essay writing discussing about rule 9 12

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IELTS Discussion Essays [Discuss Both Views/Sides]

Posted by David S. Wills | Jun 14, 2021 | IELTS Tips , Writing | 3

In this lesson, I’m going to explain what an IELTS discussion essay is and how you can write a good one. I will talk about structure and content, as well as looking briefly at discussion essay thesis statements, which many people find tricky. I’ve also written a sample essay, which you can find at the bottom of this page.

What is a Discussion Essay?

As the name suggests, a discussion essay is an essay that discusses things! More specifically, it is a type of IELTS writing task 2 essay that requires you to look at two different points of view . You can easily recognise these essays by the following phrase:

Discuss both views and give your opinion.

Sometimes it is phrased a little differently. It might say:

Discuss both sides and give your opinion

Discuss both points view and give your opinion

The important thing is that these all mean the same. When you see any of these, you know that you need to write a discussion essay. Importantly, this instruction tells you that you need to do two things:

Discuss both views (there will have been 2 views mentioned in the previous sentence(s))
Give your opinion (i.e. state which view you agree with)

If you failed to do either of these things, you would not have satisfied the basic criteria for Task Achievement .

Example Discussion Essay Questions

Here is a list of 5 discussion essay questions either from the IELTS exam, reportedly from the IELTS exam, or from reputable publications that have copied the IELTS question style. (Not that you absolutely should avoid fake IELTS questions when practising.)

Some people say that parents should encourage their children to take part in organised group activities in their free time. Others say that is important for children to learn how to occupy themselves on their own. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

Some people prefer to spend their lives doing the same things and avoiding change. Others, however, think that change is always a good thing. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

Some people feel that manufacturers and supermarkets have the responsibility to reduce the amount of packaging of goods. Others argue that customers should avoid buying goods with a lot of packaging. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

Some people believe that higher education should be funded by the government. Others, however, argue that it is the responsibility of individuals to fund their higher education. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

Some people believe that it is important for children to attend extra classes outside school, while others believe that they should be allowed to play after school. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

You can see in these questions that there is a similar pattern. In each case, the question phrase (“Discuss both views and give your own opinion”) is the same and in the previous sentence or sentences, there are two opposing views. This, then, makes “discuss both views” questions a sort of opinion essay .

How to Answer IELTS Discussion Questions

First of all, it is important when answering any IELTS task 2 question that you read the question carefully so that you understand it, then provide an answer that directly responds to the question, following its instructions carefully.

As discussed above, you are required to do two things: 1) Discuss both views, and 2) Give your own opinion. You absolutely must do both of those. It doesn’t really matter what your opinion is or whether you give equal weighting to both sides of the argument. Instead, you must cover both sides and also give some sort of opinion. (It is important, though, according to the marking rubric , that you are consistent in your opinion.)

Your answer of course should be structured carefully so as to present your ideas in a thoroughly logical way that is easy for your reader to interpret. I almost always use a four-paragraph structure in my essays, but some people prefer to use five paragraphs in this sort of essay. The difference would look like this:

You might be wondering why I have given my opinion in the body of the five-paragraph essay but not in the four-paragraph essay. Well, actually I would give my opinion in the body of both. However, my opinion would be more subtly woven into the text of the four-paragraph essay. I personally find this to be a better method, but it is equally possible that you could write an amazing five-paragraph essay. That issue is discussed further in this video:

Discussion Essay Thesis Statement

In academic writing, a thesis statement (sometimes called an essay outline ) is the part of the essay where you insert your opinion. It typically comes at the end of the introduction and guides the reader by explaining your opinion on the issues that have been introduced.

But do you really need to provide one in such a short essay? Well, a 2018 study into successful IELTS essays concluded that thesis statements were “obligatory” – i.e. you absolutely do need one. In fact, that study found that thesis statements appeared in 100% of successful IELTS discussion essays! Therefore, we can conclude they are very important.

Because a discussion essay will tell you to “Discuss both views and give your opinion,” you must introduce the two views and then give your opinion in the introduction. Here is an example:

Introductory paragraph:

In some parts of the world, children are forced to go to cram schools and other facilities of extracurricular learning, but many people believe that this is unfair and that they should be allowed to enjoy their free time instead. This essay will look at both perspectives and then conclude that it is indeed unfair.

My first sentence clearly introduces two different ideas:

Children should do extra classes
Children should not do extra classes

Note how I have successfully used synonyms to avoid repeating anything from the question. I have also framed the issue in a new way so that I am not just paraphrasing. (You can learn why paraphrasing is not always helpful here .)

My second sentence is the thesis statement. In this sentence, I outline what the essay will do (“look at both perspectives”) and then give my opinion (“it is unfair”). This is a simple but effective thesis statement.

Thesis Statement Advice

Your IELTS discussion essay thesis statement should do two things:

Tell the reader what the essay will do
Present your opinion

Because this is a formal essay, it is best not to be too personal. Instead of saying “I will…” or “I think…” it is better to say “This essay will…” Here are some simple templates that you can follow most of the time:

This essay will look at both sides and then argue that…
This essay will discuss both views but ultimately side with…

Just make sure to avoid being overly vague. You are required to give your opinion consistently throughout the essay, so don’t say “This essay will look at both sides and then give my opinion .” It is not really the best approach because the examiner wants to see that you can be consistent in presenting an opinion. That is clearly stated in the marking rubric. For band 7, it says:

presents a clear position throughout the response

It could be concluded, then, that your opinion is not clear from the start and so you have not done enough to warrant a band 7 for Task Achievement.

Body Paragraphs

As I mentioned above, there are really two main approaches you could take to the body paragraphs:

Discuss one view per paragraph and incorporate your opinion into each.
Discuss one view per paragraph and then have another for your opinion.

I suppose there is also a third option:

Compare and contrast the two viewpoints in each paragraph.

This last one may be a little harder to do successfully without jeopardising your score for Task Achievement or Coherence and Cohesion , but advanced candidates may find it useful.

Remember that there is no single perfect formula for an IELTS essay. That’s not how languages work and that’s not how IELTS works. Different people could come up with different ways to present a successful essay. The most common essay structures are mere guidelines for particularly useful methods of approaching an essay.

essay writing discussing about rule 9 12

Does a Discussion Essay Have to be Balanced?

Because the question says “Discuss both views,” it is quite logical to think that you must provide some degree of balance, but you certainly don’t need to give equal weighting to both sides. Remember that you are also going to give your opinion, so if you come down strongly on one side of the issue, it might be odd to give equal attention to both.

If you do feel very strongly about one side, you might want to present your discussion of the other side as quite negative. However, IELTS is a thinking exam as well as an English exam and an intelligent person can always look at both sides of an issue and explain – at the very least – why someone might believe a thing that is different to his own view. This seems quite important, but there is nothing explicitly mentioned in the marking rubric.

I would suggest that if you think a two-sided issue is basically one-sided (i.e. you strongly disagree with the other view), you should still write one or two sentences about why people believe that and then devote the rest of your essay to disputing their view.

Another approach is to write BP1 as a very short paragraph that explains why people might think one thing, but then have BP2 as a very long paragraph that debunks the opposing view and then explains why the other is correct.

(You can read more about IELTS essays and balance here .)

Sample Answer

Here is my full sample answer to the above question about whether or not children should be made to do extracurricular activities:

In some parts of the world, children are forced to go to cram schools and other facilities of extracurricular learning, but many people believe that this is unfair and that they should be allowed to enjoy their free time instead. This essay will look at both perspectives and then conclude that it is indeed unfair. In countries like South Korea, most children are made to go to an array of cram schools outside of regular school hours. Their parents do this in order to give their child a better future because it helps the child to learn more and thus gives them the academic advantages needed to apply to the best universities or jobs in future. These schools often provide children with an advantage over their peers because they improve their foreign language or math skills more quickly, and thus the children who do not attend these schools might have comparatively poor grades. However, whilst this attitude may result in better academic performance, it is certainly not good for the mental health of these children. It is no coincidence that places like South Korea have the highest rates of suicide among their young populations. The fact is that children are not equipped to spend fourteen or sixteen hours per day in classrooms, memorising facts and figures. In a sense, it is a form of child abuse. Children should be allowed to go home and spend time with friends and family to build social skills. They should be allowed to occupy themselves in order to become more creative and learn how to understand their own mind instead of being trained to repeat what they are told. In conclusion, it is understandable that some parents want their children to go to extra classes, but this is damaging to children and they should be given the freedom to play and socialise outside of regular school hours.

In BP1, I have looked at the topic of cram schools (ie the side of the argument in favour of extra lessons). I explored why parents might want their kids to do this and show the supposed benefits. Note that I never embraced any of these benefits. I was careful to use language that distanced these ideas from my own opinion, which was the opposite, so I said “Their parents do this in order to…”

In BP2, I looked at the opposite side. I was careful to make sure that my first sentence linked to the previous paragraph, highlighting that the benefits are quite minor compared to the drawbacks. All of my sentences here justify my position, which is that it is cruel to force these extra lessons on children.

My conclusion ties all of this together. The first clause references BP1 and the second summarises the main argument in BP2.

You can find two more sample essays here:

A discussion essay about sports facilities
A discussion essay about sports abilities

About The Author

David S. Wills

David S. Wills is the author of Scientologist! William S. Burroughs and the 'Weird Cult' and the founder/editor of Beatdom literary journal. He lives and works in rural Cambodia and loves to travel. He has worked as an IELTS tutor since 2010, has completed both TEFL and CELTA courses, and has a certificate from Cambridge for Teaching Writing. David has worked in many different countries, and for several years designed a writing course for the University of Worcester. In 2018, he wrote the popular IELTS handbook, Grammar for IELTS Writing and he has since written two other books about IELTS. His other IELTS website is called IELTS Teaching.

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It is sometimes debatable whether asking children to get extra education after school or letting them play that is actually beneficial for them. Even though both viewpoints have benefits and drawbacks but I believe ,in the childhood age, children have to take rough and discipline education after school to be succeed in the future.

To begin with, many educational experts believe that playing is one of the essential aspects that have to be gotten by children to grow and happy. By using the playing approach, children can have a good mental and psychic health. Besides, letting children play after school can also support them to increase their emotional stimuli and get a positive social interaction. With this way, experts believe children can grow as a better adult in the future and have a freedom to get a better life in the upcoming times.

However, I completely contra with the first idea because I believe childhood is a better time to train children about academic or other skills that benefits them in the future. Based on scientific journal that I read, the ability of children in learning new things are more spectacular compared to adults. A lot of artists, scientist, and even football player who currently becoming a superstar in this era is a string of process that is began since their in the childhood. For instance, nowadays, I am working in the field of election supervision, it because since in my childhood my father love to force me learning about social and political issues by getting additional class. Thus, making children to get extra class after school is an appropriate preference if parents desire to see their son getting a good future.

To conclude, based on experts children have to get a freedom to play after schools but in my viewpoint it will be more advantages if they utilize the playing time with joining additional class after school.

VERY GOOD MR DIRWAN But actually you mixed both of the ideas , you need to take one side for this sort of essay writting, as it is mentioned in the above instruction. By the way WELL DONE . love from Pakistan to my sweet brother.

I have not checked in here for some time because I thought it was getting boring, but the last few posts are really great quality so I guess I’ll add you back to my everyday bloglist. You deserve it my friend. ??

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IELTS Writing Task 2: Discussion Sample Essay

Today we’re going to look at a discussion essay IELTS sample that’s considered Band 9. This Band 9 scored essay matched the pattern for the “discussion” type of Writing Task 2 question. Discussion essays are sometimes also called “discuss both sides” essays. In this kind of essay, you will be presented with two statements of opinion that oppose each other. You will then be asked to “discuss both sides” of the debate, and to give your own opinion. For more information on this and other question types, including tips, tricks, and general advice for the discussion essay question type, see Magoosh’s full guide to IELTS Writing Task 2 question types .

Discussion Essay IELTS Sample: Band 9

The essay below is a band 9 model IELTS essay, patterned after Magoosh’s IELTS Writing Task 2 Template .

IELTS Writing Discussion Essay Practice Question

Some people seek a lot of advice from family and friends when choosing their career. Others feel it is better to choose a career more independently. Discuss both views and give your opinion. Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Get a higher IELTS score? Start your online IELTS prep today with Magoosh.

Write at least 250 words.

Discussion Essay IELTS Sample Band 9 Response

Choosing a career can be a challenging process. It can be difficult to say whether this decision should be made alone, or made with input from loved ones. In my opinion, it is best to find one’s career independently, with no more than a small amount of advice from family or friends. Below, I will explain why I feel that we must ultimately face career decisions on our own.

Getting career guidance input from loved ones can be confusing rather than useful. Family and friends likely have different careers, and thus give different, conflicting advice. Suppose, for instance, that your father is a teacher, your mother is an accountant, and your best friend is a nurse. They have all made very different career decisions, and only have knowledge on their respective careers. Different people will likely only steer you to their careers, without giving good advice on your own best path.

In contrast, focusing on one’s own preferences and skills provides a clearer path to the right career. After all, individuals have the best knowledge of their own abilities and interests. As an example, if someone has gone to university to study biology, they will know more about biology careers than a family member or friend who does not have that same kind of training. Ultimately, your career must be built on your own training and experience, not the training and experience of others.

For the reasons I’ve outlined above, I really do believe that career decisions are a matter of personal knowledge. Other people, even trusted family and friends, simply cannot understand your career the way you can. To select your field of work wisely, you must face this important decision alone.

Scorer Commentary (Discussion IELTS Essay Sample, Band 9)

The score report below is based on the official IELTS Writing Task 2 rubric . This report also looks very similar to the Magoosh IELTS essay scoring service .

Overall Band Score: 9

What was done well in the essay:

At 283 words, this essay exceeded the 250 word minimum. (This is very important for getting full points!)
Each part of the task was fully addressed. Both sides of the issue were discussed in the first and second body paragraphs. Moreover, reasons and relevant examples were included.
Each paragraph had its own clear topic sentence and supporting details, with explanations of the details, and summarization of the most important ideas.
Transitional language was used to clearly tie in all paragraphs to clear main ideas from the introduction and conclusion.
Vocabulary and grammar were used clearly and fluently. There were no serious errors in grammar or word use; word choice and sentence structure varied and avoided significant repetition.

More Model Essays for IELTS Writing Task 2

Would you like the see model essays for the other common IELTS Writing Task 2 question types as well? Magoosh has you covered! Just click the links below.

Advantage/Disadvantage Essay
Two-Part Question Essay
Causes/Solutions Essay
Agree/Disagree Essay

David is a Test Prep Expert for Magoosh TOEFL and IELTS. Additionally, he’s helped students with TOEIC, PET, FCE, BULATS, Eiken, SAT, ACT, GRE, and GMAT. David has a BS from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and an MA from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. His work at Magoosh has been cited in many scholarly articles , his Master’s Thesis is featured on the Reading with Pictures website, and he’s presented at the WITESOL (link to PDF) and NAFSA conferences. David has taught K-12 ESL in South Korea as well as undergraduate English and MBA-level business English at American universities. He has also trained English teachers in America, Italy, and Peru. Come join David and the Magoosh team on Youtube , Facebook , and Instagram , or connect with him via LinkedIn !

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5 responses to “IELTS Writing Task 2: Discussion Sample Essay”

Contractions must be avoided because they are a sign of informal writing style. Whereas essay’s should be written in formal way.

You are correct that contractions shouldn’t be used in the formal Task 2 essay. However, note that they can be used at times, such as in IELTS Speaking or in Task 1 if you are asked to write an informal letter.

Happy studying!

Greetings, and thank you for this model essay. I wanted to ask a question relating to the discussion essay’s addressing of the task. Since the two views are 1) Some people think it is beneficial to ask for advice from friends/loved ones, and 2) others think that it is better to do so alone, why isn’t the 2nd paragraph addressing the benefits but instead talks about how it can be confusing? Isn’t a discussion essay’s structure supposed to be something like this:

2nd paragraph: Reasons people believe asking for help to decide for a career is good 3rd paragraph: Reasons people believe doing it on your own is good Conclusion: Giving your own opinion

Thank you for your time!

Good question! The short answer is that both approaches work! The directions are simply to “discuss both views,” but you don’t have to provide support for both sides. You can also discuss the problems or issues with one side, as this essay has done. Does that make sense? I’d suggest reviewing more sample essays to get a better sense of this.

Hope this helps, and best of luck to you!

11 Rules for Essay Paragraph Structure (with Examples)

How do you structure a paragraph in an essay?

If you’re like the majority of my students, you might be getting your basic essay paragraph structure wrong and getting lower grades than you could!

In this article, I outline the 11 key steps to writing a perfect paragraph. But, this isn’t your normal ‘how to write an essay’ article. Rather, I’ll try to give you some insight into exactly what teachers look out for when they’re grading essays and figuring out what grade to give them.

You can navigate each issue below, or scroll down to read them all:

1. Paragraphs must be at least four sentences long 2. But, at most seven sentences long 3. Your paragraph must be Left-Aligned 4. You need a topic sentence 5 . Next, you need an explanation sentence 6. You need to include an example 7. You need to include citations 8. All paragraphs need to be relevant to the marking criteria 9. Only include one key idea per paragraph 10. Keep sentences short 11. Keep quotes short

Paragraph structure is one of the most important elements of getting essay writing right .

As I cover in my Ultimate Guide to Writing an Essay Plan , paragraphs are the heart and soul of your essay.

However, I find most of my students have either:

forgotten how to write paragraphs properly,
gotten lazy, or
never learned it in the first place!

Paragraphs in essay writing are different from paragraphs in other written genres .

In fact, the paragraphs that you are reading now would not help your grades in an essay.

That’s because I’m writing in journalistic style, where paragraph conventions are vastly different.

For those of you coming from journalism or creative writing, you might find you need to re-learn paragraph writing if you want to write well-structured essay paragraphs to get top grades.

Below are eleven reasons your paragraphs are losing marks, and what to do about it!

Essay Paragraph Structure Rules

1. your paragraphs must be at least 4 sentences long.

In journalism and blog writing, a one-sentence paragraph is great. It’s short, to-the-point, and helps guide your reader. For essay paragraph structure, one-sentence paragraphs suck.

A one-sentence essay paragraph sends an instant signal to your teacher that you don’t have much to say on an issue.

A short paragraph signifies that you know something – but not much about it. A one-sentence paragraph lacks detail, depth and insight.

Many students come to me and ask, “what does ‘add depth’ mean?” It’s one of the most common pieces of feedback you’ll see written on the margins of your essay.

Personally, I think ‘add depth’ is bad feedback because it’s a short and vague comment. But, here’s what it means: You’ve not explained your point enough!

If you’re writing one-, two- or three-sentence essay paragraphs, you’re costing yourself marks.

Always aim for at least four sentences per paragraph in your essays.

This doesn’t mean that you should add ‘fluff’ or ‘padding’ sentences.

Make sure you don’t:

a) repeat what you said in different words, or b) write something just because you need another sentence in there.

But, you need to do some research and find something insightful to add to that two-sentence paragraph if you want to ace your essay.

Check out Points 5 and 6 for some advice on what to add to that short paragraph to add ‘depth’ to your paragraph and start moving to the top of the class.

How to Make an Essay Longer
How to Make an Essay Shorter

2. Your Paragraphs must not be more than 7 Sentences Long

Okay, so I just told you to aim for at least four sentences per paragraph. So, what’s the longest your paragraph should be?

Seven sentences. That’s a maximum.

So, here’s the rule:

Between four and seven sentences is the sweet spot that you need to aim for in every single paragraph.

Here’s why your paragraphs shouldn’t be longer than seven sentences:

1. It shows you can organize your thoughts. You need to show your teacher that you’ve broken up your key ideas into manageable segments of text (see point 10)

2. It makes your work easier to read. You need your writing to be easily readable to make it easy for your teacher to give you good grades. Make your essay easy to read and you’ll get higher marks every time.

One of the most important ways you can make your work easier to read is by writing paragraphs that are less than six sentences long.

3. It prevents teacher frustration. Teachers are just like you. When they see a big block of text their eyes glaze over. They get frustrated, lost, their mind wanders … and you lose marks.

To prevent teacher frustration, you need to ensure there’s plenty of white space in your essay. It’s about showing them that the piece is clearly structured into one key idea per ‘chunk’ of text.

Often, you might find that your writing contains tautologies and other turns of phrase that can be shortened for clarity.

3. Your Paragraph must be Left-Aligned

Turn off ‘Justified’ text and: Never. Turn. It. On. Again.

Justified text is where the words are stretched out to make the paragraph look like a square. It turns the writing into a block. Don’t do it. You will lose marks, I promise you! Win the psychological game with your teacher: left-align your text.

A good essay paragraph is never ‘justified’.

I’m going to repeat this, because it’s important: to prevent your essay from looking like a big block of muddy, hard-to-read text align your text to the left margin only.

You want white space on your page – and lots of it. White space helps your reader scan through your work. It also prevents it from looking like big blocks of text.

You want your reader reading vertically as much as possible: scanning, browsing, and quickly looking through for evidence you’ve engaged with the big ideas.

The justified text doesn’t help you do that. Justified text makes your writing look like a big, lumpy block of text that your reader doesn’t want to read.

What’s wrong with Center-Aligned Text?

While I’m at it, never, ever, center-align your text either. Center-aligned text is impossible to skim-read. Your teacher wants to be able to quickly scan down the left margin to get the headline information in your paragraph.

Not many people center-align text, but it’s worth repeating: never, ever center-align your essays.

an infographic showing that left-aligned paragraphs are easy to read. The infographic recommends using Control plus L on a PC keyboard or Command plus L on a Mac to left align a paragraph

Don’t annoy your reader. Left align your text.

4. Your paragraphs must have a Topic Sentence

The first sentence of an essay paragraph is called the topic sentence. This is one of the most important sentences in the correct essay paragraph structure style.

The topic sentence should convey exactly what key idea you’re going to cover in your paragraph.

Too often, students don’t let their reader know what the key idea of the paragraph is until several sentences in.

You must show what the paragraph is about in the first sentence.

You never, ever want to keep your reader in suspense. Essays are not like creative writing. Tell them straight away what the paragraph is about. In fact, if you can, do it in the first half of the first sentence .

I’ll remind you again: make it easy to grade your work. Your teacher is reading through your work trying to determine what grade to give you. They’re probably going to mark 20 assignments in one sitting. They have no interest in storytelling or creativity. They just want to know how much you know! State what the paragraph is about immediately and move on.

Suggested: Best Words to Start a Paragraph

Ideal Essay Paragraph Structure Example: Writing a Topic Sentence If your paragraph is about how climate change is endangering polar bears, say it immediately : “Climate change is endangering polar bears.” should be your first sentence in your paragraph. Take a look at first sentence of each of the four paragraphs above this one. You can see from the first sentence of each paragraph that the paragraphs discuss:

When editing your work, read each paragraph and try to distil what the one key idea is in your paragraph. Ensure that this key idea is mentioned in the first sentence .

(Note: if there’s more than one key idea in the paragraph, you may have a problem. See Point 9 below .)

The topic sentence is the most important sentence for getting your essay paragraph structure right. So, get your topic sentences right and you’re on the right track to a good essay paragraph.

5. You need an Explanation Sentence

All topic sentences need a follow-up explanation. The very first point on this page was that too often students write paragraphs that are too short. To add what is called ‘depth’ to a paragraph, you can come up with two types of follow-up sentences: explanations and examples.

Let’s take explanation sentences first.

Explanation sentences give additional detail. They often provide one of the following services:

Let’s go back to our example of a paragraph on Climate change endangering polar bears. If your topic sentence is “Climate change is endangering polar bears.”, then your follow-up explanation sentence is likely to explain how, why, where, or when. You could say:

Ideal Essay Paragraph Structure Example: Writing Explanation Sentences 1. How: “The warming atmosphere is melting the polar ice caps.” 2. Why: “The polar bears’ habitats are shrinking every single year.” 3. Where: “This is happening in the Antarctic ice caps near Greenland.” 4. When: “Scientists first noticed the ice caps were shrinking in 1978.”

You don’t have to provide all four of these options each time.

But, if you’re struggling to think of what to add to your paragraph to add depth, consider one of these four options for a good quality explanation sentence.

>>>RELATED ARTICLE: SHOULD YOU USE RHETORICAL QUESTIONS IN ESSAYS ?

6. Your need to Include an Example

Examples matter! They add detail. They also help to show that you genuinely understand the issue. They show that you don’t just understand a concept in the abstract; you also understand how things work in real life.

Example sentences have the added benefit of personalising an issue. For example, after saying “Polar bears’ habitats are shrinking”, you could note specific habitats, facts and figures, or even a specific story about a bear who was impacted.

Ideal Essay Paragraph Structure Example: Writing an ‘Example’ Sentence “For example, 770,000 square miles of Arctic Sea Ice has melted in the past four decades, leading Polar Bear populations to dwindle ( National Geographic, 2018 )

In fact, one of the most effective politicians of our times – Barrack Obama – was an expert at this technique. He would often provide examples of people who got sick because they didn’t have healthcare to sell Obamacare.

What effect did this have? It showed the real-world impact of his ideas. It humanised him, and got him elected president – twice!

Be like Obama. Provide examples. Often.

7. All Paragraphs need Citations

Provide a reference to an academic source in every single body paragraph in the essay. The only two paragraphs where you don’t need a reference is the introduction and conclusion .

Let me repeat: Paragraphs need at least one reference to a quality scholarly source .

Let me go even further:

Students who get the best marks provide two references to two different academic sources in every paragraph.

Two references in a paragraph show you’ve read widely, cross-checked your sources, and given the paragraph real thought.

It’s really important that these references link to academic sources, not random websites, blogs or YouTube videos. Check out our Seven Best types of Sources to Cite in Essays post to get advice on what sources to cite. Number 6 w ill surprise you!

Ideal Essay Paragraph Structure Example: In-Text Referencing in Paragraphs Usually, in-text referencing takes the format: (Author, YEAR), but check your school’s referencing formatting requirements carefully. The ‘Author’ section is the author’s last name only. Not their initials. Not their first name. Just their last name . My name is Chris Drew. First name Chris, last name Drew. If you were going to reference an academic article I wrote in 2019, you would reference it like this: (Drew, 2019).

Where do you place those two references?

Place the first reference at the end of the first half of the paragraph. Place the second reference at the end of the second half of the paragraph.

This spreads the references out and makes it look like all the points throughout the paragraph are backed up by your sources. The goal is to make it look like you’ve reference regularly when your teacher scans through your work.

Remember, teachers can look out for signposts that indicate you’ve followed academic conventions and mentioned the right key ideas.

Spreading your referencing through the paragraph helps to make it look like you’ve followed the academic convention of referencing sources regularly.

Here are some examples of how to reference twice in a paragraph:

If your paragraph was six sentences long, you would place your first reference at the end of the third sentence and your second reference at the end of the sixth sentence.
If your paragraph was five sentences long, I would recommend placing one at the end of the second sentence and one at the end of the fifth sentence.

You’ve just read one of the key secrets to winning top marks.

8. Every Paragraph must be relevant to the Marking Criteria

Every paragraph must win you marks. When you’re editing your work, check through the piece to see if every paragraph is relevant to the marking criteria.

For the British: In the British university system (I’m including Australia and New Zealand here – I’ve taught at universities in all three countries), you’ll usually have a ‘marking criteria’. It’s usually a list of between two and six key learning outcomes your teacher needs to use to come up with your score. Sometimes it’s called a:

Marking criteria
Marking rubric
(Key) learning outcome
Indicative content

Check your assignment guidance to see if this is present. If so, use this list of learning outcomes to guide what you write. If your paragraphs are irrelevant to these key points, delete the paragraph .

Paragraphs that don’t link to the marking criteria are pointless. They won’t win you marks.

For the Americans: If you don’t have a marking criteria / rubric / outcomes list, you’ll need to stick closely to the essay question or topic. This goes out to those of you in the North American system. North America (including USA and Canada here) is often less structured and the professor might just give you a topic to base your essay on.

If all you’ve got is the essay question / topic, go through each paragraph and make sure each paragraph is relevant to the topic.

For example, if your essay question / topic is on “The Effects of Climate Change on Polar Bears”,

Don’t talk about anything that doesn’t have some connection to climate change and polar bears;
Don’t talk about the environmental impact of oil spills in the Gulf of Carpentaria;
Don’t talk about black bear habitats in British Columbia.
Do talk about the effects of climate change on polar bears (and relevant related topics) in every single paragraph .

You may think ‘stay relevant’ is obvious advice, but at least 20% of all essays I mark go off on tangents and waste words.

Stay on topic in Every. Single. Paragraph. If you want to learn more about how to stay on topic, check out our essay planning guide .

9. Only have one Key Idea per Paragraph

One key idea for each paragraph. One key idea for each paragraph. One key idea for each paragraph.

Don’t forget!

Too often, a student starts a paragraph talking about one thing and ends it talking about something totally different. Don’t be that student.

To ensure you’re focussing on one key idea in your paragraph, make sure you know what that key idea is. It should be mentioned in your topic sentence (see Point 3 ). Every other sentence in the paragraph adds depth to that one key idea.

If you’ve got sentences in your paragraph that are not relevant to the key idea in the paragraph, they don’t fit. They belong in another paragraph.

Go through all your paragraphs when editing your work and check to see if you’ve veered away from your paragraph’s key idea. If so, you might have two or even three key ideas in the one paragraph.

You’re going to have to get those additional key ideas, rip them out, and give them paragraphs of their own.

If you have more than one key idea in a paragraph you will lose marks. I promise you that.

The paragraphs will be too hard to read, your reader will get bogged down reading rather than scanning, and you’ll have lost grades.

10. Keep Sentences Short

If a sentence is too long it gets confusing. When the sentence is confusing, your reader will stop reading your work. They will stop reading the paragraph and move to the next one. They’ll have given up on your paragraph.

Short, snappy sentences are best.

Shorter sentences are easier to read and they make more sense. Too often, students think they have to use big, long, academic words to get the best marks. Wrong. Aim for clarity in every sentence in the paragraph. Your teacher will thank you for it.

The students who get the best marks write clear, short sentences.

When editing your draft, go through your essay and see if you can shorten your longest five sentences.

(To learn more about how to write the best quality sentences, see our page on Seven ways to Write Amazing Sentences .)

11. Keep Quotes Short

Eighty percent of university teachers hate quotes. That’s not an official figure. It’s my guestimate based on my many interactions in faculty lounges. Twenty percent don’t mind them, but chances are your teacher is one of the eight out of ten who hate quotes.

Teachers tend to be turned off by quotes because it makes it look like you don’t know how to say something on your own words.

Now that I’ve warned you, here’s how to use quotes properly:

Ideal Essay Paragraph Structure Example: How To Use Quotes in University-Level Essay Paragraphs 1. Your quote should be less than one sentence long. 2. Your quote should be less than one sentence long. 3. You should never start a sentence with a quote. 4. You should never end a paragraph with a quote. 5 . You should never use more than five quotes per essay. 6. Your quote should never be longer than one line in a paragraph.

The minute your teacher sees that your quote takes up a large chunk of your paragraph, you’ll have lost marks.

Your teacher will circle the quote, write a snarky comment in the margin, and not even bother to give you points for the key idea in the paragraph.

Avoid quotes, but if you really want to use them, follow those five rules above.

I’ve also provided additional pages outlining Seven tips on how to use Quotes if you want to delve deeper into how, when and where to use quotes in essays. Be warned: quoting in essays is harder than you thought.

The basic essay paragraph structure formula includes: 4-6 sentence paragraphs; a clear topic sentence; useful explanations and examples; a focus on one key idea only; and references to two different academic sources.

Follow the advice above and you’ll be well on your way to getting top marks at university.

Writing essay paragraphs that are well structured takes time and practice. Don’t be too hard on yourself and keep on trying!

Below is a summary of our 11 key mistakes for structuring essay paragraphs and tips on how to avoid them.

I’ve also provided an easy-to-share infographic below that you can share on your favorite social networking site. Please share it if this article has helped you out!

11 Biggest Essay Paragraph Structure Mistakes you’re probably Making

1. Your paragraphs are too short 2. Your paragraphs are too long 3. Your paragraph alignment is ‘Justified’ 4. Your paragraphs are missing a topic sentence 5 . Your paragraphs are missing an explanation sentence 6. Your paragraphs are missing an example 7. Your paragraphs are missing references 8. Your paragraphs are not relevant to the marking criteria 9. You’re trying to fit too many ideas into the one paragraph 10. Your sentences are too long 11. Your quotes are too long

Chris Drew (PhD)

Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ Piaget vs Vygotsky: Similarities and Differences
Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 10 Conditioned Response Examples
Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 25 Humanistic Psychology Examples
Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 17 Behaviorism Examples

4 thoughts on “11 Rules for Essay Paragraph Structure (with Examples)”

Hello there. I noticed that throughout this article on Essay Writing, you keep on saying that the teacher won’t have time to go through the entire essay. Don’t you think this is a bit discouraging that with all the hard work and time put into your writing, to know that the teacher will not read through the entire paper?

Hi Clarence,

Thanks so much for your comment! I love to hear from readers on their thoughts.

Yes, I agree that it’s incredibly disheartening.

But, I also think students would appreciate hearing the truth.

Behind closed doors many / most university teachers are very open about the fact they ‘only have time to skim-read papers’. They regularly bring this up during heated faculty meetings about contract negotiations! I.e. in one university I worked at, we were allocated 45 minutes per 10,000 words – that’s just over 4 minutes per 1,000 word essay, and that’d include writing the feedback, too!

If students know the truth, they can better write their essays in a way that will get across the key points even from a ‘skim-read’.

I hope to write candidly on this website – i.e. some of this info will never be written on university blogs because universities want to hide these unfortunate truths from students.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Regards, Chris

This is wonderful and helpful, all I say is thank you very much. Because I learned a lot from this site, own by chris thank you Sir.

Thank you. This helped a lot.

Discussion essays Considering both sides of the argument

Discussion essays are a common form of academic writing. This page gives information on what a discussion essay is and how to structure this type of essay. Some vocabulary for discussion essays is also given, and there is an example discussion essay on the topic of studying overseas.

What are discussion essays?

Many essay titles require you to examine both sides of a situation and to conclude by saying which side you favour. These are known as discussion or for and against essays. In this sense, the academic meaning of the word discuss is similar to its everyday meaning, of two people talking about a topic from different sides. For a discussion essay, a balanced view is normally essential. This makes discussion essays distinct from persuasion essays , for which only one side of the argument is given. When writing a discussion essay, it is important to ensure that facts and opinions are clearly separated. Often you will examine what other people have already said on the same subject and include this information using paraphrasing and summarising skills, as well as correct citations .

The following are examples of discussion essay topics.

Examine the arguments for and against capital punishment.
Schools should teach children not only academic subjects but also important life skills. Discuss.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of technology in the classroom?

Although the structure of a discussion essay may vary according to length and subject, there are several components which most discussion essays have in common. In addition to general statements and thesis statement which all good essay introductions contain, the position of the writer will often be stated, along with relevant definitions . The main body will examine arguments for (in one or more paragraphs) and arguments against (also in one or more paragraphs). The conclusion will contain a summary of the main points, and will often conclude with recommendations , based on what you think are the most important ideas in the essay. The conclusion may also contain your opinion on the topic, also based on the preceding evidence.

An overview of this structure is given in the diagram below.

Discussion vocabulary

When summarising the stages in a discussion or in presenting your arguments, it can be useful to mark the order of the items or degrees of importance. The following words and phrases can be used.

First..., First of all..., The most important...
Second..., In the second place...
Finally..., Lastly...

The following can be used when introducing your opinion.

There is no doubt that...
I believe that...
One of the main arguments in favour of/against X is that...

It is important in English writing, including academic writing, to use synonyms rather than repeating the same word. The following are useful synonyms for 'advantage' and 'disadvantage'.

advantage: benefit, a positive aspect/feature, pro (informal)
disadvantage: drawback, a negative aspect/feature, con (informal)

Example essay

Below is an example discussion essay. Click on the different areas (in the shaded boxes to the right) to highlight the different structural aspects in this essay.

Title: An increasing number of students are going overseas for tertiary education. To what extent does this overseas study benefit the students?

Most people spend around fifteen years of their life in education, from primary school to university study. In the past, students only had the opportunity to study in their own country. Nowadays, however, it is increasingly easy to study overseas, especially at tertiary level. Tertiary education, also called post-secondary education, is the period of study spent at university. As the final aspect of schooling before a person begins their working life, it is arguably the most important stage of their education. While there are some undoubted benefits of this trend, such as the language environment and improved employment prospects , there is also a significant disadvantage, namely the high cost . The first and most important advantage of overseas study is the language learning environment. Students studying overseas will not only have to cope with the local language for their study, but will also have to use it outside the classroom for their everyday life. These factors should make it relatively easy for such students to advance their language abilities. Another important benefit is employability. Increasing globalisation means that there are more multinational companies setting up offices in all major countries. These companies will need employees who have a variety of skills, including the fluency in more than one language. Students who have studied abroad should find it much easier to obtain a job in this kind of company. There are, however, some disadvantages to overseas study which must be considered, the most notable of which is the expense. In addition to the cost of travel, which in itself is not inconsiderable, overseas students are required to pay tuition fees which are usually much higher than those of local students. Added to this is the cost of living, which is often much higher than in the students' own country. Although scholarships may be available for overseas students, there are usually very few of these, most of which will only cover a fraction of the cost. Overseas study therefore constitutes a considerable expense. In summary, studying abroad has some clear advantages, including the language environment and increased chances of employment , in addition to the main drawback, the heavy financial burden . I believe that this experience is worthwhile for those students whose families can readily afford the expense. Students without such strong financial support should consider carefully whether the high cost outweighs the benefits to be gained.

GET FREE EBOOK

Like the website? Try the books. Enter your email to receive a free sample from Academic Writing Genres .

Below is a checklist for discussion essays. Use it to check your own writing, or get a peer (another student) to help you.

Bailey, S. (2000). Academic Writing. Abingdon: RoutledgeFalmer

Cox, K. and D. Hill (2004). EAP now! Frenchs Forest: Pearson Education Australia

Jordan, R.R. (1999). Academic Writing Course. Cambridge: CUP

Roberts R., J. Gokanda, & A. Preshous (2004). IELTS Foundation. Oxford: Macmillian

Next section

Find out how to write persuasion essays in the next section.

Previous section

Go back to the previous section about different essay types .

Author: Sheldon Smith ‖ Last modified: 16 January 2022.

Sheldon Smith is the founder and editor of EAPFoundation.com. He has been teaching English for Academic Purposes since 2004. Find out more about him in the about section and connect with him on Twitter , Facebook and LinkedIn .

Compare & contrast essays examine the similarities of two or more objects, and the differences.

Cause & effect essays consider the reasons (or causes) for something, then discuss the results (or effects).

Discussion essays require you to examine both sides of a situation and to conclude by saying which side you favour.

Problem-solution essays are a sub-type of SPSE essays (Situation, Problem, Solution, Evaluation).

Transition signals are useful in achieving good cohesion and coherence in your writing.

Reporting verbs are used to link your in-text citations to the information cited.

May 8, 2023

THE IRAC METHOD EXAMPLE

Updated: Sep 30, 2023

We write law books using the IRAC method. We deliver the content of your course in the way you are expected to answer your questions. Have a look at the work exampled below. Then have a look at both the Core books and the Q&A law books.

IRAC METHOD EXAMPLE

What is irac method.

IRAC is an acronym which stands for the “Issue, Rule, Application, Conclusion” (IRAC). You may structure your answer to any law problem question or essay topic using the IRAC method . The issue, rule, analysis, and conclusion (IRAC) make up the fundamental framework used by law students around the world. You may be confident that your answer is comprehensive if you use this straightforward approach for constructing it. Other methods exist such as Celo and the FACT LAW SANDWICH. Choose the one that works for you.

How do I use the IRAC method? There is no point in talking about applying IRAC unless we show you how it works. Let use this excerpt of a contact law, problem question, from a law past paper to show you a IRAC Method example: “Michael promises to sell his 3 year old BMW car to Chithra for £100.00 as he has recently won a new expensive car in a competition”.

IRAC METOD - ISSUE

Your answer should start by addressing the problem that is raised in the essay topic or the issue in the problem question, these are easy to spot in a problem because the facts of the cases you have studied (where the principle emerges) is to be applied will be similar to the facts in your problem scenario. Thus there are occasions when the question itself will supply the problem for you to solve. If this is not the case, the next question to ask is: What is the legal issue that, once answered, will decide the outcome of the case? It is recommended that the issue be posed in the form of a question, and that the inquiry be specific rather than generic.

How do you write a IRAC example? So using our example above the question that needs to be asked is: “Is Michael contractually obliged to provide the BMW car to Chithra for £100.00?” This is the legal issue and this is ultimately the advice Michael is looking for. We can refine that question even further to demonstrate being specific. Thus the question is: was there sufficient consideration and can Chithra bring an action against Michael for this promise?

IRAC METOD - RULE

The rule explains whether statute or case law guideline is relevant to the matter at hand. Instead of stating the rule as a conclusion to the specific instance that is being discussed, the rule needs to be articulated as a universal principle.

For example in Michael’s case of the BMW, consideration must be sufficient. It can range from some form of payment to other interests of value under the law. Consideration must also be ‘adequate’, in terms of a bargain being made, although it is not imperative. Sufficiency remains of prime importance when forming a contract.

IRAC METOD - ANALYSIS

Your analysis is both the most crucial and the most time-consuming component of your answer. This will includes adapting the Rule to the specific details of the issue or situation Michael is facing. You need to do this. Apply this information to demonstrate how the rule may be used to get the conclusion. When it is feasible to do so, discuss the situation from both perspectives. You have to predict what Chithra’s lawyers will argue. It is essential that you do not only assert a conclusion but also provide the grounds that support it. If you reach a conclusion without providing any supporting evidence or rationale, it indicates that you have not applied the principle and considered the relevant facts in your analysis of the problem. A helpful hint for your discourse is that you may use the rule as a guide.

For Michael’s example a case the authority establishing this principle is Thomas v Thomas , where the court held that as long as there is valid consideration. Under the authority of Currie v Misa then the agreement has some benefit or detriment to the parties. Furthermore in Chappel v Nestle , the courts stated the chocolate wrappers constituted purported consideration. It was held that the offer Nestle made for the exchange of chocolate wrappers provided that they were of some value.

IRAC METOD - CONCLUSION

After considering the position of the law you have to apply it to the scenario. Your solution to the problem is presented in the conclusion. This is the advice that Michael wants! Please share the findings of your assessment. As a rule of practice always give the bad news first and then the good news because then you can give them your bill.

For example in advice to Michael, if Michael promised to sell his 3 year old BMW to Chithra for £100, this may not be the market value of the car. However, the £100 will still be deemed to be of some value, hence valid consideration, making the promise to sell the car enforceable by Chithra. Any attack on the enforceability of the contract could be based around there was never any intention to create legal relations.

THE FINISHED ADVICE

This is how the advice will read:

Michael’s promise to sell the BMW

Michael promised to sell his 3 year old BMW car to Chithra for £100.00 as he won a new expensive car. The question is: was there sufficient consideration and can Chithra bring an action against Michael for this promise? Consideration must be sufficient. It can range from some form of payment to other interests of value under the law. Consideration must also be ‘adequate’, in terms of a bargain being made, although it is not imperative. Sufficiency remains of prime importance when forming a contract. A case authority establishing this principle is Thomas v Thomas , [1] where the court held that as long as there is valid consideration under the authority of Currie v Misa [2] then the agreement has some benefit or detriment to the parties. Furthermore in Chappel v Nestle , [3] the courts stated the chocolate wrappers purported consideration. It was held that the offer Nestle made for the exchange of chocolate wrappers provided that they were of some value. In advice to Michael, if Michael promised to sell his 3 year old BMW to Chithra for £100, this may not be the market value of the car. However, the £100 will still be deemed to be of some value, hence valid consideration, making the promise to sell the car enforceable by Chithra.

[1](1842) 2 Q.B. 851 [2]ibid [3] [1960] A.C. 87

IF YOU NEED LAW TUITION OR HELP WITH LAW ESSAY WRITING GET IN TOUCH

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9.3: The Argumentative Essay

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Learning Objectives

Examine types of argumentative essays

Argumentative Essays

You may have heard it said that all writing is an argument of some kind. Even if you’re writing an informative essay, you still have the job of trying to convince your audience that the information is important. However, there are times you’ll be asked to write an essay that is specifically an argumentative piece.

An argumentative essay is one that makes a clear assertion or argument about some topic or issue. When you’re writing an argumentative essay, it’s important to remember that an academic argument is quite different from a regular, emotional argument. Note that sometimes students forget the academic aspect of an argumentative essay and write essays that are much too emotional for an academic audience. It’s important for you to choose a topic you feel passionately about (if you’re allowed to pick your topic), but you have to be sure you aren’t too emotionally attached to a topic. In an academic argument, you’ll have a lot more constraints you have to consider, and you’ll focus much more on logic and reasoning than emotions.

A cartoon person with a heart in one hand and a brain in the other.

Argumentative essays are quite common in academic writing and are often an important part of writing in all disciplines. You may be asked to take a stand on a social issue in your introduction to writing course, but you could also be asked to take a stand on an issue related to health care in your nursing courses or make a case for solving a local environmental problem in your biology class. And, since argument is such a common essay assignment, it’s important to be aware of some basic elements of a good argumentative essay.

When your professor asks you to write an argumentative essay, you’ll often be given something specific to write about. For example, you may be asked to take a stand on an issue you have been discussing in class. Perhaps, in your education class, you would be asked to write about standardized testing in public schools. Or, in your literature class, you might be asked to argue the effects of protest literature on public policy in the United States.

However, there are times when you’ll be given a choice of topics. You might even be asked to write an argumentative essay on any topic related to your field of study or a topic you feel that is important personally.

Whatever the case, having some knowledge of some basic argumentative techniques or strategies will be helpful as you write. Below are some common types of arguments.

Causal Arguments

In this type of argument, you argue that something has caused something else. For example, you might explore the causes of the decline of large mammals in the world’s ocean and make a case for your cause.

Evaluation Arguments

In this type of argument, you make an argumentative evaluation of something as “good” or “bad,” but you need to establish the criteria for “good” or “bad.” For example, you might evaluate a children’s book for your education class, but you would need to establish clear criteria for your evaluation for your audience.

Proposal Arguments

In this type of argument, you must propose a solution to a problem. First, you must establish a clear problem and then propose a specific solution to that problem. For example, you might argue for a proposal that would increase retention rates at your college.

Narrative Arguments

In this type of argument, you make your case by telling a story with a clear point related to your argument. For example, you might write a narrative about your experiences with standardized testing in order to make a case for reform.

Rebuttal Arguments

In a rebuttal argument, you build your case around refuting an idea or ideas that have come before. In other words, your starting point is to challenge the ideas of the past.

Definition Arguments

In this type of argument, you use a definition as the starting point for making your case. For example, in a definition argument, you might argue that NCAA basketball players should be defined as professional players and, therefore, should be paid.

https://assessments.lumenlearning.co...essments/20277

Essay Examples

Click here to read an argumentative essay on the consequences of fast fashion . Read it and look at the comments to recognize strategies and techniques the author uses to convey her ideas.
In this example, you’ll see a sample argumentative paper from a psychology class submitted in APA format. Key parts of the argumentative structure have been noted for you in the sample.

Link to Learning

For more examples of types of argumentative essays, visit the Argumentative Purposes section of the Excelsior OWL .

Contributors and Attributions

Argumentative Essay. Provided by : Excelsior OWL. Located at : https://owl.excelsior.edu/rhetorical-styles/argumentative-essay/ . License : CC BY: Attribution
Image of a man with a heart and a brain. Authored by : Mohamed Hassan. Provided by : Pixabay. Located at : pixabay.com/illustrations/decision-brain-heart-mind-4083469/. License : Other . License Terms : pixabay.com/service/terms/#license

Describe a rule that is important in your school or at work.

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Fully explain your ideas

To get an excellent score in the IELTS Task 2 writing section, one of the easiest and most effective tips is structuring your writing in the most solid format. A great argument essay structure may be divided to four paragraphs, in which comprises of four sentences (excluding the conclusion paragraph, which comprises of three sentences).

For we to consider an essay structure a great one, it should be looking like this:

Paragraph 1 - Introduction
Sentence 1 - Background statement
Sentence 2 - Detailed background statement
Sentence 3 - Thesis
Sentence 4 - Outline sentence
Paragraph 2 - First supporting paragraph
Sentence 1 - Topic sentence
Sentence 2 - Example
Sentence 3 - Discussion
Sentence 4 - Conclusion
Paragraph 3 - Second supporting paragraph
Paragraph 4 - Conclusion
Sentence 1 - Summary
Sentence 2 - Restatement of thesis
Sentence 3 - Prediction or recommendation

Our recommended essay structure above comprises of fifteen (15) sentences, which will make your essay approximately 250 to 275 words.

Discover more tips in The Ultimate Guide to Get a Target Band Score of 7+ » — a book that's free for 🚀 Premium users.

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The illustrations below show how coffee is sometimes produced. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and making comparisons where relevant.

In recent years, more and more people are choosing to read e-books rather than paper books. do the advantages outweight the disadvantages, scientific research should be carried out and controlled by government rather than private companies. to what text do you agree and disagree give reasons for your answer and include any revelant examples from your own knowledge or experience write at least 250 words, children today are too dependent on computers and electronic entertainment. it would be better for them to be outside playing sports and taking part in more traditional pastimes than spending all day indoors. do you agree or disagree, some people think that hosting an international sports event is good for the country, while some people think it is bad. discuss both views and state your opinion..

13 Rules for Writing Good Essays

To write a good essay, you have to make your message clear..

Posted March 7, 2018 | Reviewed by Jessica Schrader

To write a good university essay you have to make your message clear. This means organizing your key points, supporting them with a series of evidence-based arguments, and wrapping it all up at the end so the reader knows what they've learned. To do this well, you need to take the reader's perspective. If you can see what might trip them up as they read your work, then you can avoid pitfalls that will confuse or bore them. Here are some tips to help you avoid the easy pitfalls. Once understood, these rules can be broken. But if you're unclear on how to approach your writing, these tips can help.

1. Your opening paragraph should clearly describe what you are going to discuss in the essay. These three things are vital: What’s the thesis (or problem), why is it important, and how are you going to address it? If you have each of those items in your opening paragraph your reader will know what they are reading, why they are reading it, and what they can expect to get out of it.

2. Organize the essay so that it covers a set list of subtopics that each support your main thesis. If it's a long essay, you should break it up into sections with headings that focus on specific subtopics. Introduce these topics in the opening paragraph of the essay (see 1 above). Overall, you want to organize information so it is easy to understand and remember.

3. Start paragraphs with opening sentences that explain what the paragraph is going to say. Then write sentences that follow one from the other and are easy to read. Avoid paragraphs that are too long, that read like lists, or that have no main thesis. Summarize complex paragraphs with concise sentences that explain what the paragraph said.

4. Create transitions between paragraphs so that one paragraph follows from the next. You are trying to make it all easy to understand for your reader. The more organized your writing, the more clearly you will understand and communicate your own ideas.

5. Make your sentences work. Avoid long sentences. When in doubt, break long sentences into smaller sentences. Avoid sentences that are repetitive and don't provide new information. Throw away weak and empty sentences ("Angioplasty is an important procedure." "Emotions are a central element in people's lives."). Sentences also need to be crystal clear. You can check for clarity by making sure they read well. Read them out loud to yourself or have someone else read them out loud to you.

6. Explain novel terms (jargon) when you introduce them . Don’t assume your reader knows what terms mean. Avoid jargon except where it communicates key concepts. Imagine the reader knows less about the topic than you do.

7. In science writing, you can use synonyms for key concepts only when you are first explaining them. After that, use the same word every time to refer to the idea. For example, you might want to write, 'affect,' and then 'emotions,' and then 'feelings.' If you use different words every time you refer to an idea, your reader will get confused. Define a term and then use it consistently.

8. Be careful when you use words like ‘this’ or ‘that’ or ‘their’ or ‘those’ or 'these' or 'they.' These words are often not as tightly connected to what they reference as you think. Check every one of them and see if you can rewrite it more clearly. When you use *these* words carelessly, your reader will need to think more to understand what you are referring to. *That* will break the flow and make it harder to understand what you're actually try to say. *They* (the readers) won't know who you're referring to. By simply stating what you are referring to specifically, you make your writing clear. It is better to be repetitive than unclear.

9. Use concrete information. Concrete information is powerful, is appealing, it is easier to understand, and it sticks in people's memory . Concrete information includes things like examples, statistics, quotes, facts, and other details. The more sentences that go by without communicating new concrete information or ideas that develop your thesis, the more likely your reader is to get bored .

10. If you have an interesting idea, check to see if someone else has already had it. If they have, cite them. Chances are someone has at least hinted at your clever insight, and you can use them as a springboard to say something even more interesting. This will demonstrate scholarship and an understanding of the broader context.

11. Make sure everything is relevant. Don’t include random facts that are not relevant. Don't include extra words that you don't need ("actually," "very," "in many ways," "the fact that"). Don't include paragraphs that have lots of cool facts if they aren't related to your central thesis. These slow down your reader and confuse them because they expect to hear content that is related to your theme. After you write a first draft (where you are just trying to get ideas down on paper), see what you can cut out to focus your argument on what matters.

12. The very best essays provide their own critique. End with something like this before the final summary: Provide criticism of your key point (appropriately referenced). Then provide criticism of the criticizer that you referenced (with another reference). If you can do this well, then in most instances you will have demonstrated thorough understanding of the issues. After this, provide your conclusion.

13. In the conclusion, take a position, make a prediction, or propose some future actions (an experiment, an implication, a new question to be addressed, etc). Summarize your thesis and the evidence you’ve provided in a concise way without being wishy-washy.

You might also be interested in my top 10 job interview tips or top 10 science-based study skills.

Follow me on Twitter .

Thomas T. Hills, Ph.D. , is a professor of psychology at University of Warwick.

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Essay Writing

Introduction

In the simplest terms, an essay is a short piece of writing which is set around a specific topic or subject. The piece of writing will give information surrounding the topic but will also display the opinions and thoughts of the author. Oftentimes, an essay is used in an academic sense by way of examination to determine whether a student has understood their studies and as a way of testing their knowledge on a specific subject. An essay is also used in education as a way of encouraging a student to develop their writing skills.

Moreover; an essay is a focused piece of writing designed to inform or persuade. There are many different types of essays, but they are often defined in four categories: argumentative, expository, narrative, and descriptive essays. Argumentative and expository essays are focused on conveying information and making clear points, while narrative and descriptive essays are about exercising creativity and writing in an interesting way. At the university level, argumentative essays are the most common type.

Types of Essay Writing

When it comes to writing an essay, there is not simply one type, there are, quite a few types of essay, and each of them has its purpose and function which are as follows:

Narrative Essays

A narrative essay details a story, oftentimes from a particular point of view. When writing a narrative essay, you should include a set of characters, a location, a good plot, and a climax to the story. It is vital that when writing this type of essay you use fine details which will allow the reader to feel the emotion and use their senses but also give the story the chance to make a point.

Descriptive Essay

A descriptive essay will describe something in great detail. The subject can be anything from people and places to objects and events but the main point is to go into depth. You might describe the item’s color, where it came from, what it looks like, smells like, tastes like, or how it feels. It is very important to allow the reader to sense what you are writing about and allow them to feel some sort of emotion whilst reading. That being said, the information should be concise and easy to understand, the use of imagery is widely used in this style of essay.

Expository Essay

An expository essay is used as a way to look into a problem and therefore compare it and explore it. For the expository essay, there is a little bit of storytelling involved but this type of essay goes beyond that. The main idea is that it should explain an idea giving information and explanation. Your expository essay should be simple and easy to understand as well as give a variety of viewpoints on the subject that is being discussed. Often this type of essay is used as a way to detail a subject which is usually more difficult for people to understand, clearly and concisely.

Argumentative Essay

When writing an argumentative essay, you will be attempting to convince your reader about an opinion or point of view. The idea is to show the reader whether the topic is true or false along with giving your own opinion. You must use facts and data to back up any claims made within the essay.

Format of Essay Writing

Now there is no rigid format of an essay. It is a creative process so it should not be confined within boundaries. However, there is a basic structure that is generally followed while writing essays.

This is the first paragraph of your essay. This is where the writer introduces his topic for the very first time. You can give a very brief synopsis of your essay in the introductory paragraph. Generally, it is not very long, about 4-6 lines.

This is the main crux of your essays. The body is the meat of your essay sandwiched between the introduction and the conclusion. So the most vital content of the essay will be here. This need not be confined to one paragraph. It can extend to two or more paragraphs according to the content.

This is the last paragraph of the essay. Sometimes a conclusion will just mirror the introductory paragraph but make sure the words and syntax are different. A conclusion is also a great place, to sum up, a story or an argument. You can round up your essay by providing some morals or wrapping up a story. Make sure you complete your essays with the conclusion, leave no hanging threads.

Writing Tips

Give your essays an interesting and appropriate title. It will help draw the attention of the reader and pique their curiosity

Keep it between 300-500 words. This is the ideal length, you can take creative license to increase or decrease it

Keep your language simple and crisp. Unnecessary complicated and difficult words break the flow of the sentence.

Do not make grammar mistakes, use correct punctuation and spelling five-paragraph. If this is not done it will distract the reader from the content

Before beginning the essay, organize your thoughts and plot a rough draft. This way you can ensure the story will flow and not be an unorganized mess.

Understand the Topic Thoroughly-Sometimes we jump to a conclusion just by reading the topic once and later we realize that the topic was different than what we wrote about. Read the topic as many times as it takes for you to align your opinion and understanding about the topic.

Make Pointers-It is a daunting task to write an essay inflow as sometimes we tend to lose our way of explaining and get off-topic, missing important details. Thinking about all points you want to discuss and then writing them down somewhere helps in covering everything you hoped to convey in your essay.

Develop a Plan and Do The Math-Essays have word limits and you have to plan your content in such a way that it is accurate, well-described, and meets the word limit given. Keep a track of your words while writing so that you always have an idea of how much to write more or less.

Essays are the most important means of learning the structure of writing and presenting them to the reader.

FAQs on Essay Writing

1. Writing an Essay in a format is important?

Yes, it is important because it makes your content more streamlined and understandable by the reader. A set format gives a reader a clear picture of what you are trying to explain. It also organises your own thoughts while composing an essay as we tend to think and write in a haphazard manner. The format gives a structure to the writeup.

2. How does Essay writing improve our English?

Essay writing is a very important part of your English earning curriculum, as you understand how to describe anything in your words or how to put your point of view without losing its meaning

3. How do you write a good essay?

Start by writing a thorough plan. Ensure your essay has a clear structure and overall argument. Try to back up each point you make with a quotation. Answer the question in your introduction and conclusion but remember to be creative too.

4. What is the format of writing an essay?

A basic essay consists of three main parts: introduction, body, and conclusion. This basic essay format will help you to write and organize an essay. However, flexibility is important. While keeping this basic essay format in mind, let the topic and specific assignment guide the writing and organization.

5. How many paragraphs does an essay have?

The basic format for an essay is known as the five paragraph essay – but an essay may have as many paragraphs as needed. A five-paragraph essay contains five paragraphs. However, the essay itself consists of three sections: an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. Below we'll explore the basics of writing an essay.

6. Can you use the word you in an essay?

In academic or college writing, most formal essays and research reports use third-person pronouns and do not use “I” or “you.” An essay is the writer's analysis of a topic. “You” has no place in an essay since the essay is the writer's thoughts and not the reader's thoughts.

7. What does bridge mean in an essay?

A bridge sentence is a special kind of topic sentence. In addition to signaling what the new paragraph is about, it shows how that follows from what the old paragraph said. The key to constructing good bridges is briefly pointing back to what you just finished saying.

Band 6+: Some think that teenagers should follow older people’s rules. Others think that it is natural for them to challenge what older people say. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

A controversial issue is whether teenagers should follow the conventions of their ancestors or if they should better question the orthodoxy and other beliefs of their elders. In my opinion, the younger generation excludes the thoughts of their predecessors that are essential in these days and rejects the types of beliefs that hinder them.

To begin with, since many generations, humans have nurtured certain facts and ideas, these facts and ideas have always been useful to this day, even though the juveniles do not follow them. However, if they follow these rules, they will achieve success in life. For example, in India, most parents have good knowledge about education which they have learned from teachers in their school such as waking up early, memorizing important topics in the morning, maintaining good discipline, balancing diet, eating on time. Today, students are not restricted from following any of the regulations that the Japanese have maintained since time immemorial. As a result, they fall behind not only in good health but also in academic performance.

On the contrary, following tradition has some disadvantages that young people should not do. In Hinduism, for example 100 years ago, people used to sacrifice children before idols of goddesses. Think that goddesses can be happy, who can bestow wealth, fame and other happiness in life. Now, the present generation should raise their voice against this inhumane attitude, even though it is prevalent in some parts of India. Another important factor is childhood marriage, a common phenomenon from Western to Asian countries. For that reason, teens should take legal action about this one. Thus, some conventions must be limited by the hands of young people.

In short, although countless people believe that children should follow the traditions of adults, some believe that old ideas should be fought against. In my opinion, positive ideas must be accepted by adolescents and negative ideas must be challenged through them.

Check Your Own Essay On This Topic?

Generate a band-9 sample with your idea, overall band score, task response, coherence & cohesion, lexical resource, grammatical range & accuracy, essays on the same topic:, some think that teenagers should follow older people’s rules. others think that it is natural for them to challenge what older people say. discuss both views and give your opinion..

There is a debate regarding whether adolescents should adhere to the guidelines set by older individuals or challenge their authority. In my view, while some argue that younger individuals should question the advice of their elders, I believe that it is important for them to heed their wisdom and experience. This essay will explore both […]

Some folks advocate for the fact that youngsters should obey rules of elderly. While some think that it is challenging for them. In my opinion, children should follow their elders as they have seen a lot of difficulties in their lives and are much more knowledgeable which can be beneficial for the young ones. To […]

Some people believe that the outbreak of the Covid-19 has increasingly divided human beings in various aspects. Others, however, hold that it has brought people worldwide together to address the issue.

There is a prevailing notion that Covid-19 pandemic makes people lack connection in some factors, while others believe that this is a chance to help individuals tackle the problem together. This essay attempts to shed light on both perspectives prior to concluding that I am in favor of the latter. On the one hand, the […]

employers sometimes ask people applying for jobs for personal information,such as their hobbies and interest and whether they are married or single.some people say that this ingormation is relevent or usefull.others disagree

In this contemporary era, there is a debate among people where one section is of the belief that it’s advisable to share personal information, like marital status, avocation and recreational activities when applying for jobs and the other section is of the mindset that is unnecessary. This essay will discuss both these viewpoints in extensive […]

In the past, knowledge was contained in books. Nowadays, knowledge is uploaded to the internet. Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?

In today’s digital age, most people have a passion for gaining wisdom via the Internet, rather than through traditional books as it was in the past. However, although this trend can have some drawbacks, I believe the advantages, including fast accessibility, eco-friendliness, and cost-effectiveness, are far weightier. On the one hand, I concede that acquiring […]

Some people believe that more actions can be taken to prevent crime, while others think that little can be done. Discuss both sides and give your own opinion.

A group of people suggest that to prevent crimes, the number of measures should be increased. Others suggest that there is not much we can do to avoid them. While I agree that this might be true for the states prioritizing their security, tremendous progress can still be made globally. Those who claim that the […]

A group of people suggest that to prevent crimes, the number of measures should be increased. Others suggest that there is not much we can do to avoid them. While I agree that this might be true for the states prioritizing their security but still tremendous progress can be made globally. Those who claim that […]

Plans & Pricing

Argumentative Standards, Grades 9-12

(Adopted 2010)

Grades 9-10 | Common Core | Writing Standards

Text Types and Purposes

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1.A: Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1.B: Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly, supplying evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience's knowledge level and concerns.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1.C: Use words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1.D: Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1.E: Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.

Production and Distribution of Writing

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1-3 above.)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.5: Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1-3 up to and including grades 9-10 here.)

Range of Writing

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.10: Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Grades 11-12 | Common Core | Writing Standards

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.1.A: Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the significance of the claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that logically sequences claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.1.B: Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience's knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.1.C: Use words, phrases, and clauses as well as varied syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.1.D: Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.1.E: Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1-3 above.)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.5: Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1-3 up to and including grades 11-12 here.)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.10: Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

(Adopted 2012)

Grades 9-10 | Alaska | Writing Standards

W.9-10.1.a: Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
W.9-10.1.b: Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly, supplying evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level and concerns.
W.9-10.1.c: Use words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.
W.9-10.1.d: Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
W.9-10.1.e: Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.
W.9-10.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style and features are appropriate to task, genre, purpose, and audience.
W.9-10.5: Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1–3 up to and including grades 9-10.)
W.9-10.10: Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Grades 11-12 | Alaska | Writing Standards

Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the significance of the claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that logically sequences claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases.
Use words, phrases, and clauses as well as varied syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.
Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style and features are appropriate to task, genre, purpose, and audience.
Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1–3 up to and including grades 11-12.)
Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

(Adopted 2016)

Grades 9-10 | Arizona | Writing Standards

Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly, supplying evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level and concerns.
Use words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.
9-10.W.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
9-10.W.5 Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.
9-10.W.6 Use technology, including the internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology's capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

9-10.W.8 Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
Apply grades 9-10 Reading standards to literature.
Apply grades 9-10 Reading standards to informational text and nonfiction.

Grades 11-12 | Arizona | Writing Standards

11-12.W.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
11-12.W.5 Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.
11-12.W.6 Use technology, including the internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information.
Apply grades 11-12 Reading standards to literature.
Apply grades 11-12 Reading standards to informational text and nonfiction.

(Adopted 2021)

Grades 9 | Florida | Writing Standards

C.1.3 Argumentative Writing

ELA.9.C.1.3: Write to argue a position, supporting claims using logical reasoning and credible evidence from multiple sources, rebutting counterclaims with relevant evidence, using a logical organizational structure, elaboration, purposeful transitions, and a tone appropriate to the task.

C.1.5 Improving Writing

ELA.9.C.1.5: Improve writing by considering feedback from adults, peers, and/or online editing tools, revising for clarity and cohesiveness.

C.4.1 Researching and Using Information

ELA.9.C.4.1: Conduct research to answer a question, drawing on multiple reliable and valid sources and refining the scope of the question to align with findings.

V.1.1 Academic Vocabulary

ELA.9.V.1.1: Integrate academic vocabulary appropriate to grade level in speaking and writing.

K-12 ELA Expectations

ELA.K12.EE.1.1: Cite evidence to explain and justify reasoning.
ELA.K12.EE.6.1: Use appropriate voice and tone when speaking or writing.

Grades 10 | Florida | Writing Standards

ELA.10.C.1.3: Write to argue a position, supporting claims using logical reasoning and credible evidence from multiple sources, rebutting counterclaims with relevant evidence, using a logical organizational structure, elaboration, purposeful transitions, and maintaining a formal and objective tone.
ELA.10.C.1.5: Improve writing by considering feedback from adults, peers, and/or online editing tools, revising to address the needs of a specific audience.
ELA.10.C.4.1: Conduct research to answer a question, refining the scope of the question to align with findings and synthesizing information from multiple reliable and valid sources.
ELA.10.V.1.1: Integrate academic vocabulary appropriate to grade level in speaking and writing.

Grades 11 | Florida | Writing Standards

ELA.11.C.1.3: Write literary analyses to support claims, using logical reasoning, credible evidence from sources, and elaboration, demonstrating an understanding of literary elements.
ELA.11.C.1.5: Improve writing by considering feedback from adults, peers, and/or online editing tools, revising to improve clarity, structure, and style.
ELA.11.C.4.1: Conduct literary research to answer a question, refining the scope of the question to align with interpretations of texts and synthesizing information from primary and secondary sources.
ELA.11.V.1.1: Integrate academic vocabulary appropriate to grade level in speaking and writing.

Grades 12 | Florida | Writing Standards

ELA.12.C.1.3: Write arguments to support claims based on an in-depth analysis of topics or texts using valid reasoning and credible evidence from sources, elaboration, and demonstrating a thorough understanding of the subject.
ELA.12.C.1.5: Improve writing by considering feedback from adults, peers, and/or online editing tools, revising to enhance purpose, clarity, structure, and style.
ELA.12.C.4.1: Conduct research on a topical issue to answer a question and synthesize information from a variety of sources.
ELA.12.V.1.1: Integrate academic vocabulary appropriate to grade level in speaking and writing.

(Adopted 2014)

Grades 9-10 | Indiana | Writing Standards

Writing Genres: Argumentative, Informative, and Narrative

Use effective transitions to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.
Establish and maintain a consistent style and tone appropriate to purpose and audience.

The Writing Process

Plan and develop; draft; revise using appropriate reference materials; rewrite; try a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience; and edit to produce and strengthen writing that is clear and coherent.

Grades 11-12 | Indiana | Writing Standards

Use effective transitions as well as varied syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.

Grades 9-10 | Iowa | Writing Standards

W.9–10.1.a: Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
W.9–10.1.b: Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly supplying evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level and concerns.
W.9–10.1.c: Use words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.
W.9–10.1.d: Establish the maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
W.9–10.1.e: Provide a concluding statement or sections that follow from and supports the argument presented.
W.9–10.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1-3 above)
W.9–10.5: Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying and new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose or audience. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1-3 up to and including grades 9-10)
W.9–10.9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
W.9–10.10: Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Grades 11-12 | Iowa | Writing Standards

W.11–12.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1-3 above)
W.11–12.5 Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1-3 up to and including grades 11-12)
W.11–12.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
W.11–12.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes and audiences.

Grades 9-10 | Nebraska | Writing Standards

LA 10.2 Writing: Students will learn and apply writing skills and strategies to communicate.

LA 10.2.1.a Use multiple writing strategies recursively to investigate and generate ideas, organize information, guide writing, answer questions, and synthesize information.
LA 10.2.1.b Generate a draft that conveys complex ideas and critical thinking through analysis, reflection, and use of effective organizational patterns that are appropriate to the purpose and intended audience.
LA 10.2.1.d Apply standard rules of grammar and paragraph formation, including parallel structure and subordination.
LA 10.2.1.e Revise to improve and clarify writing through self-monitoring strategies and feedback from others.
LA 10.2.1.g Adjust writing processes to persevere in short and long-term writing tasks of increasing length and complexity.
LA 10.2.1.h Proofread and edit writing recursively for format and conventions of standard English (e.g., spelling, capitalization, grammar, punctuation, syntax, semantics).
LA 10.2.1.i Display academic honesty and integrity by avoiding plagiarism and/or overreliance on any one source and by following a standard format for citation.
LA 10.2.2.a Communicate information and ideas effectively in analytic, argumentative, descriptive, informative, narrative, poetic, persuasive, and reflective modes to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.
LA 10.2.2.b Provide evidence from literary or informational text to support analysis, reflection, and research.
LA 10.2.2.d Use precise word choice and domain-specific vocabulary to write in a variety of modes.

Grades 11-12 | Nebraska | Writing Standards

LA 12.2 Writing: Students will learn and apply writing skills and strategies to communicate.

LA 12.2.1.a Use multiple writing strategies recursively to investigate and generate ideas, organize information, guide writing, answer questions, and synthesize information.
LA 12.2.1.b Generate a draft that interprets complex ideas, raises relevant questions, solves problems, or evaluates ideas through synthesis, analysis, reflection, and use of effective organizational patterns that are appropriate to the purpose and intended audience.
LA 12.2.1.d Apply standard rules of grammar and paragraph formation, including parallel structure and subordination.
LA 12.2.1.e Revise to improve and clarify writing through self-monitoring strategies and feedback from others.
LA 12.2.1.g Adjust writing processes to persevere in short and long-term writing tasks of increasing length and complexity.
LA 12.2.1.h Proofread and edit writing recursively for format and conventions of standard English (e.g., spelling, capitalization, grammar, punctuation, syntax, semantics).
LA 12.2.1.i Display academic honesty and integrity by avoiding plagiarism and/or overreliance on any one source and by following a standard format for citation.
LA 12.2.2.a Communicate information and ideas effectively in analytic, argumentative, descriptive, informative, narrative, poetic, persuasive, and reflective modes to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.
LA 12.2.2.b Provide evidence from literary or informational text to support analysis, reflection, and research.
LA 12.2.2.d Use precise word choice and domain-specific vocabulary to write in a variety of modes.

Grades 9-10 | New Jersey | Writing Standards

Develop claim(s) and counterclaims avoiding common logical fallacies, propaganda devices, and using sound reasoning, supplying evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level and concerns.
Use transitions (e.g. words, phrases, clauses) to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.
Establish and maintain a style and tone appropriate to the audience and purpose (e.g. formal and objective for academic writing) while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
Provide a concluding paragraph or section that supports the argument presented.
W.9-10.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
W.9-10.5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, trying a new approach, or consulting a style manual (such as MLA or APA Style), focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.
W.9-10.6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, share, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology’s capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically.
W.9-10.7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
W.9-10.8. Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation (MLA or APA Style Manuals).
Apply grades 9–10 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specific work [e.g., how Shakespeare treats a theme or topic from Ovid mythology or the Bible or how a later author draws on a play by Shakespeare]”).
Apply grades 9–10 Reading standards to nonfiction informational e.g., “Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify false statements and fallacious reasoning”).

Grades 11-12 | New Jersey | Writing Standards

Develop claim(s) and counterclaims avoiding common logical fallacies and using sound reasoning and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases.
Provide a concluding paragraph or section that supports the argument presented (e.g., articulating implications or the significance of the topic).
W.11-12.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
W.11-12.5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, trying a new approach, or consulting a style manual (such as MLA or APA Style), focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.
W.11-12.6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, share, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information.
W.11-12.7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
W.11-12.8. Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and over reliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation. (MLA or APA Style Manuals).
Apply grades 11–12 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “Demonstrate knowledge of eighteenth-, nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century foundational works, including how two or more texts from the same period treat similar themes or topics”).
Apply grades 11–12 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g., “Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal texts, including the application of constitutional principles and use of legal reasoning [e.g., in U.S. Supreme Court Case majority opinions and dissents] and the premises, purposes, and arguments in works of public advocacy [e.g., The Federalist, presidential addresses]”).

(Amended 2016)

Grade 9 | Oklahoma | Writing Standards

Writing: Students will develop and strengthen writing by engaging in a recursive process that includes prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing.

9.2.W.1 Students will apply components of a recursive writing process for multiple purposes to create a focused, organized, and coherent piece of writing.
9.2.W.2 Students will plan (e.g., outline) and prewrite a first draft as necessary.
9.2.W.3 Students will develop drafts by choosing an organizational structure (e.g., description, compare/contrast, sequential, problem/solution, cause/effect, etc.) and building on ideas in multi-paragraph essays.
9.2.W.4 Students will edit and revise multiple drafts for organization, transitions to improve coherence and meaning, sentence variety, and use of consistent tone and point of view.
9.2.W.5 Students will use resources to find correct spellings of words (e.g., word wall, vocabulary notebook, print and electronic dictionaries, and spell-check).

Writing: Students will write for varied purposes and audiences in all modes, using fully developed ideas, strong organization, well-chosen words, fluent sentences, and appropriate voice.

9.3.W.4 Students will introduce claims, recognize and distinguish from alternate or opposing claims, and organize reasons and evidences, using credible sources.
9.3.W.5 Students will show relationships among the claim, reasons, and evidence and include a conclusion that follows logically from the information presented and supports the argument.
9.3.W.6 Students will blend multiple modes of writing to produce effective argumentative essays.

Writing: Students will apply knowledge of vocabularies to communicate by using descriptive, academic, and domain-appropriate abstract and concrete words in their writing.

9.4.W.1 Students will use domain-appropriate vocabulary to communicate complex ideas in writing clearly.
9.4.W.2 Students will select appropriate language to create a specific effect according to purpose in writing.

Writing: Students will demonstrate command of Standard English grammar, mechanics, and usage through writing and other modes of communication.

9.5.W.1 Students will write using correct mechanics with a focus on punctuation marks as needed.
9.5.W.2 Students will compose simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences and questions to signal differing relationships among ideas.
9.5.W.3 Students will use parallel structure.
9.5.W.4 Students will use various types of phrases (e.g., appositive, adjectival, adverbial, participial, prepositional) and clauses (e.g., independent, dependent, adverbial) to convey specific meanings and add variety and interest to writing or presentations.

Grade 10 | Oklahoma | Writing Standards

10.2.W.1 Students will apply components of a recursive writing process for multiple purposes to create a focused, organized, and coherent piece of writing.
10.2.W.2 Students will plan (e.g., outline) and prewrite a first draft as necessary.
10.2.W.3 Students will develop drafts by choosing an organizational structure (e.g., description, compare/contrast, sequential, problem/solution, cause/effect, etc.) and building on ideas in multi-paragraph essays.
10.2.W.4 Students will edit and revise multiple drafts for organization, enhanced transitions and coherence, sentence variety, and consistency in tone and point of view to establish meaningful texts
10.2.W.5 Students will use resources to find correct spellings of words (e.g., word wall, vocabulary notebook, print and electronic dictionaries, and spell-check)
10.3.W.4 Students will introduce precise claims and distinguish them from counterclaims and provide sufficient evidences to develop balanced arguments, using credible sources
10.3.W.5 Students will use words, phrases, and clauses to connect claims, counterclaims, evidence, and commentary to create a cohesive argument and include a conclusion that follows logically from the information presented and supports the argument
10.3.W.6 Students will blend multiple modes of writing to produce effective argumentative essays
10.4.W.1 Students will use domain-appropriate vocabulary to communicate complex ideas in writing clearly.
10.4.W.2 Students will select appropriate language to create a specific effect according to purpose in writing.
10.5.W.1 Students will write using correct mechanics.
10.5.W.2 Students will compose simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences and questions, to signal differing relationships among ideas.
10.5.W.3 Students will practice their use of Standard American English, grammar, mechanics, and usage through writing, presentations, and/or other modes of communication to convey specific meanings and interests.

Grade 11 | Oklahoma | Writing Standards

11.2.W.1 Students will apply components of a recursive writing process for multiple purposes to create a focused, organized, and coherent piece of writing.
11.2.W.2 Students will plan (e.g., outline) and prewrite a first draft as necessary.
11.2.W.3 Students will develop drafts by choosing an organizational structure (e.g., description, compare/contrast, sequential, problem/solution, cause/effect, etc.) and building on ideas in multi-paragraph essays.
11.2.W.4 Students will edit and revise multiple drafts for logical organization, enhanced transitions and coherence, sentence variety, and use of tone and point of view through specific rhetorical devices to establish meaningful texts.
11.2.W.5 Students will use resources to find correct spellings of words (e.g., word wall, vocabulary notebook, print and electronic dictionaries, and spell-check).
11.3.W.4 Students will (1) introduce precise, informed claims, (2) distinguish them from alternate or opposing claims, (3) organize claims, counterclaims, and evidence in a way that provides a logical sequence for the entire argument, and (4) provide the most relevant evidences to develop balanced arguments, using credible sources.
11.3.W.5 Students will use words, phrases, clauses, and varied syntax to connect all parts of the argument and create cohesion and include a conclusion that follows logically from the information presented and supports the argument.
11.3.W.6 Students will blend multiple modes of writing to produce effective argumentative essays.
11.4.W.1 Students will use domain-appropriate vocabulary to communicate complex ideas in writing clearly.
11.4.W.2 Students will select appropriate language to create a specific effect according to purpose in writing
11.5.W.1 Students will write using correct mechanics.
11.5.W.2 Students will compose simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences and questions, including the use of phrases and clauses, to signal differing relationships among ideas.
11.5.W.3 Students will demonstrate command of Standard American English, grammar, mechanics, and usage through writing, presentations, and/or other modes of communication to convey specific meanings and interests.

Grade 12 | Oklahoma | Writing Standards

12.2.W.1 Students will apply components of a recursive writing process for multiple purposes to create a focused, organized, and coherent piece of writing.
12.2.W.2 Students will plan (e.g., outline) and prewrite a first draft as necessary.
12.2.W.3 Students will develop drafts by choosing an organizational structure (e.g., description, compare/contrast, sequential, problem/solution, cause/effect, etc.) and building on ideas in multi-paragraph essays.
12.2.W.4 Students will edit and revise multiple drafts for logical organization, enhanced transitions and coherence, sentence variety, and use of tone and point of view through specific rhetorical devices to establish meaningful texts.
12.2.W.5 Students will use resources to find correct spellings of words (e.g., word wall, vocabulary notebook, print and electronic dictionaries, and spell-check).
12.3.W.4 Students will (1) introduce precise, informed claims, (2) distinguish them from alternate or opposing claims, (3) organize claims, counterclaims, and evidence in a way that provides a logical sequence for the entire argument, and (4) provide the most relevant evidences to develop balanced arguments, using credible sources.
12.3.W.5 Students will use words, phrases, clauses, and varied syntax to connect all parts of the argument and create cohesion and include a conclusion that follows logically from the information presented and supports the argument.
12.3.W.6 Students will blend multiple modes of writing to produce effective argumentative essays.
12.4.W.1 Students will use domain-appropriate vocabulary to communicate complex ideas in writing clearly.
12.4.W.2 Students will select appropriate language to create a specific effect according to purpose in writing.
12.5.W.1 Students will write using correct mechanics.
12.5.W.2 Students will compose simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences and questions, including the use of phrases and clauses, to signal differing relationships among ideas.
12.5.W.3 Students will demonstrate command of Standard American English, grammar, mechanics, and usage through writing, presentations, and/or other modes of communication to convey specific meanings and interests.

http://www.pdesas.org/standard/PACore (Amended 2014)

Grades 9-10 | Pennsylvania | Writing Standards

1.4 Writing - Students write for different purposes and audiences. Students write clear and focused text to convey a well-defined perspective and appropriate content.

CC.1.4.9–10.G

Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics.

CC.1.4.9–10.H

Write with a sharp, distinct focus identifying topic, task, and audience.

Introduce the precise claim.

CC.1.4.9–10.I

Distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims; develop claim(s) fairly, supplying evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level and concerns.

CC.1.4.9–10.J

Create organization that establishes clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence; use words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims; provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.

CC.1.4.9–10.K

Write with an awareness of the stylistic aspects of composition.

Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic.

Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms of the discipline in which they are writing.

CC.1.4.9–10.L

Demonstrate a grade-appropriate command of the conventions of standard English grammar, usage, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.

CC.1.4.9–10.T

Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.

CC.1.4.9–10.X

Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Grades 11-12 | Pennsylvania | Writing Standards

CC.1.4.11–12.G

CC.1.4.11–12.H

Introduce the precise, knowledgeable claim.

CC.1.4.11–12.I

Distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims; develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases.

CC.1.4.11–12.J

Create organization that logically sequences claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence; use words, phrases, and clauses as well as varied syntax to link the major sections of the text to create cohesion and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims; provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.

CC.1.4.11–12.K

Write with an awareness of the stylistic aspects of composition

Use precise language, domain-specific vocabulary, and techniques such as metaphor, simile, and analogy to manage the complexity of the topic.

CC.1.4.11–12.L

http://ed.sc.gov/instruction/standards-learning/english-language-arts/standards/ (Adopted 2015)

English I | South Carolina | Writing Standards

Fundamentals of Writing

Employ a recursive writing process that includes planning, drafting, revising, editing, rewriting, publishing, and reflecting.
Interact and collaborate with peers and adults to develop and strengthen writing.
Produce writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, discipline, and audience.
Use clear and coherent written language to accomplish a purpose such as learning, enjoyment, argument, and the exchange of information.
Monitor progress throughout the writing process and adjust strategies as needed from independence to collaboration within a writing community.

Standard 1: Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.

1 Write arguments that:

introduce a precise claim and differentiate between the claim and counterclaims;

use relevant information from multiple print and multimedia sources;
assess the credibility and accuracy of each source;

use an organizational structure that logically sequences and establishes clear relationships among claims, counterclaims, reasons, warrants, and evidence;

develop the claim and counterclaims ethically without bias, providing credible evidence and accurate interpretation of data for each while delineating the strengths and limitations of the claim and counterclaims;

develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting;

quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation;

avoid logical fallacies and demonstrate an understanding of objectivity and subjectivity;
provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented;
include a call to action.

Standard 6: Write independently, legibly, and routinely for a variety of tasks, purposes, and audiences over short and extended time frames.

1 Write routinely and persevere in writing tasks over short and extended time frames, for a range of domain-specific tasks, and for a variety of purposes and audiences.

English II | South Carolina | Writing Standards

quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism

English III | South Carolina | Writing Standards

introduce a clearly articulated and well-informed claim, establish the significance of the claim and differentiate between the claim and counterclaims;
create an organizational structure that logically sequences claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, warrants, and evidence;
develop claim and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases;
use words, phrases, and clauses as well as varied syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claims and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claims and counterclaims;
establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline;

English IV | South Carolina | Writing Standards

(Adopted 2017)

Grades 9-10 | Tennessee | Writing Standards

Text Types and Protocols - Standard 1

Introduce precise claim(s).
Develop claim(s) and counterclaim(s) fairly, supplying evidence for each claim and counterclaim while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level and concerns.
Create an organization that establishes cohesion and clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaim(s), reasons, and evidence.
Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone.

Production and Distribution of Writing – Standard 4

9-10.W.PDW.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

Production and Distribution of Writing – Standard 5

9-10.W.PDW.5 Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.

Production and Distribution of Writing – Standard 6

9-10.W.PDW.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology’s capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge – Standard 7

9-10.W.RBPK.7 Conduct and write short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem by narrowing or broadening the inquiry when appropriate, synthesizing multiple sources on the subject, and demonstrating a new understanding of the subject under investigation.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge – Standard 8

9-10.W.RBPK.8 Use multiple search terms to generate a variety of print and digital sources; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge – Standard 9

9-10.W.RBPK.9 Support and defend interpretations, analyses, reflections, or research with evidence found in literature or informational texts, applying grade band 9-10 standards for reading to source material.

Grades 11-12 | Tennessee | Writing Standards

11-12.W.PDW.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
11-12.W.PDW.5 Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.
11-12.W.PDW.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, utilizing ongoing feedback, including new arguments and information.
11-12.W.RBPK.7 Conduct and write short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem by narrowing or broadening the inquiry when appropriate, synthesizing multiple sources on the subject, and demonstrating a new understanding of the subject under investigation.
11-12.W.RBPK.8 Use advanced searches effectively, assessing the credibility and effectiveness of sources in answering a research question; integrate relevant and credible information selectively, while avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.
11-12.W.RBPK.9 Support and defend interpretations, analyses, reflections, or research with evidence found in literature or informational texts, applying grade band 11-12 standards for reading to source material.

Grade 9 | Virginia | Writing Standards

Standard 9.6: The student will write in a variety of forms to include expository, persuasive, reflective, and analytic with an emphasis on persuasion and analysis.

9.6.a: Engage in writing as a recursive process.
9.6.b: Plan, organize, and write for a variety of audiences and purposes.
9.6.c: Objectively introduce and develop topics, incorporating evidence and maintaining an organized structure and a formal style.
9.6.d: Blend multiple forms of writing including embedding a narrative to produce effective essays.
9.6.e: Communicate clearly the purpose of the writing using a thesis statement.
9.6.f: Compose a thesis for persuasive writing that advocates a position.
9.6.g: Clearly state and defend a position using reasons and evidence from credible sources as support.
9.6.h: Identify counterclaims and provide counter - arguments.
9.6.i: Determine the best kind of evidence to use for a claim, and effectively use fact and opinion to support a position.
9.6.j: Use textual evidence to compare and contrast multiple texts.
9.6.k: Arrange paragraphs in a logical progression, using transitions between paragraphs and ideas.
9.6.l: Revise writing for clarity of content, accuracy, and depth of information.

Standard 9.7: The student will self- and peer-edit writing for capitalization, punctuation, spelling, sentence structure, paragraphing, and Standard English.

9.7.a: Use parallel structure across sentences and paragraphs.
9.7.b: Use appositives, main clauses, and subordinate clauses.
9.7.c: Use commas and semicolons to distinguish and divide main and subordinate clauses.
9.7.d: Distinguish between active and passive voice.
9.7.e: Use a variety of sentence structures to infuse sentence variety in writing.

Grade 10 | Virginia | Writing Standards

Standard 10.6: The student will write in a variety of forms to include persuasive, reflective, interpretive, and analytic with an emphasis on persuasion and analysis.

10.6.a: Engage in writing as a recursive process.
10.6.b: Plan and organize writing to address a specific audience and purpose.
10.6.c: Adjust writing content, technique, and voice for a variety of audiences and purposes.
10.6.d: Communicate clearly the purpose of the writing using a thesis statement.
10.6.e: Objectively introduce and develop topics, incorporating evidence and maintaining an organized structure and a formal style.
10.6.f: Compose a thesis statement for persuasive writing that advocates a position.
10.6.g: Clearly state and defend a position using reasons and sufficient evidence from credible sources as support.
10.6.h: Identify counterclaims and provide counter - arguments.
10.6.i: Show relationships among claims, reasons, and evidence and include a conclusion that follows logically from the information presented.
10.6.j: Blend multiple forms of writing including embedding a narrative to produce effective essays.
10.6.k: Elaborate ideas clearly through word choice.
10.6.l: Use textual evidence to compare and contrast multiple texts.
10.6.m: Revise writing for clarity of content, accuracy, and depth of information.
10.6.n: Write and revise to a standard acceptable both in the workplace and in postsecondary education.

Standard 10.7 The student will self- and peer-edit writing for capitalization, punctuation, spelling, sentence structure, paragraphing, and Standard English.

10.7.a: Use parallel structure across sentences and paragraphs.
10.7.b: Use complex sentence structure to infuse sentence variety in writing.
10.7.c: Distinguish between active and passive voice.
10.7.d: Use colons correctly.
10.7.e: Analyze the writing of others and suggest how writing might be improved.

Grade 11 | Virginia | Writing Standards

Standard 11.6: The student will write in a variety of forms, to include persuasive/argumentative, reflective, interpretive, and analytic with an emphasis on persuasion/argumentation.

a. Apply components of a recursive writing process for multiple purposes to create a focused, organized, and coherent piece of writing to address a specific audience and purpose.
b. Produce arguments in writing developing a thesis that demonstrates knowledgeable judgments, addresses counterclaims, and provides effective conclusions.
c. Organize claims, counterclaims, and evidence in a sustained and logical sequence.
d. Adapt evidence, vocabulary, voice, and tone to audience, purpose, and situation.
e. Use words, phrases, clauses, and varied syntax to create a cohesive argument.
f. Blend multiple forms of writing including embedding narratives to produce effective essays.
g. Revise writing for clarity of content, accuracy and depth of information.
h. Write and revise to a standard acceptable both in the workplace and in postsecondary education.

Standard 11.7: The student will self- and peer-edit writing for capitalization, punctuation, spelling, sentence structure, paragraphing, and Standard English.

a. Use complex sentence structure to infuse sentence variety in writing.
b. Use verbals and verbal phrases correctly to achieve sentence conciseness and variety.
c. Distinguish between active and passive voice.

Grade 12 | Virginia | Writing Standards

Standard 12.6: The student will write in a variety of forms to include persuasive/argumentative reflective, interpretive, and analytic with an emphasis on persuasion/argumentation.

b. Produce arguments in writing that develop a thesis to demonstrate knowledgeable judgments, address
counterclaims, and provide effective conclusions.
c. Use a variety of rhetorical strategies to clarify and defend a position organizing claims, counterclaims, and evidence in a sustained and logical sequence.
d. Blend multiple forms of writing including embedding a narrative to produce effective essays.
e. Adapt evidence, vocabulary, voice, and tone to audience, purpose, and situation.
f. Use words, phrases, clauses, and varied syntax to connect all parts of the argument creating cohesion from the information presented.
g. Revise writing for clarity of content, depth of information, and technique of presentation.
i. Write to clearly describe personal qualifications for potential occupational or educational opportunities.

Standard 12.7: The student will self- and peer-edit writing for Standard English.

b. Edit, proofread, and prepare writing for intended audience and purpose.
c. Use a style manual, such as that of the Modern Language Association (MLA) or the American Psychological
Association (APA), to apply rules for punctuation and formatting of direct quotations.

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Maritime Knowledge base

Rule 9 – Narrow Channels

Section 1 — Conduct of Vessels in any Condition of Visibility

Rule 9 : Narrow Channels

Two terms are used throughout the Rule that are not defined. They are “narrow channel” (namesake of the Rule) and “(narrow) fairway.” We must assume that the drafters of the Rules either believed their meanings to be obvious or else were not able to formulate suitable concise definitions.

Rule 9 applies only on waters described by the two terms. What is “narrow” depends on the type of vessel and the circumstances. A “channel” is a natural or dredged lane restricted on either side by shallow water; it is often marked by buoys. A “fairway” is generally in open water, and the water on either side is not much shallower than within the fairway. Fairways are used to route vessels away from natural hazards, oil platforms, mines, or smaller vessels. Fairways should be differentiated from the lanes in traffic separation schemes; vessels in the latter should follow Rule 10 rather than Rule 9.

a. A vessel proceeding along the course of a narrow channel or fairway shall keep as near to the outer limit of the channel or fairway which lies on her starboard side as is safe and practicable.

No ambiguity in this part of the Rule, it is a general advice. As safe and practicable leaves it to the watch keeping officer to take the ultimate decision to deviate from this Rule. If due to the draft or width of the ship as well as the contour of the bottom of the channel it is not safe or is not practicable to comply with this Rule then the watch keeper has his common sense to guide him, keeping always safety in mind.

b. A vessel of less than 20meters in length or a sailing vessel shall not impede the passage of a vessel which can safely navigate only within a narrow channel or fairway.

This again is a guideline for small vessels as well as for sailing crafts to keep away from ships that can safely navigate only within the narrow channel or fairway, since the small vessels and the sailing craft can always use the shallower part of the channel they should not impede the passage of a large ship.

c. A vessel engaged in fishing shall not impede the passage of any other vessel navigating within a narrow channel or fairway.

Also a guideline, again please note it is not a fishing vessel but a fishing vessel engaged in the actual task of fishing, so no fishing in the narrow channel or fairway.

d. A vessel shall not cross a narrow channel or fairway if such crossing impedes the passage of a vessel which can safely navigate only within such channel or fairway. – The latter vessel may use the sound signals prescribed in rule 34 (d) if in doubt as to the intention of the crossing vessel.

Crossing vessels are warned not to cross the channel or fairway if this crossing should come in the way of a vessel proceeding along the channel who cannot deviate due to the depth or width restriction of the channel.

Sound signals have been mentioned which may be used if in any doubt about the intention of either vessel.

It does say that a vessel will not cross a channel or fairway – she can do so as long as she does not impede the passage of a ship following the channel.

(i) In a narrow channel or fairway when overtaking can take place only if the vessel to be overtaken has to take action to permit safe passage, the vessel intending to overtake shall indicate signal prescribed in rule 34 c (i). The vessel to be overtaken shall, if in agreement, sound the appropriate signal prescribed in rule 34 c (ii) and take steps to permit safe passing. If in doubt she may sound the signals prescribed in rule 34 d.

In a narrow channel or fairway overtaking may prove to be difficult, but it may be necessary for some reason, ship behind gets a priority berthing etc. In this case, if the vessel behind wants to overtake then she has to sound the signal – Two prolonged blasts followed by one short blast to mean “I intend to overtake you on your starboard side ”;

Two prolonged blasts followed by two short blasts to mean “I intend to overtake you on your port side ”.

This is a request signal and has to be answered by the ship ahead either in the affirmative by sounding – One prolonged , one short , one prolonged and one short blast , and the ship ahead should go to one side of the channel and allow sea room for the other ship to overtake.

Only once the confirmation has been received can the ship behind take action. If the answer was positive and overtaking has been permitted then she should first watch the other ship and when the passage has been widened for her she should overtake.

If the ship ahead is in any doubt about the sound signal that she heard or at a later stage while overtaking is in progress and she feels that a close quarter situation may develop then she may sound the signal:- at least five short and rapid blasts on the whistle .

(ii) This rule does not relieve the overtaking vessel of her obligation under rule 13 .

Okay so the ship ahead has agreed to be overtaken, but the responsibility and obligation as per Rule 13 still remains on the ship behind, she cannot find fault with the ship ahead if some mishap occurs. This is the reason that she has to make sure that after answering in the positive the ship ahead has made adequate sea room available for her to overtake. Otherwise, even if the sound signal is positive she should not overtake, if in doubt she may sound the signal again.

f. The vessel nearing a bend or an area of a narrow channel or fairway where other vessels may be obscured by an intervening obstruction shall navigate with particular alertness and caution and shall sound the appropriate signal prescribed in rule 34 e.

Almost like a car sounds a car horn when nearing a crossing, it alerts traffic on the blind side of the bend that a ship is about to cross. This is especially relevant in channels and rivers and fairways where up and down traffic are numerous.

g. Any vessel shall, if the circumstances of the case admit, avoid anchoring in a narrow channel.

A general advice, circumstances of the case admit means as far as possible she should not anchor, but if due to some extraordinary circumstances she has to anchor then she should have to warn all vessels and take special care.

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February 6, 2019 at 1:59 pm

“This is a request signal and has to be answered by the ship ahead either in the affirmative by sounding -, and the ship ahead should go to one side of the channel and allow sea room for the other ship to overtake. Or if refusing to accept the offer by sounding – One prolonged, one short, one prolonged and one short blast, in that order. ”

This is wrong, perhaps typo error might confused greenhorns/cadets please check and changed. Great website btw, loved the UNCLOS article keep it up!

February 7, 2019 at 4:00 pm

JOHN, really appreciate you pointing out the error above. Have corrected the same. Rgds!

October 21, 2021 at 8:04 pm

A question relating to Rule 9 and rule 19.

Rule 9 applies in any condition of visibility.

Rule 9(f) states that when approaching a bend in a narrow channel or fairway etc sound the signal prescribed in Rule 34(e).

Rule 19(c) requires a vessel to have due regard to the prevailing circumstances and conditions of Restricted visibility. Which should mean using the sound signals in Rule 35?

So my question is, which sound signal would apply when approaching a bend or obscured area in a narrow channel, whilst visibility is restricted? is it both?

August 14, 2023 at 1:45 am

Rule 9 ) as it is for any condition of visibility to give the alert on the bend, otherwise signal for rule 19) as per the type of vessel