The IWA, the individual written argument, the first part of PT2. This essay is many things but scary is not one of them. With this guide, I will help break down this essay step-by-step. Trust me, it's not as scary as it sounds. Once you get started, there are a few things that you must consider. Otherwise, its a pretty straight-forward argument essay.
First and foremost, read through the rubric provided by the college board:
Additionally, it's imperative to choose a good research question/topic. Now, what does "good" exactly mean?
Well, make sure your research question is researchable, arguable, and complex.
By researchable, I mean that you should be able to find a variety of articles that help support your argument on online, scholarly journal libraries such as Jstor or Ebsco.
By arguable, I mean that the research question should not have an obvious solution or answer that can be formulated without any research. For instance, consider the question: To what extent should bullying be addressed in elementary school. No researcher/scholar would ever suggest that bullying should not be addressed, thus the question is not researchable.
By complex, I mean that several scholars have differing perspectives on the issue. For instance, consider the question: What policies can the government enact to lower poverty rates? Some scholars might suggest increasing the minimum wage, creating more employee benefits, and provide the poor better educational opportunities. This will be important later on!
Now, consider whether the research question relates to a common theme connecting with the sources. However, please do not think that the research question must relate to every single source. It only has to centrally relate to a couple of sources. Nonetheless, if you are unable to make a connection or can only find a tangential connection to the sources, back to the planning board.
Once you have created a potential question, the next step is to conduct research. I would highly suggest making an Annotated Bibliography to arrange your sources, probably between 12-15 other than your stimulus sources. While conducting research, make sure to write down the main idea, quotes you want to use, attributive tags, and how you plan to use this research in your IWA for each article. Trust me, it will be helpful later. If you find that all the researchers are saying the exact same thing, try to redevelop your question, as it has proven to not be complex enough.
Once you have completed the research stage, you can now proceed to make an outline for your research paper. The basic structure of any IWA would be an introduction, 3-5 body paragraphs, and conclusion/resolution/resolution.
Things you want to consider in your outline:
Intro
- Hook (Interesting fact or statement that gets the reader’s attention)
- Context (Why is this topic relevant today? Why is it important? Where is it an issue?)
- Build context as to why this is an issue that needs to be addressed immediately
- Introduce people that argue about the issue(Build complexity by introducing numerous perspectives)
- Try to imbed your source
- Introduce your research question (Yes, say it word for word)
- State your thesis at the end of the paragraph
Body Paragraphs (Each of them should include this information):
- Introduce the main claim that you will argue in the paragraph (does not need to be the first the sentence, but usually is close to the beginning)
- Explain why this claim is important or how it is linked to the rest of your argument
- Introduce evidence to support the main claim you just stated (Go beyond just mentioning an author's study, try to also establish connective tissue with other sources or the overall argument)
- Think deeply about a limitation or counterargument to this claim (This step is really important in making a complex argument) Who might object to this? Why? Introduce that now. Don't just state the author; explain why the author opposes this argument.
- Now you must address this counterargument back. You don't have to outright deny the claim. You can also qualify the point or point out the flaws of the counterargument.
Conclusion/Resolution/Solution:
- Introduce a solution if you haven't done that yet, and explain why this solution is the optimal solution, addressing any counterarguments or limitations. Furthermore, analyze alternate solutions and explain their ineffectiveness.
- Try to reiterate the significance of the issue (why it must be addressed right now)
- Tie in stimulus source again, if possible
Now that you have an outline, writing the IWA should be pretty easy. It's all about getting the arguments you just made onto paper.
Now let's dissect the CollegeBoard rubric to see how you can maximize your score!
Row 1: Incorporation of the Stimulus Sources(Make sure that you make the sources an integral part of your IWA that has a strong connection to your argument; try to include 2, but no more) Make sure you can clearly identify a strong thematic connection between your argument and the main idea of the Source.
Row 2: Significance of the question (try to answer the question why is it important? who cares? who does it affect? why must it be addressed right now? How have we failed to address or neglected to address this issue so far?)
Row 3: Synthesize multiple perspectives and research intro limitations/counterarguments of all perspectives, including your own! To synthesize sources, describe how the sources are similar, different, or similar to an extent. By doing so, you are creating a more complex argument that shows the maturity of a scholar. (X would agree with Y in that ...., but not in that .....) (X would further amplify Y's point that... by stating that ...)
Row 4: Establishing a cohesive, cogent argument (Make sure that each paragraph has a clear subtopic that connects to your overall argument) Each paragraph should connect to your overall solution/conclusion. These paragraphs should serve as evidence or explanation as to why your solution is the optimal solution or must be implemented immediately. Also, try to connect each paragraph together through a sentence that transitions between paragraphs.
Row 5: Selection of Evidence. This is one of the easier paragraphs in that as long as you include sources from online, scholarly libraries such as Jstor and Ebsco in addition to citing attributive tags, you will get this point. Every time you introduce a new scholar, cite an attributive tag. Also, make sure that all sources are within the 21st century unless for a specific reason that can be justified.
Row 6: Citations(APA) You can find all rules for in-text and bibliography on the Purdue Owl website. Usually, in-text citations follow the order (author names, year published). Make sure to get citations for the bibliography directly from the source, if provided in APA. Else, read through Owl Purdue.
Row 7: Grammar Conventions Probably the easiest row to get, in my opinion. All you need to do is maintain a scholarly tone, without any colloquial language. Additionally, make sure to fix all grammar mistakes. If needed, make sure to define complicated jargon, applicable to the topic of research, for the reader. Additionally, make sure to remove all contractions, as they are a sign of informal writing.
Bonus Tips: Be concise. There is only a limited amount of space(2200 words). Make sure that others can logically follow your train of thought. Make sure to add transitional words between sentences to connect them. Recheck connection to your stimulus sources (You will get a 0 if the connection created is not explicit).
With that said, this should be all you need to score highly on the IWA. Follow these steps and the IWA won't seem that complicated anymore.
Happy studying and Good Luck!
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