Argument Essay Helpful points

intended for helpful ideas in order to write a successful argument paper.

Standards for a 5 on AP writing portion

taken from AP Central

Key to Success 

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 * most important: see that the prompt identifies a task to be performed.
 * recognized key words in the prompt and were able to determine the task

Claim and Argument 


 * The word "claim" in the prompt = argumentative form.
 * understand what an argument is and know how to construct one.

 Support, Refute, or Qualify 


 * need to have practiced these forms of argument during the term. (Some students misunderstood "qualify"; for example, "Sontag is not qualified to talk about photography.")
 * take a position(choose a side) even if a qualified one, ( essential.)

Evidence and Develop


 * what constitutes(combines to form a whole) evidence, & the difference between evidence and example.
 * Even "develop" conveyed important signals -- their argument needed to move forward; they couldn't just make one little point and assume they were developing it by adding six redundant illustrations.

Common Problems Problems that prevented students from earning a high score on Question Three included:
 * Not taking a clear position or wavering between positions
 * Substituting a thesis-oriented expository essay for an argumentative essay
 * Being reluctant to engage in verbal combat because "everyone's entitled to his or her own opinion," so there's nothing to argue about
 * Slipping out of focus by discussing imagery in general
 * Trying to argue about photography by using evidence drawn from a literary reading list (for example, Othello, The Scarlet Letter) and sliding off topic into the theme of appearance and reality
 * Lacking clear connections between claims and the data, and the warrants needed to support them
 * Trying to analyze Sontag's rhetorical strategies or her style instead of arguing a point

Transition Words
http://www.smart-words.org/transition-words.html