Writing
What This Domain Tests
The Writing domain asks you to produce text-based responses: short constructed responses and a longer extended response. Depending on the prompt, you may write an opinion/argument, an informative/explanatory text, or a narrative. Scorers look for a clear focus, organization, accurate evidence from the passages, explanation of that evidence, and grade-5 conventions.
Core Rules
- Read the prompt twice: identify the mode (opinion, informative, narrative), the audience, and exactly what to cite. A narrative prompt does not want an argument.
- Plan before drafting: state a claim or focus, choose two or three reasons or categories, and select evidence from the passages.
- Use and explain evidence: attribute it (According to the article; The author states) and explain how it supports your point. Evidence without explanation is a list, not an argument.
- Organize: introduction, body paragraphs with topic sentences, transitions, and a conclusion. Do not simply summarize the passages.
- Elaborate: define terms, give examples, and connect evidence back to the claim.
- Narrative craft: establish a situation, characters, and point of view; use dialogue, description, and pacing; end with a clear resolution.
- Revise and edit: check sentence variety, word choice, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.
Worked Example
Prompt: Should schools start later? Claim: Schools should start later because sleep improves learning and safety. Body paragraph: A later start helps students learn. The article states that teens who get eight hours of sleep earn higher grades. This shows that moving the start time could improve academic results, not just mood. Reasoning: the evidence is quoted accurately, then explained. Without the sentence beginning This shows, the reader must guess the link between sleep and grades.
Traps
Giving an opinion with no passage evidence; copying sentences instead of paraphrasing; summarizing both texts without a claim; forgetting to explain evidence; using weak transitions; ignoring the prompt's mode; letting conventions errors distract from clear ideas.
Key Points
- Identify the mode and audience before planning.
- State a clear claim or focus early.
- Attribute evidence and explain how it supports the claim.
- Use topic sentences and transitions to organize paragraphs.
- For narratives, use dialogue, description, and pacing.
- Revise for clarity and edit conventions.