I believe (and notice) that the most effective location is just before the Conclusion , if the alternate opinions are elaborative and has a measure of being the devil's advocate.
Purdue OWL: Argument Papers
Example : Some people might think that a rock-climbing club is too dangerous however, we will take plenty of safety precautions .
The Essay Counter-Argument & Rebuttal
Good thinking constantly questions itself, as Socrates observed long ago. But at some point in the process of composing an essay, you need to switch off the questioning in your head and make a case. Having such an inner conversation during the drafting stage, however, can help you settle on a case worth making. As you consider possible theses and begin to work on your draft, ask yourself how an intelligent person might plausibly disagree with you or see matters differently. When you can imagine an intelligent disagreement, you have an arguable idea.
What is an example of a counter argument? | Yahoo Answers
Paragraph: Some people might think that rock-climbing is too dangerous however, we will take plenty of safety precautions. One thing we will always do is wear safety gear such as helmets and good quality harnesses. Also, no one will be allowed to climb until they've passed a test that demonstrates their knowledge of how to rock climb safely. And don't forget, there will be two adults with us at all times, showing us to do climbing in a safe and responsible way.
But watch that you don't overdo it. A turn into counterargument here and there will sharpen and energize your essay, but too many such turns will have the reverse effect by obscuring your main idea or suggesting that you're ambivalent.
I am learning this in Language Arts right now. I am in sixth grade, and we are writing 5 paragraph argumentative essays. I believe the counterargument should be in the 9th paragraph, and then you give more pros that will outnumber the cons, so the reader is convinced.
If the goal is to present both sides of a point, then the intro needs to say that, and I would suggest Para 7 is the Pro, Para 8 is the Con, and maybe Para 9 discusses which is stronger or has more weight. At the moment your two-pro/one-con feels lopsided.
And, of course, the disagreeing reader doesn't need to be in your head: if, as you're starting work on an essay, you ask a few people around you what they think of topic X (or of your idea about X) and keep alert for uncongenial remarks in class discussion and in assigned readings, you'll encounter a useful disagreement somewhere. Awareness of this disagreement, however you use it in your essay, will force you to sharpen your own thinking as you compose. If you come to find the counterargument truer than your thesis, consider making it your thesis and turning your original thesis into a counterargument. If you manage to draft an essay without imagining a counterargument, make yourself imagine one before you revise and see if you can integrate it.
I think there are a couple of equally valid ways that it could be done, depending on how they chose to structure their argument.
As Paul Clayton says, if you give the pro, then the con, then with no rebuttal or reply to the con you give your conclusion, it can make the argument look weak or disconnected. It can come across as, "Here is my argument, here is why my argument is flawed, but I'm just going to ignore the flaws and stick to my original thesis." When I am writing a persuasive essay, I don't end with counter-examples. I may end with counter-examples followed by rebuttals. More often, I start with the position I disagree with, then show why it's wrong, then give my conclusion. But there are many ways to structure an essay.