What do I need to know?

The Georgia High School Writing Test

Students must write a five-paragraph persuasive essay on a given prompt

The test will take place on Tuesday, September 27.

The school will follow the morning assembly bell schedule, which means you will have 120 minutes to complete the test.

Format

Two raters will score the paper using an analytic rubric. This means there should be little to no subjectivity from the scorer.

There are separate domains that will each be scored on a five-point scale.

How will the test be scored?

1. Ideas: The degree to which the writer establishes a controlling idea and elaborates the main points with examples, illustrations, facts or details that are appropriate to the persuasive genre.

This domain carries the greatest weight with 40%.

What are the domains?

2. Organization: the degree to which the writer’s ideas are arranged in a clear order and the overall structure of the response is consistent with the persuasive genre.

This domain counts 20%.

Domains, cont.

3. Style: the degree to which the writer controls language to engage the reader.

This domain counts 20%

Domains, cont.

4. Conventions: the degree to which the writer demonstrates control of sentence formation, usage, and mechanics.

This domain counts 20%

Domains, cont

• You will have one day to take the test and 100 minutes to complete it (testing period will be 120 minutes).

• It is suggested that you follow this formula:15 min.: Planning/Prewriting35 min.: Drafting25 min.: Revising/Editing20 min.: Final draft5 min.: Proofreading

Time to write

Your principal is considering the enforcement of a standard school uniform for all students. The requirement would go into effect at the beginning of the next school year. The principal has provided several months for interested persons to react to the proposal.

Writing situation: Decide how you feel about the proposed requirement and write a letter to the principal stating your opinion and reasons.

Writing situation 1- this is an example of what you might see.

Ask yourself: What is the issue here?Whether or not students should have to wear

school uniforms.

First: Identify the issue

I think uniforms are a great idea because….I think uniforms are a terrible idea because…

Next: decide, what is my opinion?

The principal. Look at the writing directions to see what you should write. In this case, you will write a letter to the principal.

Then, identify: who is your audience?

What is my thesis statement in a persuasive paper?

It is simply the place where you firmly state your opinion.

Well, what if I can see both sides? Can I write about both the pros and cons?

NO! You must pick ONE side and argue for it. So where does the thesis statement go?At the END of the introductory paragraph.

Thesis statement: YOUR OPINION

You want to have solid reasons and evidence. “Because I think so” is not a good reason.

It’s good to use statistics and data to support your side.

Well, what if I don’t know what the statistics are?You can make them up! As long as it seems

reasonable. So what might be some good reasons/evidence for

why students should NOT have to wear uniforms? What about reasons why they SHOULD?

Once you have decided your opinion, brainstorm reasons and evidence to support your opinion.

Once you have identified the issue, identified your audience, and completed your brainstorm with reasons and examples, you are ready to begin writing.

Writing the essay

In your introduction, re-state the writing prompt. MAKE SURE you CLEARLY state your opinion in the introduction. DON’T BE WISHY-WASHY! Pick one side.

For example…Prompt: Some students drop out of school before

earning a high school diploma. There is a proposed law that would prevent high school dropouts from driving until they are 19 years old. Should high school dropouts be denied their license until they are 19 years old? Directions for writing: write a letter to your representative arguing your position.

Introductory paragraph

Example introduction (basic):Dear Representative,

I understand that there is a proposed law that would keep drop outs from getting their license until they are 19. I realize that the law is designed to keep kids in school, but there are several reasons why I think it’s a bad idea

Example introduction (better)Dear Representative Jones,

The issue around high school dropouts is certainly an important topic which deserves much thought and conversation. In the age of technology, it is more important than ever to have a society of educated people who can man technologically-based jobs. Certainly, a high school diploma is a minimum requirement. So how can kids be kept in school? I think that in order to answer that question, one must look at the reasons students are dropping out. Many students have personal, financial, or family issues that make dropping out necessary. Therefore, to create a law that would prevent dropouts from getting their license until the age of 19 would do nothing to deter these students, rather it would prevent many of them from being able to earn a living. I believe this proposed law is off-track and doesn’t get to the root of the dropout problem.

Introductory paragraph

In your body paragraphs you want to give your reasons to support your opinion.

You should have a minimum of two body paragraphs.

If you have completed a thorough brainstorm then you will have enough ideas to adequately complete the body paragraphs.

Body Paragraphs

It is not enough to merely give your opinion.You MUST support your reasons.You can do this by giving examples in the form of

stories or statistics.For example:

I don’t think we should have a dress code. No one likes the dress code and everyone knows what is acceptable to wear to school. (This needs major support)

I don’t think we should have a dress code. Students are responsible enough to understand what is appropriate for school. Student council conducted a recent survey and found that 95% of students are not in favor of a dress code and believe they understand what appropriate school dress is.

Body paragraphs, cont.

This is simply where you sum it up and restate your strongest ideas. Don’t do it word-for-word; just reiterate the key ideas.

Conclusion

When writing a persuasive essay, REMEMBER:

- Introductory paragraph: re-state the writing prompt. MAKE SURE you CLEARLY state your opinion in the introduction. DON’T BE WISHY-WASHY!

- Body paragraphs: State your reasons. MAKE SURE to include stories/statistics/examples. AGAIN, DON’T BE WISHY-WASHY!

- Conclusion: sum up your STRONGEST points. DON’T simply copy your introductory paragraph. MAKE SURE your conclusion is a PARAGRAPH and not just a sentence!!

Complete a brainstorm for the following prompt. Remember, the steps:1. Break down the topic-identify the

issue2. Decide your opinion on the issue3. Identify your audience4. Brainstorm reasons/supporting

evidence5. Begin writing your essay- need an

introductory paragraph, body paragraphs, and concluding paragraph.

Practice

In recent years, pit bulls have injured or killed children and adults in the United States. A citizen action committee is launching a campaign to require all pit bulls to be registered by the county as dangerous animals. The county would also have the power to “put to sleep” any pit bull which bit a human. Would you support this law? Why or why not?Directions for writing: Write a letter to the citizen action committee in support or opposition of the proposed law. Try and convince the readers to support your point of view through reasoned argument.

Practice prompt