Argumentative Writing: Building a Defensible Position Under Time Pressure
The Argumentative Writing domain of LSAT Writing is a single, timed (35-minute) writing sample completed online. The exam tests whether you can take a position on a realistic decision, defend it with relevant reasons, and engage with the opposing side - the same skills law-school readers use to judge clarity of thought. The sample is unscored but sent to every school that receives your LSAT score.
What the prompt gives you
Most prompts describe a decision with two viable options and supply several considerations favoring each. You must choose one option and argue for it. The considerations are raw material, not a checklist; you may add reasons of your own, but you should not invent facts that contradict the prompt.
Core rules
- Commit to one option in the first paragraph.
- Each body paragraph advances one distinct reason, tied to a stated consideration or a defensible new one.
- Devote at least one paragraph to the strongest objection and answer it.
- Use transitions that name the argumentative move ("The stronger objection is...").
- Avoid mere summary of the prompt; every sentence should do argumentative work.
Worked example
A town must place a community center either at a vacant downtown lot or in a former school on the outskirts. Prompt considerations: downtown is walkable and transit-served but costly and needs demolition; the school site is cheap and spacious but poorly served by transit. A strong answer chooses downtown and argues accessibility: the residents who most need the center - older adults, teens without cars - can reach it. Concede the cost, then contend that a central location maximizes visits per dollar over the building's life, and note the school site's transit gap would suppress attendance. That is a reason, an objection, and a rebuttal.
Traps
Refusing to choose, summarizing both sides evenly, straw-manning the counterargument, hedging with a conditional thesis, padding with rhetorical flourishes, and running out of time before a conclusion. A closing paragraph that only restates the thesis without synthesis adds little.