Persuasive Essay Assignment
You will be writing a persuasive essay for this unit. I will be using the same rubric as the
GHSWT to grade your essay (see back). You will pick your topic from a list of possible
choices and make an attempt to persuade your reader to agree with your point of view.
Your essay should be 1½ to 2 handwritten pages long. Please be sure to include a thesis
statement and plenty of supporting details in each paragraph.
Due Date: ____________________________________________________
Possible Topics
1. SITUATION: The rising number of accidents involving teen drivers has sparked a
debate about raising the age requirement for obtaining a driver’s license. Some argue
that teens under 18 are too immature to handle the responsibilities of driving. Many
teens, however, come to depend on cars to get them to and from work and school. What
do you think about raising the age requirement for obtaining a driver’s license?
DIRECTIONS: Write a letter to your state representative expressing your opinion about
the age requirement for obtaining a driver’s license. Support your opinion with clear
reasoning that will convince your audience to agree with you.
2. SITUATION: One day on a school campus, you see a dog and a police officer who are
at the school to check the grounds for the presence of drugs. You talk to people on
campus about the presence of the dogs. Some students are thankful that the dogs are
there, while other students complain that their privacy is being invaded.
DIRECTIONS: Write your school board a letter either supporting or opposing the
board’s decision to allow police dogs to sniff for drugs. Make your argument clear,
complete, and convincing.
3. SITUATION: At your school, cell phones are not allowed to be used during the day;
if a teacher or administrator sees a student using a cell phone, she will confiscate the
phone. A group of your friends was complaining about the rule the other day. They feel
that students should be allowed to use their cell phones at lunchtime, since they are not in
class then. They decide to submit a proposal to your principal
DIRECTIONS: Write a letter to your principal either in support of or against the
proposed change to the cell phone policy.
4. SITUATION: The boy/girl of your dreams, someone you have been in love with from
afar for over a year, has just broken up with their girl/boyfriend. You want to ask this
person out, but you know that they have not gotten over their ex yet.
DIRECTIONS: Write a letter to the boy or girl of your dreams. Persuade them to take a
chance and go out with you. (Please keep this letter school appropriate.)
5. You have been asked to write an opinion column for the school newspaper. You and
your best friend have been involved in a long-running argument over which sport,
baseball or football, is the best. So for your first column, you have decided to write a
piece entitled, “The True American Pastime: Baseball or Football?”
DIRECTIONS: Write a column for the school paper about which sport is more appealing
to Americans, baseball or football.
6. There’s an old saying, “There ought to be a law....” Some people might also say,
“There ought to be a better law.” Think of a law that does not exist but should. Or, think
of an existing law that should be changed. You may choose to take a serious or humorous
approach to the topic.
DIRECTIONS: Write a speech that you will read aloud to your classmates. Convince
your classmates that your law should be passed. Include reasons and examples to support
your law.
7. The issue of social promotion has been widely debated. Elementary students are
sometimes placed in the next grade, even though they have not performed successfully in
the lower grade. Some experts believe that keeping children in one grade for two years
may damage their self-esteem. Other experts believe that promoting a student who is not
academically prepared is unfair to the student. Your school board is considering the
social promotion issue. What do you believe?
DIRECTIONS: Write a letter to the school board that clearly states your beliefs about
the practice of social promotion. Try to convince the board to agree with your position by
including reasons and examples that support your arguments.