Can the concession paragraph come first?

It is rarely advisable; establish your own position, then place the concession third and close after the rebuttal.

Are more connectors better?

No: over-density fragments the prose, and about two per paragraph is enough.

DSE English | Argumentative Essay Practice Paper 2 (Concession, Rebuttal and Linking)

2026-11-04

Ten items from “Admittedly” to “In contrast”, practising the concession-to-rebuttal ratio, then checking total length against a five-paragraph word budget.

Attempt first, mark afterwards　Allow about thirty minutes; mark the connector in every paragraph before checking whether the ratio has slipped.

01　Paper details (check answers afterwards)

Item	Detail
Questions	10 items
Suggested time	About 30 minutes
Difficulty mix	Foundation 2 · Intermediate 5 · Challenge 2 · Error redo 1
Chapter	Chapter: DSE English \| Argumentative Essay (Paper 2)
Level	S5 (Secondary 5) English

02　Questions (10 items)

FoundationWhat structure do the sentences “Admittedly, … However, …” form?
FoundationWhat two parts does a concession paragraph normally contain?
IntermediateA 400-word essay in five paragraphs (60-word introduction, 60-word conclusion, three equal body paragraphs): how long is each body paragraph (two decimal places)?
IntermediateA concession takes one sentence and the rebuttal takes three. What is the sentence ratio?
IntermediateWhich type of linking device are “Firstly / Secondly / Finally”?
IntermediateTo signal contrast, should you use “Moreover” or “In contrast”?
IntermediateOf five paragraphs, the concession paragraph is 90 words and the other four are 100 words each. What is the total?
ChallengeIn a formal register, what should “a lot of” be replaced with?
ChallengeA point lists three examples but not a single explanatory sentence. What is the main problem?
Error redoError drill: every paragraph opens with “Also”. Why change it?

03　Answers and one-line notes

#	Answer	One-line note
1	A concession followed by a rebuttal	You grant the opposing side first, then use “However” to mark its limit, which makes the position look considered rather than one-sided.
2	First an acknowledgement of what the other side gets right, then its limit or cost	Concession without rebuttal writes the opponent case for them; rebuttal without concession simply ignores them.
3	About 93.33 words	(400 − 60 − 60) ÷ 3 = 280 ÷ 3 = 93.33.
4	1:3	One to three: the rebuttal should carry the weight while the concession only needs a nod, and an unbalanced ratio lets the other side take over.
5	Enumeration	They mark sequence, not cause or contrast; using them for other relations misleads the reader.
6	“In contrast”	“Moreover” adds, “In contrast” opposes; the wrong connector states the logical relation backwards.
7	490 words	90 + 100 × 4 = 490: multiply before adding so the arithmetic matches the plan.
8	“Numerous” or “a great deal of” and similar formal quantifiers	Colloquial quantifiers lower the register; a formal one changes the tone without changing the meaning.
9	Examples have replaced reasoning, so the link between evidence and position is invisible	Examples are material; the inference is the argument. Without it, more examples still prove nothing.
10	One connector flattens the essay into a single list, erasing sequence, contrast and concession	Identical openers press paragraphs of different functions into one level; First, However and Therefore restore the hierarchy.

04　What to do after marking

After marking, redo only the wrong items and write down which step went wrong (formula, unit, or misread number).
Repeat the same item two days later; move to the next paper only when both attempts are correct.
Parents only need the answer and note columns; there is no need to explain every item.

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