➢ The Social Function of Discussion Text:

▪ To present at least two points of view about an issue.

A discussion text presents information and opinions of more
than one side about an issue (‘for’ points and ‘against’
points)

➢ The Generic Structure of Discussion Text:

A discussion text usually consists of three components. They are:
1. Issue
It is an opening statement presenting the issue that will be
discussed.
The Generic Structure of Discussion Text ……….. (Continuation)
2. Arguments for and arguments against
This part consists of the positive arguments (pro) and
negative arguments (contra) about the issue.
a. Arguments for:
• Point of view
• Elaboration
b. Arguments against:
• Point of view
• Elaboration

3. Conclusion or Recommendation
The writer concludes the arguments or gives his/her
recommendation about the issue. In this part, the writer
should not be partial.
➢ An example of discussion text
Boxing
There was a lot of discussion about whether boxing should be banned.
The people who agree with this idea, such as Sarah, claim that if they do
carry on boxing they should wear something to protect their heads. They also
argue that people who do boxing could have brain damage and get seriously
hurt. A further point they make is that most of people that have died did have
families.
However, there are also strong arguments against that point of view.
Another group of people believe that boxing should not be banned. They say
that why they invent it if it is a dangerous sport. They say that boxing is a good
sport, people enjoy it. A furthermore reason is if they ban boxing, it will ruin
people’s careers.
After looking at the different points of view and the evidence for them, I
can conclude that although some people think that boxing is dangerous, some
people still enjoy it. So it would be better if the one who do boxing has really
been prepared through seriously trainings.
➢ An example of discussion text
The Internet on Education: Pros and Cons

You know, we can’t deny the role of the internet in education. But actually
there several positive and negative impacts of the internet in education.
One of the positive impacts of the internet in education is when you are
curious about something. You can find out the information to feed your ‘learning
hunger’ immediately from the internet. So, if you are curious about the ants in
your backyards or if you want to know more about dinosaurs or any other
prehistoric animals, there is abundant information at your fingertips and you can
improve your knowledge.
On the other hand, some would argue that the internet degrades the
quality of research, throwing people into areas where the answers they find low
qualities guesses, at best. Since the internet allows anyone to publish anything,
finding high quality information is sometimes difficult. The internet can also be a
huge distraction, like many other things that distract us from serious inquiry.
So far, the role of the internet in education has become a dilemma for
many people in the world. On the one hand, it can feed our ‘learning hunger’, but
on the other hand, it degrades the quality of research.
 ➢ An example of discussion text
The Cloning of Animals: Allowed or not Allowed

In this modern era, technology has developed to such a certain degree that
scientists are able to create new forms of life. One of this is cloning. The debate whether
the cloning animals should be allowed or not seems endless.
Those who agree with the cloning of animals usually argue that the cells
produced from them can be used to stop animals from becoming extinct. They also add
that cloning has a purpose to produce high quality of cells.
Many species are becoming rare. Scientists are concerned if they don’t do
something to save certain species, these animals will be extinct forever and this would be a
big loss for the animal kingdom. For this reason, researchers have improved cloning
technology so that many rare species can be successfully cloned.
However, not everyone is excited about cloning animals. Some people feel that it
could have terrible consequences.
For examples, if dinosaurs are cloned, then men could be extinct. It is clear that
these ferocious beasts cannot live together with humans. In history, these creatures lived
several thousand years before men appeared. Can you imagine these giants killing
creatures living within the same era and on the same planet with us?
As a result of this controversy, people still haven’t got the answer yet for cloning
animals. Moreover, some members of the scientific community think that the banning of
cloning technology will destroy the creativity of science.