Overview
- Worth 6 points (out of 18 total FRQ points, one-third of your free-response score)
- Budget about 40 minutes (out of 2 hours 15 minutes total)
- Build an argument using evidence from your own knowledge and experience
- No sources provided - this tests your ability to generate and organize evidence
The argument essay arrives after two demanding analytical tasks. Despite potential fatigue, this essay offers the most straightforward approach of the three FRQ types. Without sources to synthesize or rhetorical devices to analyze, you build an argument using your own knowledge and reasoning. Success requires clarity and organization rather than brilliance.
Strategy Deep Dive
The argument essay tests pure persuasive writing. No hiding behind sources, no analyzing someone else's choices. This is you, your ideas, and your ability to make them compelling. Understanding what makes argument writing work at this level is crucial.
Unpacking the Prompt
Argument prompts typically give you a quotation or scenario followed by a question. Recent prompts have asked about the value of exploring the unknown, whether "private wants" threaten national identity, the role of tradition in society. These aren't yes/no questions - they're invitations to explore complexity.
Analyze the prompt thoroughly rather than rushing to a position. Identify the underlying tensions at play. These prompts often explore fundamental conflicts: individual versus collective needs, tradition versus innovation, security versus freedom. Strong essays recognize and explore these tensions rather than oversimplifying them into binary choices.
Don't fall into the trap of thinking you need to take an extreme position. The prompt isn't asking whether private wants are purely good or purely evil. It's asking you to explore the relationship between individual desires and collective identity. Nuanced positions often lead to stronger essays because they give you more to analyze.
Evidence Generation: Your Arsenal
Since you can't cite sources, your evidence comes from:
- Historical examples
- Current events
- Literature and film
- Personal experience or observation
- Hypothetical scenarios (used sparingly)
- Logical reasoning
But Take note separates strong evidence from weak: specificity and relevance. "Wars happen because of greed" is weak. "The British East India Company's transformation from trading entity to colonial power demonstrates how private commercial interests can reshape national identity and purpose" is strong. See the difference? Specific examples allow for specific analysis.
Personal experiences provide powerful evidence when strategically deployed. An observation of community activism at your local library effectively illustrates how private interests can serve public good. However, anecdotes must directly support your argument rather than serving as mere illustration. Every personal example should advance your analytical purpose.
Argument Architecture
Unlike the synthesis essay where sources might suggest an organization, here you build from scratch. Consider these organizational strategies:
Progressive Structure: Start with your weakest point and build to your strongest. This creates momentum and leaves readers with your most compelling evidence fresh in mind.
Concession and Rebuttal: Acknowledge the strongest opposing argument early, then systematically dismantle it while building your own position. This shows intellectual honesty and strengthens your credibility.
Problem-Solution: Define the issue's complexity, then argue for your particular resolution. Especially effective when the prompt asks about solving social or political challenges.
Categorical: Examine the issue from multiple angles (economic, social, ethical) and show how your position holds up across categories. Good for demonstrating comprehensive thinking.
Whatever structure you choose, each paragraph needs a clear claim that advances your overall argument. No meandering meditations or loosely connected observations. Every paragraph should feel necessary.
The Art of Reasoning
Evidence alone doesn't make an argument. You need to explain why your evidence matters and how it supports your position. This is where many argument essays falter - they present evidence without adequate analysis.
Consider this progression:
- Claim: Make a specific assertion that supports your thesis
- Evidence: Provide concrete examples or reasoning
- Analysis: Explain how this evidence proves your claim
- Connection: Link back to your overall argument
The analysis step is crucial. Don't assume connections are obvious. Spell out your reasoning. Show the logical steps that lead from evidence to conclusion.
Rubric Breakdown
The argument rubric looks similar to synthesis and rhetorical analysis, but the emphasis shifts. You're being evaluated on your ability to construct an original argument, not interact with provided texts.
Thesis (0-1 point)
"Responds to the prompt with a thesis that presents a defensible position."
Your thesis needs to be both specific and arguable. It should preview your line of reasoning without being a mechanical list of points.
Weak thesis: "Private wants can be both good and bad for national identity."
Strong thesis: "While excessive individualism can fragment national purpose, private wants paradoxically strengthen national identity by fostering innovation, creating dynamic tension that prevents stagnation, and embodying the very freedoms that define democratic society."
The strong thesis takes a clear position while acknowledging complexity. It also suggests the essay's organizational structure without being formulaic.
Evidence and Commentary (0-4 points)
For the argument essay, "evidence" means the examples, reasoning, and support you generate yourself. The progression:
1 point: General evidence with minimal connection to the argument 2 points: Some specific evidence with attempted but flawed connections 3 points: Specific evidence supporting all claims with some clear explanation 4 points: Specific evidence with consistent, clear explanation of how it supports your reasoning
The jump from 3 to 4 points requires consistency. Every piece of evidence needs clear connective tissue to your argument. No drive-by examples or unexplained allusions.
Keep in mind earning all 4 points looks like:
"The space race exemplifies how private wants can galvanize national identity rather than fragment it. Individual desires for scientific glory, corporate profits from government contracts, and personal ambitions of astronauts all aligned to create a unified national purpose. NASA succeeded not despite these private wants but because of them - the engineer seeking the perfect trajectory and the contractor maximizing efficiency both served the collective goal. This demonstrates that private wants need not oppose national identity; properly channeled, they become its engine."
Notice how the example is specific, the connection to the thesis is explicit, and the reasoning is fully developed.
Sophistication (0-1 point)
For argument essays, sophistication often comes through:
- Exploring nuances and tensions within your position
- Situating your argument within broader contexts
- Employing particularly effective rhetorical strategies
- Crafting prose that enhances persuasive power
The students who earn this point often do so by refusing to oversimplify. They acknowledge that their position has limitations or explore why reasonable people might disagree. This isn't weakness - it's intellectual maturity.
Common Argument Patterns
While specific prompts vary, certain types recur. Recognizing these helps you prepare mentally:
Values in Tension
These prompts present competing goods - freedom vs. security, individual vs. collective, progress vs. tradition. Strong responses avoid portraying one value as absolutely superior. Instead, they explore when and why we might prioritize one over another.
Definition Arguments
Some prompts hinge on how we define key terms. What counts as "progress"? What constitutes "national identity"? Starting your essay by establishing your definitions (without being pedantic) can clarify your entire argument.
Causal Arguments
These ask about relationships between phenomena. Do private wants threaten national identity, or might the relationship be more complex? Strong responses explore multiple possible relationships - direct causation, correlation, enabling conditions, unintended consequences.
Evaluation Arguments
These ask you to assess something's value or effectiveness. Is exploring the unknown worthwhile? Should we preserve traditions? These require clear criteria for evaluation, not just personal preference.
Time Management Reality
By the time you reach the argument essay, you've been writing for over an hour and a half. Mental fatigue is real. Here's how to push through:
Minutes 1-5: Read prompt carefully, brainstorm evidence, plan your argument. Don't shortchange this because you're tired. A clear plan saves time during writing.
Minutes 6-8: Write your introduction with a strong thesis. Starting well creates momentum.
Minutes 9-32: Body paragraphs. Aim for 3-4 substantive paragraphs. If you're running behind, three well-developed paragraphs beat four rushed ones.
Minutes 33-37: Conclusion that advances rather than merely restates. Use this space to consider implications or address the "so what?" question.
Minutes 38-40: Quick review for clarity and coherence. Fix any glaring errors but don't attempt major revisions.
Mental fatigue becomes a factor by the third essay. Handwriting may deteriorate and clear thinking requires more effort. This reality makes initial planning essential. A solid outline created during your freshest minutes provides structure when concentration wavers. Following your organizational plan ensures coherent argument development despite fatigue.
Last essay survival tactics: When your brain goes blank and your hand won't cooperate, do the 30-second reset. Eyes closed, deep breaths, remind yourself you're almost done. I literally wrote "BREATHE" in my test booklet margins. Simple and clear beats fancy and confused every time - especially when you're running on empty.
Final Thoughts
The argument essay strips away all scaffolding and asks: can you think clearly and write persuasively? It's the essay that most resembles real-world persuasive writing, where you rarely have sources handed to you and must build arguments from your own knowledge and reasoning.
The argument essay resists last-minute preparation. Success comes to students who engage with current events and opinion pieces throughout the year, developing habits of critical analysis and counterargument. Regular engagement with diverse perspectives creates a rich repository of examples and analytical frameworks that prove invaluable during the exam.
When you sit down to write, remember that the argument essay rewards authentic engagement with ideas. The readers have seen thousands of essays on these topics. What makes yours stand out isn't exotic examples or convoluted reasoning - it's clear thinking expressed with conviction. Take a position you can genuinely defend, support it with the best evidence you can muster, and explain your reasoning with precision.
The argument essay evaluates your ability to construct persuasive arguments that would succeed in real-world contexts. Unlike the previous essays with specific analytical requirements, this task allows you to demonstrate independent critical thinking. Despite fatigue and time pressure, focus on building a coherent argument supported by concrete evidence and clear reasoning. Authentic engagement with the prompt's complexity produces the strongest responses.