What makes a good argument in an essay or exam?

A good argument should consist of one clear, central idea that runs throughout your essay. This is important because you want to give a concise answer to the question. It should be simple enough that it can be expressed in one sentence. The body of your essay should then not deviate this line of argument. Instead, each paragraph or section should branch off from this main idea. For instance, if you argue that a government was trying to achieve a certain political objective, you might want each section to show a different way it went about that. This structure helps you draw on a variety of evidence without straying away from a clear answer to the question. Also, explicitly stating how each section supports your main argument is generally a good idea, as it helps guide the reader (in this case, the examiner) through your thinking.