Introduction
Essay writing is a crucial skill for students to develop. Regular practice through exercises is important for improving writing abilities. This article provides several essay writing exercises along with sample answers to help guide students. The exercises cover a variety of essay types including descriptive, narrative, persuasive and argumentative essays. Completing these exercises and reviewing the sample answers can help enhance students’ understanding of different essay structures and strengthen their ability to effectively convey ideas in written form.
Exercise 1: Descriptive Essay – Describe a Beautiful Sunset
Describe in detail a beautiful sunset you have witnessed. Use vivid sensory details to paint a picture with your words and engage the reader’s imagination. Here is a sample 430 word answer:
I will never forget the stunning sunset I observed one evening last summer while on vacation at the beach. It was near the end of July and the sun was just beginning to dip below the horizon as the sky was awash in a brilliant palette of colors. The beach was practically deserted at this time of evening except for a few stragglers still walking along the shoreline. I sat down in the warm sand a short distance from where the waves lapped at the shore and gazed out over the ocean as the sun prepared to set.
The sky had taken on bright hues of orange, pink and yellow, almost as if an artist had splashed streaks of colorful paint across the sky. Bands of color stretched from one end of the heavens to the other. Directly above where the sun hovered on the edge of the sea, the sky was a fierce orange-red, almost as if the sun was a glowing orb about ready to burst from the intensity of its color. Moving upward, the sky transitions to a soft peach color before reaching the delicate pinks near the zenith of the sky. A few wispy white clouds caught the vibrant tones of the sunset, appearing as if they were lit from within by the dying rays of the sun.
Finally, the sun began its slow descent below the sea, its blazing orange disc meeting the ultramarine blue water in a dramatic clash of color. Golden rays radiated outward upon the calm ocean waters, creating shimmering waves of light dancing upon the surface. Within minutes, the sky had darkened considerably as twilight set in, though traces of rose and lavender still lingered high amidst the indigo sky. It was truly one of the most incredible sunsets I have ever witnessed, with nature serving up a spectacular show of its artistic talents across the heavens.
Exercise 2: Narrative Essay – Tell a Story from Your Childhood
Write a 500-600 word narrative essay telling a story from your childhood. Include descriptive details and utilize techniques such as chronological order, vivid sensory language and meaningful characters to engage the reader. Here is a sample 532 word answer:
My earliest childhood memory involves the backyard of my grandparent’s house during one hot summer. I must have been around five years old at the time. My grandparents lived on a large plot of land in a rural area surrounded by open fields and woods. Their backyard seemed like its own adventure playground to my young eyes.
One particularly sweltering July afternoon, I decided to explore more of the backyard while my grandparents were occupied inside the house. I slipped out the back door and immediately heard the buzzing drone of cicadas in the trees blended with birds singing. The grass felt warm and ticklish beneath my small bare feet. I wandered down toward the woods that bordered one side of the property, drawn in by the cool shade of the towering oak and maple trees.
As I ventured further, the noises of the backyard fell away and it felt like I had stepped into another world amongst the tall tree trunks and leafy canopy overhead. I spotted a flickering movement up ahead and crept closer slowly to investigate. Peeking out from behind the rough bark of an old oak, I discovered a family of rabbits – a mother and several smaller baby bunnies. I must have made some noise because the mother rabbit suddenly stiffened and stared right at me with her beady black eyes. Spellbound, I froze, afraid to scare her away. After a tense moment, she snatched one of the babies by the scruff of its neck and bounded off into the undergrowth.
Not long after, I heard my grandmother calling me from the house, worry evident in her voice. I raced back through the cooling woods as fast as I could, hands scratched from brambles but eager to tell of my exciting adventure in the forest out back.
Exercise 3: Persuasive Essay – Why High Schools Should Ban Junk Food
Write a persuasive essay arguing why high schools should ban the sale and distribution of junk food on campus. Your essay should be between 500-600 words and utilize convincing evidence and logical reasoning to support your argument. Here is a sample 572 word response:
Junk food has infiltrated school cafeterias and now poses a serious threat to student health and wellbeing. High schools across the country should take action by banning the sale of junk food on campus in order to support students’ nutrition needs and tackle the issue of childhood obesity.
Junk food, which is highly processed with little nutritional value, has become a main staple in many high school cafeterias. Chips, candy, sugary drinks, and greasy fast food are conveniently sold everywhere from vending machines to the lunch line. Junk food provides empty calories and is unhealthy to consume in large quantities. Teenagers, who are still developing physically and mentally, have nutritional needs that junk food cannot satisfy. They require balanced, nutritious meals to fuel their growing brains and bodies. By limiting access to junk food at school, adolescents can make better dietary choices.
Childhood obesity has reached epidemic levels in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control, over 20% of American youth are obese. A major factor driving this crisis is easy access to empty calorie junk food, especially during the school day when lunches should help nourish students. By banning junk food, schools take a stand against obesity by removing temptation and leveling the playing field nutritionally. This sets students up for overall better health both now and in the future.
High schools that do not sell junk food find that students still have plenty of other lunch options while being protected from unhealthy addictions to processed snacks and sweets. Overall wellness and nutrition should be a top priority at educational institutions and junk food works against this goal. For the health of our adolescents and generations to come, all schools must take responsibility by banning junk food on campus.
Exercise 4: Argumentative Essay – Should College Athletes Be Paid?
Write a well-developed 500-600 word argumentative essay taking a position on whether or not college athletes should receive payment beyond scholarships. Present the strongest arguments for both sides of the issue before concluding with your own opinion and reasons for taking that stance. Here is a sample 590 word response:
The debate over whether college athletes should be paid beyond their scholarships has raged for years with reasonable cases on both sides. Those arguing for payment point out the revenue college sports generate and time commitment expected of players. Meanwhile, opponents claim payment would undermine the academic mission of universities. Both positions hold merit and deserve consideration.
Supporters of payment note that Division I college football and men’s basketball are billion-dollar industries, yet the athletes generating the income receive only scholarships and training. Players sacrifice much of their college experience by devoting 40-60 hours per week to their sport with little personal life remaining. Paying players a reasonable sum, likely through stipends, would better acknowledge their contributions. Additionally, some argue unfairness that everyone else involved in the sports enterprises, from coaches to administrators to stadium staff, receives compensation yet athletes as the central talent do not.
There are reasonable concerns with payment too. Chiefly, introducing monetary payments could blur the lines between amateur and professional sports in ways that undermine the integrity of academic institutions. With money on the table, corruption through under-the-table deals or pay-for-play scandals would become much more plausible threats. Some worry payment could incentivize players focusing solely on athletics instead of academics, betraying the balance universities attempt to cultivate. It may also prove impossible to determine equitable payment structures across all college athletes, risking discrimination claims.
Overall, while athletes sacrificing so much of themselves deserve acknowledgement, payment through stipends risks compromising the academic values at the heart of university sports. A better solution may be allowing players expanded benefits like long-term healthcare or continuing scholarship support post-graduation if injured during college play. This strikes a fairer balance than direct payment models without opening the door to abuses of commercialization within educational institutions.
This essay has argued perspectives on both sides of whether college athletes should receive payment beyond scholarships. While athlete contributions merit recognition, payments hold risks of prioritizing athletics over academics in contradiction to university aims. More equitable alternatives preserving amateurism, like expanded post-college benefits, achieve fairer acknowledgement of player sacrifices without commercializing college programs.
Exercise 5 – Reflective Essay: How has your Writing Improved?
Write a 400-500 word reflective essay discussing how your writing skills have improved over the course of completing these essay writing exercises. Reference specific examples from the exercises and focus on aspects like organization, details, argument development and voice/style that have shown growth through practice. Here is a sample 487 word response:
Going through the process of responding to these essay prompts has given me valuable experience that I can feel has helped strengthen my writing abilities. In reflecting on my work completing the descriptive, narrative, persuasive and argumentative essays, I can see
Andrew Stroud