Hi Peter,
I know what you are referring to from the ETS guide (the so-called counter-argument paragraph). Are you referring to the example responses to the topic in the guide about "always telling the truth is the most important consideration in any relationship"?
Personally (and I have to be honest), the example essay given in the ETS guide that rates a perfect 5.0 is a pretty imperfect piece of writing. It seems (to me) to "flop around" with the central idea too much, and as a model for students could be quite confusing. I avoid using that model with developing students because it isn't logical or straightforward enough to build strong and confident strategies to write under time pressure.
The models I've been providing you with here are what I have been advocating for years - both for iBT and its predecessor the CBT. I've had more students get perfect scores in the essay section than I care to remember, but an even larger number of students who got "safe" high scores (where even if they struggled with the topic, the basic approach to the essay guaranteed a minimum score of 3.5 [iBT] or 4.0 [CBT]). A private student of mine, following my model, has taken the iBT twice this year, and she got a 27 for the writing section on her first attempt, and a 29 in her second attempt. That reassures me that what I'm advocating appears to work when it comes to getting a high score!
However (and to address your query directly), addressing counter-arguments is possible in your essay, and it can be very efffective. You can do this within its own (third) paragraph, or do it briefly as an initial first paragraph - so long as you still include at least two well developed paragraphs strongly supporting and exemplifying your main position.
It is also possible to do this within your main body paragraphs, and within the essay overall. Doing it this way actually allows you to maintain your careful organization and not get lost with the other side of the argument. Take a look at the sample essay below I made for the writing lesson about introductions. Pay attention to the bolded sections of the essay:
Writing Topic:
Some people believe that university students should be required to attend classes. Others believe that going to classes should be optional for students. Which point of view do you agree with? Use specific reasons and details to explain your answer.
Essay Response:
In most places in the world, university study coincides with people's entrance into adult life. This brings a lot of new responsibilities, but also a certain sense of freedom for many young people. Having been forced to attend classes on a strictly regular basis during their school years, some people don't attend their university classes with the same regularity or punctuality. So, should attendance in university classes be compulsory? Personally, I'm of the opinion that this choice should really be up to the student. While I understand the possible rationales for compulsory attendance, I think we must remember that these students are adults who need to develop an independent sense of responsibility, and attendance should not be automatically equated with academic learning or commitment.
First of all, students at this age are young adults who need to learn how to take responsibility for themselves, and academic learning and achievement fall within those responsibilities. I certainly believe that universities are obliged to create as many opportunities as possible to learn, but it is then up to the students themselves to take the process further. In other words, universities open doors of opportunity, and then it is up to the students to walk through those doors. From my own personal experience, I once failed a university subject where attendance was not tracked for assessment purposes. I skipped a lot of classes and didn't have sufficient knowledge to pass the final exam. It taught me a tough lesson. I re-took the class the following year as an extra subject, missed very few classes, and achieved a great score. In both instances, the university provided me with the opportunity to learn, but in once instance I failed to complete my part of the relationship. I honestly believe the experience made me more independently committed to things in my later work life. It taught me to take personal responsibility for my development, and to see how day-to-day work builds towards and equips me for larger achievements later.
Secondly, I fail to see how attendance in class can accurately measure how much a student is learning, or how committed they are to learning. I have attended many university classes where students were not paying attention, chatting with friends, sending text messages, or even sleeping! Obviously, in a lot of cases, the requirement of basically being in class does not necessarily mean students are learning anything. In addition, I think a policy of compulsory attendance can risk becoming insensitive to students’ personal situations. I have studied with many classmates who could not attend all of their classes because of their financial situations, needing to work one or even two part-time jobs to cover their fees and expenses. Others had families to take care of. In most cases, these very busy and often stressed-out students actually were the highest achievers in the course once the grades came out. Attendance in class definitely did not correlate with their commitment to and work ethic for the course. I think it would be colossally unfair and very insensitive to base assessment of these hard-working and very committed students purely on a class attendance log.
In conclusion, there are reasons for and against compulsory class attendance at university level, but the arguments against hold a lot more water. When we consider factors such as building an independent sense of responsibility, class attendance not necessarily equating to learning, and the need to be sensitive to learners’ personal situations, it is clear that attendance really needs to be the learners’ choice and option. The alternative is to create a university system that is built only on appearances, and actually punishes rather encourages students with challenging personal situations.
Essentially, those bolded sections show consideration for the other side of the argument, and basically refute them either as a lead-in or direct contrast through the ideas around or after them. The reason I do it this way (and recommend that others do the same) is that addressing and refuting counter-arguments can be a natural way for you to build and support your own main argument from the opposite perspective.
However, I always advocate learning how to effectively support and exemplify your own argument in response to the topic before attempting to play around with counter-arguments. It can be dangerous for inexperienced essay writers in that it can be very easy to lose track of your own main ideas, or make you end up looking like a "fence sitter" who doesn't actually argue persuasively this way or the other. Once you can effectively express and support your own argument, then it is time to consider how to address the other side of the argument within your response.
There will be more information related to this in my upcoming lesson on how to build the body of your TOEFL essay.
Hope this makes sense and was helpful...
Best wishes,
~ Jason
