Enhance Academic

Argument Analysis

Jessica Smith’s best single piece of advice for success

To get great marks for Argument Analysis, you need to keep the focus on the writer and keep the focus on the reader’s intended reaction to what the writer is doing. Students whose sentences always start like this: The writer begins by…’; ‘She includes…’; ‘The writer explains that…’; ‘He continues…’; ‘The writer describes…’, will get as little as 3 out of 10 for their Argument Analysis essay on the exam. That is how important it is to lead with intended effect wording in just about every sentence that you write. You should be framing your discussion in terms of the intended effect on the reader just about all the time – it is your main objective!

Here is an example that may shock you. This is a response to the Argument Analysis section of the 2022 VCE English exam. Click below for a copy of the exam material. Go to pages 11-13.

Speaking from her experience, Janelle adds validity to her claims. She establishes that the Nature and Adventure group will ‘send in digging machinery’ that would destroy a great deal of the natural environment so as to just build a footpath and bike paths. Janelle is commenting on the harm that developers would cause by stating that inevitably, one ‘careless tourist’ will go stomping on ‘a delicate fern’. Continuing on, she states that this will only attract walkers, cyclists and traffic which would create an impetus for further development. Janelle outlines that there will also be shops, parking lots and an amusement park. She hopes to warn listeners not to fall for the alluring words of developers without giving them more thought.

What we have here is a student with an overly large focus on what the writer is doing as they seek to analyse the material for its persuasive affect. There is no discussion of intended effect here and if this piece of writing reflects the quality of the student’s whole essay, it probably wouldn’t get more than 3 out of 10 – a disastrous outcome for any VCE English student.

It is a great tragedy that many students in Victoria analyse in a way that is not much better than this. However, it is actually fairly easy to turn around one’s analytical style to get great marks, even though many just don’t seem to know how.

Have a read of this:

Janelle highlights that the Nature and Adventure group will ‘send in digging machinery’ that would ‘desecrate the home of fragile species', so as to create a sense of fear in the mind of her listeners because what the developers are planning on doing will wreak such havoc on the local environment; on animals who are only barely able to maintain their status in the wetlands as it is, that her listeners will surely be quite disturbed at this moral tragedy. Janelle’s comments on the harm that developers would cause by stating that, inevitably, one ‘careless tourist’ will go stomping on ‘a delicate fern’, is intended to make her listeners grieve for these actions of the developers which will allow inconsiderate outsiders to come traipsing in and wreck their local environment, which they truly value, and would surely not like to see completely wrecked for a little piece of ephemeral enjoyment.

Can you see the differences between the first and second versions? If you can see this, then you understand everything that you need to know about getting great marks for Argument Analysis. You may not have the word ‘ephemeral’ in your vocabulary but I hope that you get the idea that putting yourself in a position to write about what the reader’s reaction is likely to be, in response to what the writer is doing, is everything that Argument Analysis is about.

Another tragedy with the writing of many students is the over-focus on particular language techniques.

For examples of this, plus a complete explanation of how to do extremely well for Argument Analysis, please go to the Enhance Shop on this website and buy Jessica Smith’s Argument Analysis study guide.

Framing your discussion in terms of the intended effect on the reader just about all the time is your main objective

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