8 Tips on Choosing Captivating Argumentative Essay Topics

Published: 1 year ago

8 Tips on Choosing Captivating Argumentative Essay Topics

Remember George Orwell, the author of The Animal Farm? He ones compared good writing to a window pane and I take this to mean clear and effective writing.

It is safe to say every college essay you might be required to write is argumentative since it requires you to convince your reader of something.

College students will be tasked to write argumentative essays ranging between 800 and 1000 words in a wide array of topics mostly to hone critical thinking and research skills.

College essay writers help students articulate this prowess and engage the readers with exciting and compelling essays.

What is an argumentative essay and what is its purpose?

Argumentative writing is an essay form intended to convince a reader to accept the writer's argument or adopt certain actions.

The defining element of argumentative essays is the use of logic, facts, and supported statistics as evidence to prove the validity of the writer’s position.

Besides mastering communication through writing, argumentative essays are meant to teach students to anticipate objections and make logical counterarguments.

Writers of argumentative college essay’s purpose is to persuade their readers and steer them to their desired position. These essays prepare students to be assertive about their points of view especially on controversial topics.

The Role of College Essay Writers

College essay writers are professional and seasoned writers who guide college students and help them navigate the treacherous college essay-writing jungle.

These qualified educators are writing mentors who provide college students with expert insight toward developing writing skills.

College essay writers tailor their support into personalized guides for writing winning essays. They engage students in brainstorming sessions for idea generations, structure essays with them, and fine-tune their arguments.

Experienced college essay writers are the last line of defense in developing college students’ writing abilities, critical thinking skills, and ultimately professional success.

Choosing a Captivating Argumentative Essay Topic

In some cases, the professor will provide you with essay topics. In most cases, however, you will be at liberty to give a captivating topic to your argumentative essay.

Before I show you who the best college essay writer to have in your court is, here are some tips on how to choose a winning argumentative essay topic.

1. Relevance: Choosing a topic has to be guided by current affairs and kept relevant to the audience. You need to tailor the subject matter being discussed in a way that directly triggers your audience for better engagement.


2. Controversy: Every reader is likely to have a unique take on a controversial topic. Picking such a topic therefore guarantees your essay is open to debate from the varying viewpoints of your readers.


3. Narrow It Down: articulating the topic to a narrow focus leaves the readers at liberty to broaden their exploration of counterarguments. Overly broad topics do not leave room for in-depth discussions and this might put off your audience.


4. Passion and Knowledge: Every college essay writer has mastered the art of letting their enthusiasm for a topic stand out in their writing. Selecting a topic that you are openly passionate about will make it easy to engage your readers. You will already have existing knowledge on the topic to make your arguments.


5. Research Opportunities: An argumentative essay is dependent on supporting evidence to make your point. While picking a topic, you must compile a list of credible sources that are relevant to your study.


6. Personal Connection: You already picked a topic you are passionate about. Incorporating personal anecdotes and insights is a great way to make your essay more relatable. Your essay becomes more relatable and also more engaging.


7. Fresh Perspective: We already agreed to go with a controversial topic but we need to engage the reader. To cut through both of these, present a viewpoint that will prove your uniqueness with an angle and perspective that your audience has not heard before.


8. Test the Waters: peers and professional college essay writers will give you incredible insight and feedback regarding your thesis statement. They can help you estimate the engagement your essay is likely to cause.

Structure of an Argumentative Essay

Most essay writers understand that college essays typically take the structure of an introductory paragraph, the body, and a conclusion and this is no different.

1. Introduction

 The onset of your argumentative essay should be an attention-seeking hook like a famous quote, a thought-provoking question, or a surprising fact that is relevant to the argument you intend to discuss and grabs the reader's attention.

It should then be followed by some background information on the argument to give your readers the context of the essay.

Finally, the last part of the introduction should be a thesis Statement. This is a one-sentence summary of the main point and claim in the argumentative essay.  

The thesis statement is the beacon of an argumentative essay. Developing a clear and concise thesis statement ensures your argumentative essay remains on the radar.

In addition to being a roadmap for writing the argumentative essay, it engages and guides your readers towards your declaration. It anchors the entire essay, making it an important component of successful argumentative essay writing.

The significance of a clear and concise thesis statement in an argumentative essay

You want the linchpin of your essay to be concise and very clear so that the college essay writer can steer your audience in the right direction easily.

The thesis statement of an argumentative essay is the declaration of your stand and the foundation of the essay. Here are some more contributions of a thesis statement to your argumentative essay:

1. Focus and Direction: A thesis statement is a declaration of the direction the essay will take and therefore helps the college essay writer to remain objective and write a clear essay. Following it maintains the organization and coherence of the essay.


2. Reader's Expectations: a strong thesis statement will stipulate to the reader the central argument that the essay will present. The readers get a clear understanding of the argument the essay will be presenting.


3. Argumentative Strength: Before the reader can go far into your essay, the thesis statement will hint to them about your motives and evidence that support your declaration. This sets the stage for a compelling and persuasive essay.


4. Debate and Discussion: The statement articulates a specific debatable declaration sparking discussion in the reader’s mind and encouraging them to explore your argument further into the essay.


5. Ease of Writing: As aforementioned, a thesis statement declares the general direction the essay will take making the writing process very smooth. It also ensures the college essay writer stays on course with their argument to make the desired appeal.


6. Revision Guide: The statement is the true north of the essay. It becomes the reference point during proofreading and editing of the final copy to align each section with the overall argument.


7. Overall Impact: The authority and declaration of your stand on the argumentative essay could leave a permanent impression on the readers. If worded and stated well, it lingers in the mind of the reader long after they've finished reading the argumentative essay.

Examples of argumentative essay thesis statements:

Thesis Statement 1 (On Climate Change):

"Human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation, are the primary drivers of global climate change.

Urgent measures must be taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and transition to sustainable energy sources to mitigate the catastrophic impacts of climate change on our planet."

Thesis Statement 2 (On Education):

"Standardized testing, while initially designed to assess student proficiency, has become an obstacle to genuine learning and personal development in our educational system. Reforms in assessment methods are necessary to ensure that students are evaluated holistically, fostering creativity, critical thinking, and a deeper understanding of the subjects they study."

2. Body

The body is a combination of all paragraphs that discuss your points on the argumentative essay. Each of these paragraphs should start with a topic sentence stating the main idea or point to be discussed in that paragraph.

In the subsequent sentences, the topic sentence should be followed by statistics, quotes, or other forms of evidence that help you to make your case. The significance of each piece of evidence should be explained here.

What will demonstrate that this is an argumentative essay is that you will acknowledge and address opposing arguments by refuting them with strong evidence and reasoning.

The body of an argumentative essay is marked with clear and smooth transitioning from one idea or paragraph to the next using transition words and phrases.

Finally, ensure the paragraphs are organized in a logical sequence where every paragraph builds upon the preceding one.

50 Examples of Transition words and phrases for Argumentative Essays

Transition words and phrases are essential for connecting ideas, sentences, and paragraphs, ensuring the smooth flow of your writing. Here are some examples of transition words and phrases:

For adding information:

Furthermore; Moreover; Additionally; In addition; Also; Furthermore; Likewise

For contrasting ideas:

However; On the other hand; Nevertheless; Conversely; Nonetheless; Although; In contrast

To emphasize a point:

Indeed; In fact; Of course; Naturally; Truly; Especially; Above all.

To show cause and effect:

Consequently; Therefore; Thus; As a result; Hence; Due to; Because.

For providing examples:

For instance; Specifically; To illustrate; In particular; Such as; For example; Namely.

For sequencing and time:

First, second, third; Meanwhile; Afterwards; In the meantime; Next; Simultaneously; Finally.

To summarize or concluding:

 In conclusion; To sum up; Therefore; As a result; All in all; In summary; Overall; In brief

These transition words and phrases can be used to improve the coherence and flow of your writing, making it easier for readers to follow your arguments and ideas.

Citing Sources Properly in an Argumentative Essay

Here is a brief overview of how to use APA, MLA, and Chicago styles to cite sources in an argumentative essay:

APA (American Psychological Association) Style:

• In-text Citations: In APA style, you simply include the author's last name and the year of publication in parentheses within the text, like this (Trump, 2020).


• References Page: At the end of your essay, create a "References" page that lists all the sources you cited in your essay. Follow the APA guidelines for formatting this page, which includes arranging references in alphabetical order by the author's last name.

MLA (Modern Language Association) Style:

• In-text Citations: In MLA style, you use the author's last name and the page number in parentheses within the text, like this (Trump 25).


• Works Cited Page: At the end of your essay, create a "Works Cited" page that lists all the sources you cited in your essay. Follow the MLA guidelines for formatting this page, including using a hanging indent for entries and organizing them alphabetically.

Chicago Style:

• Footnotes or Endnotes: Chicago style uses either footnotes or endnotes to cite sources. In the text, you insert a superscript number to indicate a citation. A corresponding note at the bottom of the page (footnote) or the end of the essay (endnote) provides full citation details.


• Bibliography: Chicago style also includes a bibliography, which lists all the sources you consulted, even if they weren't cited directly in the text. Arrange the bibliography alphabetically.

Key points to note:

1. Ensure that the chosen citation style is used consistently throughout the essay.


2. In-text citations and references/works cited pages or bibliographies should be properly formatted as per the style.


3. Each source should be cited correctly based on the style, such as how to cite books, articles, websites, and other common sources.


4. Proper citation is important to avoid plagiarism and compromising academic integrity issues.

How to Conclude an Argumentative Essay

The conclusion to an argumentative essay serves to offer a strong, conclusive declaration of the argument you have made in the essay.

It should open by restating the thesis statement to remind the reader what you have been advocating for throughout the essay.

The most important supporting points and evidence presented in the body paragraphs are then quickly recapped.

Next, you can briefly acknowledge and refute counterarguments to show that you also considered varying viewpoints and established your argument as the strongest.

This can be followed with a call-to-action which can be a thought-provoking question for further consideration encouraging the reader to think further about the argument presented.

 Finally, you can wrap up the essay with a memorable closing impression or thought like a reflection, prediction, or powerful quote. The final sentence should also convince the reader that the essay has come to a logical and satisfying conclusion.

Key Take Aways

This breakdown of the structure of an argumentative essay provides an organized framework for college essay writers and students to follow while crafting essays.

It will guide them to write a coherent, well-organized essay that will effectively convey their argument to any reader of their essay.