Four in five British adults think of the nation as divided and more than half fear differences in people’s political views are dangerous to society, a .
And in recent times international relationships - even between traditional allies - have become increasingly strained.
Given this context, do today’s young people really need to be taught to argue more effectively?
Cambridge International Education appears to believe they do. Last month it announced changes to its international AS- and A-level English language syllabus that included, alongside a set texts refresh, a completely new compulsory argumentative essay component.
Acknowledging other points of view
Sheree Brown, a senior development manager at Cambridge International, says the new essay - - is not about making students more argumentative but instead encouraging them to get better at considering issues in the round and, crucially, acknowledging other points of view.
“What’s really important is that students will be acknowledging the counter argument in their essay, [while] explaining why their viewpoint is stronger,” she tells Vlog.
Brown says she hopes teachers will find this helps them to develop students’ critical thinking skills, as well as improve their ability to organise their ideas logically and support their position with evidence.
These skills will then be tested in an exam in which they will be asked to write a 450-word argumentative essay, using the information provided across three sources.
Two of the sources will be written texts of approximately 200 to 250 words each - for example, blogs, reports, published research, scripted speech, articles. The third source will be multi-modal, for example including graphs, charts, infographics and images.
“In terms of this being a good, fair assessment, we are not basing this on prior personal knowledge. The information they need is in the sources, which is particularly important for the international cohort we have,” says Brown.
“They will all receive the same sources, the same information. So the idea is they look at the evidence and think, ‘How am I going to use it to support the argument I’m following through?”
She says this approach will not just develop skills needed to argue a position rationally, but also provide a direct counter to some of the concerns around the rise of AI.
“Actively engaging with material, properly reading it, thinking about which side of the argument you support - that’s much more useful than just accepting AI-generated responses,” Brown says.
A timely intervention
Recent educational research backs up this view, with the newly published results of the 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) tests showing that these skills are getting worse, not better, among young people.
In the wake of these results, Pisa boss Andreas Schleicher talked about a “steep decline” in 15-year-olds’ reading skills, including the skills “that matter most in the AI age”, such as the capacity to triangulate different pieces of information, distinguish fact from opinion and navigate ambiguity.
Young people, the results showed, were faster in reading but less accurate, which, Schleicher said, was “not a healthy trend”.
Alex Quigley, a former English teacher, author and consultant, recently shared some strategies that schools could use to counter hasty reading in an article for Vlog.
Asked if Cambridge International’s plans to introduce a compulsory argumentative essay could also be helpful, he describes the news as “a welcome step”, suggesting it could help “energise and even revitalise the study of A-level English language”.
Quigley says: “In a world full of arguments and misinformation, it is worth continuing to explore how we best prepare students to read critically, think reflectively and respond with care. Of course, the exam responses students write won’t make the difference on its own, but it is a helpful start.”
He adds that comparing multiple texts in print “captures many of the realities of daily life, from scrolling phones and clicking through texts on laptops”.
“Transplanted to the English classroom, such practice could be a useful step for the careful reading and critical thinking students have to display in the wider world after education,” Quigley says.
His positive response was mirrored by the schools Cambridge surveyed, with almost three-quarters of respondents either agreeing or strongly agreeing with introducing the compulsory argumentative essay.
Meanwhile, Brown says universities were also positive, emphasising the importance of students entering higher education being able to “build an argument and support it with evidence”.
Real-world issues
In terms of the topics students could be asked to tackle in the argumentative essay, one example is making the case for urban or rural living, says Brown.
This is the example that features in the specimen exam paper, with one source supporting the argument that rural life is better and the other championing city living. The third source contains data that can be used to support either side of the argument.
Other potential topics might include social media or environmental responsibility.
Brown says: “The intention is that topics will be quite open and familiar to candidates, but the information they need will be provided for them in the sources in the exam.”
For Claire Nuttall, a former primary headteacher currently working in Luxembourg at St George’s International School, the focus on real-world topics is also welcome, as often assessments can feel “disconnected from the world young people are growing up in”.
“At a time when misinformation is so prevalent, the ability to interrogate sources, weigh up evidence and construct a reasoned argument is essential,” she says.
“Being able to discuss, debate and defend a position, while remaining open to other perspectives, is surely one of the most important skills we can develop.”
You’re welcome to disagree, though.
