Exploring Argument - VCE - Unit 1 & 2 English Study Guide - Research guides at Westbourne Grammar School at Westbourne Grammar School

Establish Issue

Choosing a topic:

The most important factor in choosing and creating a great persuasive speech is picking a topic you care about and are interested in.

Echo Online

'Media Issues Analysis/ Outlines' includes background, arguments for and against, links to multimedia and text items / information, and further implications. You can browse different issues by year.

Points of View

In Points of View you can browse or search through the hundreds of different topics. Each has comes with an Overview; Point; Counterpoint; and Guide to Critical Analysis.

Developing research questions
A step-by-step guide, from Monash University, on how to develop a research question.

Australia events of 2023
Australia is a vibrant democracy that mostly protects the civil and political rights of its citizens; however, its reputation is tarnished by some significant human rights concerns. This page from Human Rights Watch describes some of our major issues.
Lowy Institute Poll 2024 Report
For two decades, the Lowy Institute’s flagship annual poll has revealed how Australians see the world and their place in it. It is the leading Australian survey on foreign affairs and informs debate and policy.
Australia OECD Member
This is a snapshot of Australia's Sustainable Development Report. Interactive maps show Australia is progressing toward reaching each SDG.

International relations
This page on the Australian Foreign Affairs website lists current global security, themes and organization's.
Global Issues
As the world’s only truly universal global organization, the United Nations has become the foremost forum to address issues that transcend national boundaries and cannot be resolved by any one country acting alone.
Top 20 Current Global Issues We Must Address
In this article, which frequently refers to the World Economic Forum’s 17th Edition of the Global Risks Report, we’ll highlight 20 current global issues we must address, including issues related to climate change, COVID-19, social rights, and more.

The Speech

State Library of Victoria - Databases
This is a list of relevant databases available, for free, through the State Library of Victoria.

Tips for writing a persuasive speech
Putting together a three-minute speech can be daunting—especially if you’ve never
written one before! The key to effective communication lies in a well organized, clearly
articulated, and thoroughly researched and sourced argument. The following outlines the
basic format of a persuasive speech, but speeches may take alternative forms.

6.2 Informative and Persuasive Presentations
This article identifies and demonstrate how to use six principles of persuasion and demonstrates the effective use of five functions of speaking to persuade.

Brain Lessons: It's how one says it
Research paper, How The Voice Persuades. Van Zant, A. B., & Berger, J. (2019, June 13). Focus on “paralanguage,” defined as the use of the voice – sound, pitch, volume, speed of delivery – and nonverbal communication such as gesture, pausing, and movement.

VCE - Unit 1 & 2 English Study Guide

Library Resources

eBook series - 'Issues in Society'

Go to the Library catalogue and search 'Issues in society', from the drop down list select 'Issues in Society in Reading List'.

Issues include: Responding to Racism; Rights of Children and young people; Australia's engagement with Asia; Doping and drugs in sport and many more...