Question and evidence
Forty volunteers at one university choose either weekly discussion or solo study: 20 students per group, over four weeks. Their final essays use the same hundred-point rubric.
Discussion mean: 78/100. Solo-study mean: 70/100. The final mean difference is 78 − 70 = 8 score points.
Reasoning and limitations
The discussion group has a higher final mean in this sample. Without starting scores, this comparison does not measure improvement over time.
Self-selection leaves other explanations possible. Group means do not describe every student, establish causation or show statistical significance by themselves.
Build an academic paragraph
Claim → Evidence → Reasoning → Limitation.
State the focused finding, supply the relevant figures, explain how they support the claim, and identify what remains uncertain. Acknowledge real sources when quoting or paraphrasing them.
Practice answer
The claim “discussion improves every student’s writing by eight points” goes beyond the evidence.
Supported conclusion: the discussion group had a higher final mean in this fictional sample. These data alone do not show improvement caused by discussion.