ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES UNIVERSITY OF MAKATI

LESSON 7B: HIGHER SCHOOL NG UMAK

WRITING A POSITION PAPER

Time Started : ___________

Time Ended : ___________
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
At the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

A. know the definition and parts of position paper;

B. analyze the arguments used by the writer/s in manifestoes; and

C. write a good position paper.

INTRODUCTION/KEY POINTS

Position Paper
Position paper is a common type of argumentative paper. It is typically written after reading
or discussing a particular issue. The central goal of writing a position paper is not only to state and
defend your claim on the issue but also to show how your stance relates to other claims.

KNOWLEDGE BOOSTER (CORE CONTENT)

Like debate, a position paper presents one side of an arguable opinion about an issue either
you agree or disagree. It is making a claim about something and then proves it through
arguments.

ABM & LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT

 LESSON 7B: WRITING A POSITION PAPER

A position paper follows three-part essay structure.

I. Introduction
 Background of the Topic – Introduce the topic by providing its
history, definition, statistics, example or anecdote.
 Thesis Statement/ Claim- Contains the main position/stance of
your paper which includes concise summary of your argument.
II. Body
 Sub-Claims - It should be 3 or more reasons why the reader
should believe your claim.
 Evidences- The evidences that supports the sub-claims.
 Counterclaim-the opposite view of the claim.
 Rebuttal- Your defensive statement which explains why your
claim is still better than the counter claim

III. Conclusion
 Restate your thesis statement/claim and provide a brief
Look at the summary of the sub-claims then write a powerful or urging
example ending that strongly recommends your claim.
below.

Position Paper Outline

I. Topic
 Implementation of Death Penalty
II. Background
 Death penalty has been a controversial and debatable issue for centuries. This is supported by all members of
the Supreme Court which means it is constitutional.
III. Thesis statement/claim
 This capital punishment is indeed necessary to prevent or punish criminals from doing heinous crimes.

IV. Sub-claim
 It should be applied to those criminals who committed unthinkable and merciless crime such as murder and
rape.
V. Evidence/s
 Like the case of a serial killer named Jeffry Dahmer who murdered 17 men and children and who dismembered
his victims body and ate it (Biography, 2010).
VI. Counterclaim/s

 Other people might say that it is also inhumane to kill criminals because they also have the right to change and
to live but it would be far better to take away their lives than wasting the lives of the innocent.

ABM & LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT

 LESSON 7B: WRITING A POSITION PAPER

VII. Rebuttal
 but it would be far better to take away their lives than wasting the lives of the innocent.
VIII. Conclusion
 There is really a need to implement death penalty especially to those criminals who commit inhuman
crime and if it would be possible to implement it, it must be implemented in the soonest time.

Sample Text
Implementation of Death Penalty
Death penalty has been a controversial and debatable issue for centuries. This is supported by all members
of the Supreme Court which means it is constitutional. This capital punishment is indeed necessary to prevent or
punish criminals from doing heinous crimes.
It should be applied to those criminals who committed unthinkable and merciless crime such as murder and
rape. Like the case of a serial killer named Jeffry Dahmer who murdered 17 men and children and who dismembered
his victims body and ate it (Biography, 2010).Other people might say that it is also inhumane to kill criminals because
they also have the right to change and to live but it would be far better to take away their lives than wasting the lives
of the innocent.
There is really a need to implement death penalty especially to those criminals who commit inhuman crime
and if it would be possible to implement it, it must be implemented in the soonest time.

Note: The sub-claims and evidences should be sufficient to support the claim. Ideally, you could have 2 or more sub-
claims and evidences to strengthen your claim.

ABM & LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT

 LESSON 7B: WRITING A POSITION PAPER

These are the 5 easy steps on how to write a position paper:

1. Select a Topic
Usually, the teacher is the one who gives the topic to write about, but if
you are given chance to choose a topic, selecting one from the current
and significant political issues in the country which interesting to you is
a good choice. Just make sure that your topic is arguable or has two
possible claims.
2. Decide your claim
The claim defines your writing goals, thus it should reflect your strong
position about the topic.
3. Conduct Preliminary Research
Preliminary research is necessary to determine whether the evidences
are available to back up your claim. Search for information that can
support your stance in reputable websites such as education (.edu) sites
or government (.gov) sites. Strong evidences could make a convincing
paper.
4. Know the Opposite Claim
It is important to know the opposite claim or the counterclaim of your
thesis for you to effectively provide a rebuttal which explains why the
other side’s point of view is wrong.
5. Create an Outline of your Topic
An outline organizes the ideas in your paper and serves as guide in
writing the content of your paper’s introduction, body and conclusion.
6. Write with Confidence
Write with confidence and state your opinion with authority. After all,
your goal is to show that your position is the correct one.

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 LESSON 7B: WRITING A POSITION PAPER

ASSESSMENT/ACTIVITY

Directions: Choose one recent issue aired by any local news channel and write a position paper
about it. Your goal is to convince your reader on your stance. It should contain at least 4
paragraphs with the topic background, claim, sub-claims, evidences, counter claims, and rebuttal.
Observe formality and correct grammar in writing your position paper.

SELF-CHECK (SELF-ASSESSMENT)/ INSIGHT

Directions: Read and analyze the example position paper then answer the questions provided below.

ABM & LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT

LESSON 7B: WRITING A POSITION PAPER

ABM & LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT

LESSON 7B: WRITING A POSITION PAPER

ABM & LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT

 LESSON 7B: WRITING A POSITION PAPER

Questions to ponder:
1. Does the position paper follow the proper format? Why?
2. Are the arguments clearly and strongly presented? Why?

ASSIGNMENT
Directions: Pair up. Ask one of your classmates to be your partner in the activity. Within 30 minutes,
review your partner’s position paper which was written in the previous activity. While reviewing
your partner’s paper, observe how the thesis statement/claim, sub-claim/s, evidences, counterclaims,
rebuttal, and conclusion are written then write your feedback about it. There is no limitation on the
number of sentences in your feedback, you are free to write in any length you want but it should not
be less than 10 sentences.

REFERENCES
Position Paper. (2020). Colorado State University. http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/teaching

Fleming, G. (2019). 5 steps to write a position paper. http://www.thoughtco.com/howtowrite

ABM & LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT