Because “persuasive techniques” won’t save you anymore
Let’s clear something up straight away: VCE Argument Analysis is not about listing techniques. If your first instinct is to count how many rhetorical questions the writer uses, then you’re already playing catch-up. What assessors are really looking for is this:
Can you explain how argument, tone and language work together to shape how the reader thinks or feels?
This blog will teach you exactly how to do that – not with generic advice, but with the precision and insight the examiner reports reward. You’ll learn to write essays that feel purposeful, mature, and actually persuasive in their own right.
What High-Scoring Argument Analyses Actually Do:
- Frame the piece with audience and purpose in mind
Every strong response opens by identifying who the writer is talking to, why they’re speaking, and what’s at stake. This should never be a robotic checklist; it needs to be embedded fluently and tactically.Take the following excerpt of an introduction as a model for your intro’s structure:In a confident and forward-looking open letter published across local media, the Student Music Leadership Group proposes integrating live performance into the Narrow Valley Garden Festival. With an enthusiastic tone that softens toward respectful diplomacy, the students address older community members and event organisers to present their music proposal as a complement — not a threat – to existing traditions.Your job is not just name-dropping context – your job is to show insight into the relationship between writer, audience, and purpose, just like the 2024 Chief Examiner noted students needed to do more explicitly.
- Follow the shape of the argument
The best essays don’t jump from technique to technique like a bee in a beehive. They follow the flow of the argument – how it begins, evolves, pivots, and resolves.The simplest way to plan? Ask yourself:- Where does the writer start?
- Where do they need the reader to end up?
- How does the tone shift to support that transition?
Then mirror that journey in your paragraph structure.
Argument → build-up → turning point → payoff.It’s clean.
It’s strategic.
It’s exactly what top responses do. - Unpack language like you mean it
Students lose marks when they quote surface-level phrases and call it a day. Let me be blunt: saying “this metaphor is persuasive” is not analysis. It’s commentary.Let’s level up!The author refers to their proposal as “cultural fertiliser” – an earthy metaphor that reframes their event not as competition, but as nourishment. The image of planting something new within something old strategically appeals to the town’s love of gardening while making the addition of music feel organic – even inevitable.You’ve taken one phrase and used it to reveal purpose, tone, and audience manipulation. That’s what analysis is.
- Consider audience differences – not just “the reader”
There is no such thing as “the reader”. A strong Argument Analysis knows exactly who’s being spoken to – and how different parts of the text land differently on different people.For example:While the opening tone flatters festival organisers for their “incredible work over the years”, this is less about praise and more about positioning. It works to soften potential defensiveness among older residents, reframing the students not as challengers, but as grateful contributors with fresh ideas.You’re showing your reader that the audience is layered – and that the writer is balancing tone like a tightrope.
- Don’t forget the image
If there’s a visual, it’s there for a reason. Describe it briefly, yes – but then analyse it like your life depends on it. The central image of teenagers performing mid-song is not casual. Their body language – confident, joyful, united – visually reinforces the upbeat tone of the letter. More importantly, it works to counter stereotypes of youth as chaotic or self-absorbed; they are not depicted as children, but as artists…”That’s how you analyse an image without making it sound like a paint-by-numbers description.
What Quietly Lowers Otherwise Decent Essays (and exactly what to do about it)
Even students with great vocab, solid ideas, and good intentions fall into traps here. And it’s not because they’re not smart. It’s because they haven’t been shown what assessors are actually rewarding. These mistakes don’t make your essay bad – they just keep it sitting at a 5 or 6 when you were aiming for an 8, 9, or 10.
Let’s break them down properly.
- Writing a sequence, not an analysis
This is the classic:“The writer starts by saying this, then says this, then includes this…”Sounds fine, right? But what you’re doing here is summarising, not analysing. You’re walking through the article like it’s a timeline, instead of showing how the argument builds pressure, pivots strategically, or closes the deal.Fix it by asking yourself:
- Why is this idea placed here?
- What tone shift happens between this point and the next?
- What strategy is being used to move the reader from Point A to Point B?
Strong essays track the evolution of persuasion – not just the order of ideas.
- Technique spotting instead of strategic reading
This one is deadly. You get a beautifully formatted paragraph:“The writer uses inclusive language, rhetorical questions, repetition and imagery.”But then… no follow-through. It becomes a list of tricks, not a dissection of strategy.Fix it by picking one or two powerful moves per paragraph and asking:
- What is the writer trying to achieve right now in the piece?
- What role does this specific technique play in that moment?
- How do these elements combine to position the reader?
The best essays aren’t trying to name all the techniques. They’re trying to explain how the argument is being built and delivered, using language as a tool.
- Naming an effect, but not explaining the mechanism
This is when you say:“This positions the reader to feel sympathy.”And we all nod… but the marker is left thinking how? why? for what end?It’s not enough to say a technique has an effect. You need to show the emotional or psychological gears turning.
Fix it by expanding the chain of reasoning:
“By describing the festival organisers as ‘tireless and passionate’, the writer not only acknowledges past contributions but constructs them as moral stakeholders in the proposal – making it harder for them to publicly oppose it without seeming dismissive or regressive.”
That’s insight. That’s persuasive context. That’s upper-range thinking.
- Treating tone as a single label
“The tone is friendly.”“The tone is formal.”“The tone is sarcastic.”… Okay, but is it? For the whole thing? And more importantly – so what?
Assessors want to see that you’ve recognised how the tone operates, why it changes, and how it’s used to move the reader.
Fix it by tracking tonal shifts:
“Initially warm and celebratory, the tone begins to shift once the proposal is introduced – becoming more assertive and confident, particularly when addressing the logistical and economic benefits. This gradual shift helps the students reframe their pitch from youthful enthusiasm to strategic, grown-up pragmatism.”
Tone isn’t static. Strong essays show its movement – and the reasons for its movement.
- Writing about “the reader” as one homogenous blob
Let’s retire the phrase “This makes the reader think…” unless you can say who, what, and why.Your writer isn’t speaking to everyone. They’re tailoring their argument to different segments of the audience. The best essays show that you’ve noticed who’s being targeted and how.Fix it by naming subgroups and their values:“The appeal to long-standing tradition is carefully directed at older residents, who may view change with scepticism. By aligning the proposal with community heritage, the writer softens potential resistance and constructs the students as respectful stewards of legacy – not disruptors.”
You’ve just demonstrated audience awareness, emotional positioning, and rhetorical strategy – all in one.
- Describing the image without interpreting it
If your visual paragraph just says:“The image shows smiling teenagers. This is positive.”…you’re in trouble.Images are persuasive. They’re chosen carefully. And they’re supposed to work with the argument – not float beside it like clip art.
Fix it by analysing the image’s purpose:
- Who is shown, and how are they framed?
- What emotions does the image trigger?
- How does it reinforce or contrast the written argument?
Example:
The image of teenagers in mid-performance, arms raised and eyes closed, doesn’t just suggest joy – it constructs the students as emotionally invested and confident performers. This visual reinforcement of commitment subtly counters the stereotype of youth as unreliable or unserious.
The image is doing rhetorical work – and you’ve shown exactly how.
