FSA Writing - Analyze the Prompt

You've been practicing your writing all year. Now I'm going to share 6 easy steps for moving smoothly through the FSA writing task itself, and because it's a time test, I'll give you some guidelines for how much time to budget for each step. Step one is to analyze the prompt. Allow anywhere from two to 5 minutes for this step. Turn to the page labeled, writing prompt in bold letters. Look for the paragraph that begins with the word right. Circle the word right. This is important. Underline the entire sentence. The first part of the sentence tells you what form of SA you must write, argumentative, or informational. The prompt may come right out and tell you, write an informational essay. Or it may read, write an essay in which you take a position. Meaning you must write an argumentative essay. The second part of the sentence reveals the topic. In this example, you will be writing an argumentative essay about whether or not pets should be allowed in classrooms. Now read the focus questions and comments in the first paragraph. These hint at important ideas to look for when you read the passages. When you read the passages, you'll want to note any details that answer these questions or support the comments. Read the rest of the information in the boxed writing prompt for important tips and reminders, and that's it. You've analyzed the prompt. You're ready for step two.