Building an argument that holds
A persuasive piece is not a list of opinions. It is a chain: claim, evidence, explanation, and an honest answer to the strongest objection.
Part of your national curriculum
- Writing: Write for a wide range of purposes and audiences, selecting and organising ideas and information appropriately
- Writing: Amend the vocabulary, grammar and structure of their writing to improve its coherence and overall effectiveness
- Spoken English: Give short speeches and presentations, expressing their own ideas and keeping to the point
Lesson overview
What you'll learn in this lesson
Structure an argument with clear reasoning
Key learning points
- • Claim, evidence, explanation
- • Handling the counter-argument
This lesson at a glance
- 25 minutes
- 12 parts to scroll through
- 3 quick checks
- Marked quiz at the end
- Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses
Words to know
Scroll down — the lesson carries on below
Watch & discover
Part 1 of 12
Watch first
Building an argument that holds
An English teaching video on this topic from Learn on the Go . Watch it, then scroll down for the lesson.
In a nutshell
Structure an argument with clear reasoning
Explore the idea
Part 2 of 12
Learn
Claim, evidence, explanation
State the point, support it with something checkable, then explain why that evidence proves the point. Missing the explanation is the most common mark-loser.
Explore the idea
Part 3 of 12
Learn
Handling the counter-argument
Name the strongest opposing point fairly, then show why your position still stands. This makes you sound more credible, not less.
Explore the idea
Part 4 of 12
Worked example
Worked example — should zoos still exist?
Claim: modern zoos earn their place through conservation. Evidence: captive breeding programmes have returned species such as the Arabian oryx to the wild. Explanation: without those populations there would have been nothing to reintroduce. Counter: enclosures cannot replicate wild ranges — true for large roaming species, which is why the best zoos now specialise.
Reset break
Part 5 of 12
Pause
That's sitting 1 of 2 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Quick check
Part 6 of 12
Quick check
The strongest structure for a paragraph is…
Quick check
Part 7 of 12
Quick check
Naming a counter-argument makes writing…
Quick check
Part 8 of 12
Quick check
Which is evidence rather than assertion?
Challenge round
Part 9 of 12
Game · Sort it
Which of these are true?
Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.
True
Not true
Challenge round
Part 10 of 12
Game · Fill the gaps
Finish the sentences
Choose the word that belongs in each gap.
State the point, support it with something checkable, then explain why that ____ proves the point.
Missing the ____ is the most common mark-loser.
Mastery quiz
Part 11 of 12
Marked quiz
End of lesson quiz: Building an argument that holds
3 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.
1. The strongest structure for a paragraph is…
2. Naming a counter-argument makes writing…
3. Which is evidence rather than assertion?
Lesson round-up
Part 12 of 12
Lesson round-up
Ready when you are
Quiz score
Not sat
Games
Not played
Points this lesson
0
Best run
0 in a row
Luna: 0 out of 3 on the practice checks. Only if you feel up to it — one more?
Ask LunaDo the work
Your written work for this lesson
This is the part you'd do in your book at school. Pick the pieces below, write here or on paper, and photograph anything you draw or work out.
The last bus
The bus shelter smelled of wet coats. Mira pressed her timetable flat against the glass, as though staring at the numbers might make the 9:42 appear. Rain tapped the roof in small, impatient fingers. Somewhere behind her, a shop shutter came down with a sound like a full stop.
She had been brave all day. She had been brave in the corridor, brave at lunch, brave when the register reached her name and nobody looked up. Being brave, she decided, was mostly a matter of keeping your face still.
Headlights swung around the corner and lit the puddles gold. Mira picked up her bag. Tomorrow she would say something. Tonight she would simply go home.
Original extract written for Good Learning Co.
Reading questions
- Find two words or phrases that show how Mira is feeling, and explain what each one suggests.
- How does the writer use the weather and the sounds to build the mood? Use a short quotation.
- Write the next paragraph in the same style, keeping the writer's short sentences at the moments that matter.
Reading response
ReadingRead the extract again, then write about how the writer makes you feel that way. Use a short quotation and explain your choice of words.
2 paragraphs (PEE)
Extended writing
WritingWrite your piece in full, then redraft the opening so it hooks the reader.
250–350 words
Reading log
ReadingNote the book, the pages you read and one thing you noticed about the writing.
20 minutes' reading
Saved as you type.
Part 1 of 12 · Watch & discover
How this is going
- Not looked at yet
Write for a wide range of purposes and audiences, selecting and organising ideas and information appropriately
- Not looked at yet
Amend the vocabulary, grammar and structure of their writing to improve its coherence and overall effectiveness
- Not looked at yet
Give short speeches and presentations, expressing their own ideas and keeping to the point