Level 5 — Advanced · Technical & Evidence-Based Writing
Task 59: Using an Example as Evidence
Show exactly what one case proves, and be honest about what it doesn't — the writing side of Lesson 59's example-versus-evidence reading strategy.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this task, you should be able to:
- Use a signal phrase to introduce an example clearly as illustration, not proof
- State one specific claim the example genuinely supports
- State one limitation the example does not resolve, without silently generalizing past it
Introduction
Lesson 59 taught you that an example is never automatically evidence for every claim standing near it — one case can illustrate a mechanism while remaining weak proof of how common or large an effect really is. Writing with an example means doing that honesty yourself: saying clearly what the case shows, and naming what it still leaves open.
The Rule, for Writing
Core Concept
A weak use of an example jumps straight from one case to a sweeping claim: "Company X automated its warehouse and cut costs 20%, so automation cuts costs." A strong one introduces the example with a clear signal phrase, states the specific claim it supports, and names a limitation — sample size, representativeness, or a confound — that stops the example from proving more than it actually does.
Example
For example, a mid-sized freight forwarder that introduced automated rate comparison reduced quoting time from two days to four hours. This shows the tool can meaningfully speed up quoting at that scale of operation. It does not show that every freight forwarder would see the same result, since this company was already using digital rate sheets before the change — a starting condition smaller, paper-based operators wouldn't share.
Your Turn
Your Turn
Describe one real or plausible example you know (a company, a team, a tool, a project) that supports a broader claim. Introduce it with a signal phrase ("for example," "consider," "one case is"), state the specific claim it genuinely supports, and name one limitation — sample size, representativeness, or a confound — that stops the example from proving the fuller, broader claim on its own.
Vocabulary in Context
illustrateverbformal
to make an abstract claim concrete with one case, without proving it holds universally (দৃষ্টান্ত দিয়ে বোঝানো)
Often with illustrate the point, clearly illustrate, serve to illustrate
“The delayed shipment illustrates what poor coordination costs.”
representativeadjectiveformal
genuinely reflecting the wider group a conclusion is being generalized to (প্রতিনিধিত্বমূলক)
Often with representative sample, fully representative, not representative
“One busy week is not representative of the whole year.”
Model Answer
Show a model answer
Consider a regional airline that introduced predictive maintenance scheduling and reduced unscheduled repairs by 30% over a year. This shows that predictive maintenance can meaningfully cut unscheduled repairs, at least for an airline with the flight-frequency data needed to train the model reliably. It does not show that every airline would see a similar drop, since this carrier already had a decade of detailed maintenance records to draw on — an advantage smaller or newer operators, with far thinner historical data, would not share. The example supports the mechanism working under the right conditions; it doesn't yet support a claim about how common that success would be more broadly.
Self-Check
Self-Check
- Did you introduce the example with a clear signal phrase?
- Did you state the specific claim the example genuinely supports?
- Did you name a real limitation — sample size, representativeness, or a confound — not a vague one?
- Did you avoid generalizing the example into a universal claim it can't support?
Next: Writing 60 — Comparing Along a Named Dimension: saying exactly what respect two things are being compared in, instead of a bare "better."