The most difficult part of a student’s academic journey is writing a college assignment or essay for submission because every essay type has different requirements. That’s why most students, whether enrolled in school or university, try to avoid crafting their class essays and take assignment help from experts to get the work done from a professional writer without any stress.
But, that’s not the problem for you anymore because we have brought a detailed, simple guide about how to write a discursive essay with relevant examples for you. Scroll through the prose and learn the art of writing essays containing multiple perspectives to educate and influence the audience in forming an opinion.
Discursive essays are aimed at presenting multiple viewpoints about any subject or issue by not tilting towards one theme as it happens in argumentative essays.
What is a Discursive Essay?
A discursive essay is a prose that presents two or sometimes contrasting perspectives about one theme or topic in order to educate the audience and make them choose one viewpoint. For example, writing about the pros and cons of purchasing an electric bike to present supporting or negating arguments.
It will help your readers go through the whole prose and then make their own opinion based on the benefits and disadvantages mentioned by the author. These essays are not limited to presenting positive and negative views but also bring to light cause-and-effect topics such as climate change impacting temperatures.
If you are tasked to write a college assignment about discursive topics, you can consider project management research topics and ideas for submission.
Why Do You Need to Write Discursive Essays?
Apart from jotting down prose for your college submissions, you can also consider working on this essay type to develop critical thinking and argumentative writing skills. Understanding various arguments and varying viewpoints can equip you with real-world debating capabilities.
If you are planning to present an assignment or speech to an audience, and spread awareness regarding controversial or opinionated subjects. Then, you must pick a persuasive essay topic to write a perfect prose. Now, students are also required to write discursive essays to complete their academic requirements for the Higher School Certificate (HSC) exams.
According to the current syllabus introduced in 2019, Module C students are required to craft discursive, imaginative, persuasive, and informative essays for class submissions.
Types of Discursive Essays
A discursive essay is not something that can be fitted only in one frame and only treated by following the established norms and conventions. It can fit into various prose types, like opinionated or descriptive essays. There are several niches of discursive essays that you can consider exploring for crafting a perfect prose for publication.
Remember, learning how to write a discursive essay can’t only help you in academics but also in writing social media posts for engagement aimed at making the audience engage by asking a question or presenting their views.
Master the art of discursive essay writing and grow your LinkedIn, Reddit, and other professional profiles to establish yourself as a thought leader in the niche by sharing informative and funny speech topics related to your field of expertise.
1. Opinion-Based Essays:
Opinion-based essays are not like argumentative essays, in which it is not necessary to discuss the counterarguments to prove your point. These discursive prose writings are aimed at presenting both scenarios, like advantages and disadvantages, along with each other, to help the audience decide the best viewpoint by analysing the written arguments.
The key element of opinion-based discursive essay writing is the presentation of balanced perspectives with differing arguments. For example, you can write about “Should social media platforms be regulated?” and add supporting or even negating perspectives to present a balanced imagery.
Targeting topics or themes related to public speaking and of larger interests can be a deal breaker for students or even working professionals.
2. For and Against Essays:
Some discursive essays are written on topics such as the pros and cons of remote work, and so on, to present the whole case in front of the audience without showing your personal preferences while making the comparison.
The only motive of crafting such kinds of writings is to make the audience aware of both sides of the coin. Writers need to hold their biases back while discussing such ideas to present a crystal clear view, not influencing the decisions or thought process of the audience.
For example, you can bring light to ideas like whether homework should be banned and present the shoulds or should nots without any personal biases affecting your articulation of arguments to present a guiding line to the audience.
2. Problem-Solution Essays:
Don’t ever confuse the problem/solution-based essays written under the umbrella of discursive prose writing category with argumentative essay writing. The main differentiating factor is that the first one allows the author to not only present varying arguments but also endorse their viewpoint with supporting resources, as researchers do in literature review writing.
On the other hand, the former one allows authors to present only the arguments or solutions they find feasible and avoid mentioning other possible solutions. You only need to keep in mind that discursive writing allows you to present your viewpoint, but not at the cost of neglecting others.
You can discuss topics like addressing the possible causes of decline in urban green spaces and endorsing industrialisation as the sole reason, along with other factors.
3. Cause and Effect Essays:
As the name suggests, these essays are purely focused on highlighting the causes of any issues, then discussing the possible effects of that event or activity. Students can pick one issue, like the causes of global warming, and then start narrating every possible effect it can have on humans and even other beings.
This kind of prose writing is even used to predict future possibilities or events based on the current events that have occurred so far. If you are a student and looking to write a class submission, then consider topics like the impact of climate change on Australian agriculture for your environmental assignments.
It can be a perfect case of cause and effect for any researcher looking to produce a discursive essay.
4. Compare and Contrast Essays:
It is the most common and easiest type of discursive essay writing because you only need to present the similarities and differences between two or more subjects, like cancelation vs. cancellation, by following the natural flow.
Unlike argumentative or persuasive essays, this type doesn’t require the authors to incorporate supporting references because the point is to prove the likes and dislikes about any subject, not to present one as better than the other. For example, you can formulate topics like comparing traditional classrooms and online learning environments.
In this case, the requirement is only to present a fair comparison between both types of learning and make the readers decide which one is suitable for them. You don’t need to recommend one mode unless it is required by you.
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Difference Between Discursive Essays & Argumentative Essays
There is a very thin line drawn between discursive and argumentative styles of writing, but still, there are some differences that set them apart from each other. Argumentative essay writing works in an authoritative manner like a leading figure who’s up and down all the time to prove their point and make the audience follow a single point of view.
On the other hand, discursive essay writing works in a meditative manner, like a person who’s showing all the available options to the consumers and letting them pick the one based on their analysis and preferences without intimidating them. It is aimed at bringing to light multiple perspectives available about a specific thing and letting the audience decide for themselves.
Argumentative Essays:
These kinds of prose are aimed at presenting assertive ideas aligned with the thesis statement of the research writing and usually avoid adding counterarguments to the image. It requires using persuasive language techniques to present forceful or convincing arguments to the audience at the same time.
Whenever you need to convince someone, use the tactics of argumentative essay writing and win over any audience.
Discursive Essays:
This specific style of writing is aimed at presenting an objective overview of any topic by presenting supporting or even refuting arguments with the same weightage to share personal viewpoints as well, but with a low-key approach to maintain objectivity. That’s why it requires using a formal and neutral tone to maintain an unbiased overview of the prose.
Using a third-person narrative to present an impersonal tone is necessary to ensure smooth transitions and discuss societal issues with complete objectivity.
Established Structure of a Discursive Essay
If you have ever gone through how to write an essay, then it can be a child’s play for you to formulate and craft a perfect discursive essay. The structure for writing any type of essay is more or less the same, and there are some differences available in the writing of discursive prose.
Unlike argumentative or persuasive types of essay writing, it requires authors to follow a chronological order by presenting one supporting argument and adding relevant references before moving on to the next phase. In which you need to insert a refuting argument as well, right after the supporting argument, with complementing statements throughout the prose.
It is necessary to do so just to maintain objectivity and allow the audience to make the decision without getting directly influenced by the viewpoint of the writer.
Introduction:
Start with an engaging and attractive hook to capture the reader’s mind from the very first paragraph of your prose. You can also use a question or rhetorical statement, and move to the background check of the topic or idea you are going to present.
Adding the relevance and significance of the topic to the audience will be a deal-breaker for you in getting more attention. Now, add a thesis statement, which will be neutral in nature for discursive essays, clearly indicating that you are going to address multiple perspectives.
That’s all it needs to craft a perfect introduction of a research essay or assignment written for submission.
Example:
Topic: Is Social Media Beneficial?
“Social media platforms continue to transform how we communicate and consume information. While they develop connectivity and awareness, concerns still remain about their psychological and social impact.”
Body:
It is the make-or-break section of your discursive essay because you can solidify or weaken the case you are trying to build here, as mentioned in your introduction. Try to play smartly and start writing sections by using the PEEL paragraph structure, only focusing on one viewpoint at a time and supporting it with the relevant references.
Make sure to start a chain of one supporting or negating paragraph related to the topic without missing the insertion of relevant statements. Your focus should be on maintaining the balance throughout the content to present a fair context.
When you are presenting different perspectives back and forth in the body of the prose, it is necessary to use transition words and phrases like moreover, furthermore, etc., to ensure swift transmission of knowledge.
Example:
On one hand, social media allows users to stay in touch globally, raise awareness about social causes, and discover inspiring content. Conversely, frequent use has been linked to anxiety, comparison culture, and the spread of misinformation. Both perspectives highlight important benefits and drawbacks that guarantee careful, balanced consideration.”
Conclusion:
The conclusion will be the last nail in the coffin of your discursive essay. That’s why it should be well written and present the whole overview of the content mentioned in the above section. The only distinguishing demand of concluding discursive essays is a balanced reflection of the topic and a recap of the whole prose.
You must reinstate your thesis statement in this section, not mandatory to quote as it is, but in a tweaked form as well so that the audience can make their own opinion by considering your topic statement by analysing the arguments presented in the prose.
You can also ask questions or share recommendations for further research to evoke more interest in the audience.
Example:
“In conclusion, social media brings significant advantages in connection and information access, but also has drawbacks. Mental health issues and misleading content should not be overlooked. A mindful approach is necessary for deciding its impact.”
20+ Discursive Essay Topics to Consider
We have brought around more than 20+ discursive essay topics for you to consider as your coursework writing idea. Make sure to scroll through all the themes or topics mentioned below and understand how neutral in nature ideas are formulated, aligning with discursive essay writing requirements.
- Should school uniforms be mandatory for students?
- Immigration policy: open or closed borders?
- Social media’s influence on academic performance
- What are the term limits for political leaders?
- Is democracy the best form of government?
- Global government: possible or desirable?
- Impact of social media on small business success
- Should Google be regulated to protect privacy?
- Will AI surpass human intelligence?
- Alternative medicine vs traditional healthcare
- Vaccination: individual choice or obligation?
- Should universal healthcare be introduced?
- Effectiveness of the Paris Climate Agreement
- Can biodiversity survive global warming?
- Industrial growth vs. environmental protection
- Does the current curriculum prepare students for real life?
- Incorporate mental health into school programs?
- Should physical punishment be banned in schools?
- Does pop culture shape personal identity?
- Are books always better than movies?
- Reality TV: entertainment or social harm?
- Psychological effects of social comparison via social media
- Impact of landmark psychology experiments on ethics
Helpful Tips to Write Winning Discursive Essays
Stay abreast of every kind of research writing by learning how to write discursive essays using the proven tips of seasoned academic writers with distinguished publications. You can incorporate the following recommendations in your writing and even thought process to produce a perfect study in every sphere.
Maintaining Objective and Formal Tone: Always use the third-person perspective to align with the formal discursive writing conventions and maintain objectivity by avoiding personal pronouns.
Avoiding Emotional Language and Personal Anecdotes: Stick with facts and evidence-based arguments instead of emotional appeals or subjective stories. It will help you to maintain your authority as an unbiased presenter of facts, which is the utmost requirement of discursive essays.
Using Credible Sources to Support Arguments: Citing from Wikipedia and other unreliable sources can decrease the credibility of your prose. That’s why pick supporting statements or references only from authoritative sites like journals or magazines to enhance the essay’s credibility.
Ensuring a Smooth Transition Between Paragraphs: Jumping from one argument to another without using conjoiners or, more importantly, transition phrases between paragraphs can be a bad practice. Avoid doing so as it can confuse your audience as well when they fail to differentiate between different types of information.
Proofreading and Editing Before Submission: It’s the most common mistake that most writers make when sending the prose for submission without eliminating the grammatical and formatting mistakes, resulting in rejection or discrediting of the work.
Conclusion
Mastering the art of how to write discursive essays can help you in presenting objective and neutral in tone prose works for publication. It can make you share multiple perspectives about a subject or topic without dominating one side and presenting an unbiased or neutral context, leading the audience to decide for themselves from the multiple opinions.
In case you are still failing to craft a well-researched study strictly according to the conventions of discursive writing. Then, consider hiring a professional homework helper online and get the work done by an expert.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes or no, because adding personal anecdotes is discouraged in writing discursive essays because it requires neutrality and objectivity. However, you can add personal opinions in the conclusion section of your prose.
There’s no defined word limit or paragraph numbers to follow for writing a discursive essay, but it is suggested to touch at least 1,000 words minimum and 2,500 words maximum. Remember, it is not a hard and fast rule to follow every time.
A good discursive essay topic can be one that has a neutral stance or a topic theme reflecting the objective nature of the study. Some good topics are as follows. 1. Should the voting age be raised or lowered? 2. Is censorship ever justified? 3. Are video games harmful to youth?.
