GRE issue essay. Where should I put my counter paragraph ?

[wgong]

If the question ask me to pick a side and supporting my position, also address both of the views presented, I usually like to use the first two body paragraphs discuss my position, last body paragraph for counter paragraph. Does it matter if I put my counter paragraph on the first or last paragraph ? I prefer put the counter paragraph on the first so I can supporting my position from the second body until the end. 

[PeakPerformance]

Where your counterargument goes depends on the prompt and your position. For instance, on prompts where you support a recommendation — e.g., there should be a national curriculum, teachers' salaries should be based on students' performance — it wouldn't make sense to explain why some people oppose the recommendation before you first explain the rationale behind by the call for a national curriculum or basing teachers' salaries on students' performance. In such situations, the counterargument would need to go later in the essay.

 

Also, where the counterargument goes depends on whether you are going to concede the counterargument and then show how your position and the counterargument aren't necessarily conflicting (e.g., perhaps by introducing a critical distinction). In  such cases it is best to introduce the counterargument earlier, if possible.

 

On the other hand, if you are taking a qualified position that agrees with a part of a prompt and disagrees with the rest, it may be best to introduce the counterargument in the second body paragraph, as a transitional device between your point of agreement and disagreement with the prompt.

 

You shouldn't make a hard and fast rule about where your counterargument should go and then stick it in in a perfunctory manner. The decision should be strategic and will vary based on the above factors.