How to structure a discursive essay?

A discursive essay, like most essays, should begin with an introduction and end with a conclusion. You can either talk about a topic neutrally, showing both the pros and cons, or you can argue for or against.

If your essay is of the latter type, a basic structure would be to start with an introduction, then a paragraph for each of your points. So you would have your introductory paragraph, then the following paragraph would be, for example, 'the death penalty is wrong because there is a risk that innocent people will be killed', then you would show evidence for this, such as the famous case of Timothy Evans. Therefore the structure of the paragraph itself should be -topic sentence/summary of point + evidence. You would then do this for 2 or 3 arguments. You should state the point you are arguing at the start of the paragraph (topic sentence) so it is easier for the reader to know what the paragraph will be about and allow your argument to flow better. 

However, to create a discursive essay of a high standard, you will want to include arguments that oppose yours and then undermine them with evidence. You are including other opinions or options then countering them to strengthen your argument. The structure of this paragraph is similar, you present the opposing argument and then evidence against it -summary of point + evidence. 

The conclusion should not include any new information and should simply reiterate your arguments and wrap up the essay.

The end result will look something like this:

Introduction

Argument/Point 1 + Evidence

Argument/Point 2 + Evidence 

Argument/Point 3 + Evidence

Opposing Argument + Counter Evidence 

Conclusion