Text Production: Writing Arguments

The Writing portion of the Praxis Core will be an assessment of your ability to write an essay within a certain amount of time. The essay will be evaluated for the following: central idea; clarity; consistency of point of view, cohesiveness; strength and logic of supporting information; rhetorical force; appropriateness of dictation and syntax; and correctness of mechanics and usage. Since the writer does not know the topic ahead of time the evaluator will be scoring holistically with the understanding that the writer must answer on the spot. You will have 30 minutes to complete the essay. Page 29-30 of the Praxis Writing Test Guide you will find the scoring rubrics. Take some time to review them because you will have a sense of what it takes to score the best score you can get - a six.

Things to remember

• Be sure to read directions to each question including essay instructions
• Be aware of length specification
• Be aware of deadline and how much time you will need for each stage of the writing process
• Test your thesis (About Writing: A Guide chapter 4)
  • 1. Does your thesis take a position, propose a solution, or answer a question?
  • 2. Does your thesis give you enough material to write a full-length paper?
  • 3. Can you come up with interpretations of your thesis that don’t match your
  • own?
  • 4. Is there evidence to support your thesis?
  • 5. Will readers want to read an essay with this thesis
• If time permits, construct an outline (could me a mental outline) to give you some direction when writing

Helpful Links

OPTIONAL READING BUT HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/ivytech-engl111/chapter/writing-an-argument/

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/englishcomp1v2xmaster/chapter/definitional-argument-essay/

https://lcubbison.pressbooks.com/chapter/core-101-academic-argument-essay/

https://lcubbison.pressbooks.com/chapter/core-102-researched-argument/

Attributions

Writing Guide by Paul Schacht and Celia Easton, used under CC BY 4.0

About Writing A Guide by Robin Jeffrey, used under CC BY

MCAT Writing Assignment by John Wetzel, used under CC BY SA 3.0 /Assignment modification