Building an argumentative text that examiners reward
Thesis, two arguments with examples, a concession, and a conclusion — why structure beats vocabulary fireworks.
Many candidates believe a high writing score comes from rare vocabulary. It does not. Examiners reward a text they can follow: a clear position, arguments that support it, and a conclusion that lands. A well-structured letter written in plain, correct French outscores a dazzling word salad every time, because clarity of thought is exactly what the CLB descriptors measure.
The four-move skeleton
Every argumentative text needs these moves
- Thesis — state your position in one unambiguous sentence.
- Argument 1 + example — a reason, then a concrete illustration.
- Argument 2 + example — a second, distinct reason with its own example.
- Concession then conclusion — acknowledge the other side, then restate your position.
Stating a thesis, not a topic
A topic is « le télétravail ». A thesis takes a side: « le télétravail améliore la qualité de vie des salariés ». The examiner should know your opinion before the second sentence. Vague openings like « il y a des avantages et des inconvénients » waste your strongest position and delay the argument.
Selon moi, encourager le vélo en ville est une décision à la fois écologique et bénéfique pour la santé publique.Argument plus example: the winning pair
An assertion alone is weak; an assertion followed by a concrete example is persuasive and shows range. Introduce the reason with « En effet » or « De plus », then the example with « Par exemple » or « Ainsi ». The example can be personal — that is not only allowed, it is encouraged.
Connectors mapped to the four moves
| Move | Useful connectors |
|---|---|
| Thesis / thèse | Selon moi, à mon avis, je suis convaincu(e) que |
| First argument / premier argument | Tout d'abord, en premier lieu, d'une part |
| Second argument / second argument | De plus, par ailleurs, d'autre part |
| Example / exemple | par exemple, ainsi, à titre d'illustration |
| Concession / concession | certes, bien que, il est vrai que |
| Conclusion / conclusion | en somme, pour conclure, c'est pourquoi |
Certes, le vélo n'est pas adapté aux longues distances ; néanmoins, pour les trajets urbains, il reste la solution la plus rapide et la plus propre.Practice loop: write one argumentative paragraph per day using the argument-plus-example pair, then compare each corrected version to spot which connectors you overuse.
Original ScoreRoute lesson — written for TEF Canada / TCF Canada preparation.
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