delaying school by just 30 minutes can have a positive impact. Students who wake up later are less likely to fall asleep in classes, have better academic performance whereas students who lack sleep often suffer from mental health issues, depressive symptoms or tardiness.

 

Grading all learners by the same standarts leads to lower self-esteem, children tend to compare themselves with others and some parents put unwanted pressure on their kids and therefore should not be implemented in elementary schools.