11/12

English
Quarter 2- Week 3
Writing a Position Paper:
Polish your Argument

Evora H. Mendoza
Author

MOST ESSENTIAL LEARNING COMPETENCY:

The learner writes various kinds of position papers.
CS_EN11/12A-EAPPIIa-d-5

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 In this module, you will be introduced to position paper writing. Additionally, you
will learn how to formally state your arguments and write them following proper format
and guidelines.
After going through with this lesson, you are expected to enumerate the parts of
a position paper, identify and discuss issues in the community you live in, and
write a position paper about a specific issue.

Before you delve deeper into the topic, you are asked to answer the Pre-Test
below.

Read the following questions and encircle the letter of your answer.

1. Which part of the paper can the writer expand his arguments about the issue by
using evidences like data and statistics?
A. Body C. Argument
B. Introduction D. Conclusion
2. Which part of the position paper can the summary be found?
A. Body C. Argument
B. Introduction D. Conclusion
3. Which part of the position paper can counterclaims be written?
A. Body C. Argument
B. Introduction D. Conclusion
4. Which part of a position paper states the claim and its background?
A. Body C. Argument
B. Introduction D. Conclusion
5. How many pages should be used in writing a position paper?
A. 1 B. 2 C. 3 D.4

Good job on answering the Pre-Test! You may request your facilitator to check
your work.

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 Let us check how well you remember the concepts discussed in the previous
lesson by arranging the scrambled letters to form a type of fallacy, then write a short
description of it.
1. TSOP COH
______________________________________________________________
2. SART ANM
______________________________________________________________
3. THERIE/ RO
______________________________________________________________
4. DER RINGHER
______________________________________________________________
5. STYHA ALIZATIONGENER
______________________________________________________________

Nowadays, many people are becoming vocal with their opinions about prevailing
issues in our society. They share their thoughts and arguments in wide array of topics –
be it about national issues, famous artists, or online selling.
These are informal ways of sharing arguments which are commonly found in the
comment section of social media forums. However, they cannot be used verbatim when
writing a position in the academe. They should be modified by writing them using
academic language.
Papers written about one’s argument which present the writer’s position on a
given issue is called a position paper. It is a formal paper that follows a specific format
to present an organized flow of ideas.
The following are the basic parts of a position paper.
1. Introduction
In this part of a position paper, the writer introduces the topic, issue, stand,
claim or thesis statement. This part defines the issue and discusses its
background. It provides the writer’s stand through the claim or thesis statement.

Example:
The recent outbreak of COVID-19 is the gravest health crisis the
world has seen in a century. A significant proportion of asymptomatic
carriers of the disease, often with mild symptoms that can be confused for
other illnesses, and a lack of sufficient testing makes it extremely hard to

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 accurately assess the number of infected people. The death toll and the
number of patients in urgent need of hospital treatment however is still
exponentially increasing in most affected areas (1).

On Monday the 6th of April (06.04.2020), the World Health

Organisation counts 1.133.758 reported cases and 62.784 deaths.
Alongside with the United States, Europe remains an epicentre of the
global pandemic, with 621.407 confirmed cases (2)

These figures exploded in a matter of days, putting Europe’s

national healthcare systems in severe distress, with some (e.g. Italy’s and
Spain’s) currently on the verge of collapse. One reason for this is the slow
pace and delays in taking action on part of the European decision-makers,
with crisis response starting in mid-March while international spread
started in January and major outbreaks outside China in mid-February.
The current political answer to ease the pressure on healthcare systems
has included travel bans, closure of frontiers (also within the Schengen
area), schools, universities, public buildings, and workplaces. Some of the
most severely hit countries enforced a complete lockdown including the
shutdown of all non-essential economic activities.

The implications of this pan-European lockdown are rapidly

transforming a health crisis into an economic and social crisis. As a
segment within wider society, students are hit in multiple ways while facing
potentially extreme social and economic distress deriving from the
response to the crisis.
Source:https://www.esu-online.org/?policy=covid-19-position-paper-a-multidimensional-crisis-that-affects-us-all

2. Body
This part elaborates the evidences of the writer justifying his/her
arguments about the issue. Evidences like data based on statistics, legal basis,
and other proof are presented in the body of a position paper. Counterclaims are
also written in the body to rebut the opposing position and strengthen arguments.

Example:
The health crisis
The spread of COVID-19 has highlighted the conditions of our
European national healthcare systems like nothing else before. The virus,
which seems to have a relatively low mortality rate (strong variations from
country to country apparently deriving from the capabilities of the health
care systems and testing coverage) but a significant contagious potential
as well as causing a high demand for intensive care treatment of patients,
has become a stress test for healthcare facilities all over the continent (3).

The mobility crisis

One of the first decisions taken by the governments has been the
introduction of travel restrictions within and outside national borders.
These restrictions have also been implemented within the Schengen Area.
As a consequence, the European Union has issued a thirty-day ban on
travels into the EU. This has left many international and mobile students
stranded and in the impossibility to return to their home countries at the
moment. The European Students’ Union and many of its members are
supporting mobile and international students throughout the whole world
by providing knowledge on how to return to their home countries. ESU

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 urges governments to intervene by securing the repatriation within the EU
and beyond its borders of all those who are willing to return by providing
safe and cost efficient means to do so.

The political crisis

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us the importance of welfare
systems, and more so the impact and repercussions that good or bad
governance has on society at large. In Europe, first responses have been
the scattering national policy initiatives leading to severe limitations with
regards to freedom of movement and an overall increased concentration
of power in the hands of the executive branches which largely turned to
govern by decree in order to legislate the lockdowns.

The economic crisis

The lockdown measures put in place by European governments are
rapidly causing the unravelling of an economic crisis which has the
potential to be of bigger proportions than the recession of 2008. The
paralyzation of most economic activities translates into a simultaneous
business and employment crisis. Countless workers currently find
themselves without a salary to rely on, while businesses face a halt on
revenues. Even more severely hit are part-time and autonomous workers,
as well as those who have been employed without contracts or with their
salaries being hidden from tax authorities, many of whom did not freely
choose this situation for themselves and belong to the most
disadvantaged and marginalized groups in our societies.
Source:https://www.esu-online.org/?policy=covid-19-position-paper-a-multidimensional-crisis-that-affects-us-all

3. Conclusion
The conclusion part of a position paper summarizes all the points provided
by the writer. It also gives the writer a chance to persuade the reader to believe
his/her arguments.

Example:
The global fight against the pandemic: The students’ role
Europe and the United States are currently the epicenter of the
epidemic, but the pandemic poses a huge risk of expanding the COVID-19
crisis to the global south and to areas of the world with low capacity of the
healthcare systems or fragile economic conditions. The European
Students’ Union calls for a global response to the pandemic, with full
access to reliable information, discoveries on the virus, its remedies and
vaccines, as well as a common response to the developing economic
crisis.
This needs to be ensured through the coordination of global
organizations such as the United Nations and the World Health
Organization, as well as the intergovernmental economic coordination
fora. The European Students’ Union supports the call of the UN Secretary
General for a worldwide ceasefire to commonly fight against the virus.
Furthermore, ESU commits itself to engage with the student organizations
of the other continents to share the experience of students and the
mistakes of the handling of the epidemic in Europe and to shape a
common position of the Global Students Forum on how to protect students
in this crisis and respond to it, and how to ensure a socially fair, green and
sustainable recovery for our society as a whole.
Source:https://www.esu-online.org/?policy=covid-19-position-paper-a-multidimensional-crisis-that-affects-us-all

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 The following tips presented by Barrot, J.S., &Sipacio, P.J. in English for
Academic and Professional Purposes can help you write an effective position paper.

1. Choose an issue.
2. Begin the writing process by conducting an in-depth research on that issue.
3. Make sure to define unfamiliar terms when you first mention it.
4. Be aware of the various positions about the issue and explain and analyze them
objectively.
5. Reflect on your opinion and identify its weaknesses.
6. Cite valid and reliable sources to establish the credibility of your arguments.
7. View the issue in different perspective so you can present a unique approach.
8. Limit your position paper to two pages.
9. Analyze your target readers and align your arguments to their beliefs, needs,
interests, and motivations.
10. Summarize the other side’s counterarguments and use various evidences and
data to refute them.
11. Use the active voice.
12. Arrange evidences logically.
13. Check your argument for fallacies and eliminate them.

Activity 1.1
Based on the given clues, identify the missing terms to complete the puzzle.
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Clues:
1. These are supporting data and statistics written in the body.
2. This is achieved through reliable and valid sources.
3. This can be found in the introduction.
4. This is what the conclusion provides.
5. This should be avoided when writing a position paper

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Activity 1.2

Choose only ONE topic from the list of topics below. Write the issue, your stand,
claim, thesis statement, and arguments regarding the topic you have chosen. Then
write a short summary of your position.

1. Press Freedom
2. Public Transportation
3. Health Care
Topic:

Issue:

Stand:

Claim:

Argument #1:

Argument #2:

Argument #3:

Summary:

Bear the following things in mind in order to write an effective position paper:
 A position paper has an introduction, body, and a conclusion.
 A position paper’s introduction includes the topic, issue, stand, and claim.
 The body of a position paper contains evidences to support the claim.
 The conclusion summarizes the writer’s position.

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 Think of an issue in your community that you agree or disagree with. In a
separate sheet of paper, write a position paper about it following the format given. Avoid
fallacies and include counterclaims in writing your position paper.

Topic:

Introduction:

Body :

Conclusion:

Your position paper should not be more than 1000 words and will be evaluated
based on the following criteria.

Criteria 5 4 3 2
1. Introduction has clear stance of the issue
2. Discussions of arguments and counterclaims
are stated with strong evidence.
3. Conclusion strongly summarizes the position
of the paper.
4. Grammar and Mechanics are used accurately.
5. Deadline is met.

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 Let us check your understanding of the module you have finished. Write T if the
statement is correct. If not, change the italicized word/s to make it correct.

_____1. Personal experiences are enough evidences to support a claim.

_____2. A position paper is more effective if written in more than 3 pages.
_____3. Evidences are written in the body of the position paper.
_____4. Conclusion includes the discussion of the claim and its background.
_____5. You can write a position paper using active voice.

After gaining new information with the lessons and different activities in this
module, answer the following questions in a separate sheet of paper.

What have I learned from the lesson?

Where can I apply these learnings?

What do I want to know more about

the lesson?