Vietnam: What are the guidelines for writing argumentative essays to persuade others? What are the requirements for selecting texts used in the Literature curriculum?

What are the guidelines for writing argumentative essays to persuade others in Vietnam?

To effectively write an argumentative essay to persuade others, you should focus on communicating your message, logically, and engagingly, while using suitable techniques to impress and change the reader’s mind.

Below are guidelines for writing argumentative essays to persuade others in Vietnam:

(1) Clearly identify the audience and objective

Before writing, answer the following questions:

- Who is the audience?: Understanding the audience will help you adjust your language and reasoning appropriately (students, adults, experts, etc.).

- What is the purpose?: The goal of the essay could be to persuade the reader to change their viewpoint, agree with your opinion, or take a specific action.

(2) Develop essay structure

The structure of an argumentative essay should be coherent and consistent, typically including:

a. Introduction: Impress and Introduce the Issue

- Engaging Lead: Start with a story, shocking statistic, thought-provoking question, or famous quote to capture attention.

- State the Issue: Present the argumentative issue directly and clearly.

- State Your Viewpoint: Set the stance or main thesis you will defend in the essay.

b. Body: Convincing Arguments and Analysis

The body is the most critical part, where you develop arguments to persuade the reader.

- Divide the essay into arguments: Each argument addresses one aspect of the issue.

- Specific Evidence:

+ Use real examples, statistics, or personal stories for illustration.

+ Evidence must be reliable and relevant to the issue.

- Counterarguments: Identify opposing views and refute them with strong arguments or evidence.

- Persuasive Techniques:

+ Logos (Logical Argument): Present ideas based on reasoning and data.

+ Pathos (Emotion): Evoke emotions by relating the issue to human values or common pain.

+ Ethos (Credibility): Demonstrate understanding and objective attitude to build reader trust.

c. Conclusion: Summarize and Call to Action

- Reaffirm Viewpoint: Emphasize the importance of the issue and the reasonableness of your argument.

- Call to Action: Propose solutions, direct thoughts, or encourage the reader to take specific action.

- Memorable Ending: Use a powerful statement or open-ended question to leave a lasting impression on the reader.

(3) Create a personal mark

- Expressive Language: Use vivid, emotional language to increase appeal.

- Creativity and Flexibility: Avoid a dry and rigid style; instead, express individuality and personal style through reasoning and guidance.

(4) Review and edit

- Review Structure: Ensure ideas are presented coherently and linked closely.

- Edit Errors: Eliminate spelling, grammatical mistakes, or redundant sentences.

- Reread: Ensure the essay is understandable and appropriate for the audience.

(5) Important Notes

- Balance Logic and Emotion: Combine logical reasoning and emotion closely to increase persuasiveness.

- Avoid Redundancy: Focus on the main content, and avoid digression.

- Focus on Evidence: An argument is more persuasive when supported by specific and credible evidence.

Note: Content is for reference only.

What are the guidelines for writing argumentative essays to persuade others in Vietnam? What are the requirements for selecting texts used in the Literature curriculum in Vietnam? (Image from the Internet)

What are the requirements for selecting texts used in the Literature curriculum in Vietnam?

Under Section 8 of the General Education Program for Literature, issued with Circular 32/2018/TT-BGDDT, the requirements for selecting texts used in the Literature curriculum in Vietnam are as follows:

- Ensure a reasonable proportion between literary texts, argumentative texts, and informative texts. In literary texts, attention should be paid to reasonably balancing basic genres (stories, poems, memoirs, plays), between medieval and modern literature, between folk literature and written literature, between Kinh ethnic literature and minority ethnic literature, between Vietnamese and foreign literature, between East and West.

“Balance” is understood as an appropriate proportion, not an equal proportion. Text corpus for all grades must include story and poetry texts. Besides stories and poems, each education level must have memoir or play texts. grades at the elementary level and early middle school prioritize modern and contemporary Vietnamese literature. The repetition of a text in multiple grades or grade levels should be limited.

- Ensure the appropriateness of texts with the developmental requirements and study duration of the curriculum. The difficulty of reading texts increases gradually each school year. The time to teach a text must match its length and complexity to ensure teachers can help students fully and deeply understand the text, giving students the opportunity to read directly and comprehensively the selected works for study. The teaching of extracts should be limited, except for literary works of large volumes like novels, memoirs, and epics.

- Ensure continuity and development of the Literature curriculum already in place. The curriculum is based on nine authors and literary works taught in the current curriculum and textbooks, selecting and supplementing some authors and works that hold significant positions, representative of national literary achievements across stages, to teach in schools at three levels:

+ Mandatory works (textbook authors and teachers must implement according to curriculum regulations); mandatory selected works (textbook authors must select works from authors listed in the curriculum).

+ Suggested selected works (textbook authors independently select works according to the curriculum's suggestion list). Specifically for authors Nguyen Trai, Nguyen Du, and Ho Chi Minh at the upper secondary level, there are additional overview lessons about these literary figures.

+ Based on the requirements to be achieved in each class and the list of mandatory works, mandatory selected works are defined, and textbook authors select additional appropriate texts recommended within or outside the suggestion list at the end of the curriculum. Teachers and students can choose to read some extended texts appropriate to the curriculum's requirements and age for group or class discussion.

What are the general objectives of developing the Literature curriculum in Vietnam?

Under Section 3 of the General Education Program for Literature issued with Circular 32/2018/TT-BGDDT, the general objectives of developing the Literature curriculum in Vietnam are as follows:

- Form and develop essential qualities for students: patriotism, benevolence, diligence, honesty, and responsibility;

- Nurture the soul, form character, and develop personality.

- The Literature subject helps students:

+ Discover themselves and the world around them, understand people, have a rich emotional life, have humanistic living and behavioral concepts; and foster a love for the Vietnamese language and literature.

+ Have an awareness of the origins and identity of the nation, and contribute to preserving and developing Vietnamese cultural values.

+ Be open to assimilating the essence of world culture and capable of international integration.

- Contribute to helping students develop general capabilities: autonomy and self-study, communication and cooperation, problem-solving, and creativity.

- Particularly, the Literature subject helps students develop language capability and literary capability:

+ Hone skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening.

+ Acquire a foundational system of general knowledge about Vietnamese and literature, develop figurative and logical thinking, contributing to the formation of basic literacy of a cultured person.

+ Know how to create common texts.

+ Know how to receive and evaluate literary works, specifically, communication products, and aesthetic values generally in life.