Coursework: Discursive and Argumentative Writing: Question 2
Syllabus R3, W1
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]
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Worked solution
Assessment focus
This question tests a core coursework argumentative skill: engaging honestly with the strongest opposing view rather than ignoring it or dismissing it, then using reasoning or evidence, not mere assertion, to answer it, before restating the writer’s own position.
Mark scheme (8 marks)
- 2 marks: the opposing view (part-time jobs reduce study time and cause tiredness) is stated fairly and specifically, not exaggerated into an easy target.
- 2 marks: the rebuttal offers a genuine reason or evidence (a legal cap on working hours, a transferable skill gained) rather than simply contradicting the counter-argument.
- 2 marks: a clear structural turn between the two halves of the paragraph, signalled with a contrastive connective.
- 2 marks: the paragraph closes by reasserting the writer’s specific position on this objection, so the argument feels answered rather than abandoned.
Model paragraph
It is true that a part-time job takes hours away from homework and revision, and tired students can struggle to concentrate in lessons the next day. However, this risk depends entirely on how many hours a student works: most part-time roles available to under-18s are capped at a handful of hours a week by law, far short of what would meaningfully damage study time. Used sensibly, that limited time in fact forces students to manage their remaining hours more carefully, a skill that benefits their schoolwork rather than undermining it. The objection holds only against an unsupervised excess of hours, not against a part-time job kept within reasonable limits.
Why this works
The paragraph opens by granting the objection real weight (“It is true that…”) rather than dismissing it, which is what makes the rebuttal that follows credible. The turn on “However” is unmissable, and the rebuttal that follows gives a specific reason (the legal cap on hours) rather than just repeating the opposite claim more loudly. The final sentence narrows the conclusion back to exactly the objection raised, not the topic in general, so the paragraph reads as a closed argument rather than an unresolved back-and-forth.
Common pitfalls specific to this task
- Writing “Some people say jobs are bad for students, but they are wrong,” which asserts a rebuttal without ever giving a reason for it.
- Understating the counter-argument so heavily that it is not worth answering, which weakens the credibility of the whole paragraph.
- Ending with “So there are pros and cons to both sides,” which retreats to neutrality instead of reasserting the writer’s position on this specific point.