{"id":368,"date":"2016-04-08T14:53:46","date_gmt":"2016-04-08T21:53:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/praxis\/?p=368"},"modified":"2018-12-15T21:17:00","modified_gmt":"2018-12-16T05:17:00","slug":"how-to-write-an-argumentative-essay-for-praxis-core-writing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/praxis\/how-to-write-an-argumentative-essay-for-praxis-core-writing\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Write an Argumentative Essay for Praxis Core Writing"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Praxis Core Writing Exam has <a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/praxis\/how-to-write-top-scoring-praxis-core-essays\/\">two essay prompts<\/a> at the end, after the 44 multiple choice questions on the assessment. In the first of these two essays, you\u2019ll be asked to express a personal opinion on an important social issue. A possible Core Writing Argument Essay prompt might look like this:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">Read the opinion stated below:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">\u201cMotor vehicles are one of the main causes of pollution and climate change. To address this problem, governments should work to regulate automotive emissions. World leaders should also subsidize public transportation to that people will drive less.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with this opinion. Support your views with specific reasons and opinions from your own experiences, observations, or reading.<\/p>\n<p>Your answer to a prompt such as this one will be graded on a scale of 1 to 6, with 6 being the best score and 1 being the worst. With any luck (or really with any skill), you won\u2019t have to worry about getting a 1. But you\u2019ll need to rise to a number of challenges in order to get a six.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Challenge # 1: Forming an opinion<\/h2>\n<p>The Praxis chooses Argument Essay topics that many people have strong opinions on. But you may or may not have a strong opinion on the topic you\u2019re presented with. Looking at the example above, perhaps the issue of climate change and car emissions is one you\u2019re familiar with, but not especially passionate about. You may even feel underinformed on the issue. This is perfectly understandable\u2014not everyone is a climate change expert!<\/p>\n<p>Or perhaps you may <em>normally<\/em> have some definite feelings about the issue, but draw a blank when you try to tap into your personal feelings on the test. This is understandable too; under the pressure of a timed teacher certification exam, your feelings on social issues may be the last thing on your mind.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s important to understand that your true personal opinion doesn\u2019t actually matter to the Praxis scorer. What matters is that you can take a position and defend it in writing, using a well-constructed evidence-based argument. The position you take doesn\u2019t have to be your <em>true<\/em> position, and you don\u2019t even need to <em>have<\/em> an opinion in \u201creal life.\u201d You just need to choose a position and make a case for it. The \u201cright\u201d opinion is whichever one you think will be the easiest to write an essay on.<\/p>\n<p>Also bear in mind that the makers of the Praxis Core don\u2019t expect you to be highly educated on the issues. In fact, because this isn\u2019t a research-based essay with external sources, it\u2019s perfectly OK to just use common knowledge\u2014things about the issue that anyone might know\u2014in your argument.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Challenge # 2: Constructing the argument<\/h2>\n<p>According to pages 29-36 of the official free study companion for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ets.org\/s\/praxis\/pdf\/5722.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Praxis Core Writing<\/a>, a 6-point argumentative essay displays a number of important qualities.<\/p>\n<p>The position you take should be stated very clearly. You don\u2019t want your readers\u2014the Praxis Core test scorers\u2014to have any doubts about your position you\u2019re taking on the issue. For clarity, it\u2019s best to present your statement early on, ideally within the first paragraph. The longer someone has to read your essay before they understand your point of view, the less clear your thesis will seem to be.<\/p>\n<p>To get a top score, be sure to also state the supporting details for your thesis strategically. Choose evidence that supports your argument, and supports it completely. Also make sure that all of your key ideas and supporting evidence unfold logically. Your ideas should appear in an order that\u2019s easy to understand, with smooth transitions from one idea to the next.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Challenge #3: Following the conventions of academic writing<\/h2>\n<p>Finally, Core Writing test-takers must demonstrate fluent use of written language in their essays. Sentences should show variety in terms of grammar structures and word choice. Awkward wording, poor parallel structure, and errors in grammar and mechanics should also be kept to a minimum.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>The takeaway<\/h2>\n<p>Having to express an opinion about an important issue can seem daunting. Even in a relaxed conversation with friends, many people feel put-on-the-spot if they\u2019re asked to explain how they feel about some sort of contentious social issue. But you really don\u2019t need to feel anxious about this task. It\u2019s not necessary to sound like a brilliant political pundit or a learned scholar. You just need to create an essay that\u2019s well written and supports your stated opinion in a way that seems complete and logical.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Praxis Core Writing Exam has two essay prompts at the end, after the 44 multiple choice questions on the assessment. In the first of these two essays, you\u2019ll be asked to express a personal opinion on an important social issue. A possible Core Writing Argument Essay prompt might look like this: Read the opinion [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":80,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2436],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[4914],"class_list":["post-368","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-praxis-writing"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v21.7 (Yoast SEO v21.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Write an Argumentative Essay for Praxis Core Writing - Magoosh Blog \u2013 Praxis\u00ae\ufe0f Test<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/praxis\/how-to-write-an-argumentative-essay-for-praxis-core-writing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Write an Argumentative Essay for Praxis Core Writing\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Praxis Core Writing Exam has two essay prompts at the end, after the 44 multiple choice questions on the assessment. 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Additionally, he's helped students with TOEIC, PET, FCE, BULATS, Eiken, SAT, ACT, GRE, and GMAT. David has a BS and MA from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and an MA from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MagooshEnglishLearning","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/david-recine\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCra3KQoJlOP7RYwaCyH2qew"],"knowsAbout":["TOEFL","IELTS","TOEIC","PET","FCE","BULATS","Eiken","SAT","ACT","GRE","GMAT"],"knowsLanguage":["English","Italian"],"jobTitle":"Content Creator","worksFor":"Magoosh","url":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/praxis\/author\/davidr\/"}]}},"authors":[{"term_id":4914,"user_id":80,"is_guest":0,"slug":"davidr","display_name":"David Recine","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b70c17ee6f3ef87dc4cc5dbdebda911d6dd30dfe15845e4b1d459a3e1b33ef98?s=96&d=mm&r=g","user_url":"","last_name":"Recine","first_name":"David","description":"David is a Test Prep Expert for Magoosh TOEFL and IELTS. Additionally, he's helped students with TOEIC, PET, FCE, BULATS, Eiken, SAT, ACT, GRE, and GMAT.\r\n\r\nDavid has a BS from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and an MA from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. His work at Magoosh has been cited in<a href=\"https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/scholar?hl=en&amp;as_sdt=0%2C50&amp;q=Recine+magoosh&amp;btnG=\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> many scholarly articles<\/a>,<a href=\"https:\/\/minds.wisconsin.edu\/handle\/1793\/65479\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> his Master's Thesis<\/a> is featured on the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.readingwithpictures.org\/2013\/09\/research-highlight-teaching-english-language-learners-with-comics\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Reading with Pictures<\/a> website, and he's presented at the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.witesol.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/2014-WITESOL-Program-FINAL-10-28-14.pdf\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> WITESOL (link to PDF)<\/a> and<a href=\"https:\/\/issuu.com\/interoff\/docs\/nafsaregionv_2014conference\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> NAFSA<\/a> conferences. David has taught K-12 ESL in South Korea as well as undergraduate English and MBA-level business English at American universities. He has also trained English teachers in America, Italy, and Peru.\r\n\r\nCome join David and the Magoosh team on<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCra3KQoJlOP7RYwaCyH2qew\"> Youtube<\/a>,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MagooshEnglishLearning\"> Facebook<\/a>, and<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/magooshenglish\/?hl=en\"> Instagram<\/a>, or connect with him via<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/david-recine\/\"> LinkedIn<\/a>!"}],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/praxis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/368","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/praxis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/praxis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/praxis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/80"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/praxis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=368"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/praxis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/368\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/praxis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=368"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/praxis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=368"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/praxis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=368"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/praxis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=368"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}