5 Things to Know for the ACT Writing Section

📝 1. You DON'T Need a Template

Some students fall into the trap of writing in a strict template format for timed essays. While a loose structure can be helpful, you can score a perfect score without a template of any sort. Templates often lead to formulaic, boring writing. If you want to convey your argument as effectively as possible, it probably won't fit neatly into a rigid format.

Be flexible. Using a general structure (intro, body paragraphs, conclusion) is fine, but don't get locked into a cookie-cutter format that clouds your argument and potentially hurts your score. Every prompt is different, so every essay should be too.

📖 2. Evidence is Key

As you write your essay, it's critical that you back up your claims. Without evidence, graders have no reason to find your argument convincing. Saying "chocolate ice cream is better than vanilla" and leaving it at that only tells the reader your preference. But if you explain why you believe that, perhaps by pointing to taste, environmental impact, or consumer polls, the reader can actually follow your reasoning and take your argument seriously.

Given how important evidence is, you need to know how to integrate it effectively. Evidence should drive your argument, meaning your overall claim (thesis) and subclaims (topic sentences) should grow out of the evidence you already know. Don't pick a position first and then scramble for support. Start with what you can actually back up, and build your perspective from there. An evidence-based perspective is always stronger than one chosen before you've thought about the support.

You won't be expected to cite academic articles or specific published sources. Instead, your evidence can take these forms:

• Common knowledge (widely accepted facts)
• Facts you're aware of from school, reading, or current events
• Logical extensions of the arguments presented in the prompt
• Hypothetical outcomes that reasonably follow from a position

All of these can serve as a strong evidence base for the ACT essay.

📚 3. Examples Make Your Argument Real

Think back to the best lecture, argument, speech, or textbook chapter you've ever encountered. Chances are it used plenty of specific examples. Consider Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. Part of its power came from his references to his own children and his hopes for how they'd be treated. Instead of simply saying policies were unfair as a blanket statement, he named specific injustices and explained how he'd never want his children subjected to them. He believed the same thing either way, but the specific examples get to the core of the "Why?" They humanize the broader claim and make the argument far more compelling.

That principle applies directly to your ACT essay. Examples make your argument concrete. They help the reader feel and understand your point more clearly, giving them more reason to agree with you. A paragraph that says "technology can be harmful" is weak. A paragraph that describes how constant smartphone notifications fragment students' ability to focus during homework is much stronger. Use specific examples whenever you can.

💬 4. You Are NOT Graded on Your Opinion

This is worth knowing before test day: you are not graded on which opinion or perspective you choose. The ACT graders evaluate your ability to articulate a position compellingly through engagement with the given perspectives, nuance, idea development, organization, and rhetorical skill (all outlined in the ACT Writing rubric). You will not be punished for holding a perspective the reader personally disagrees with.

Because of this, argue what you genuinely believe based on the perspectives provided and the knowledge you already have. Authentic conviction tends to produce clearer, more persuasive writing than trying to guess what the grader wants to hear.

🧠 5. Your Perspective Should Be Complex

Much of your essay will involve agreeing or disagreeing with the given perspectives and explaining your rationale. There's no single correct answer, but there's plenty of room to do better or worse based on how clearly and effectively you articulate your position.

The ACT prompt gives you three perspectives, and they'll conflict with each other in meaningful ways. A strong essay almost always agrees with parts of some perspectives and disagrees with parts of others. You might find yourself 85% aligned with one perspective, 45% with another, and only 20% with the third. Your job is to mediate between them: pull together the strongest parts, explain the shortcomings of weaker parts, and carve out why your perspective makes the most sense overall.

Avoid oversimplifying just to make the essay easier to write. Truly representing your perspective will naturally produce a coherent yet complex essay that tackles nuances. That kind of essay is both more interesting to read and more convincing to score well on.

Conclusion

Keeping these five things in mind as you practice will help you do your best work on the ACT essay. Nothing beats actual practice, though, so make sure you're writing timed essays regularly alongside reviewing tips like these.