Structuring a Discursive Essay
Your task is to help structure a discursive essay about the advantages and
disadvantages of car use. You will be given the various arguments both in
favour of and against car use. Your first task will be to organise these
arguments.
Task 1
Read the following notes.
 Identify all the points in favour of car use and mark them with a
tick.
 Identify all the points against car use and mark them with a cross.
………………………………………………………………………….
 Not restricted by schedules as you are with public transport.
 Comfortable (spacious, cool, CD’s etc)
 They cause air pollution (eg. exhaust emissions contribute to
global warming.)
 Roads deface the natural landscape and destroy/disturb wildlife
habitats.
 Fast, less time-consuming than public transport.
 Car parks take up valuable space in city centres (could be used for
public gardens instead?)
 Fairly cheap to run?
 Car accidents result in many deaths and injuries.
 Modern fuels are lead free and getting “cleaner.”
 Traffic jams lead to stress and “road rage.” (angry drivers
attacking others)
 Car use contributes to a faster, les natural pace of life that often
results in high blood pressure and heart disease.
Task 2
Now that you have sorted your points into two groups , you will be able
to divide the main body of your essay into two sections: advantages and
disadvantages. However, each of these two sections still needs to be
divided further – into topics. Each topic will then become a paragraph in
the essay.
 Take the “advantages” above and arrange under the topic headings
of “Convenient” and “Efficient”
 Take the “disadvantages” and arrange them under the topic
headings of “Bad for the environment”, “Dangerous” and
“Stressful”
Task 3
A well structured paragraph usually starts with a topic sentence. This
contains the main idea or argument of the paragraph. It is followed by a
few illustrations or examples that support it. In the case of your essay on
car use, the topic sentences in the body of the essay will cover the points
in task 2.
* Write topic sentences based on each of the headings in Task 2. (ie.
Efficient, Convenient etc) Here is an example :
“Cars are extremely popular because they are so convenient.”
Do not be satisfied with the first thing you write. Rewrite it; share it with
a classmate or your teacher; aim for a more effective sentence.
Task 4 INTRODUCTIONS
You need to plan your introduction carefully. Basically, for this particular
essay, you will need to state that there are both advantages and
disadvantages to car use. However, it would sound rather weak if you
simply wrote:
“There are both advantages and disadvantages to car use.”
It will make a stronger impact if you start with a bold or surprising
statement, or perhaps a striking statistic. For example :
“We have become extremely dependent on cars: there were 580 million
worldwide in 1991 and it is estimated that this figure will grow to 816
million by the end of 2011.”
You can follow this with a summary of the main arguments contained in
the body of the essay. You should present these in the order they will
appear later.
Continue this opening paragraph by adding sentences from the
jumbled list below. Present them in the same order as your plan above.
 Thirdly, some people argue that they contribute to the frantic,
unhealthy pace of modern life.
 On the other hand, there are powerful arguments against car use.
 Firstly, they damage the environment.
 Clearly cars are so popular because they are both convenient and
efficient.
 Secondly, they kill and maim large numbers of people.
Task 5
If you were to continue writing this essay you would now be looking at
how to structure the main body of the essay. Each paragraph already has a
topic sentence. (see your notes from task 3) The challenge now is to
support each one with illustrations or examples. For example, paragraph 2
might look like :
“Cars are extremely popular because they are so convenient. They
allow us far more freedom than public transport which is often
unreliable, slow or even unavailable. Given a choice between walking in
the rain to join a bus queue or stepping straight into a car and driving
directly to one’s destination, who would prefer the latter? Furthermore,
cars are more comfortable than buses or trains since they are less
cramped and have luxuries such as air–conditioning and a sound
system.”
In pairs use the points below and a topic sentence from Task 3 to
complete another paragraph for the main body of the essay.




Fast, less time-consuming than public transport.
Fairly cheap to run, especially if you use a small model.
Modern fuels are lead free and do not cause a lot of pollution.
They cause air pollution (exhaust emissions contribute to global
warming and health problems such as asthma.
 Roads spoil the natural landscape and disturb wildlife habitats.
 Cr parks take up valuable space in cities that could otherwise be
used for recreation.
 Car accidents result in many deaths and injuries. (eg approx.
125000 people were killed in road crashes in the European Union
in 1999, enough to fill 300 jumbo jets.
 Traffic jams lead to stress and “road rage”
 Car use contributes to a faster, less natural pace of life that often
results in high blood pressure and heart disease.
You will not need to change the language much. However, you
certainly will need to use some linking words and phrases:









For example…
For instance…
…also….
In addition…
Furthermore…
What is more, …
Another argument against car use is …
Another disadvantage of car use is that…
Similarly, …
Many more different linking words and phrases can be used in your
essay.
Conclusion
Finally, you will need a conclusion. Avoid a weak “sitting on the
fence” conclusion such as “There are some strong points both for and
against car use and it all depends on what your opinion is.” Instead
you should sum up the arguments you have already covered and state
whether, on balance, you think the advantages outweigh the
disadvantages or vice-versa. It may be effective to present the
arguments in reverse order this time. For example:
“In conclusion, car ownership has several negative effects, including
stress, road accidents and destruction of the natural environment.
Nevertheless, we have become very dependent on cars because of the
comfort and freedom they offer. A total ban seems out of the question,
but for the sake of our own health and the health of the planet, we
must aim to reduce car use – for example, by improving public
transport systems and introducing car pooling schemes.”
Task 6
Selecting a Suitable Topic.
You can write a discursive essay on any topic where you can argue for
and against it. When choosing your topic, try to be original. Issues
such as animal testing, fox-hunting and abortion are written about time
and time again. You want your discursive essay to stand out from all
the rest so be unique! Look at the world around about you today. Get
ideas from reading newspapers, talking to friends and family or
watching current affairs programmes. The list of suitable topics is
endless so take your time and choose carefully. To give you some
ideas:
“Walkabout Talkabout”
Divide into groups of 4-5. Elect a speaker and a writer. Each group
should write one topic in the middle of the sheet of paper on your
desk. The topic will be given to you by the teacher. Each group will be
given a set amount of time to write “for” and “against” ideas on the
sheet of paper. Try to think of as many as you can.
At the end of each timed block, group members will move on to the
next table and a new topic. The speaker will remain at the same table
throughout this activity. They will not move seats. Their role will be
to explain to new groups why certain ideas were written by others.
Each group should then add their own ideas to the sheet.
Suggested topics could be :
 One language spoken worldwide would lead to better international
relations. Discuss.
 Celebrities should be allowed to keep their private lives private
without the invasion of the media. Discuss.
 Too much money is spent on sport when it could be used to help the
poor. What are your views on this issue?
 What are the advantages and disadvantages of our ever-increasing
use of computer technology?
 Censorship is necessary in modern society. Discuss.
 Footballers receive a ridiculous amount of money for kicking a
ball around a field. Discuss.