C2.2 · 27 of 33
Schreiben: Erörterung
Lesson · 3 rules · about 5 min
Argue something abstract, and let the strongest objection have its day.
- 1Frame before you argue
- 2Give the objection its best case
- 3End where the argument ends
Why this matters
The final piece of writing in the course, and the hardest, because the quality is in the thinking rather than the German. Frame the question, argue one line properly, then give the objection its best case and answer it. Write 1200 to 2500 characters. Two things will be judged above all. First, whether the counter-argument is the real one: a weak version you can knock down costs more marks than it saves. Second, whether your conclusion follows from the argument you actually made, rather than from the one you meant to make.
Rule · 1 of 3
Frame before you argue
An abstract question hides several questions. Say which one you are answering and which you are setting aside, and the whole piece gets easier to write and harder to attack.
- Zu klären ist nicht, ob der Staat eingreifen darf, sondern unter welchen Bedingungen ein Eingriff zumutbar ist. What is at issue is not whether the state may intervene, but under what conditions an intervention is reasonable.
- Die Frage der Durchsetzbarkeit bleibt im Folgenden ausgeklammert. The question of enforceability is set aside in what follows.
Quick check
What does framing the question achieve?
Rule · 2 of 3
Give the objection its best case
The strongest counter-argument, stated as its holder would state it, is what makes an Erörterung worth reading. A weak version is a straw man, and a careful reader spots one at once. Steelman it, then answer it, or concede the part that stands.
- Der gewichtigste Einwand lautet, dass eine solche Pflicht die Autonomie des Einzelnen aushöhlt. The weightiest objection is that such a duty hollows out individual autonomy.
- Dieser Einwand trifft insoweit zu, als er die Begründungslast erhöht; er entkräftet den Anspruch jedoch nicht. This objection holds in so far as it raises the burden of justification; it does not, however, defeat the claim.
Conceding a point does not lose the argument; refusing to concede an obvious one does.
Quick check
Which is a steelmanned objection?
Memory trick · 3 of 3
End where the argument ends
The conclusion has to be the one your paragraphs earned. If the argument only establishes something narrower than you hoped, say so. A hedged conclusion that fits is worth more than a confident one that does not.
- Daraus folgt keineswegs eine allgemeine Pflicht, wohl aber eine Begründungslast für den Verweigerer. It by no means follows that there is a general duty, but there is a burden of justification on the refuser.
- Die Verhältnismäßigkeit bleibt damit der entscheidende Maßstab. Proportionality thus remains the decisive criterion.
Quick check
Your argument supports a narrow claim. What should the conclusion do?
Listen
Play it, then pick what you heard.
Spot the mistake
Which one is right?
Spot the mistake
Which one is right?
Spot the mistake
Which one is right?
Spot the mistake
Which one is right?
Cheat sheet
What to take with you
- Frame before you argue
- Give the objection its best case
- End where the argument ends
How to remember it
- Frame the question, and say what you are setting aside.
- One line of argument in depth beats four in passing.
- Steelman the objection; concede what stands.
- End where the argument ends, not where you wanted it to.
A written Erörterung on an abstract question is the final writing task of the C2 certificate, and the shape of serious German argument.
Argue a case on an abstract question: whether a society may require something of its members for the common good. Set out the question, develop one line of argument properly, take the strongest counter-argument seriously, answer it, and end where the argument actually leaves you. Choose one concrete requirement to argue about (compulsory social service, mandatory vaccination, an organ-donation opt-out, a speed limit) and keep to it.
- frame the question precisely before answering it, including what you are not arguing
- develop one line of argument in depth rather than four in passing
- state the counter-argument in its strongest form, as its holder would
- answer it, or concede the part of it that stands
- end where the argument leads, even if that is short of what you wanted
0 of 1200 characters — keep going 0 words
2 Copy the correction request
This carries your own text. Paste it into your AI assistant and it will correct what you wrote, then give you a score and a short list of fixes.
3 Open your assistant
Copy the request first (one step back), then paste it into your assistant.
4 Bring the correction back
Paste the whole report. The SCORE= line is read
automatically, and the fixes are saved as your next things to work on.
Report a problem
Exercise
Schreiben: Erörterung · C2.2
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