SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL- English for Academic and Professional Purposes

STUDENT’S NAME: ___________________________ GRADE / SECTION: _____________

TEACHER: ________________________________ DATE SUBMITTED: _____________

I. LEARNING SKILLS
A. Most Essential Learning Competency: Writes various kinds of position papers.

B. Objectives:
a) Define what a position paper is
b) Identify the purposes and parts of a position paper
c) Defend a stand on an issue by presenting reasonable arguments
supported by properly cited factual evidence

II. INTRODUCTORY CONCEPT

As a student, you are continuously taking sides and forming opinions on anything
that involves you. However, defending your point by simply saying “because I think so” won’t
help you make a case. It is therefore important that you learn how to properly outline your
thoughts and make valid arguments.
The activities below aim to sharpen your understanding on the concepts related to
writing position paper. Enjoy working on the practice tasks and the assessment!

A. Definition and Purpose of Position Paper

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 A position paper presents an arguable opinion about an issue. The goal of a position
paper is to convince the audience that your opinion is valid and worth listening to. Ideas that
you are considering need to be carefully examined in choosing a topic, developing your
argument, and organizing your paper. It is very important to ensure that you are addressing
all sides of the issue and presenting it in a manner that is easy for your audience to understand.
Your job is to take one side of the argument and persuade your audience that you have well-
founded knowledge of the topic being presented. It is important to support your argument with
evidence to ensure the validity of your claims, as well as to address the counterclaims to show
that you are well-informed about both sides.

The purpose of a position paper is to generate support on an issue. It describes the

author’s position on an issue and the rationale for that position and, in the same way that a
research paper incorporates supportive evidence, is based on facts that provide a solid
foundation for the author’s argument. It is a critical examination of a position using facts and
inductive reasoning, which addresses both strengths and weaknesses of the author’s opinion.

The position paper is based on facts that provide a solid foundation for your argument.
In the position paper you should:
• Use evidence to support your position, such as statistical evidence or dates and
events.
• Validate your position with authoritative references or primary source quotations.
• Examine the strengths and weaknesses of your position.
• Evaluate possible solutions and suggest courses of action.

B. Parts of a Position Paper

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C. Guidelines in Writing a Position Paper

1. Choose an issue. When choosing one, keep the following guidelines in mind.
● The issue should be debatable because you won’t be able to make a stand if
the topic is not debatable.
● The issue should be current or relevant.
● The issue should be written in a question from and answerable by yes or no.
● The issue should be narrow and manageable.
2. Begin the writing process by conducting in-depth research on the issue.
3. Make sure to define unfamiliar terms when you first mention them.
4. Be aware of the various positions about the issue and explain and analyze them objectively.
5. Reflect on your position and identify its weaknesses.
6. Cite valid and reliable sources (3 or more) to establish the credibility of your arguments.
7. View the issue in a different perspective so you can present a unique approach.
8. Limit your position paper in two pages.
9. Analyze your target readers and align your arguments to their beliefs, needs, interests, and
motivations.
10. Summarize the other side’s counterarguments and use various evidence and data to refute
them.
11. Use an active voice as much as possible to achieve a dynamic and firm one.
12. Arrange your evidence logically using an inductive or deductive approach.
13. Check your argument for fallacies and eliminate them. Fallacies, or errors in reasoning
weaken your argument.
14. Use ethical, logical, and emotional appeal. An ethical appeal relates to your credibility and
competence as a writer; a logical appeal refers to a rational approach in developing an
argument; while an emotional appeal uses arguments in a way that evokes feelings.

D. Example of a Position Paper

(Excerpt taken from (https://caroltinga.wordpress.com/2017/10/22/a-position-paper-on-

legalizing-divorce-in-the-philippines/ )

Marriage is sacred and a must. Marriage is the process by which two people make
their relationship public, official, and permanent. It is the joining of two people in a bond that
putatively lasts until death, but in practice is increasingly cut short by separation. Over the
course of a relationship that can last as many as seven or eight decades, a lot happens.
Personalities change, bodies age, and romantic love waxes and wanes. And no marriage is
free of conflict. What enables a couple to endure is how they handle that conflict. It is lawful
which should be followed and taken care of by married persons or a family. In addition, it is
necessary in general. But if a marriage is not working anymore that only leads to fighting then
it also becomes abusive, it requires a legal separation to any of the spouses. This process has
to be undergone legally and has a sanction of the court. It could be an annulment just like here
in our country, the Philippines, we allow it. (INTRODUCTION)
People who say that divorce is not advisable for the Philippines forget or ignore our
history. The ethno-linguistic communities of the Philippine archipelago before the Spanish
conquest practiced divorce. We had a divorce law from 1917 until August 30, 1950, when the
Civil Code of 1950 took effect. The latter law prohibited divorce for Filipinos, and the prohibition
continues under the present Family Code. But Muslim Filipinos have always practiced divorce,
which Philippine law allowed. Today, divorce continues to be available to Muslim Filipinos
under the Code of Muslim Personal Law of the Philippines (Presidential Decree No. 1083),
promulgated in 1977. (BODY_COUNTER-ARGUMENT)

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 A divorce law will provide a remedy that Article 36 does not. Divorce does not concern
itself with validity or invalidity of a marriage. It terminates a marriage based on a ground that
occurred during the marriage, which makes the marital relationship no longer tenable,
regardless of the spouse’s psychological constitution. A divorce law will provide a
straightforward remedy to a marital failure. It will benefit Filipinos wherever they are. (BODY_
ARGUMENT)
It is time to give the remedy of divorce to those who need it, even as we respect the
decision of those who want to stay married despite their miserable marital life. First thing is
that a couple’s conflicts often lead to maltreatment and the women are the most affected in
the situation. Simple, because compared to women men are more aggressive and stronger
when it comes to strength. Another is that a man has the power to rule the house even in a
wrong way, so a woman was set aside because of its poor capability. Lastly, a woman is more
emotional so if her trust is misused it leads to overthinking and makes a woman struggle with
depression which is really unhealthy. (BODY_ ARGUMENT)
We are the only country that does not allow divorce nowadays. It was once a law during
American colonial times. A divorce law will provide a remedy that Article 36 does not; it
terminates a marriage based on a ground that occurred during the marriage, which makes the
marital relationship no longer tenable, regardless of the spouse’s psychological constitution.
A divorce law will provide a straightforward remedy to a marital failure. It will benefit Filipinos
wherever they are. (CONCLUSION)

III. ACTIVITIES
A. Practice Task 1: Guess What?
Position Paper is composed of three main parts—the introduction, the body and the
conclusion. Listed below are the parts and descriptions of a position paper. Your task is to
accurately state the correct part being described by the statements. DRAW A IN THE
COLUMN THAT CORRESPONDS TO YOUR ANSWER. THE FIRST ITEM HAS BEEN
DONE FOR YOU.

LEGEND: -Introduction -Body - Conclusion

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 Practice Task 2. CONVINCE ME!
Imagine that you were tasked to convince a community of non-vaccine believers to get
themselves vaccinated to avoid the risks and dangers of COVID-19 Delta Variant. You are
given the following facts and figures that you can use to convince or sway the community
about the pros and cons of COVID-19 vaccines in the Philippines.
PUT A CHECK MARK OPPOSITE THE STATEMENT THAT YOU THINK WILL HELP YOU
STRENGTHEN YOUR POSITION THAT COVID-19 VACCINE IS EFFECTIVE AND SAFE.
PUT AN X MARK IF NOT.
______ 1. Anxiety may be well taken care of when you are negating the said side effects from
the vaccination. However, the level of vulnerability is higher than those individuals who took
courage in receiving the vaccines.
______ 2. Several experts claimed that without vaccination you are more susceptible to getting
the virus. Various vaccines from different medical institutions have respective efficacy rates
that the public can choose from whatever is available in your country.
______ 3. It was stated that 11 of those vaccinated died because of COVID, wherein, it was
also pointed out that the vaccines take time to develop the immunity response inside the body.
The other eight died due to cardiovascular or cerebrovascular diseases. Meanwhile, the three
died with other infectious diseases.
______ 4. Experts believe that you are less likely to become seriously ill even if you get
infected with the virus if you have been vaccinated.
______ 5. After having been vaccinated, you can start doing tasks or things that the pandemic
might have hindered you to do.

Practice Task 3. YAY OR NAY!

DIRECTIONS: On the social issues enumerated below, you are being asked to give your position

whether you are in favor or against it. AFFIX YOUR SIGNATURE IN THE ( ) COLUMN IF YOU’RE IN
FAVOR OR ( )IN THE COLUMN IF YOU’RE AGAINST. You need to cite supporting evidence by
noting the source in order to get a point. The first one has been done for you. (A pseudo-
signature was used for the example.)

MAIN ISSUE
SUPPORTING EVIDENCE/CITATION

LEGALIZATION OF DIVORCE “Marriage, as an inviolable social institution,

IN THE PHILIPPINES is the foundation of the family and shall be
protected by the State.”

Article XV, Sec 2- The 1987 Constitution of

the Philippines
ON ANTI-TERROR LAW
PASSAGE
ON ABS-CBN SHUTDOWN
ON DRUG WAR (OPLAN
TOKHANG)

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INCLUSION OF SEX
EDUCATION IN THE
CURRICULUM
TERMINATION OF VISITING
FORCES AGREEMENT
TRANSGENDER JOINING
WOMEN’S BEAUTY
PAGEANTS
JURISDICTION OF ICC ON
WAR ON DRUG CASES IN THE
PHILIPPINES
BILL LOWERING HEIGHT
LIMIT FOR PNP, BFP, BUCOR
APPLICANTS

B. ASSESSMENT

From the main issues enumerated in Task 3, select one that is closest to your
heart. WRITE A POSITION PAPER AS TO WHETHER YOU ARE IN THE
AFFIRMATIVE (IN FAVOR) OR IN THE NEGATIVE (AGAINST) SIDE. Support your
claim by citing data from available resources. Make sure to include the three main parts
(Introduction, Body and Conclusion). You will be assessed based on the rubrics given
below.
IV. RUBRIC FOR SCORING
3 2 1
IDEAS This paper is clear and focused. It This paper is mostly focused, Topic is not well-defined
holds the reader's attention. and has some good details and/or there are too many
Relevant details and quotes and quotes. topics.
enrich the central theme
Provides evidence the fully Provides evidence that fully Provides a few pieces of
supports a clearly delineated case supports a general case for evidence.
PROVIDES for the topic and anticipates the topic
EVIDENCE counterexamples, alternate
interpretations or views and
provides discussion of evidence

QUALITY WORK The organization enhances and
showcases the central idea or
theme. The order, structure of
information is compelling and
moves the reader through the
text.
MECHANICS Fully addresses the main issues,
distinguishes key points in
secondary issues and provides
some context for the points.
Paper (and paragraphs) are
mostly organized, in order,
and make sense to the
reader.
Fully addresses the main
issues in the thesis statement
and some secondary issues.
Sentences within paragraphs
make sense, but the order of
paragraphs does not.
Mentioning the topic in a few
words misses the point almost
entirely.

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 V. ANSWER KEY
Practice Task 1

Practice Task 2

Practice 3- Answers may vary.

MAIN ISSUE
SUPPORTING EVIDENCE/CITATION

Legalization of divorce in the “Marriage, as an inviolable social

Philippines institution, is the foundation of the family
and shall be protected by the State.”

Article XV, Sec 2- The 1987 Constitution of

the Philippines
On anti-terror law passage
On ABS-CBN shutdown
On drug war (Oplan Tokhang)
Inclusion of Sex Education in
the curriculum
Termination of Visiting Forces
Agreement
Transgender joining women’s
beauty pageants
Jurisdiction of ICC on war on
drug cases in the Philippines
Bill lowering height limit for
PNP, BFP, BUCOR applicants

Assessment: Answers may vary.

RO_EAPP_Grade 11/12_S1/S2_Q2/4_LP13
VI. REFLECTIONS/COMMENTS/SUGGESTIONS

1. I have learned that _________________________________________________.

2. I need further explanation/guidance on _____________________________.

VII. REFERENCES

Department of Education, Region V Bicol (202). English for academic and professional purposes:
Quarter 2- Module 3 (Writes various position papers)

(BBC NEWS, 2021)

Ager, M. (2019, November 12). “Bato: What’s wrong with ‘Oplan Tokhang’. Inquirer.Net.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1188709/bato-whats-wrong-with-oplan-tokhang

Biong, I. (2020, February 2020). “Agot Isidro urges celebs to speak out on other issues too amid
ABS_CBN shutdown threat.”Inquirer.Net. https://entertainment.inquirer.net/364432/agot-isidro-urges-
celebs-to-speak-out-on-other-issues-too-amid-abs-cbn-shutdown-threat

Mateo, J. (2018, August 9). DepEd: Comprehensive sex education to develop responsible youth.
Philstar Global. https://www.philstar.com/other-sections/education-and-
home/2018/08/09/1840820/deped-comprehensive-sex-education-develop-responsible-youth

Ortiga, K. (2020, March 24). “Why the passage of the Divorce Bill will help Filipino women. CNN
Philippines. https://cnnphilippines.com/life/culture/2020/3/24/divorce-bill-
women.html#:~text=Ib%20the%20Philippines%2C%20the%20only,nullity%20or%20a%20legal%20an
nulment

https://news.usni.org/2021/07/30/philippines-reverses-course-and-commits-to-u-s-visiting-forces-
agreement

https://www.rappler.com/entertainment/pageants/two-miss-philippines-earth-candidates-say-trans-
women-compete-separate-pageants

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/press-release/2021/07/duterte-cannot-halt-investigation-into-war-
on-drugs/

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1391205/house-oks-bill-lowering-height-limit-for-pnp-bfp-bucor-
applicants#ixzz73xphih58

Prepared by:

GIOVANI T. VARGAS
Pandan School of Arts and Trades
Division of Catanduanes

Quality Assured by:

SONIA V. PRENSADER LORAINE T. CHIONG

Principal II Head Teacher III- English
Division of Catanduanes Division of Catanduanes

GINA B. PANTINO, Ed. D. HELEN TITONG

Education Program Supervisor Education Program Supervisor
Division of Catanduanes Division of Masbate Province

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