ICSE: How to frame an argumentative essay?

Writing an essay is no mean task. And if it is an argumentative essay, the task becomes all the more uphill.
An argumentative essay demands that you should be able to portray your point of view very clearly. Thus there is no place for vague generalizations in an argumentative essay. This is the basic that you should bear in mind before starting out on an argumentative essay. Having said that, let us look into the argumentative essay topics in some more detail.
The Introduction: The best way to start the argumentative essay is by taking the subject head-on. Your stance should be clear from the very beginning.
The Body: Every paragraph in the essay should be geared towards establishing your stance. To do so, you may take the help of personal examples, well known historical events, facts and statistics, quotations and the like. But don't use these just for the sake of it. That would fill your easy with fluff. Rather, you should concentrate on those points that really strengthen your argument.
Each statement is a double headed Janus. It is the first rule of studying law. There are always multiple ways of dealing with an issue. Arrange the arguments in order of strength. Validate each argument with substantial evidence supporting or rejecting it. Balancing the arguments is the name of the game. Remember, leaving an impact on the reader is your prime focus. Attend debates or listen to news debates and see how each speaker fights it out for what he believes to be right. Convince the reader you are the most logical and you have his vote. It is what politicians do all the time.
"No fence-sitting". You must take a stand while writing an ICSE essay. So make sure the counter arguments you put forth do not water down your essential argument. Use facts to strengthen your viewpoint. Nothing replaces the bare effectiveness of real statistics and facts. Define key terms where necessary and outline any assumptions you may have made while reaching to a conclusion.
The final word. Like a hangman's axe, the final sentence of your essay must say it all in a single stroke. A nice quote, a witty detail or an interesting anecdote will finish the job.