Persuasive Writing

What is the Persuasive Writing Assessment?

Persuasive writing for state assessment tests focuses on two aspects of thinking and writing: Your ability to take a stand on certain issues or your ability to make a plan concerning a problem or situation. State assessments want to see how well you organize and develop an idea with supporting evidence, and your ability to craft a convincing essay quickly is key to these timed tests.

How do I start?

    Read your topic carefully before beginning your brainstorming or prewriting. Make sure you know the focus of the prompt. Is the prompt asking you to take a stand about a certain issue like underage drinking laws? Or is it asking you to develop a plan of action dealing with this problem? Your essay will be focused according to what they ask.

    Know your audience. Most writing prompts will specify who your audience will be. They will state something like Write a letter to the local school board or Write a speech for your debate class.Knowing the audience will help you identify the tone you should use in the essay.

    Think of your gut feeling about the topic. What if you know nothing about underage drinking laws or solving environmental problems in your city? This is where brainstorming can help getting thoughts on paper to dislodge blocks about a topic.