Write an argument paragraph with a clear evidence link
An argumentative paragraph should advance part of the answer, rather than simply introduce a topic you know about.
Make the claim answer the question
An argumentative paragraph should advance part of the answer, rather than simply introduce a topic you know about. Read the question and write a claim whose relevance is explicit. Identify what the paragraph needs to establish and what evidence could support it. The method must fit the subject: literary details, historical sources and economic models contribute in different ways. A universal paragraph formula cannot replace those differences.
Select evidence for its function
Choose a precise detail, result or example that supports the claim. Include enough context for the reader to interpret it. Avoid piling up quotations or facts whose purpose remains unexplained. In your plan, write the connection between each item and the claim. If you cannot explain that connection, the evidence may be attractive but irrelevant. Save references appropriately in coursework and research notes.
Try a History paragraph
Imagine arguing that an immediate political decision intensified an existing conflict. Evidence about the decision's timing and actors' responses could support the mechanism. Analysis must explain how those responses contributed to escalation. A qualification might recognize that long-term tensions made escalation possible. This paragraph distinguishes trigger from background conditions and reaches a bounded claim, rather than listing dates and concluding that everything was important.
Include a meaningful qualification
Where the question requires evaluation, examine a limitation, counterexample or competing interpretation that affects the claim. Explain whether it changes confidence, scope or the causal account. Avoid a ritual sentence stating that there are other factors. Choose the factor that matters and show its relationship to the evidence. The paragraph should leave the answer more precise than it was at the opening.
Check the paragraph’s movement
Read only the claim, reasoning and final judgment. Check that they form a connected response to the question. Then inspect how the evidence supports the reasoning. Remove repetitions and strengthen the first unsupported link. If a paragraph contains several unrelated claims, narrow or divide it. A useful paragraph gives the reader a clear route from a question-relevant claim through evidence and explanation to a proportionate conclusion.
Try the remove-the-evidence test
Temporarily remove the paragraph’s evidence and read the remaining argument. Identify the exact claim that has lost support. Then replace the evidence and explain how it restores that support. If nothing changes, the evidence may be decorative or the analytical link may be missing. Next, substitute a relevant counterexample and decide how the claim should narrow. This test examines the relationship between claim and evidence rather than the appearance of a paragraph formula.
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Official references
This is an original practical guide from IBvia. The examples are illustrative; your subject guide, assessment year and school instructions determine the requirements.
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