Persuasive Essays EAP Worksheets, Activities & Games

EAP Persuasive Essays Game - Speaking: Forming Refutations, Peer Feedback - Group Work In this engaging persuasive essay game, students compete to create the strongest refutations of various arguments, using concession, assumption, evidence, and logical fallacy strategies. In groups of three, the student acting as judge turns over an argument card and reads it aloud. The judge then gives the two players 30 seconds to plan a one-minute refutation using one strategy card in their hand and at least one academic language phrase from the card. Next, the two players take turns placing their chosen strategy card on the table as they present their refutation. As the judge listens, they time each one-minute refutation, award points, and add comments using the evaluation criteria on their score sheet. After hearing both refutations, the judge announces the winner, explains their decision and gives the winner the argument card. After the round is complete, the role of judge rotates to the next student. The player with the most argument cards after six rounds wins the game. show less

EAP Persuasive Essays Worksheet - Reading and Writing: Matching, Essay Outline, Gap-fill, Essay Writing, Peer Review - Speaking Activity: Discussion - Group Work In this useful persuasive essays worksheet, students read and discuss a text on the topic of artificial intelligence and then plan and write a persuasive essay on the topic. Students start by reading a text on the topic of artificial intelligence. Students then match words from the text to their definitions. Next, in small groups, students discuss the pros and cons of AI and list them in a table. Working alone, students then choose a for or against stance on the issue of AI and prepare a persuasive essay outline that argues their stance. Following that, students complete advice about essay writing with the words provided. Next, students use their outline to write a persuasive essay on the topic of AI. Finally, students swap papers with a partner and use a checklist to review and provide feedback on their partner's essay. show less

EAP Persuasive Essays Activity - Reading, Writing and Speaking: Identifying, Guided Writing, Discussion, Opinion-sharing, Peer Feedback, Communicative Practice - Group Work In this insightful persuasive essay activity, students develop critical analysis skills by identifying hidden assumptions in an argumentative text and writing a structured refutation paragraph to challenge the author’s claims. First, in pairs, students skim‑read a text for one minute. Working together as a class, students then complete the first analysis of the text (claim, assumption, author's evidence, and counter-evidence). Next, pairs complete two more analysis cards about the text. After reviewing the structure of an effective refutation paragraph, each student chooses one of their pair’s completed cards and writes a full refutation using an academic phrase bank and the given structure. Next, students swap paragraphs with a new partner, read each other's work, fill in a feedback checklist, and return it. Finally, in pairs, students discuss which part of writing the refutation they found most challenging, and whether they will do anything differently the next time they read a persuasive text. show less

EAP Persuasive Essays Worksheet - Writing Exercises: Identifying, Paraphrasing, Writing Sentences, Paragraph Writing In this free counter-argument and refutation worksheet, students learn how to write a counter-argument and refutation paragraph to include in a persuasive essay. First, students read a paragraph that includes a counter-argument and a refutation and identify and paraphrase both the writer's view and the opposing view. Next, students read four counter-arguments and refutations and identify the ways the counter-arguments are refuted. Students then read a complete counter-argument paragraph and identify its five key parts. After that, students write a counter-argument and refutation for two arguments that both include a concession. Finally, students write two paragraphs addressing a question to practice writing a counter-argument, refutation and concession. show less

EAP Persuasive Essays Worksheet - Reading and Writing Exercises: Matching, Writing Sentences, Identifying, Paraphrasing, Writing an Outline and Essay, Peer Review In this comprehensive persuasive essays worksheet, students are introduced to persuasive essay structure and attempt a persuasive essay writing practice. Students begin by reading a brief description of persuasive essays. Students then complete an example outline for a persuasive essay by placing four supporting points in their correct positions. Next, students write refutations to two counter arguments. After that, students review their knowledge of paraphrasing in pairs, sharing their understanding of the term and some useful paraphrasing techniques. Students then read an example persuasive essay about the four-day working week and answer questions in which they paraphrase information from the text. Students then move on to read a persuasive essay question and create a basic outline to assist them in writing a well-structured essay. After finishing the outline, students write a complete essay. Afterwards, students swap papers with another student, read their essay and use a provided checklist to give constructive feedback. show less