FCAT Writing Advice

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"Show Me the Way" by Peter Frampton

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FCAT Writing Advice is a quick reference point for eighth and tenth graders who possess a strong desire to score high on the FCAT Writing Test. Students in other grade levels will also find this page useful for achieving terrific grades when writing expository and persuasive essays. Regardless of the grade level, I strongly suggest that everyone heed the following advice!

1. Begin your essay with a hook. Grab the reader's attention from the very start!
2. Eliminate "dead" words from your essay. Make your sentences come alive!

It was very hot. (Booooring!)
It was positively sweltering. (That's more like it!)

3. Combine simple sentences with a semicolon (;) and a transition (adverb) plus a comma (,)

I was out of milk. I went to the store. (Too simplistic!)
I was out of milk; therefore, I went to the store. (Much more impressive!)

4. Use a justifier sentence beginning with a transition for the last sentence in each body paragraph of a persuasive essay.

Clearly,
As you can see,

Obviously,

Indeed,

Truly,

5. Use sensory words to appeal to the reader's sight, smell, hearing, touch, and taste.

6. Introduce each paragraph with a transition appropriate for its place in the essay.

To begin with,
In addition,

Furthermore,

Equally important,

7. Eliminate weak elements from your writing.

Hi, my name is . . .
I think . . .

My first reason is . . .

Do you like . . .

This may not be the best idea, but...

Thank you for reading my essay...

8. Begin sentences in different ways. Starting each sentence with the subject gets old quickly! Utilize adverbs, gerunds, and prepositional phrases.

Suddenly, the room . . .
Running through the woods, I . . .

In the morning, I . . .

9. Use an example, quote, and statistic in every essay. Links to websites that provide interesting quotes can be found on the Quotable Quotes page.

10. Above all else, learn from previous mistakes and correct them by following Mr. Kimmel's written feedback on essays and lectures in class!

Suggested Links:

101 FCAT Tips

Created by a Dade County teacher and presented on the University High School's website in Orlando, 101 FCAT Tips is not limited to writing. There are helpful hints for reading and math, as well.

Facing the FCAT Together

It is always interesting to see how other middle schools approach the FCAT. This page from Abraham Lincoln Middle School in Gainesville offers advice for parents and students alike. Of course, pay close attention to reading and writing tips. The webpage also outlines the five paragraphs of a basic essay.

JMS English: FCAT Writing Rubric

The English Department at Robert H. Jenkins, Jr. Middle School in Palatka, Florida provides this chart which shows how scorers in Tallahassee evaluate each FCAT Writing Test.

PowerEd Writing

This is another page on KIMMEL'S KORNER, so I do not want students to miss it! My publishing friends at PowerEd Writing have created many useful PowerPoint presentations to assist students with the FCAT writing process. You can access these presentations as PDF (Portable Document Format) files.