Discussion

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By Sue Palmer — independent writer and contributor to the NLS

A study of animals is bound to raise emotive issues – offering a good opportunity to teach the skills involved in writing discussion text

Discussion text differs from other non-fiction text types in that we rarely come across it in daily life. Written arguments (newspaper articles, pamphlets) are mainly one-sided, but discussion text should be a balanced argument, presenting ideas and information from different viewpoints. The most likely place to encounter discussion text is an educational establishment – in the form of an essay or answer to an exam question.

As such, discussion writing should follow a fairly formal structure: