English II

Persuasive
Scoring Guide

April 2014

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 English II
Persuasive Prompt

Read the following quotation.

The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.
—from I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!
by Dr. Seuss

Think carefully about the following statement.

According to Dr. Seuss, knowledge leads to new opportunities.

Write an essay stating your position on whether learning always has a positive effect on a
person’s life.

Be sure to —

• state your position clearly

• use appropriate organization
• provide specific support for your argument
• choose your words carefully
• edit your writing for grammar, mechanics, and spelling
STAAR English II Persuasive

Score Point 1
The essay represents a very limited writing performance.

Organization/Progression

The organizing structure of the essay is inappropriate to the purpose or the

specific demands of the prompt. The writer uses organizational strategies
that are only marginally suited to the persuasive task, or they are
inappropriate or not evident at all. The absence of a functional organizational
structure causes the essay to lack clarity and direction.

Most ideas are generally related to the issue specified in the prompt, but the
writer’s position is missing, unclear, or illogical. The writer may fail to
maintain focus on the issue, may include extraneous information, or may
shift abruptly from idea to idea, weakening the coherence of the essay.

The writer’s progression of ideas is weak. Repetition or wordiness sometimes

causes serious disruptions in the flow of the essay. At other times the lack of
transitions and sentence-to-sentence connections causes the writer to
present ideas in a random or illogical way, making one or more parts of the
essay unclear or difficult to follow.

Development of Ideas

The development of ideas is weak. The argument is ineffective and

unconvincing because the reasons and evidence the writer uses to support
the position are inappropriate, vague, or insufficient.

The essay is insubstantial because the writer’s response to the prompt is

vague or confused. In some cases, the essay as a whole is only weakly linked
to the prompt. In other cases, the writer develops the essay in a manner that
demonstrates a lack of understanding of the persuasive writing task.

Use of Language/Conventions

The writer’s word choice may be vague or limited. It reflects little or no

awareness of the persuasive purpose and does not establish a tone
appropriate to the task. Word choice may impede the quality and clarity of
the essay.

Sentences are simplistic, awkward, or uncontrolled, significantly limiting the

effectiveness of the essay.

The writer has little or no command of sentence boundaries and spelling,

capitalization, punctuation, grammar, and usage conventions. Serious and
persistent errors create disruptions in the fluency of the writing and
sometimes interfere with meaning.

Texas Education Agency

Student Assessment Division
April 2014
STAAR English II
April 2014 Persuasive — 1

Score Point 1
The writer takes the position that learning can have a positive effect on your future, but “it also
depends on how you can take it and could you work for what you want.” Although the writer
attempts to provide a hypothetical example of how education will help you get a job because
“you have to have a degree for everything,” the focus of the argument abruptly shifts to a
discussion of being positive, overcoming obstacles, and making others realize you are positive.
This entire section of the essay is only weakly linked to the prompt. An effective organizational
structure is absent from the response, and the writer’s inability to remain focused significantly
weakens the coherence of the piece. In addition, many sentences lack boundaries and are
uncontrolled. For these reasons, this essay represents a very limited writing performance.
STAAR English II
April 2014 Persuasive — 2

Score Point 1
Although the writer of this essay establishes a position in the opening sentences and is able
to stay focused on the idea that learning always has a positive effect, most sentences are
uncontrolled. Serious and persistent grammar and usage errors, along with omitted words and
very awkward phrases, create disruptions in the fluency of the writing and prevent the reader
from fully understanding the argument the writer is attempting to make. As a result, the essay
represents a very limited writing performance.
STAAR English II
April 2014 Persuasive — 3

Score Point 1
The writer begins with the quotation from Dr. Seuss to introduce a personal anecdote about
the process of selecting and reading a book for a book report. Although a personal anecdote
can be used effectively as evidence in persuasive writing, the organizational structure of this
essay is inappropriate to the purpose and specific demands of the prompt, which require the
writer to take a position on whether learning always has a positive effect on a person. Instead of
focusing on this specified purpose and topic, the writer explains how reading the “small” book
about World War II changed his attitude about reading. This information neither supports
a position nor functions as appropriate support. Overall, the writer demonstrates a lack of
understanding of the persuasive writing task.
STAAR English II
April 2014 Persuasive — 4

Score Point 1
In the first sentence of this very limited response, the writer asserts that without learning a
person “would probably not get a job at all.” Although this position is clear, the writer is
unable to develop the argument beyond the singular idea that learning makes you smarter and
results in a better job. The writer restates this idea in several different ways, causing the writing
to be repetitious and the sentence-to-sentence progression to be weak. Because the support for
the writer’s position is insufficiently developed, the argument is ineffective and unconvincing.
STAAR English II Persuasive

Score Point 2
The essay represents a basic writing performance.

Organization/Progression

The organizing structure of the essay is evident but may not always be
appropriate to the purpose or the specific demands of the prompt. The essay
is not always clear because the writer uses organizational strategies that are
only somewhat suited to the persuasive task.

Most ideas are generally related to the issue specified in the prompt, but the
writer’s position is weak or somewhat unclear. The lack of a clear, effective
position or the writer’s inclusion of irrelevant information interferes with the
focus and coherence of the essay.

The writer’s progression of ideas is not always logical and controlled.

Sometimes repetition or wordiness causes minor disruptions in the flow of
the essay. At other times transitions and sentence-to-sentence connections
are too perfunctory or weak to support the flow of the essay or show the
relationships among ideas.

Development of Ideas

The development of ideas is minimal. The argument is superficial and largely

unconvincing because the reasons and evidence the writer uses to support
the position are not always appropriate or are too briefly or partially
presented.

The essay reflects little or no thoughtfulness. The writer’s response to the

prompt is sometimes formulaic. The writer develops the essay in a manner
that demonstrates only a limited understanding of the persuasive writing
task.

Use of Language/Conventions

The writer’s word choice may be general or imprecise. It reflects a basic

awareness of the persuasive purpose but does little to establish a tone
appropriate to the task. Word choice may not contribute to the quality and
clarity of the essay.

Sentences are awkward or only somewhat controlled, weakening the

effectiveness of the essay.

The writer demonstrates a partial command of sentence boundaries and

spelling, capitalization, punctuation, grammar, and usage conventions. Some
distracting errors may be evident, at times creating minor disruptions in the
fluency or meaning of the writing.

Texas Education Agency

Student Assessment Division
April 2014
 STAAR English II
April 2014 Persuasive — 5

Score Point 2
The writer begins the essay by unnecessarily repeating the Seuss quotation used as the stimulus in the prompt before
establishing the position that “Learning can help you with anything; can help get a job, go to college, help your
children or even keep you off the streets.” The writer attempts to provide a cause-and-effect argument that addresses
all the points in the position statement, but the movement from point to point is not always logical or controlled
because the writer “jumps” back and forth between the points. The writer’s inability to move smoothly from sentence
to sentence weakens both the coherence and the flow of the essay. In addition, the writer’s word choice is general
and imprecise (college can change your whole life; education is a wonderful thing), which causes the development to
be superficial. The repetition of phrases such as “throw it all away” and “ruining your life” do not contribute to the
quality of the argument. Overall, this essay represents a basic writing performance.
STAAR English II
April 2014 Persuasive — 6

Score Point 2
In this basic writing performance, the writer provides the clear position statement that
“knowledge can provide you many opportunities and overall, great success.” Although the
writer presents a number of ideas to support this position (the knowledge needed to become the
president or mayor of a city, travel to a new country, direct a movie or TV shows), transitions
are too perfunctory to clearly connect these ideas or build depth from idea to idea. Because
the development of each idea is brief and unconnected, the argument is superficial and reflects
little thoughtfulness.
STAAR English II
April 2014 Persuasive — 7

Score Point 2
In this essay, the writer asserts that “everyone needs a good education” because “it can only lead
to good things in your life.” The support for this position focuses specifically on the example of
Albert Einstein, “a brilliant man whose theories and work are still used.” While this example
can be clearly linked to the idea of knowledge, the writer provides no evidence that Einstein’s
contributions were the result of a good education. The lack of a clear connection between
position statement and evidence weakens the effectiveness of the argument and shows that the
writer has a limited understanding of the persuasive writing task. In addition, sentences and
conventions are at times only partially controlled. Overall, the essay represents a basic writing
performance.
STAAR English II
April 2014 Persuasive — 8

Score Point 2
In this basic writing performance, the writer contends that learning helps everyone by providing
new opportunities. The writer begins paragraph two by stating that learning engineering could
lead to a larger number of job offerings. However, the writer only briefly presents this idea
before shifting the focus to the universal nature of learning. In this section of the essay, the
argument suffers from a lack of specificity and devolves, in paragraph three, into a general
discussion of the various circumstances under which people learn (from others or themselves at
different times and locations). This paragraph relates to the topic but does not clearly support
the position, thereby weakening the argument.
STAAR English II Persuasive

Score Point 3
The essay represents a satisfactory writing performance.

Organization/Progression

The organizing structure of the essay is, for the most part, appropriate to the
purpose and responsive to the specific demands of the prompt. The essay is
clear because the writer uses organizational strategies that are adequately
suited to the persuasive task.

The writer establishes a clear position. Most ideas are related to the position
and are focused on the issue specified in the prompt. The essay is coherent,
though it may not always be unified due to minor lapses in focus.

The writer’s progression of ideas is generally logical and controlled. For the
most part, transitions are meaningful, and sentence-to-sentence connections
are sufficient to support the flow of the essay and show the relationships
among ideas.

Development of Ideas

The development of ideas is sufficient. The argument is largely convincing

because the reasons and evidence the writer uses to support the position are
specific and appropriate.

The essay reflects some thoughtfulness. The writer’s response to the prompt
is original rather than formulaic. The writer develops the essay in a manner
that demonstrates a good understanding of the persuasive writing task.

Use of Language/Conventions

The writer’s word choice is, for the most part, clear and specific. It reflects an
awareness of the persuasive purpose and establishes a tone appropriate to
the task. Word choice usually contributes to the quality and clarity of the
essay.

Sentences are reasonably varied and adequately controlled, contributing for

the most part to the effectiveness of the essay.

The writer demonstrates an adequate command of sentence boundaries and

spelling, capitalization, punctuation, grammar, and usage conventions.
Although some errors may be evident, they create few (if any) disruptions in
the fluency of the writing, and they do not affect the clarity of the essay.

Texas Education Agency

Student Assessment Division
April 2014
 STAAR English II
April 2014 Persuasive — 9

Score Point 3
In this satisfactory writing performance, the writer establishes the clear position that “society has no
meaning without intelligence, and so everybody must learn.” The writer uses a philosophical approach to
support his position, arguing that throughout history, humans could not have made the progress they did
without experiencing the painful side of learning (e.g., humans learned to control fire through experiencing
a painful burn). The clear connections between ideas make the argument largely convincing. The writer
also demonstrates some thoughtfulness when he questions whether gaining knowledge in this way could
be interpreted as negative. His refutation of this view helps to develop the link between individual lessons
and the benefit of these lessons to society as a whole. In addition, the word choice reflects an awareness
of the persuasive task and contributes to the quality of the essay.
 STAAR English II
April 2014 Persuasive — 10

Score Point 3
The writer of this essay establishes the position that learning can have a negative effect when “people
use things they have learned in bad ways.” To support this position, the writer presents two different
negative actions that require knowledge (hotwiring cars and hacking people’s information). Although the
evidence provided in the second paragraph to support this assertion could be strengthened with further
development, the argument is largely convincing because the two examples are appropriate, and the writer
links them through a meaningful transition in the middle of the paragraph. The writer’s statement that
“these types of things ruin other people’s lives” further serves to connect the two ideas. Overall, the strong
focus and logical progression compensate for the somewhat general development and language use in this
satisfactory writing performance.
STAAR English II
April 2014 Persuasive — 11

Score Point 3
The writer begins the essay with the assertion that “learning always has a positive effect on
someone’s life.” A compare/contrast strategy highlights the different levels of success of those
who stay in school and gain knowledge as opposed to those who do not. Strong sentence-
to-sentence connections and meaningful transitions support the flow of the essay. In the
conclusion, the writer shifts to a cause-and-effect strategy, outlining the ideas from the second
paragraph that best support the position that learning has a positive effect on a person’s life.
In addition, the writer’s control of sentences and command of conventions contribute to the
overall quality of response.
 STAAR English II
April 2014 Persuasive — 12

Score Point 3
The writer focuses the argument on the position that knowledge, specifically cultural awareness, leads to
new opportunities and future success. After establishing the importance of communication in the global
marketplace, the writer cites three specific literary works to support the assertion that reading culturally
diverse books provides “insight on different cultures and time periods.” Although these literary works are
appropriate examples, the ways in which they have personally affected the writer could be more specific
and detailed. In the conclusion, the writer provides additional support for her position by shifting from
a personal to a more global perspective. The word choice is clear, and a clear persuasive tone is evident.
In addition, the essay progresses logically, and sentences are adequately controlled. Overall, this essay is a
good example of a satisfactory writing performance.
STAAR English II Persuasive

Score Point 4
The essay represents an accomplished writing performance.

Organization/Progression

The organizing structure of the essay is clearly appropriate to the purpose

and responsive to the specific demands of the prompt. The essay is skillfully
crafted because the writer uses organizational strategies that are particularly
well suited to the persuasive task.

The writer establishes a clear position. All ideas are strongly related to the
position and are focused on the issue specified in the prompt. By sustaining
this focus, the writer is able to create an essay that is unified and coherent.

The writer’s progression of ideas is logical and well controlled. Meaningful

transitions and strong sentence-to-sentence connections enhance the flow of
the essay by clearly showing the relationships among ideas, making the
writer’s train of thought easy to follow.

Development of Ideas

The development of ideas is highly effective. The argument is forceful and

convincing because the reasons and evidence the writer uses to support the
position are specific and well chosen.

The essay is thoughtful and engaging. The writer may choose to recognize
the complexities of the issue, consider opposing or alternate points of view,
use his/her unique experiences or view of the world as a basis for writing, or
connect ideas in interesting ways. The writer develops the essay in a manner
that demonstrates a thorough understanding of the persuasive writing task.

Use of Language/Conventions

The writer’s word choice is purposeful and precise. It reflects a keen

awareness of the persuasive purpose and maintains a tone appropriate to the
task. Word choice strongly contributes to the quality and clarity of the essay.

Sentences are purposeful, varied, and well controlled, enhancing the

effectiveness of the essay.

The writer demonstrates a consistent command of sentence boundaries and

spelling, capitalization, punctuation, grammar, and usage conventions.
Although minor errors may be evident, they do not detract from the fluency
of the writing or the clarity of the essay. The overall strength of the
conventions contributes to the effectiveness of the essay.

Texas Education Agency

Student Assessment Division
April 2014
STAAR English II
April 2014 Persuasive — 13

Score Point 4
In this accomplished essay, the writer takes the clear “fence-sitting” position that knowledge
has the potential to be both helpful and harmful because of our accessibility to advanced
technology. The writer organizes the essay by juxtaposing specific examples of online identity
theft (a drawback of information accessibility) with examples of the need to continually
acquire knowledge through technology (a benefit of accessibility). The progression of ideas is
well controlled, and strong sentence-to-sentence connections and meaningful transitions make
the flow of ideas easy to follow. The writer explores the complexities of the issue by focusing
the acquisition of knowledge in the context of technology.
STAAR English II
April 2014 Persuasive — 14

Score Point 4
The writer tightly focuses this well-crafted essay on the role learning plays in helping a person
overcome poverty. The writer develops a forceful and convincing argument through the use of
detailed anecdotes about the humble beginnings of his father and Grandpa Ellis and the specific
ways learning helped each of them escape hardship and live an enriched life. In addition, the
varied and purposeful sentences and strong conventions enhance the effectiveness of the essay.
Overall, the writer’s keen awareness of the persuasive purpose and his ability to use his own
background knowledge as the basis for writing make this essay thoughtful and engaging.
 STAAR English II
April 2014 Persuasive — 15

Score Point 4
In the introduction of this accomplished essay, the writer states the position that “[l]earning of the intense hatred in
our world can sully the mind of even the purest child.” As support for this position, the student provides relevant
context and details from the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. In paragraph two, strong sentence-to-sentence connections
show the relationships between ideas: the writer contrasts the outlook of the character Jem with that of his younger,
more innocent sister. In the third paragraph, the writer considers a possible counter argument to the position she
takes in the essay, conceding that someday the younger sister may, in fact, think the same way as Jem. The ability to
recognize alternate points of view reveals a nuanced understanding of the issue. In addition, where many responses
rely on a rephrasing of the prompt to establish a position, this writer allows the strength of well-chosen evidence and
the negative connotations created by word choice (sully the mind, stain her innocence, harsh facts) to help reinforce
the argument that learning can have a negative effect on a person’s life. Overall, the essay is skillfully crafted, and the
writer demonstrates a thorough understanding of the persuasive task.
 STAAR English II
April 2014 Persuasive — 16

Score Point 4
The writer of this thoughtful and engaging essay begins with a hypothetical scenario, asking the reader to imagine
life “if you suddenly forgot everything you knew.” This serves as an introduction to the writer’s position that learning
is an integral part of humanity and is the mechanism that allows us to improve and survive. Strong sentence-to-
sentence connections show the relationships between ideas and make the writer’s train of thought easy to follow. For
example, in paragraph two the writer introduces the idea that learning begins at conception and then provides details
about early lessons that “may sound like basic functions” but that “will always push you forward, not backward.”
The writer’s reiteration of this idea throughout the response contributes to the focus and coherence of the essay.
The writer concludes the essay with a call to action, demonstrating a thorough understanding of the persuasive task.
The specific word choice and overall strength of the conventions further contribute to the effectiveness of the essay.