Opinion Piece

An opinion piece is a text in which you take a side on an

issue and try to convince your reader of your opinion.
The MEESR exam, at the end of the year, is an opinion
piece.
The MEESR usually requests a word-count of
approximately 225 words.

Whats an opinion piece?

 In 2015, the audience was an On-line Teen Magazine.

This means, you ARENT talking to adults that can
change rules and laws. You are talking to other teens. It
is important for both your introduction and your
conclusion (-8% for a student in 2015 because she
addressed the wrong audience!)
But, also, not a letter so no "Dear Fellow Teenagers".

The audience

The introduction:
Starts with a general statement to bring up the topic
States the problematic situation.
States the writers opinion (thesis statement).
(States the aspects on which the writer will base
his/her arguments. optional in a shorter text.)

Structure

The body:
Each paragraph must start with a topic sentence (state your
argument)
Each argument must be supported by facts and/or details
(based on what you remember from the articles in the
preparation booklet OR based on other RELEVANT facts or
examples), reasons, arguments, examples or personal
experience.
Each paragraph should end with a closing sentence that ends
the paragraph and closes your argument AND connects to your
topic sentence.
Because this is a shorter text (approx. 225 words), the body
can have one or two paragraphs (one per argument). If you
choose to have three arguments (and three paragraphs), you
will need to be extremely concise.

Structure

.
The conclusion:
In the conclusion, the writer should sum up his/her
main reasons for his/her opinion.
The writer can also finish with one last argument to
strengthen his/her point. This last argument does
not need to be supported like in the body of the text
(the argument should be strong enough to stand on
its own).

Structure

The written production Opinion text

Boring intro and conclusions

Writing to adults (sense of audience is lost)
Writing a letter, not an opinion piece
Not explaining arguments
No examples

Problem areas in the last

years

Read the following article:

The practice

 In pairs, write a strong introduction paragraph on the

following topic:
Based on recent young drivers statistics, should the
government impose an 11 oclock driving curfew for
drivers aged 16 to 24?

The practice

 Finish the text individually (body and conclusion).

Based on recent young drivers statistics, should the
government impose an 11 oclock driving curfew for
drivers aged 16 to 24?

The practice