Understanding and Responding to Writing Prompts
(Provided by CalPac, Wednesday, September 12, 2012)
Attending an California online high school or online middle school can be a wonderful experience. However, just like a brick and mortar high school you will eventually have to write essays and have standardized tests or college entrance exams that have prompts that give you the what and how of having to write those essays. I think it is best to begin to think about, and prepare, for these essays and tests earlier than later. So, today we are going to look at how to break down a writing prompt to make it more understandable and, therefore, easier to write.
In order to write well for a prompt, especially when it comes to tests like the CAHSEE or maybe the SAT (which virtual high school California students still have to take), it is best to break it down into pieces that can be understood easier. I find that color-coding the pieces works well for me, but you can use underlining, highlighting and other techniques to differentiate the pieces of the prompt.
A writing prompt consists of three parts:
- Setup: This part of the writing prompt gives you the background information you need to get ready for writing. (underline this part of the prompt)
- Task: This part of the writing prompt tells you exactly what you’re supposed to write: a story about what happened in the castle. (highlight this part of the prompt)
- Scoring guide: This section tells how your writing will be scored. You should include everything on the list to do well on the test. (leave this part alone)
An example prompt broken down into its parts might look like:
- What is one important goal you would like to achieve in the next few years? In your essay, identify that one goal and explain how you plan to achieve it. Use your personal observations, experience, and knowledge to support your essay.
So, now you can look at the prompt and understand what is important, what your essay should be about and what you are going to be scored on.
- What is important: The essay should focus on a goal you want to achieve
- What should you write about: identify one goal and explain how you plan to achieve it
- How you are going to be scored: the scorer is going to be looking for the fact that you shared your personal observations, experience and knowledge to show why you chose that goal and how you plan to achieve it
I hope you have a better understanding of how to break down a writing prompt now, whether you are writing for an assignment for regular school, online independent study in California or for an important exam.
Jennifer McClure
Contact Us Today @ (855) 225-7227.
Email - enroll@cal-pacs.org
