ASSESSMENT AND SUPPORT

Writing an opinion paragraph

Assessment Criteria and What A Good One Looks Like

Below you will find the Skill Check assessment criteria for this skill, and underneath you will find an example of what a good one looks like, with a brief explanation of how it fits the criteria.

Assessment Criteria for Writing an opinion paragraph for a given text type

minus
any of these things

Very poor accuracy or written expression

If a type is specified, the writing style does NOT match the type

Paragraph content does not relate to the question

equals (just) to plus (secure)
all of these things

Reasonable accuracy and written expression

If a type is specified, the writing style matches that type

Paragraph content clearly relates to the question

star
all of these things

All the = criteria

Writing is somewhat sophisticated, with persuasive techniques clearly evident

Paragraph includes some ideas that are thoughtful or original or interesting

What a good one looks like

Example task

Imagine you had to answer the following question:

“Only boring people get bored. Boredom leads to creativity and it should be embraced not avoided.”

Write a speech to be delivered in school assembly in which you express your view on this statement.

Write one paragraph from the body of the piece (e.g. not the opening or closing) in which you express your opinion. You can use any of the 3 types of opinion paragraph, or a mix of several, but write which type(s) you’ve tried to use in the margin.

Example response

We know, from evolutionary psychology, that boredom is a survival mechanism. Keep doing the same thing with no outcome, our bodies tell us, and you’re wasting energy, risking starvation and death. Try moving to the next bush to find fruit. Try waiting on the next ridge for the quarry in the hunt. Try talking to a different girl in the tribe. Boredom is a trigger to try something new, to move out of your comfort zone, to break new ground. Just putting on another podcast or checking TikTok for a bit may not be the best thing for you, or for your tribe, in the long term. It may mean you never find the fruit, the quarry or the girl. (Metaphorically-speaking.)

Notes on this response

  • It is one fairly short paragraph that would sit somewhere in a broader speech.

  • The content clearly relates to the statement in the question.

  • The writing is suitably sophisticated, with an embedded clause and ambitious vocabulary like ‘quarry’.

  • It makes use of persuasive techniques like anaphora, parallelism and repetition.

  • It addresses the audience directly, which is appropriate for the text type (a speech delivered in an assembly).

  • The paragraph blends the real-world type (by discussing evolutionary psychology) with the argument type (by using this to make an argument). This is common and often good practice.