Arguing a position in writing
Six moves that structure any B2 argument, the connectors that signal them, and free writing you check against a model.
A German argumentative text has a shape, and the shape is not a matter of taste. Examiners look for it, readers expect it, and once you know it you never face a blank page again.
Issue → position → reason → example → other side → conclusion. Six moves; four to eight sentences.
| Move | What it does | Language |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Issue | names the question | In letzter Zeit wird viel darüber diskutiert, ob … |
| 2. Position | says what you think | Meiner Ansicht nach … |
| 3. Reason | why you think it | Ein wichtiger Grund dafür ist, dass … |
| 4. Example | makes it concrete | Ein Beispiel dafür ist … |
| 5. Other side | takes the objection seriously | Dagegen spricht zwar, dass …, aber … |
| 6. Conclusion | closes it | Zusammenfassend lässt sich sagen, dass … |
The connectors are what make it read as an argument rather than a list. Learn them in pairs — the one that adds, and the one that turns.
Hinzu kommt, dass die Kosten steigen.
Added to that, the costs are rising.
adds a second reason — note the verb goes last
Dafür spricht, dass die Nachfrage wächst.
One point in favour is that demand is growing.
Dagegen spricht, dass die Umsetzung teuer ist.
One point against is that implementation is expensive.
Einerseits ist das bequem, andererseits ist es teuer.
On the one hand it is convenient, on the other it is expensive.
Allerdings gilt das nicht für alle.
That said, it does not apply to everyone.
allerdings softens; dennoch overrides
Dennoch halte ich das für den besseren Weg.
Nevertheless I consider that the better route.
Aus diesem Grund sollte man zuerst prüfen, ob …
For this reason one should first check whether …
Every claim needs a reason, and every reason should survive the question "so what?". A reason nobody could disagree with is not a reason, it is a statement.
Taking the other side seriously is not a weakness in German argumentative writing — it is a requirement. An argument that never names an objection reads as though the writer has not thought about it.
Ich finde Homeoffice gut. Homeoffice ist gut, weil es gut ist.Meiner Ansicht nach sollte Homeoffice die Regel sein. Ein wichtiger Grund dafür ist, dass viele Beschäftigte täglich über eine Stunde pendeln.
The difference is not the German. It is that the second sentence gives something the reader could check or dispute.
The last four tasks in this lesson are marked Self-check. You write freely, then compare your text with a model and a checklist. Nothing there is graded and nothing counts towards your progress — an argument can be very good and look nothing like the model.
Words from this topic
- die die Ansichtthe view, the opinion
- das das Argumentthe argument
- der der Grundthe reason
- zusammenfassendto sum up
- dennochnevertheless
- allerdingsthat said, however
- die die Nachfragethe demand
- abwägento weigh up