Following an Argument This is an important skill needed when you answer Paper 1 Section A

The assessment objective tested by this skill is: follow an argument, identifying implications and recognising inconsistencies Following an “argument” means that you read what someone has written and try to work out what the main ideas are or what the writer’s point of view is. When you identify “implications” you try to work out what the message means to readers. Recognising “inconsistencies” means that you spot the problems or the things wrong with what the writer is arguing.

The best way to follow an argument is to read the text with a highlighter in hand. When you come to what you think is an important point, then you highlight it. Each paragraph contains at least one idea so you should be looking to highlight something in each paragraph. Looking for the topic sentence might help. The topic sentence is the one that gives you the main information in the paragraph – it tells you what the paragraph is about. Once you begin to answer the question you can then use the highlighted text to guide your ideas and to give you some quotations to back up your ideas. Using quotations (bits copied directly from the text) is also another skill being tested on this exam paper but don’t over do them.

Sometimes the question also asks you how the argument has been constructed (put together). To do this you need to write about three things: o structure o language o techniques Structure is the way in which the argument has been written. Normally this would mean that the writer has written an introduction setting out a viewpoint. The next paragraphs then develop and prove the writer’s case before the conclusion sums up the main ideas again. Somewhere in the text the writer will also mention the opposite viewpoint which is normally destroyed.

Language is all to do with the words chosen by the writer. These need to be appropriate for the audience. To read more about language, see the PowerPoint: Language Devices. Techniques are the devices that the writer uses to get the ideas across. They might include:  rhetorical questions – questions designed to make you think  exaggeration – deliberately overstating something  examples – details put in to support a point  anecdotes – short stories put in to help get a point over  quotations – these are normally from experts and back up ideas  humour – making something funny (could include sarcasm or irony)  emotive language – appealing to our senses  statistics – numbers to prove a point

Read this article and try to work out what the writer’s argument is. The parts in red are the ones that could be underlined if you had to answer a question based on this text. Computer games: learning aid or brain drain? A new research review published by the Home Office suggests that children who play computer games may actually be more intelligent than average and are more likely to go on to university and higher ranking jobs. Simon Fullerton, a self-professed computer “geek”, supports this view. “Games don’t just give you a buzz – they require intelligence and intuition,” says Fullerton. “Take a game like Half Life, in which you’re a character in a world that’s been taken over by zombies that are after you. To escape you have to deal with natural disasters, pick up visual clues, avoid capture and devise strategies. It’s all about problem solving.” Moreover, Fullerton is a prime example of a high achieving computer geek. Fullerton is now a Cisco computing engineer. In this highly demanding job he can earn around £1,000 a day. Many experts believe that the popularity of computer games amongst children will continue to grow, as computer skills are now essential in the modern world and these games help develop them. “My eldest son is dyslexic and the skills he has built up through games have helped enormously,” says Martin Milburn, head of the charity Children in Need. “For example, he was able to o his GCSE revision using a CD- ROM.” Main viewpoint expert anecdote statistic Rest of paragraphs build on main idea.

However, Milburn does sound a warning note: “I don’t let my boys play the more violent games.” In the past two decades, several research studies have suggested that computer games cause aggression amongst children. In fact, one study showed that 40 out of the 47 most popular games had violence as a major theme. In addition, some of the Home Office research suggests that children who play computer games can become withdrawn and begin to lose a sense of worth. They develop addictive personalities and lose their grip on reality. All of this, it says, could lead to youngsters getting into trouble with the law. Dr Mark Griffiths, an expert on the effects of video games, says that while more research is needed it now seems clear that a child’s play after watching a violent video game becomes more aggressive and anti-social. On the other hand, some experts have suggested that playing aggressive video games has a relaxing effect by channelling and releasing aggression. This is a view shared by nearly all game players, not to mention the New York Police Department, who told the makers of the infamous joyriding game Grand Theft Auto: “We’d rather they did it in your game than on the streets.” The Home Office report reached no specific conclusions about the wider fears that parents may have about violence in games because the research continues to be contradictory. But the finding that children who play games are more intelligent than average and more likely to go into higher education must be of some comfort. Opposite viewpoints Conclusion sums up main points anecdote Experts

A worked example. What is the writer’s argument and how does he get it across? This question is asking about both the argument the writer puts forward and the techniques he uses to do so. Both of these need mentioning in your answer. The writer begins by stating his point that recent research suggests children who play computer games may be more intelligent than average. In the next three paragraphs he builds on this by quoting experts and using some statistics. He says that Simon Fullerton, who can earn “around £1,000 a day” as a computer “geek” says that games playing requires intelligence as it is all about problem solving. Another expert, Martin Milburn, claims that games help develop essential computer skills needed in the modern world. In the next four paragraphs the writer mentions playing violent games as a counter argument but says experts are divided. Some say that violent games can cause aggression amongst children and that those who play them can become withdrawn and even aggressive themselves. Others suggest that playing them actually releases aggression and has a relaxing effect on players. In the final paragraph the writer points out that research is “contradictory” but ends by backing up his original point about children playing games being more intelligent. technique