Coursework: Discursive and Argumentative Writing: English – First Language 0500 (Cambridge O Level / IGCSE)

A recent editorial in your local newspaper included this extract:

"Modern zoos are no longer just entertainment. Accredited zoos fund conservation programmes, run captive breeding schemes for endangered species, and give millions of visitors, many of whom will never travel to a rainforest or savannah, a direct, memorable encounter with wildlife that inspires them to care about it."

You are writing an extended discursive coursework assignment in response, arguing that zoos should be phased out in favour of funding wildlife conservation directly in its natural habitat.

(a) Write a single-sentence thesis statement for your assignment that states your position clearly and signals the main strands of your argument. [2]

(b) Write one topic sentence for each of three body paragraphs that would follow, each opening a distinct line of argument. Do not repeat the same point in different words across the three. [6]

Your discursive coursework assignment argues that school students should be encouraged to take a part-time job during term time. Before your conclusion, you need a paragraph that deals with the strongest objection to your case, rather than ignoring it.

Write one paragraph (roughly 80–120 words) that:

• states the opposing view fairly, in your own words, before responding to it
• rebuts that view using reasoning or evidence, rather than simply asserting the opposite
• ends by reasserting your own position on this specific point, so the paragraph feels resolved rather than left open. [8]

You are writing the opening paragraph of a discursive coursework assignment arguing that the town council should introduce protections for independent shops in the town centre.

Which opening sentence would most effectively hook a reader? [1]

A student has drafted this body paragraph for a discursive coursework assignment arguing that schools should introduce one hour of unstructured free time into the school day for student wellbeing:

"Schools should give students an hour of free time in the day. This would be really good for students. It would help everyone feel happier and do better in lessons. This is why schools need to change the timetable."

This paragraph states a claim but supports it with nothing beyond assertion. Rewrite it as a single developed paragraph (roughly 60–90 words) that:

• keeps the same overall claim
• adds specific reasoning and/or evidence to support it
• removes at least one piece of vague, unsupported language (e.g. "really good," "everyone"). [6]

A classmate's discursive coursework draft, arguing against homework, includes this reasoning:

"My cousin was given no homework at her school for a whole year, and her grades went up. This proves that homework damages grades, so all schools should abolish it immediately."

Which option best names the flaw in this reasoning? [1]

You are writing a discursive coursework assignment arguing that the voting age should be lowered to 16.

Which sentence maintains a register appropriate for a formal, persuasive coursework assignment? [1]

Your discursive coursework assignment argues that schools should move to a four-day teaching week, with the fifth day set aside for independent project work. Two paragraphs have already been drafted, but nothing yet connects them:

Paragraph 2 ends: "Compressing lessons into four days would ease the low-level fatigue that builds across a five-day timetable, giving students more consistent energy for each subject they study."

Paragraph 3 opens: "A compressed timetable would also change how teachers plan their lessons, forcing sharper prioritisation of the topics that matter most."

Write ONE sentence that could be inserted between these two paragraphs to link paragraph 2's point about student energy to paragraph 3's new point about teacher planning. Your sentence must connect the specific content of both paragraphs, not rely on a generic connective alone (e.g. "In addition,"), and must not simply repeat wording already used in either paragraph. [4]

You are writing a discursive coursework assignment arguing that single-use plastic bottles should be banned from sale on your school campus. You are using the following extract from a report prepared for the student council's environment committee as source material:

"Vending machines across the school sell roughly 400 single-use plastic bottles a week, most of which end up in general waste rather than the recycling bins beside them. A survey of 120 students found that 68% said they would use a refill station if one were installed near the sports hall. The three refill stations already fitted last year in the science block have, between them, dispensed enough water to replace an estimated 9,000 single-use bottles over the year. Some staff have raised concerns that refill stations cost more to install than a vending contract earns the school in commission, though no exact figures have yet been published to confirm this."

(a) Which single piece of evidence from the extract would most strongly support the claim that banning single-use plastic bottles on campus would meaningfully reduce environmental harm? Name the evidence and explain, in one sentence, why it supports this specific claim more strongly than the other evidence in the extract. [3]

(b) Write one or two sentences, suitable for a coursework paragraph, that embed this evidence in your own words, not copied directly from the extract, and explicitly link it back to the claim. [5]

Your discursive coursework assignment discusses a proposed bypass road around the village of Elmswood. You are deciding which of the following two sources to cite as evidence.

Source 1, from a regional transport monitoring group's published report: "Vehicle counts taken across four weekday mornings recorded 1,850 cars passing through Elmswood's high street, a figure consistent with year-on-year traffic data the local council has collected since 2019."

Source 2, an anonymous comment posted beneath a local news article: "Everyone I know says the bypass will destroy this village completely, and anyone who supports it obviously doesn't care about where they live."

Which source would be more appropriate to cite as evidence in your coursework? Identify the source and give TWO separate reasons for your judgement, each referring to a specific feature of the sources themselves. [5]

Your discursive coursework assignment argues that the local library should extend its evening opening hours to 9 p.m. on weekdays. Across its body paragraphs, the assignment has developed three strands: wider access for people who work during the day, extra study space during exam season, and a quiet space that benefits mental wellbeing.

Write a concluding paragraph (roughly 70–100 words) that:

• draws the three strands together into a single closing statement, rather than restating them one by one in the same order and wording already used
• does not introduce any new supporting point beyond the three strands above
• ends with a considered final reflection or implication, not a flat restatement of the thesis or a cliché closing phrase such as "In conclusion, as I have said." [8]