ACT Writing Prompt PRACTICE

Writing Prompt #1  A school board is concerned that the state’s requirements for core courses in mathematics, English, science, and social studies may prevent students from taking important elective courses like music, other languages, and vocational education. The school board would like to encourage more high school students to take elective courses and is considering two proposals. One proposal is to lengthen the school day to provide students with the opportunity to take elective courses. The other proposal is to offer elective courses in the summer. Write a letter to the school board in which you argue for lengthening the school day or for offering elective courses during the summer. Explain why you think your choice will encourage more students to take elective courses. Begin your letter: “Dear School Board:”

Writing Prompt #2  Many successful adults recall a time in life when they were considered a failure at one pursuit or another. Some of these people feel strongly that their previous failures taught them valuable lessons and led to their later successes. Others maintain that they went on to achieve success for entirely different reasons. In your opinion, can failure lead to success? Or is failure simply its own experience? In your essay, take a position on this question. You may write about either one of the two points of view given, or you may present a different point of view on this question. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.

Writing Prompt #3  Educators debate extending high school to five years because of increasing demands on students from employers and colleges to participate in extracurricular activities and community service in addition to having high grades. Some educators support extending high school to five years because they think students need more time to achieve all that is expected of them. Other educators do not support extending high school to five years; they think that students would lose interest in school and that attendance would drop in the fifth year. In your opinion, should high school be extended to five years?

Writing Prompt #4 . In some high schools, many teachers and parents have encouraged the administration to adopt a dress code that sets guidelines for what students can wear in the school building. Some teachers and parents support a dress code because they think it will improve the learning environment in the school. Other teachers and parents do not support a dress code; they think it restricts an individual student’s freedom of expression. In your opinion, should high schools adopt dress codes for students?

Topic #5  Some teachers and administrators believe that extra-curricular involvement plays an important role in a high school student’s social development. Therefore, our school district is considering an additional graduation requirement that students must participate in a school-sponsored club or sport for at least one season or year. Some students and parents are concerned that this requirement could create conflicts with personal obligations outside of the school day. In your opinion, should the district implement this graduation requirement?  In your essay, take a position on this question. You may write about either one of the two points of view given, or you may present a different point of view on this question. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.

Topic #6  To motivate students to do well on state tests, some schools have offered rewards such as iPods, parking permits, and gift certificates for high achievement on these exams. Some students believe that these incentives encourage them to take the tests more seriously. Others feel that this policy is unfair to students who struggle academically. In your opinion, should school districts offer rewards to students for high performance on state tests?  In your essay, take a position on this question. You may write about either one of the two points of view given, or you may present a different point of view on this question. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.

Topic #7  Community service is an important element of good citizenship. Therefore some schools mandate that students perform ten hours of community service during each year of high school. Parents and civic leaders feel that volunteering strengthens the bonds between the school and the community. Others believe that this requirement interferes with students’ commitments outside of the school day. In your opinion, should community service be required for each year of high school?  In your essay, take a position on this question. You may write about either one of the two points of view given, or you may present a different point of view on this question. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.

Topic #8  To increase communication with parents, schools offer online parent access to student grades and attendance. Parents believe this access allows them to monitor their children’s academic progress and to help them succeed. Some students feel that parent access to student grades invades their privacy and discourages personal responsibility. In your opinion, should parents have online access to student grades and attendance?  In your essay, take a position on this question. You may write about either one of the two points of view given, or you may present a different point of view on this question. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.

Topic #9  Several high school courses have been taken by students on a pass-or- fail basis, and those students have not received the traditional A, B, C, D, or F letter grades. Many students have said this pass-or-fail system of grading is highly beneficial because they know exactly if they understand the content enough to pass or not, and they are encouraging the school to go to an all pass-or-fail system. Letter grades add unnecessary stress and work for both students and teachers. Many teachers, however, argue that letter grades are important for showing what extent students understand the material. In your opinion, should schools abandon traditional letter grades and adopt a pass-or-fail grading system?  In your essay, take a position on this question. You may write about either one of the two points of view given, or you may present a different point of view on this question. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.

Topic #10  With the many technological advances that have been made within the last decade, many school districts are considering how they can better incorporate these new technologies into the classroom. Most recently, districts have been promoting the use of iPads by both students and teachers. While some technological advocates claim that using iPads in the classroom will help improve student learning and train students on appropriate use of technology, detractors claim that iPads will be more of a distraction than an aid to learning. In your opinion, should schools try to incorporate iPads into the classroom curriculum?  In your essay, take a position on this question. You may write about either one of the two points of view given, or you may present a different point of view on this question. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.

Topic 11  Many teachers are reconsidering how they score homework. They believe that if homework is meant as practice for students, then it should not be graded. This, teachers say, will allow students to practice and learn freely without the pressure of getting graded down for making mistakes on knowledge they have hardly had a chance to learn. Students would still receive feedback, but not grades. Other teachers, however, have commented that homework is a responsibility of students, and that grades on it help make sure students do it; plus their scores can be compared to track their progress. In your opinion, should teachers stop grading homework?  In your essay, take a position on this question. You may write about either one of the two points of view given, or you may present a different point of view on this question. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.

Topic 12  YouTube.com is famous for being the world’s largest video website, and it offers millions of videos that could be viewed for learning. However, your school’s administration has decided to block the website because so many students seem to be using it as a distraction: when students go to the library or study hall to work on a computer, they often end up watching videos instead. To limit student distraction, administrators now only allow teachers to use YouTube. While they claim this will help students to focus, many students insist that Youtube in school provides access to learning that should continue to be allowed. In your opinion, should students have access to Youtube in school?  In your essay, take a position on this question. You may write about either one of the two points of view given, or you may present a different point of view on this question. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.

Topic 13  Your school has recently decided to install a strict internet filter that blocks any websites that have questionable content. The purpose, administrators say, is to protect students from accessing content that would be inappropriate inside of a school. Unfortunately, filters accidently end up blocking some websites that do not have questionable material, too. Many detractors who dislike the policy claim that this internet filter does more harm than good when it comes to blocking internet content and restricting access to websites that could actually be helpful to students. In your opinion, should the school keep the internet filter in place?  In your essay, take a position on this question. You may write about either one of the two points of view given, or you may present a different point of view on this question. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.

Topic 14  Tests are being used more and more to determine how much students have learned. In some cases, students who do not score high enough on reading tests are required to take summer school courses to increase their reading skills. Many educators like this policy as it ensures that every student who is behind in their abilities receives special help toward improvement. Students argue, however, that schools do not have a right to require students attend summer school, and especially not based on just one test score. In your opinion, should schools require that students who do not score high enough on a test be required to take summer school?  In your essay, take a position on this question. You may write about either one of the two points of view given, or you may present a different point of view on this question. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.

Topic 15  It is common for students involved with sports, clubs, or activities to sell some kind of product as a fundraiser. Many students and sponsors view such fundraising as an essential component of these programs that helps to pay for equipment, events, fees, or other associated costs. These individuals prefer to sell materials rather than paying the full cost of the program by themselves. However, many opponents have complained that selling products turns students into salespeople or beggars, and also creates an unnecessary strain on the teachers, parents, and community members asked to support them. Such opponents suggest that other forms of paying for the program, such as students paying themselves or charging higher ticket prices, should be used in place of fundraising. In your opinion, should students be required to sell products as fundraisers for the programs they’re involved in?  In your essay, take a position on this question. You may write about either one of the two points of view given, or you may present a different point of view on this question. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.