The Essay
The Essay
• You will be presented with a short passage followed by a specific
prompt that asks you to develop an idea.
Example:
• Why aren’t people getting the message [about distracted driving]? It
wasn’t long ago that seatbelts were optional; that some drivers
thought nothing of having “one more for the road” before getting
behind the wheel. But behaviors do change. Unfortunately, the longer
that change takes, the more deaths and injuries will result.
• Adapted from “Distracted driving message not getting through” by
Greg Knill.
• Explain whether or not there should be a complete ban on texting
while driving.
The Essay
While you are writing your essay, focus on your:
• Thesis statement
• Support
• Paragraph Structure
• Grammar and Mechanics
Introduction
Introductions have two goals:
• They introduce the topic of your essay, and they catch your
reader’s attention.
• Your thesis statement, which is the main argument of your essay,
usually appears in the introduction.
Some things to avoid when writing
introductions:
• Avoid dictionary definitions (especially for words that your reader
likely knows already like “love” or “happiness”). Definitions are
useful only if you are using a term that a general audience might
be unfamiliar with.
• Avoid “essay language” (example: “in this essay I will argue”,
“my first point will be”, etc).
• Avoid vague or general statements that don’t say much about
your topic. These statements often begin with phrases like “in
today’s society,” or “throughout history.”
Thesis Statement
The thesis statement says what your essay is about. It is a promise to
your reader—you must be sure that the rest of the essay keeps that
promise. Thesis statements should be clear and direct.
• Vague: Many drivers are unfocused.
• Better: Drivers need to avoid distractions like texting while
operating a car.
Support
• Support is the part of your essay that convinces a reader, and it
should be specific.
• It can come from a variety of places, but since you are writing
on the spot, it will most likely come from your own experiences.
Take a look at the example thesis and supports on the next slide.
Support
Thesis: Drivers need to avoid texting while operating a car.
Support:
a. Texting while driving is dangerous.
b. Texting while driving is illegal and can result in a significant fine.
c. Texting while driving distracts drivers and they may miss their
destination and/or turn.
Paragraph Structure
A paragraph:
• is a series of sentences held together by an idea or topic
• is either long or short but has its own particular focus
• often contains a topic sentence that explains what the
paragraph is about, and supporting points that back up the
topic sentence
• often contains a concluding sentence that can reiterate the
original point of the paragraph, transition into the next
paragraph, or make conclusions
Paragraph Structure
Take a look at the example below. The underlined sentence is the
topic sentence—it provides the reader with an idea of what the
paragraph is about. The sentences after that develop the idea
even further and provide support for the topic sentences.
Texting while driving is dangerous and can result in serious injury or
death. In Ontario, distracted driving, like driving while texting, is
responsible for more deaths than drunk driving, which used to be
the number one cause of death until three years ago. In 2015,
there were 69 distracted driving related deaths in Ontario, and
that number seems to be getting higher every year. If drivers pay
attention to their phones and not the road in front of them, they
will miss things like slowing traffic, pedestrians, errors from other
drivers, etc.
Essay Outlining
• Proper planning will be key to writing a successful essay for the
test, and you should take 5-10 minutes to create an outline of
your ideas.
• While that may seem like a lot of time, your writing will be much
more focused if you take the time to plan in the beginning.
Outline Example
Here is an example outline for an essay that describes why there
should be a ban on texting while driving.
Thesis Statement:
• Drivers need to avoid distractions like texting while operating a
car.
Outline Example
Supporting Point 1:
• Texting while driving distracts drivers and who may miss their
destination and/or turn.
Examples and explanations:
a. paying attention to the phone means not reading road signs
b. drivers may become lost
Outline Example
Supporting Point 2:
• Texting while driving is illegal and can result in a significant fine.
Examples and explanations:
a. fines range from 400 dollars to over 1000 dollars
b. drivers also lose demerit points, which can raise insurance
costs
Outline Example
Supporting Point 3:
• Texting while driving is dangerous.
Examples and explanations:
•
•
a. kills more people every year than drunk driving
b. paying attention to phone allows you to missing things
Outline Example
• Concluding Statement: While technology is a huge part of our
daily lives, surely drivers can take a break long enough to get to
their destinations.
Conclusions
• Your conclusion is essentially your last chance to make an
impression on your readers; because your conclusion is the last
thing your reader sees, it is an extremely important, and
memorable, part of your paper.
Some Suggestions
• Do not introduce a new idea or topic that belongs in the body
of your essay
• Avoid ending with the same wording of your thesis statement-paraphrase your thesis and put it into new words
Example Essay
• Here is an example essay.
• It contains a strong thesis statement, supporting points
articulated in clear topic sentences, and strong examples that
back up the thesis.
Example Question:
• Why aren’t people getting the message [about distracted
driving]? It wasn’t long ago that seatbelts were optional; that
some drivers thought nothing of having “one more for the road”
before getting behind the wheel. But behaviours do change.
Unfortunately, the longer that change takes, the more deaths
and injuries will result.
• Adapted from “Distracted driving message not getting through”
by Greg Knill.
• Explain whether or not there should be a complete ban on
texting while driving.
Example Essay
Reading the paper, eating a bagel, and putting on makeup are just some of the things Ontario drivers have
been spotted doing while driving. More and more frequently, distracted driving is becoming the cause of many accidents,
and texting while driving in particular is become more and more of an issue. Drivers need to avoid distractions like texting
while operating a car.
Texting while driving distracts the driver and they may miss their destination and/or turn. While this isn’t a life
and death situation, it can still be quite aggravating. Distracted drivers might miss road signs that indicate where to turn. If
drivers don’t know where they are going, if they don’t pay close attention to road signs, they could become lost. Even if a
driver does know where they are going, they could easily miss a turn and drive for quite some time before they realize they
are going the wrong way.
If safety isn’t enough to make a driver think twice, distracted driving fines might do the trick. Texting while
driving is illegal, and can result in a significant fine. Drivers caught texting behind the wheel face fines between 400-1000
dollars. While 400 may seem steep, drivers can also lose 3 demerit points which can significantly increase insurance costs to
the point where they are unaffordable.
Finally, driving while distracted can be dangerous and result in serious injury or death. In Ontario, distracted
driving, like driving while texting, is responsible for more deaths than drunk driving, which used to be the number one cause
of death until three years ago. In 2015, there were 69 distracted driving related deaths in Ontario, and that number seems to
be getting higher every year. If you pay attention to your phone and not the road in front of you, you will miss things like
slowing traffic, pedestrians, errors from other drivers, etc.
While technology is a huge part of our daily lives, surely we can take a break long enough to get to our
destination. Texting is not a life or death situation, but staying focused on the road is.
You’re Finished!