Can class debate make students more confident writers?

For GCSE English re-sit students, one of the biggest challenges is often not having ideas — it is having the confidence to turn those ideas into a clear, persuasive written argument.

This action research project explored whether informed class debate could help. Across five classes and 46 students, learners researched climate change, gathered evidence, took opposing positions and debated the statement: “There is absolutely no point in doing anything about climate change.” The aim was to see whether speaking, listening and defending an argument could better prepare students for a transactional writing task.

The results were striking. Before the research and debate, students rated their confidence in answering the exam-style question at an average of 4.8 out of 10. Afterwards, this rose to 7.0 out of 10, a statistically significant increase. Students rated their own research and prior knowledge as particularly helpful, closely followed by the debate itself.

The classroom observations were just as interesting. Students who were normally reluctant to speak began contributing, challenging opposing views and expanding on their ideas. In one group, a student who initially said he did not want to take part ended up making several relevant contributions, while others who usually gave very short answers became noticeably more animated and articulate.

The paper suggests that giving students the chance to research, talk through and defend ideas before writing can help them organise arguments, hear alternative viewpoints and approach persuasive writing with greater confidence — while also improving engagement and classroom cohesion.