How do you write a reasoned argument for the WJEC Unit 3 writing task?
Argumentation writing: constructing a reasoned, balanced argument on an issue for the Unit 3 writing task, using logical structure, evidence and counter-argument, written accurately (AO5 and AO6).
How to write a reasoned argument for the WJEC GCSE English Language Unit 3 writing task: building a logical, balanced case on an issue, using evidence and counter-argument, reaching a clear position, and writing accurately for purpose and audience (AO5 and AO6).
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What this dot point is asking
Unit 3 Section B sets two compulsory writing tasks, one argumentation and one persuasion. Argumentation asks you to build a reasoned, balanced case on an issue, using logical structure, evidence and counter-argument, written accurately (AO5 and AO6). Half the marks are for communication and organisation, half for technical accuracy.
Argumentation versus persuasion
WJEC sets both an argument and a persuasion task, and they are not the same. Knowing the difference shapes your writing.
Take a clear position
Even a balanced argument reaches a conclusion. Decide your side at the planning stage.
A clear position gives the writing direction. You can acknowledge the opposing view, but the reader should never be in doubt where you stand. State your line early and return to it in the conclusion.
Develop reasoned points with support
Argumentation is built on reasoning, not assertion.
Handle the counter-argument
The mark of a strong argument is that it engages with the other side rather than ignoring it. Acknowledging a fair opposing point and then answering it makes your own case stronger, not weaker, because it shows you have weighed the issue rather than ignored half of it. The move is to concede genuinely ("it is true that phones can support learning") and then rebut with reasoning ("but the attention cost in practice outweighs that benefit"). A piece that never admits the other side exists reads as one-sided persuasion, which is the other task, so handling the counter-argument is what marks the writing as genuine argumentation.
How the argumentation task appears on the paper
Argumentation is one of the two compulsory Unit 3 writing tasks, set alongside persuasion. It typically gives a statement to respond to ("mobile phones should be banned in schools") and a form to write in (an article, a speech, a letter). The examiners reward a logical, developed case: a clear position, reasoned points with support, a counter-argument acknowledged and rebutted, and a firm conclusion. The marks split evenly between communication and organisation and technical accuracy, so a clear structure and accurate writing each carry half the credit. The most common weaknesses are unsupported assertion, where opinions are stated but not reasoned, and ignoring the counter-view, which turns the argument into a rant, so build the logic visibly and engage with the other side.
Try this
Q1. How does argumentation differ from persuasion? [2 marks]
- Cue. Argumentation reasons towards a position and engages with the other side; persuasion drives the reader to one conclusion, more emotively and one-sidedly.
Q2. What three parts make a reasoned point? [3 marks]
- Cue. A claim, support (evidence or example), and an explanation of the logic linking them.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
WJEC Unit 320 marks'Mobile phones should be banned in schools.' Write an article arguing for or against this view.Show worked answer →
Argumentation builds a reasoned case on an issue (AO5), written accurately (AO6). It is more balanced and logical than pure persuasion, and reaches a clear position.
Take a side, then develop two or three reasoned points each with support, acknowledge and rebut a counter-argument, and conclude firmly. Use a logical structure and connectives of reasoning ("therefore", "however", "as a result"). Match the article form and proofread.
Markers reward a logical, developed argument that engages with the other side; weaker answers assert opinions without reasoning or ignore the counter-view.
WJEC Unit 320 marksWrite the text for a speech arguing that your town needs better facilities for young people.Show worked answer →
This argumentation task wants a reasoned case in speech form (AO5), accurately written (AO6). Argue logically while suiting the spoken form.
Build reasoned points (boredom and antisocial behaviour, health, opportunity) each supported, address the cost objection and rebut it, and conclude with a clear call. Use speech features (direct address, rhetorical questions) but keep the reasoning central, and proofread.
The top band reasons clearly and handles the counter-argument; common failures are unsupported assertion and forgetting the speech form.
Related dot points
- Rhetorical and persuasive techniques: writing to persuade in the Unit 3 task using rhetorical devices, emotive language, direct address and structure, matched to purpose and audience and written accurately (AO5 and AO6).
How to write persuasively for the WJEC GCSE English Language Unit 3 task: using rhetorical devices, emotive language, direct address, anecdote and structure to influence the reader, matched to purpose and audience, and written accurately (AO5 and AO6).
- Communication and organisation: communicating clearly and imaginatively and organising writing with paragraphing, cohesion and structure across the writing tasks, for half the writing marks (AO5).
How to score for communication and organisation in the WJEC GCSE English Language writing tasks: communicating clearly and imaginatively, organising ideas with planning, paragraphing, cohesion and structure, and shaping openings and endings, for half the writing marks (AO5).
- Matching form, purpose and audience: adapting tone, style, register and conventions to the form, purpose and audience set in the writing tasks (AO5).
How to match form, purpose and audience in the WJEC GCSE English Language writing tasks: reading the task for its form, purpose and audience, and adapting tone, style, register and conventions to suit a letter, article, speech, report or review (AO5).
- Technical accuracy and proofreading: using accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar and a range of vocabulary and sentence structures, and completing the proofreading task, for half the writing marks (AO6).
How to secure the technical accuracy marks in WJEC GCSE English Language writing: using accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar, a range of vocabulary and sentence structures, and completing the Unit 2 proofreading task, for half the writing marks (AO6).
- Exposition writing: explaining or informing clearly and logically for the Unit 2 writing task, organising information for a purpose and audience and writing accurately (AO5 and AO6).
How to write a clear expository piece for the WJEC GCSE English Language Unit 2 writing task: explaining or informing logically, organising information with clear structure for a purpose and audience, and writing accurately with varied vocabulary and sentences (AO5 and AO6).
Sources & how we know this
- WJEC GCSE English Language (3700) specification (Wales) — WJEC (2015)