A source-based argument and a causal gap
A fictional student article argues that a library’s evening opening caused improved examination results. It cites a table showing that results rose after opening hours changed, but the same year also introduced tutoring and a revised assessment. The article includes a vivid interview with one enthusiastic visitor and a photograph of a busy room. Its draft does not explain whether the examined students used the library or whether the two examinations were comparable. A reviewer suggests adding more emotional testimony, while another asks for clearer criteria and comparison evidence. Students must distinguish the article’s purpose from the strength of its reasoning. All sources are invented for this exercise; the task concerns evidence, rhetoric and revision rather than a claim about an actual institution or examination.
1. Identify the warrant needing support.
Read the worked answer
The argument assumes that library access produced the result change, rather than tutoring, assessment differences or another factor. The before-and-after table and one interview do not establish that causal premise.
2. Recommend a substantive revision.
Read the worked answer
Qualify the causal claim, examine comparable measures and participation evidence, and discuss alternative explanations. Additional testimony may illustrate experience but does not by itself resolve the causal gap.