Analysing Argument is often described as the most technical area of VCE English, yet it is also one of the most misunderstood. Many students approach it as a technique-spotting exercise, believing that identifying persuasive devices is the main task. The Study Design and assessment materials make clear that this is not the case. Analysing Argument is a reading and reasoning task. It assesses how well students can track a line of persuasion, explain how language positions audiences, and communicate that understanding with precision.
Students who recognise this tend to perform far more consistently.
What Analysing Argument is actually assessing
The Study Design frames Analysing Argument as an assessment of students’ ability to analyse how written and visual language is used to persuade audiences. This involves identifying contention, tracing reasoning, and explaining how language choices shape audience response.
Importantly, it is not a test of whether students agree with the argument. Nor is it a test of how many techniques they can name. It is a test of interpretive reading and explanatory writing.
Examiners are looking for evidence that a student understands how persuasion works in context.
Contention and line of reasoning come first
A common error is beginning with techniques before establishing the argument itself. Students often jump straight into discussing language features without clearly articulating the writer’s main contention or how their argument develops.
High-scoring responses consistently prioritise understanding the argument. They identify the central contention and then trace how that contention is built, supported, qualified or intensified across the piece.
This focus on reasoning allows analysis of language to feel purposeful rather than list-like.
Language analysis must explain effect, not just identify features
One of the most persistent issues highlighted in examiner feedback is feature identification without explanation. Students name emotive language, statistics, rhetorical questions or inclusive language, but do not explain how these features work on the audience.
In VCE English, identifying a feature is the starting point, not the end. Marks are awarded for explaining how language positions readers, shapes attitudes or invites particular responses.
For example, it is not enough to say that emotive language is used. Students need to explain what emotion is being targeted, why that emotion is relevant to the writer’s purpose, and how it advances the argument.
Audience matters more than technique
The Study Design places strong emphasis on audience. Persuasive language is always directed at someone, in a specific context, for a specific reason. Students who ignore this dimension often produce analysis that feels generic.
High-performing responses consistently refer to the intended audience and consider how language choices are likely to resonate with that group. This might involve discussing shared values, fears, aspirations or assumptions.
Audience awareness is one of the clearest markers of sophistication in Analysing Argument.
Visual analysis must be integrated, not bolted on
When visual material is included, students often treat it as an afterthought. They describe what is shown without analysing how the visual contributes to persuasion.
The Study Design expects visual analysis to be integrated into the overall discussion of argument. Visuals are part of the persuasive strategy, not separate from it.
Strong responses explain how visual elements reinforce, complicate or intensify the written argument and how they work in conjunction with language to influence the audience.
Structure supports clarity, not formula
Many students rely on rigid paragraph structures that assign one technique per paragraph. While this can provide a sense of order, it often limits depth and responsiveness.
Examiners consistently reward responses that follow the flow of the argument rather than a pre-set formula. Paragraphs that track stages of reasoning or shifts in tone tend to be more effective than those organised around isolated techniques.
Structure should serve understanding, not constrain it.
Why fluent students still underperform in Analysing Argument
Some fluent writers struggle in this area because they prioritise expression over analysis. Their writing may sound confident, but if it does not explain how persuasion works, marks are limited.
Others write accurately but narrowly, focusing on techniques without addressing audience or purpose. This often leads to responses that plateau at the middle range.
Analysing Argument rewards precision of explanation more than stylistic flourish.
Preparing effectively for Analysing Argument
Effective preparation involves practising close reading, not memorising lists of techniques. Students benefit from regularly summarising arguments, identifying shifts in tone or emphasis, and articulating how language choices align with purpose.
Reading opinion pieces critically, asking how and why they persuade, helps build the habits needed for success.
Practising under timed conditions is also essential, as clarity often deteriorates when students rush.
An ATAR STAR perspective
At ATAR STAR, we teach Analysing Argument as a reasoning task grounded in reading, not a checklist exercise. We help students learn how to track arguments, analyse language in context, and write explanations that are precise and purposeful.
This approach supports students who feel confident with English but inconsistent in results, as well as high-performing students aiming to sharpen clarity and control.
Analysing Argument is not about spotting tricks. It is about understanding persuasion. When students approach it that way, their performance changes markedly.