A Well-written SSAT Essay Example
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Directions: Read the topics, choose the one that interests you the most, and plan your essay or story before writing. Write a legible essay.
Topic A: To reduce the accident rate, the state legislature should pass a proposal to raise the minimum driving age from 16 to 18.
Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Support your position with examples from your own experience, the experience of others, current events, or your reading.
Topic B: She couldn't believe what she was hearing.
Write a story using this statement as the first sentence. Be sure your story has a clear beginning, middle, and end.
Example of a well-written essay.
The proposal to raise the minimum licensing age from 16 to 18 should be rejected for a number of reasons. There are no solid statistics proving that youths cause the accidents that they are involved in, so the 16- and 17-year-old age group should not be penalized for those accidents. Also, for many young people, use of a car is an absolute necessity.
Legislators should ask themselves why 16- to 18-year-old drivers tend to be involved in accidents. I think that the main cause of these accidents is lack of experience. If a study were made, I suspect that it would show that new drivers of any age tend to have accidents. Raising the licensing age would only raise the age of drivers involved in accidents. A better cure might be driving education programs that stress judgment on the road and a requirement for a longer period of driving under supervision before licensing.
Raising the driving age would create a real financial hardship for some teenagers and their families. Many working parents count on their high schoolers to transport younger children in the afternoon and to run errands. Other teens have part-time jobs in locations that can be reached only by car. Attempting to solve the accident problem by creating financial problems does not seem logical.
Raising the licensing age could actually lead to a higher accident rate. Teenagers who have to drive would drive anyway, but without benefit of driver education or the testing that is required for getting that license. Untrained, untested teenage drivers would be a menace on the roads. The 16-year minimum should be retained for the safety of all.