Journal #34 Argumentative Writing

For the ACT you have to write an argumentative essay. The prompt will most likely be something that has to do with school or about your life, so it will be easy to write the essay and relate to the prompt. There are many things that you need to write a good argumentative essay for the ACT.

Your ACT argumentative essay should consist of several things. You should have a good introduction and conclusion. You should use wide vocabulary, you should have good, but not very revealing transitions, (ex: do not use therefore, next, after that, in conclusion) you should relate the prompt to your life, and you should give specific examples. Because you are writing an argumentative essay you need to pick a side of the argument. You should keep supporting the side you choose, but you should also say why the other side is wrong.

Here is a good example of an argumentative essay about pass/fail grades vs. A-F scale grades:

There has been some debate as to changing the grading system to a pass/fail system or to leave it as it is. Some educators believe that giving grades in a classroom is detrimental to the students’ educational growth, but in all reality, a pass/fail system does exactly that. I believe that it is important for students to be graded on their school work. A five letter scale grading system not only shows where the student is at in learning the material, but it also motivates and prepares the students for the next level of learning.

A pass/fail grading system does not motivate students to do better like a five letter grading scale. There are only two grades; there is pass or there is fail. In that grading system it does not matter how well you learn the material; one just has to pass. Plus, it does not encourage over achievement like a five letter scale does because it does not matter if you did better than the other person; you both passed. This system would not prepare students for higher levels of learning as a five letter scale would, and it also does not motivate them to do better because they only pass; they do not excel.

Unlike a pass/fail grading system, a five letter scale shows where the student is on a range of material. For example, if a student has an A in a science class, that shows that he or she knows and understands the material quite well. A pass/fail does not show that the student fully understands the subject, only that they know enough not to fail. A pass could range from an A to a D, and, certainly, if the student obtains a D in a class, they do not understand the material fully.

Understanding certain material leads to motivation because the more the student understands a subject, the more likely they are to like it and overachieve in it. With a five letter grading system, a student can achieve something. Receiving an A is very good, and can motivate the student to continue receiving A’s. It also builds self confidence; if a student knows they can achieve an A in a certain science class, they carry that confidence and motivation with them to the next level of science class. This motivation and achievement will continue to lead them to the next level and will prepare them for a higher level of schooling, such as college. For example, I have received an A in Pre-Calculus but a B in Physics. I know from this that I need to study a little more to become a better student in Physics, and I know that I am doing just fine in Pre-Calculus.

A five letter scale, unlike a pass/fail system, shows where the student is at in his or her learning, and also motivates them to do better and to achieve higher levels of learning. Students can learn from their mistakes easier if they are graded from A to F. They know if there are some things that they need to change, or if they do very well with a particular concept. School is all about learning, and if a student is only graded by passing or failing they are not learning what they need to do better in and what their strengths are.