Argumenter à l'écrit : essay et article

1. a)The motion was "This house believes that pupils should be taught how to argue". It was carried by thirty-one votes to nineteen. (1)
2. b)First, school hours are limited, so a new subject would take time away from maths or science. Second, teenagers already argue enough at home and need no lesson to raise their voice. (1)
3. c)Shouting means speaking louder than the other person ; arguing means making a claim, backing it with evidence and answering the opposing view. The first is a matter of volume, the second of reasoning. (1)
4. d)Admitting that the other side is right on one point does not mean you have lost the debate : it shows you have listened and it makes the rest of your case more credible, as it did for the girl who won the audience over. (1)

Repère — Les questions d'inférence attendent une reformulation personnelle : recopier une phrase du texte ne rapporte aucun point.

1. a)Despite (ou In spite of) the cost — despite est suivi d'un groupe nominal, jamais d'une proposition. (1)
2. b)Although (ou Though / While) many pupils own a smartphone — la proposition a un sujet et un verbe conjugué. (1)
3. c)however (ou nevertheless / nonetheless), suivi d'une virgule après le point-virgule. (1)
4. d)Not only does debating build confidence — not only en tête impose l'inversion sujet-auxiliaire. (1)

Erreur fréquente — « Despite the law is old » est impossible : despite appelle un nom ou un V-ing, although une proposition complète.

1. a)Many observers believe that screens are harmful to children. (a lot of → many ; bad → harmful ; kids → children) (1)
2. b)This is a major issue for young people today. (really big → major ; nowadays reste acceptable mais today est plus neutre) (1)
3. c)This law appears questionable in several respects. (ou : The law may well prove inadequate.) — on supprime I think et la contraction. (1)
4. d)The government's swift decision was widely welcomed. (decided → decision : la nominalisation condense l'idée) (1)

Le point clé — Trois réflexes suffisent à monter d'un registre : supprimer les contractions, remplacer a lot of / big / bad par des mots précis, nominaliser.

1. a)What matters is not the cost but the principle. (1)
2. b)It is claimed that written exams are outdated. (1)
3. c)Far from solving the problem, the ban made it worse. (1)
4. d)Were the ban lifted, traffic would soar. (1)

Attention — Ces quatre structures ne s'emploient qu'à l'écrit soutenu : une par copie suffit, employées en série elles sonnent artificielles.

1. a)Attendus : reformulation du sujet sans recopier la consigne, thèse en une phrase, registre soutenu, présent. Proposition : « Several European countries have recently added debating to the secondary curriculum. The question is whether every pupil should be required to take it. This essay will argue that debating should indeed be compulsory, because it teaches a skill no other subject teaches. » (1)
2. b)Attendus : topic sentence en première position, une preuve attribuée, deux connecteurs au maximum. Proposition : « The first argument in favour of compulsory debating is that it forces pupils to test their own opinions. According to a 2024 study of English secondary schools, pupils who debated regularly were markedly better at spotting an unsourced statistic. Such a skill matters far beyond the classroom. » (1)
3. c)Attendus : concession explicite, puis réfutation avec un verbe précis (overlook, underestimate, fail to take into account). Proposition : « Admittedly, the school timetable is already crowded, and some teachers fear that debating would take hours away from science. However, this argument overlooks the fact that debating can be taught within existing subjects, from history to biology, at almost no extra cost. » (1)
4. d)Attendus : réponse à la question posée, aucun argument nouveau, ouverture d'une phrase. Proposition : « To sum up, making debating compulsory would cost little and teach much. What pupils would gain is not the art of winning but the habit of listening before replying. Whether schools are ready to assess such a skill remains an open question. » Barème indicatif : 1 pt par attendu ; toute copie hors sujet, ou sans thèse identifiable, ne peut dépasser 2 pts sur 4. (1)

À retenir — Un essay sans paragraphe de concession-réfutation plafonne : c'est le passage qui prouve que l'autre camp a été lu, et non ignoré.