essay prompts grade 12

Elementary School

Middle school, high school, ets criterion sm library, grade 12 prompts, ws define a hero (expository).

According to Mark Twain, “We find not much in ourselves to admire; we are always privately wanting to be like somebody else. If everybody was satisfied with himself there would be no heroes.” Write a letter to Twain explaining your own definition of a hero, including examples of people and/or actions you consider heroic.

Scoring Guide 4PT Scale
Scoring Guide 6PT Scale

WS Learning Two Ways (Expository)

It is often said that experience is a great teacher, but experience isn’t the only way to learn. Write a brief essay to a person younger than yourself, comparing and contrasting learning by experience to learning by studying a subject.

WS Political Debate (Expository)

In recent years, political debate has often taken a negative, even angry tone. Unfortunately, this negativity often stands in the way of finding common ground and solving problems. As someone concerned with the tone of political debate, write a set of guidelines to keep debates civil and focused on solving problems at hand.

WS Leisure Time (Expository)

People spend their leisure time in a variety of ways. Some play team sports. Others pursue pastimes such as cooking food and playing music. Write an essay explaining one personally rewarding way in which you spend leisure time.

WS Freshman Mentor (Expository)

In your school, senior mentors get paired up with freshmen for the first weeks of school. What wisdom would you pass along to a freshman student? What three or four tips would you provide for success in high school? Write an essay explaining the way to succeed in high school.

WS Bike Helmets (Persuasive)

A group of legislators in your state have proposed a new law that would require all children under the age of 12 to wear helmets while cycling. As someone with siblings or neighbors of that age, write an editorial for your local newspaper encouraging other legislators to support or oppose the law.

WS Vacant Lot Project (Persuasive)

A vacant lot in your neighborhood has become an eyesore, with tall weeds, litter, and insect pests. The city has recently purchased the lot and is calling for proposals for public use of the land. Write an editorial to your local paper, proposing a plan for using the lot. Provide specific details in your proposal and use strong reasons to convince readers that you have the best plan.

WS Prevent Overfishing (Persuasive)

Overfishing of swordfish has resulted in steady declines in natural populations. In an attempt to save the fish, local restaurants have started a campaign encouraging people to give swordfish a break by choosing other fish such as salmon or catfish for meals. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper encouraging people to support this campaign.

WS Exercise (Persuasive)

In recent years, it has become apparent that many Americans do not get enough exercise. Yet exercise is a great way to maintain an appropriate weight, reduce the risk of heart disease, and improve general health. Write an essay for a fitness Web site that will convince people to exercise more.

WS Scholarship (Persuasive)

Your high school provides merit scholarships for students based on exceptional individual skills, not grade points. Write an essay detailing one or more skills you possess and convince your teachers and principal that you deserve a merit scholarship. Provide strong support for your position.

Our Mission

50 Writing Prompts for All Grade Levels

Sometimes students need a little push to activate their imaginations.

The collection of prompts below asks young writers to think through real or imagined events, their emotions, and a few wacky scenarios. Try out the ones you think will resonate most with your students.

As with all prompts, inform students that their answers should be rated G and that disclosing dangerous or illegal things they’re involved in will obligate you to file a report with the administration or school counselors. Finally, give students the option of writing “PERSONAL” above some entries that they don’t want anyone to read. We all need to let scraggly emotions run free in our prose sometimes.

If your class uses daybooks (an approach recommended in Thinking Out Loud: The Student Daybook as a Tool to Foster Learning ), wait for composition notebooks to go on sale at Target, the Dollar Store, or Walmart for $0.50 a piece. To organize the daybook, direct young writers to leave the first three pages blank and number and date each entry—adding these entries to a table of contents that they create as they work so they can return to specific entries later.

High School Prompts

Should cameras on drones watch all public spaces to prevent crime, or is that a violation of privacy?
Do Americans have it too easy? Why do you think that?
What causes racism?
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation hires you as a consultant to determine how best to use $20 billion to save the world. What’s your plan?
What’s the worst thing about the internet?
Would you rather be very beautiful or very smart? Explain.
You can save one object before your house burns down. What is it? What makes that object important to you?
How much control over your life do you have? What makes you say that?
Describe your ideal life 15 years from now. What is something you can do every day to reach that goal?
What would your friends say is your most lovable quality? Describe that quality.
What is something scary that you would like to try? What makes it scary for you? How might you overcome that fear?
What things do you conscientiously do to feed your brain?
What are three of your most profound learning experiences? Where and when did they occur?
By age 18, the average American has seen 200,000 acts of violence on TV, including 40,000 murders. What is it about television violence that is so compelling to people?
Would you rather be loved or respected? Because?
Does social media represent individuals authentically? Explain with examples.
Imagine that it’s the last day of high school and you’ve been asked by a teacher to say a few words that summarize the events that have occurred over the last four years that are most meaningful to you. What do you say?

Middle School Prompts

Which classmate would be the best to lead us through a zombie apocalypse? Why?
What real-life situations would work out better for you if you were a different gender? Why?
How can you tell when someone your age is feeling insecure? Are most people more insecure or anxious than they let on?
If the internet were to crash forever, what would the benefits be for you? The drawbacks?
Write a scene that features a) a classmate, b) $100 million, and c) magical shoes.
What three features should your future house have? Why?
If you starred in a television show about your life, what would the show be called? What genre would it be? (Examples: comedy, drama, thriller, romance, action-adventure, fantasy, superhero, soap opera, reality, game show, space adventure, Western, tragedy, etc.) Summarize the plot of an episode.
In the future, what extreme sports will people be talking about?
Is your ethnicity an important part of your identity? How so?
You get to take one book, one food item, and one famous person (living or dead) to a deserted island. What and who do you take? Why?
Write a powerfully supportive email to yourself 10 years from now. Send that email to yourself using FutureMe.org .
You have been selected to be king or queen of your school. What are five rules that every kid should follow at your school? What should the punishment be for rule breakers?
What do the five friends you hang out with most have in common? How are you most like them? How are you different from them?
What contributes to someone becoming a bully? What can help stop someone from bullying?
Do you make friends slowly or quickly? Describe how one of your important friendships evolved.
Should we fear failure? Explain.
If a wizard could tell you anything about your future, what would you most like to know?
Do you believe in luck? Are you superstitious? How so? If not, why do you think some people are?

Elementary School Prompts

I wish my teachers knew that . . .
What’s the most beautiful person, place, or thing you’ve ever seen? Share what makes that person, place, or thing so special.
Which is better, giant muscles or incredible speed? Why?
What is your most difficult subject in school? Why is it difficult? What can you do to get better at that subject?
Rewrite “Hansel and Gretel” from the witch’s perspective.
Describe a scary situation that you’ve experienced.
What is your first memory? Describe it.
You wake up tomorrow with a silly superpower that makes you famous. What is that silly power? How does it lead to your becoming an international superstar?
Are you a good loser? Explain.
What are examples of things you want versus things you need?
Last Friday, you were given one wish by a magical panda. You tried so hard to make the wish positive, but after the whacked-out events that unfolded over the weekend, you regret ever meeting that tricky panda. What did you ask for, and what happened?
I wish my friends . . .
Describe a routine that you often or always do (in the morning, when you get home, Friday nights, before a game, etc.).
What things do all kids know that adults do not?
What TV or movie characters do you wish were real? Why?

After they’ve finished an entry, ask students to read their work aloud or exchange daybooks for a read-around. If you give the entries written feedback, show that their work is respected by using a sticky note or scratch paper.

You might also incorporate background writing music one day a week—say on “Music Monday.” For some examples of music you might use in class, Pitchfork has an article called “ The 50 Best Ambient Albums of All Time .” My favorite album for composing is the Birdy soundtrack by Peter Gabriel—a good one for older kids. Other Edutopia staff and bloggers like writing to Coffitivity , Noisli , Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven by Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and Alcest’s Souvenirs d’un Autre Monde .

Don’t forget to write along with your students. Why should they have all the fun?

What are your students’ favorite writing prompts?

451 Essay Topics for Grade 8 to Grade 12: Simple & Interesting Ideas

Are you tired of the same old essay topics? Well, buckle up because we’ll take your writing assignments to a new level! Whether you’re in grade 8 or grade 12, we’ve got exciting and engaging essay topics that will make your writing stand out.

A good essay topic sets the foundation for your paper, sparks your curiosity, and allows for creativity. In this article, you’ll find excellent ideas for different types of essays and school grades. So, pick a theme that excites you and watch your paper come to life!

🔝 Top 10 School Essay Topics

📝 types of essays, 🎒 essay topics for grade 8, 🚌 9th grade essay topics, 🏫 essay topics for grade 10, 🧑‍🏫 11th grade essay topics, 📓 essay topics for grade 12, ✏️ how to write an essay: 8th grade to 12th grade, ❓ school essay faq, 🔗 references.

The impact of social media on teenagers.
The significance of raising mental health awareness in schools.
The benefits of exercise for human well-being.
The role of technology in modern education.
The effects of climate change on our planet.
The significance of cultural diversity in society.
The pros and cons of online learning.
The influence of music on human emotions.
The challenges faced by today’s youth.
The power of literature in shaping students’ worldviews.

When it comes to writing essays, there are various types that you can encounter throughout your academic journey. Each type serves a different purpose and requires a distinct approach.

Let’s discuss the most common essay types before moving on to the topics.

In 8th grade, students start writing their first large academic papers. We made a list of essay topics for 8th graders to help boost their writing skills and inspire them. Check it out!

8th Grade Writing Prompts

Writing an essay is an excellent opportunity to share your views on a controversial topic . If you want your paper to make a difference, consider our opinion essay topics for grade 8.

The impact of cyberbullying on young people’s mental health . Write an essay discussing the potential consequences of cyberbullying on teenagers’ mental health. Enrich your paper with examples and research findings.
The influence of advertising on teenagers’ consumer behavior. What are the potential effects of advertising on teenagers’ buying habits and decision-making? Discuss the strategies advertisers use to target adolescents and how these marketing tactics contribute to excessive consumerism.
The benefits and challenges of online learning. Online learning has both benefits and drawbacks for students. In your essay, investigate how online learning can provide flexibility, access to resources, and personalized education. Additionally, refer to potential concerns, such as limited social interaction and technological barriers.
What is the role of social media influencers in shaping teenagers’ behavior? You can write an essay describing the impact of social media influencers on teenagers’ attitudes, values, and behaviors. Analyze the strategies used by influencers to gain followers and promote specific products or ideologies.
Emotional intelligence and teenagers’ well-being. Why is developing emotional intelligence essential for teenagers’ health? Discuss the benefits of emotional intelligence, such as improved self-awareness, empathy, and conflict-resolution skills. Provide strategies for teens to enhance their emotional intelligence and navigate challenging emotions effectively.

Persuasive Essay Topics for Grade 8

Check out our argumentative essay topics for 8th graders that will spark your and your reader’s curiosity!

Should school uniforms be mandatory?
Why Vocabulary Lessons Should Be Taught?
Should animal testing be banned?
The importance of arts education in schools.
Why Immigrants Should Receive Social Services?
The impact of fast food on public health.
Is homework necessary for academic success?
Higher Education Should Be Free for Everyone .
Should the sale of sugary drinks be restricted?
The impact of technology addiction on mental health.
Should plastic bags be banned?
Evaluation Essay: How To Achieve High Grade .
Should the driving age be raised or lowered?
Should zoos exist for conservation purposes?
Cell Phone Use While Driving Must Be Banned .
Should genetically modified organisms be banned?
The influence of media violence on youth behavior.
Some Reasons Why Reading Is Important .
Do emojis enhance or hinder communication skills?
Should recreational hunting and fishing be prohibited?
Why Electronic Book Is Better Than Print Book .
Should vaccines be mandatory for everyone?

Expository Essay Topics for Grade 8

Here are some more ideas for compare-and-contrast, cause-and-effect , and process essays.

Apple vs. Android: a comparison of smartphones.
Michael Jackson Vs Elvis Presley .
Effects of technology on human communication.
Fiction vs. non-fiction: analyzing different literary genres.
Communication: People-to-People vs. People-to-Devices .
Causes and effects of obesity in modern society.
Solutions to the problem of traffic congestion in cities.
“The Da Vinci Code”: Book vs Movie .
Traditional education vs. online learning.
The art of making homemade pizza: from dough to toppings.
House Activities vs. Personal Happiness .
Facebook vs. Twitter: comparing social media platforms.
Controlling air pollution: innovative solutions for cleaner cities.
Indian Wedding Vs. American Wedding .
How to plan and execute a successful event?
Cats vs. dogs: choosing the perfect pet companion.
Starbucks vs. Dunkin’ Donuts: Menu and Performance .
Cyberbullying : prevention and intervention strategies.
How to overcome procrastination and boost productivity?
Language and Identity: What Is the Connection?
City life vs. country life: contrasting lifestyles and environments.
Traditional books vs. e-books: exploring reading preferences.
Water Recycling: Why Is It Important?

This image shows the characteristics of an expository essay.

Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 8

Narrative essays are one of the most exciting types of written assignments. Check out our creative essay topics for 8th grade.

A memorable childhood event that shaped my personality.
Brief Description of the Tesla Company .
My first day of school: nervousness and excitement collide.
Overcoming a fear : how I conquered my phobia.
Impact of the Internet on Students’ Life .
The day I met my best friend: the beginning of a lifelong bond.
A family vacation I’ll never forget: adventures and mishaps.
When Learning Is Easy: My Experience in English .
My experience participating in a sports competition.
A personal achievement that filled me with pride.
My Experiences as a Walmart Employee .
The joy of becoming a sibling for the first time.
A hiking trip that showed me the beauty of nature.
Five Lessons From My First Semester .
The day I received unexpected news that changed my life.
A life-changing mentorship or guidance I received.
YouTube as My Favorite Media Platform .
A trip to a historical landmark that deepened my knowledge.
Discovering a hidden talent within myself.
A Person I Would Like to Be.
The time I got lost and found my way back.
The day I overcame stage fright and performed on stage.

Creative Writing Topics for Grade 8

Here are some ideas for creative writing in 8th grade.

Write a short story from the perspective of an inanimate object.
Imagine you wake up one morning with the ability to speak to animals . Describe your interactions throughout the day.
How to Groom Your Pet?
Create a diary entry in the form of a poem expressing the emotions of a historical figure.
Write a letter to your future self , exploring your hopes, dreams, and fears.
How the Beatles Influenced Music .
Imagine you discover a hidden door in your house that leads to a parallel universe. Describe your adventures in this new world.
Write a screenplay for a short film about a conflict between two best friends.
How Do Neurons Communicate?
Rewrite a fairy tale from the villain’s perspective, exploring their motivations and emotions.
Why Do Monsters Matter in Our Lives?
Create an alternate ending for a famous novel, explaining how it changes the story’s overall message.
Write a series of letters between two fictional characters who are in love but cannot be together.
Why Do Dogs Make the Best Pets?
Imagine you’re a time traveler who accidentally changes a historical event. Describe the consequences and how you attempt to fix them.
Write a poem capturing the essence of a favorite song or piece of music.
Why Do Good People Do Bad Things?
Create a character who can control the weather. Describe their experiences and struggles with this power.
Write a personal essay about a challenging experience that taught you an important life lesson.
”Doctor Strange”: Description and Interpretation .
Imagine you wake up one day with the ability to fly. Describe how this newfound power impacts your daily life.
My First Day at College .
Write a short story inspired by a painting or photograph, describing the scene and the emotions it evokes.

9th grade is one of the most memorable life chapters because students enter high school. To help you complete the written assignments and enjoy your free time, we made a list of essay ideas for 9th graders.

9th Grade Writing Prompts

Here are some excellent 9th-grade writing prompts you can use as inspiration for your paper.

Climate change and its impact on the environment. In this essay, you can analyze the causes and consequences of climate change. Explore the role of human activities, such as deforestation, pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions.
The power of literature: exploring themes and messages in a novel. Choose a book that you have read recently and analyze its themes and underlying ideas. Discuss how the author uses literary elements such as characterization, plot, setting, and symbolism to convey these concepts.
What is the role of cultural exchange in building bridges? Write an essay exploring the importance of cultural diversity and its impact on society. Discuss how multiculturalism contributes to a more prosperous and inclusive world. Highlight the benefits of cultural exchange.
The future of AI technology : opportunities and challenges. Reflect on the rapid advancement of AI technology and its potential implications for our future. Discuss how emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, and biotechnology affect our lives.
Human rights and social justice. Assess the importance of human rights and social justice in today’s world. Discuss critical human rights issues, for example, inequality, discrimination, access to education, or freedom of expression. How do activism, advocacy, and grassroots movements promote and protect human rights?

9th Grade Argumentative Essay Topics

School start times: Should they be adjusted?
The pros and cons of standardized testing .
Should Smoking Be Illegal?
Should the voting age be lowered?
Should College Education Be Free for All US Citizens?
Can nuclear waste be safely stored long-term?
Is censorship justified in the arts and media?
The effects of air pollution on human health.
Is society becoming overly reliant on technology?
Smartphone Addiction Among American Youth .
Should the United States allocate more funding to space exploration?
Does the school dress code perpetuate gender inequality?
Should single-use plastics be eliminated from society?
Best Missing Homework Excuse Ever .
Is it morally right to keep exotic animals as pets?
Should the minimum wage be increased or remain the same?
Physical Activity Education Among Young People .
How should the United States address the ongoing refugee crisis?
Is homework essential for academic success?
Benefits of Healthy Lifestyle .
Is technological advancement harmful or beneficial to humanity?

This image shows the argumentative essay structure.

Essay Topics for Grade 9 Students: Expository Writing

Friendship vs. romantic relationships: the dynamics of human connections.
Causes and consequences of bullying in schools .
Effects of smoking on health and well-being.
The Concept of Close Reading .
High school vs. college: differences in educational experiences.
Rural living vs. urban living : examining residential lifestyles.
The influence of parental divorce on children’s emotional development.
Solutions to the rising costs of college education.
The impact of technology on work-life balance.
Role-Playing Games as a Learning Tool .
The consequences of sleep deprivation on cognitive functions.
Negative Effects of Human Cloning .
Solutions for combating youth unemployment.
Student-Teacher Interaction in Inclusive Education .
Mastering the skill of time management: effective strategies.
Causes and effects of poverty in developing countries .
Paris as the Fashion Centre .
The problem of substance abuse and addiction: prevention and recovery.
Solutions for reducing gun violence in society.
The process of learning a foreign language successfully.

Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 9

A journey to a foreign country: cultural exploration and understanding.
Experience of the Worst Job .
The day I moved to a new city: challenges and adaptation.
My brush with danger: how I overcame a scary situation.
Life-Changing Events: Personal Experience .
The time I failed and learned the importance of resilience.
An encounter with a cultural tradition that broadened my perspective.
My experience volunteering for a worthy cause.
Most Memorable Childhood Christmas .
The day I overcame a personal prejudice or bias.
An adventure in the great outdoors: embracing nature’s beauty.
Personal Hobby Analysis .
A lesson I learned from a younger sibling or relative.
The impact of a remarkable teacher or mentor on my life.
Homer’s Odysseus as a Favorite Hero .
Exploring a different culture through food and cuisine.
My encounter with a famous personality : moments of inspiration.
The day I faced a moral dilemma and made a difficult choice.
Mindful Walking: Journey to Self-Discovery .
The bond between humans and animals: a touching connection.
Preserving family traditions: passing on values and heritage.
Educational Experiences And Significant Career Goals .

Creative Writing Topics for Grade 9

Design a dystopian society and write a story set within it, exploring the lives of its inhabitants.
Create a world where dreams come to life. Describe how dreaming and reality intersect in this unique universe.
The Purpose of Dreaming and Personal Sleep Habits .
Write a dialogue between two characters who are complete opposites in terms of personality and interests.
Write a poem using only colors, exploring their meanings and symbolism.
The Functions of Film Music: Essay Example .
Create a character who can communicate with plants. Explore the connections formed and the wisdom gained by this person.
Write a short story set in a post-apocalyptic world, focusing on the survival and resilience of the protagonist.
My Dream Car: Personal View .
Imagine you can time-travel but can only observe, not interfere. Write about the historical events you witness.
Create a character who is haunted by their past. Describe their journey toward healing and redemption.
Why Is Christmas the Best Holiday?
Compose a letter to your favorite fictional character, seeking advice or reflecting on their impact on your life.
Imagine you’re a detective solving a mysterious crime . Write the story from the detective’s perspective, including their deductions and discoveries.
Online Learning and Education Course Reflections .
Write a monologue for a character who is about to embark on a great adventure, expressing their hopes and fears.
Create a world where everyone has a unique superpower. Describe how society functions and how these powers affect individual lives.
Human Species Uniqueness Compared to Other Species .
Write a poem that embodies the spirit of a specific season, evoking the sensations and emotions associated with it.
Chinese New Year Celebration History .
Imagine you have the power to bring fictional characters to life. Write about the joys and challenges that come with this ability.
Write a short story exploring the theme of identity and self-discovery .

To write an outstanding essay in 10th grade, choose a topic that will motivate you throughout the writing process . We listed great topic ideas, including the thought-provoking 10th-grade argumentative essay topics.

10th Grade Writing Prompts

The causes and effects of bullying in schools. What is the long-term impact on both victims and bullies? Additionally, suggest practical strategies that can be implemented to prevent and address bullying within educational institutions.
The impact of social media on personal relationships and communication . Analyze how platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have altered how people connect with others.
The significance of climate change issues for future generations . What are the main contributors to climate change? Highlight the importance of sustainable practices and suggest ways individuals, communities, and governments can work together to combat climate change.
The portrayal of women in the media and its influence on gender roles and stereotypes. Analyze how media representations can affect the perception of self-worth, body image, and societal expectations. Additionally, discuss the role media plays in promoting inclusivity and empowering women.
The advantages and disadvantages of GMOs in agriculture. Examine the potential benefits, such as increased crop yields and resistance to pests, as well as possible concerns surrounding health, the environment, and biodiversity. Consider various perspectives and propose informed opinions on the topic.

Argumentative Essay Topics for 10th Grade

The benefits and challenges of online friendships and relationships.
Should Public Servants Have the Right to Strike?
The ethical implications of genetic modification in agriculture.
Should high schools require mandatory community service hours ?
Why Pitbulls Should Not Be Banned?
The consequences of the excessive use of technology in teenagers’ lives.
The importance of teaching consent in high schools.
The Right to Abortion Must Be Protected .
Should schools increase the focus on teaching critical thinking skills?
The impact of arts and music programs on students’ academic performance.
Animal Welfare: Why Animals Should Be Treated With Kindness and Respect .
Should schools teach coding and computer programming as core subjects?
The benefits and drawbacks of social media influencers in shaping consumer behavior.
Should People Under 18 Get a Tattoo?
Should school lunches be healthier and more nutritious?
The role of censorship in protecting children from harmful content in the media.
Should Schools Distribute Condoms?
The consequences of increasing dependence on technology in the classroom .
The impact of climate change denial on environmental policies and actions.
Solar Power as a Solution to Environmental Problems .
The role of school dress codes in promoting a respectful and inclusive environment.
The benefits and drawbacks of single-sex education.

10th Grade Essay Topics: Expository Writing

The problem of food insecurity : sustainable approaches for hunger relief.
A step-by-step guide to creating a budget and saving money.
Plato’s “Republic” – What Is Democracy?
Introverts vs. extroverts: contrasting personality traits.
Effects of climate change on biodiversity.
Criminality as a Result of Social Structure .
The impact of social media on political movements.
Causes and consequences of cybersecurity breaches .
Online shopping vs. in-store shopping: a comparison of retail experiences.
E-Commerce: The Change in Consumer Shopping .
Different generations: comparing baby boomers and millennials.
Causes and effects of teenage substance abuse.
Critical Thinking in Education .
Public school vs. homeschooling: comparing different approaches to education.
Friends vs. family: contrasting relationships in one’s life.
Education Impact on Life Quality .
The relationship between educational attainment and job opportunities.
Combating gender inequality: empowering women worldwide.
Characteristics of Students With Disabilities .
Addressing the challenges of an aging population: elderly care solutions.
The process of creating a podcast: from concept to publishing.

Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 10

The moment I learned an important life lesson.
My First Experience in Riding a Bicycle .
An unexpected act of kindness that touched my heart.
The time I took a risk and stepped out of my comfort zone.
Paris: Beautiful and Breathtaking .
An unforgettable concert experience: music and emotion intertwined.
How I discovered my passion and pursued it.
My Personal Development Plan as a Future Teacher .
Exploring my cultural heritage: connecting with ancestral roots.
Overcoming a personal obstacle: finding inner strength.
High School Challenges in Personal Experience .
The day I learned the value of gratitude and appreciation.
The day I witnessed an act of injustice and stood up for what’s right.
The Most Embarrassing Moment In my Life .
A humbling experience that taught me to embrace humility.
The time I found strength through vulnerability and opening up.
How Can a Person Change the World?
A life-altering trip abroad: immersion in a different culture.
The day I overcame a longstanding personal fear.
Losing a Loved One and Learning to Live Without Them .
An inspiring encounter with a role model or hero.
A childhood memory that brings joy to my life.
Personal Financial Goals for the Next Five Years .

This image shows tips for writing a narrative essay.

In this section, you will find top 11th-grade essay topics to make your papers memorable.

11th Grade Writing Prompts

The impact of AI and automation on employment. Examine how technological advancements may lead to job displacement, and analyze the potential for new job creation. Consider both the economic and social implications of these changes.
The long-term consequences of plastic pollution on ecosystems. What are the sources and impacts of plastic waste on marine life, biodiversity, and the food chain? Propose sustainable solutions to mitigate this global issue.
The impact of globalization on cultural diversity. Analyze how increased interconnectedness affects local traditions, languages, and cultural heritage. What measures can be taken to preserve and celebrate diverse cultures in a globalized world?
What are the ethical considerations of animal testing for scientific research? Analyze the arguments for and against using animals in experiments. Explore alternative methods to replace or reduce the reliance on animal testing.
The significance of media in forming public opinion during elections. Examine the impact of television, newspapers, and social media platforms on voters’ political choices. Which ethical considerations guide responsible journalism and unbiased reporting in democratic societies?

Persuasive Essay Topics for Grade 11

Should schools incorporate comprehensive sex education into their curriculum?
Are Marxist Criminologists Right to See Crime Control as Class Control?
Should performance-enhancing drugs in sports be allowed?
Does the death penalty effectively deter crime?
Gender Stereotypes: Should Real Men Wear Pink?
Should high schools teach financial literacy?
Is the use of surveillance cameras in public places justified?
Should COVID-19 Vaccines Be Mandatory?
Is climate change primarily caused by human activities?
Is online activism an effective means of bringing about social change?
Money as a Means Rather Than a Result of Achieving Happiness .
Is music censorship necessary?
Is graffiti a form of art or vandalism ?
Is it fair for college admissions to consider race as a factor?
Is there a need for comprehensive LGBTQ+ education in high schools?
The Solution to the Increasing Incidence of Criminals Reverting .
Should the government provide free college tuition for all students?
Is virtual reality a beneficial tool for education?
The Benefits of Taking Online Classes .
Is technology making people more or less socially connected?
Should there be stricter gun control laws?

Essay Topics for 11th Grade: Expository Writing

Natural beauty vs. makeup: comparing concepts of beauty standards .
The influence of advertising on consumer behavior.
The effects of technology on human productivity.
The relationship between excessive screen time and sleep disorders.
Solving the problem of bullying in online spaces.
Preventing substance abuse among adolescents: education and support.
Tackling environmental pollution: innovative solutions for cleaner air and water.
History of Batteries, What Is a Battery, Recycling of Batteries .
Addressing the issue of food deserts: access to nutritious food.
A step-by-step guide to mastering soft skills .
How to start a YouTube channel: a process guide.
Art Definition: Modern vs. Traditional .
Traditional art vs. digital art: contrasting artistic mediums.
Introverted leaders vs. extroverted leaders: comparing leadership styles.
Google Search Explained: Search for Beginners .
Deforestation in the Amazon rainforest: causes and effects.
The influence of technology on communication skills.
What Is Digital Literacy?
Combating digital addiction: promoting healthy technology use.

Working on your writing skills in 12th grade is essential so that you can later successfully deal with college assignments. We hope our list of 12th-grade essay topics will spark your creativity and catch readers’ attention.

12th Grade Writing Prompts

The impact of globalization on the economy of your country. Discuss how global trade, outsourcing, and foreign investment have influenced domestic industries, job markets, and income inequality. Additionally, you can evaluate the government’s role in managing these effects and promoting economic growth.
The origins and effects of income inequality in society . What are the leading factors contributing to wealth disparities? Refer to education, social mobility, and public policy. Discuss the potential consequences of income inequality and propose measures to address this issue.
The role of education in fostering gender equality . What are the challenges and barriers girls and women face in accessing quality education? Discuss the potential benefits of gender-inclusive policies and programs to empower girls and women and promote gender equity.
The impact of immigration on cultural diversity and social cohesion. For this essay topic, study how migration patterns contribute to multicultural societies and the enrichment of cultural traditions. Consider the social, economic, and political implications of immigration and explore strategies for fostering inclusive communities.
The role of artificial intelligence in healthcare. Assess AI’s potential benefits and ethical considerations in diagnosing diseases, personalized medicine, and health data management. Discuss the opportunities and challenges presented by AI in improving healthcare outcomes.

Persuasive Essay Topics for 12th Grade

Is online dating a reliable way to find true love?
Should professional athletes be role models for children?
Smoking Should Be Banned in Public Places .
Is it essential for high schools to offer courses in personal finance?
Should the use of corporal punishment be allowed in schools?
Is multiculturalism beneficial to society?
Should Canada Provide Free Tuition for University Students?
Is it ethical to use animals in circuses and entertainment shows?
Should the government provide free healthcare for all citizens?
Government Must Control TV Show Contents .
Is age discrimination prevalent in the workplace?
Is it necessary to have strict gun control laws to reduce gun violence?
Should college education be free for all students?
Why Must We Protect Crocodiles?
Should the government regulate the use of artificial intelligence in industries?
Is it important to have stricter regulations on the food industry to combat obesity?
What Qualities Should a Leader Have?
Is technological advancement leading to job loss and unemployment?
Is homeschooling a viable option for students with special needs?
Is digital privacy becoming a thing of the past?

12th Grade Essay Topics: Expository Writing

The process of writing a compelling research paper.
The influence of advertising on children’s behavior and perception.
The process of building a website from scratch.
Smart House System Technology Explained .
The steps involved in starting a small business.
The effects of globalization on cultural identity.
Mars and Earth Comparison .
Coffee vs. tea: contrasting popular beverages and their effects.
Causes of water pollution and its effects on marine life.
What Is Meant By Social Science Paradigms?
The issue of air pollution: solutions for cleaner air quality.
Causes and consequences of income inequality in developing countries.
How to Achieve a Goal?
Solving the challenges of affordable housing.
Tackling the problem of plastic waste : promoting recycling and sustainability.
Addressing mental health stigma in society: creating supportive communities.
The Problem of Global Warming and Ways of Its Solution .
A step-by-step guide to writing a winning scholarship essay.
The process of developing an effective study routine: tips for academic success.
Evaluating the Solution to the Nurse Shortage Issue .
The issue of traffic congestion: strategies for improving transportation systems.

Creative Writing Topics for Grade 12

Write a personal essay about an influential person in your life and how they have shaped your worldview.
Personal Experience: How Being Bullied Shaped Me .
Imagine you find a portal that leads to a mythical realm. Write about your encounters with mythical creatures and the lessons you learn.
Create a character who can hear the thoughts of others. Explore the ethical dilemmas and challenges they face.
Personal Responsibility and Its Limits .
Write a dialogue between two historical figures from different periods, discussing their views on a specific topic.
Compose a poem that captures the beauty and complexity of the natural world.
Etihad Airways’ Passenger Self-Service Project .
Write a short story set in a future where books are banned. Tackle the issues of the power of literature and the fight for intellectual freedom.
Imagine you find a magical object that grants you three wishes. Write about your desires and how they change your life.
John Lennon’s “Imagine” as a Secular Hymn .
Write a personal essay about a difficult decision you had to make and the lessons you learned from it.
Claude Monet’s “Impression, Sunrise.”
Create a character who can communicate with ghosts. Describe this character’s experiences and the insights they gain from the afterlife.
Write a poem about the power of love, exploring its different dimensions and forms.
Cinderella Fairy Tale in Narratology and Feminism .
Imagine you wake up one day with the ability to speak every language. Write about how this talent affects your interactions with others.
Analysis of the Images Created in Painting Arts .
Create a character who can manipulate emotions. Explore the consequences of this power and the moral implications.
Write a short story set in a world where technology has taken over, and humans are losing their ability to connect.
Image of a Zombie: Researching of Zombie Behavior .
Imagine you are stranded on a deserted island. Write a diary entry describing your daily struggles and your journey toward survival.
Write a personal essay about a significant turning point in your life and how it has shaped you.

This image shows the three-act structure of creating writing.

Of course, an essay in 8th Grade will differ from more complex writing in high school. However, some general rules will help you write an outstanding paper in any grade. Check out our essay-writing guide!

What is Porter’s five forces example?

There are ten main types of essays : narrative, descriptive, expository, persuasive, argumentative, process, definition, critical, cause-and-effect, and compare-and-contrast. It is worth noting that these categories are not mutually exclusive, and a paper may often combine elements from multiple types.

How Long Is an Essay in 8th Grade?

The length of an essay in 8th grade can vary depending on the specific assignment or teacher’s instructions. However, it is typical for essays in 8th grade to be around 300-500 words or about 1-2 pages , considering a standard double-spaced format with 12-point font.

How Long is an Essay in High School?

The length of an essay in high school can vary based on the assignment, subject, and teacher’s guidelines. High school essays usually take 500 to 1500 words (3-5 pages) or more, depending on the complexity of the topic. The final papers can be 1250-1750 words (5-7 pages).

How to Write a Personal Narrative Essay for High School?

To write a personal narrative essay for high school, follow these steps:

Choose a meaningful experience from your life.
Craft a catchy introduction to engage readers.
Develop the storyline with vivid descriptions and dialogue.
Reflect on the significance of the experience in the conclusion.
Edit and revise for clarity, coherence, and grammar.
The Big List of Essay Topics for High School (100+ Ideas!) | We Are Teachers
9th Grade Writing Prompts | Study.com
61 General Expository Essay Topic Ideas to Practice Academic Writing | ThoughtCo
60 Interesting Persuasive Essay Topics for Kids and Teens | We Are Teachers
8th Grade Persuasive Writing Prompts | Study.com
Expository Writing: Types and How to Write in This Style | Indeed
Essay Writing | Purdue Online Writing Lab
Five Steps to Writing an Essay | University of Pittsburgh
50 Writing Prompts for All Grade Levels | Edutopia
Journal Writing Prompts for High School | Love to Know
50+ Uncommon Expository Essay Topics | YourDictionary
43 Dynamic Writing Prompts for High School | YourDictionary
Personal Narrative Essays | San José State University Writing Center
10 Types of Essays: Examples and Purposes of Each | Indeed
Over 1,000 Writing Prompts for Students | The New York Times
Personal Essay Topics | ThoughtCo
500 Prompts for Narrative and Personal Writing | Oregon State University
10 Ideas for Narrative Essay Writing | Lehigh University Scalar
Narrative Essay | Nova Southeastern University
37 Creative Writing Prompts for High School | Love to Know
Share to Facebook
Share to Twitter X
Share to LinkedIn

Tips to study faster: a guide for struggling learners, how to make a powerful student vision board, how to stop overthinking: 11 tips & 3 simple exercises.

Share full article

Supported by

Over 170 Prompts to Inspire Writing and Discussion

Here are all of our Student Opinion questions from the 2020-21 school year. Each question is based on a different New York Times article, interactive feature or video.

By The Learning Network

Each school day we publish a new Student Opinion question, and students use these writing prompts to reflect on their experiences and identities and respond to current events unfolding around them. To introduce each question, we provide an excerpt from a related New York Times article or Opinion piece as well as a free link to the original article.

During the 2020-21 school year, we asked 176 questions, and you can find them all below or here as a PDF . The questions are divided into two categories — those that provide opportunities for debate and persuasive writing, and those that lend themselves to creative, personal or reflective writing.

Teachers can use these prompts to help students practice narrative and persuasive writing, start classroom debates and even spark conversation between students around the world via our comments section. For more ideas on how to use our Student Opinion questions, we offer a short tutorial along with a nine-minute video on how one high school English teacher and her students use this feature .

Questions for Debate and Persuasive Writing

1. Should Athletes Speak Out On Social and Political Issues? 2. Should All Young People Learn How to Invest in the Stock Market? 3. What Are the Greatest Songs of All Time? 4. Should There Be More Gender Options on Identification Documents? 5. Should We End the Practice of Tipping? 6. Should There Be Separate Social Media Apps for Children? 7. Do Marriage Proposals Still Have a Place in Today’s Society? 8. How Do You Feel About Cancel Culture? 9. Should the United States Decriminalize the Possession of Drugs? 10. Does Reality TV Deserve Its Bad Rap? 11. Should the Death Penalty Be Abolished? 12. How Should Parents Support a Student Who Has Fallen Behind in School? 13. When Is It OK to Be a Snitch? 14. Should People Be Required to Show Proof of Vaccination? 15. How Much Have You and Your Community Changed Since George Floyd’s Death? 16. Can Empathy Be Taught? Should Schools Try to Help Us Feel One Another’s Pain? 17. Should Schools or Employers Be Allowed to Tell People How They Should Wear Their Hair? 18. Is Your Generation Doing Its Part to Strengthen Our Democracy? 19. Should Corporations Take Political Stands? 20. Should We Rename Schools Named for Historical Figures With Ties to Racism, Sexism or Slavery? 21. How Should Schools Hold Students Accountable for Hurting Others? 22. What Ideas Do You Have to Improve Your Favorite Sport? 23. Are Presidential Debates Helpful to Voters? Or Should They Be Scrapped? 24. Is the Electoral College a Problem? Does It Need to Be Fixed? 25. Do You Care Who Sits on the Supreme Court? Should We Care? 26. Should Museums Return Looted Artifacts to Their Countries of Origin? 27. Should Schools Provide Free Pads and Tampons? 28. Should Teachers Be Allowed to Wear Political Symbols? 29. Do You Think People Have Gotten Too Relaxed About Covid? 30. Who Do You Think Should Be Person of the Year for 2020? 31. How Should Racial Slurs in Literature Be Handled in the Classroom? 32. Should There Still Be Snow Days? 33. What Are Your Reactions to the Storming of the Capitol by a Pro-Trump Mob? 34. What Do You Think of the Decision by Tech Companies to Block President Trump? 35. If You Were a Member of Congress, Would You Vote to Impeach President Trump? 36. What Would You Do First if You Were the New President? 37. Who Do You Hope Will Win the 2020 Presidential Election? 38. Should Media Literacy Be a Required Course in School? 39. What Are Your Reactions to the Results of Election 2020? Where Do We Go From Here? 40. How Should We Remember the Problematic Actions of the Nation’s Founders? 41. As Coronavirus Cases Surge, How Should Leaders Decide What Stays Open and What Closes? 42. What Is Your Reaction to the Inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris? 43. How Worried Should We Be About Screen Time During the Pandemic? 44. Should Schools Be Able to Discipline Students for What They Say on Social Media? 45. What Works of Art, Culture and Technology Flopped in 2020? 46. How Do You Feel About Censored Music? 47. Why Do You Think ‘Drivers License’ Became Such a Smash Hit? 48. Justice Ginsburg Fought for Gender Equality. How Close Are We to Achieving That Goal? 49. How Well Do You Think Our Leaders Have Responded to the Coronavirus Crisis? 50. To What Extent Is the Legacy of Slavery and Racism Still Present in America in 2020? 51. How Should We Reimagine Our Schools So That All Students Receive a Quality Education? 52. How Concerned Do You Think We Should Be About the Integrity of the 2020 Election? 53. What Issues in This Election Season Matter Most to You? 54. Is Summer School a Smart Way to Make Up for Learning Lost This School Year? 55. What Is Your Reaction to the Senate’s Acquittal of Former President Trump? 56. What Is the Worst Toy Ever? 57. How Should We Balance Safety and Urgency in Developing a Covid-19 Vaccine? 58. What Are Your Reactions to Oprah’s Interview With Harry and Meghan? 59. Should the Government Provide a Guaranteed Income for Families With Children? 60. Should There Be More Public Restrooms? 61. Should High School-Age Basketball Players Be Able to Get Paid? 62. Should Team Sports Happen This Year? 63. Who Are the Best Musical Artists of the Past Year? What Are the Best Songs? 64. Should We Cancel Student Debt? 65. How Closely Should Actors’ Identities Reflect the Roles They Play? 66. Should White Writers Translate a Black Author’s Work? 67. Would You Buy an NFT? 68. Should Kids Still Learn to Tell Time? 69. Should All Schools Teach Financial Literacy? 70. What Is Your Reaction to the Verdict in the Derek Chauvin Trial? 71. What Is the Best Way to Stop Abusive Language Online? 72. What Are the Underlying Systems That Hold a Society Together? 73. What Grade Would You Give President Biden on His First 100 Days? 74. Should High Schools Post Their Annual College Lists? 75. Are C.E.O.s Paid Too Much? 76. Should We Rethink Thanksgiving? 77. What Is the Best Way to Get Teenagers Vaccinated? 78. Do You Want Your Parents and Grandparents to Get the New Coronavirus Vaccine? 79. What Is Your Reaction to New Guidelines That Loosen Mask Requirements? 80. Who Should We Honor on Our Money? 81. Is Your School’s Dress Code Outdated? 82. Does Everyone Have a Responsibility to Vote? 83. How Is Your Generation Changing Politics?

Questions for Creative and Personal Writing

84. What Does Your Unique Style Say About You? 85. How Do You Spend Your Downtime? 86. Would You Want to Live to 200? 87. How Do You Connect to Your Heritage? 88. What Do You Think Are the Secrets to Happiness? 89. Are You a Sneakerhead? 90. What Role Have Mentors Played in Your Life? 91. If You Could Make Your Own Podcast, What Would It Be About? 92. Have You Ever Felt Pressure to ‘Sell Your Pain’? 93. Do You Think You Make Good Climate Choices? 94. What Does TikTok Mean to You? 95. Do Your Parents Overpraise You? 96. Do You Want to Travel in Space? 97. Do You Feel You’re Friends With Celebrities or Influencers You Follow Online? 98. Would You Eat Food Grown in a Lab? 99. What Makes You Cringe? 100. What Volunteer Work Would You Most Like to Do? 101. How Do You Respond When People Ask, ‘Where Are You From?’ 102. Has a School Assignment or Activity Ever Made You Uncomfortable? 103. How Does Your Identity Inform Your Political Beliefs and Values? 104. Are You an Orchid, a Tulip or a Dandelion? 105. Are You Having a Tough Time Maintaining Friendships These Days? 106. How Is Your Mental Health These Days? 107. Do You Love Writing or Receiving Letters? 108. What Has Television Taught You About Social Class? 109. Are You Easily Distracted? 110. What Objects Bring You Comfort? 111. What Is Your Favorite Memory of PBS? 112. Have You Ever Felt Embarrassed by Your Parents? 113. What Are You Doing to Combat Pandemic Fatigue? 114. Have You Ever Worried About Making a Good First Impression? 115. What Do You Want Your Parents to Know About What It’s Like to Be a Teenager During the Pandemic? 116. How Have You Collaborated From a Distance During the Pandemic? 117. How Important Is It to You to Have Similar Political Beliefs to Your Family and Friends? 118. How Are You Feeling About Winter This Year? 119. Which Celebrity Performer Would You Like to Challenge to a Friendly Battle? 120. How Mentally Tough Are You? 121. What Smells Trigger Powerful Memories for You? 122. What Are You Thankful for This Year? 123. Do You Miss Hugs? 124. Are You a Good Conversationalist? 125. What Habits Have You Started or Left Behind in 2020? 126. What Was the Best Art and Culture You Experienced in 2020? 127. What’s Your Relationship With Masks? 128. What Role Does Religion Play in Your Life? 129. How Will You Be Celebrating the Holidays This Year? 130. What Is Something Good That Happened in 2020? 131. What New Flavor Ideas Do You Have for Your Favorite Foods? 132. What Are Your Hopes and Concerns for the New School Year? 133. How Has 2020 Challenged or Changed You? 134. What Do You Hope for Most in 2021? 135. How Do You View Death? 136. What Is Your Favorite Fact You Learned in 2020? 137. What Are the Places in the World That You Love Most? 138. Have You Ever Experienced ‘Impostor Syndrome’? 139. How Well Do You Get Along With Your Siblings? 140. Do You Talk to Your Family About the Cost of College? 141. Do You Have a Healthy Diet? 142. How Do You Feel About Mask-Slipping? 143. Do You Believe in Manifesting? 144. How Do You Express Yourself Creatively? 145. What Are Your Family’s House Rules During the Covid Crisis? 146. What Online Communities Do You Participate In? 147. Have You Experienced Any Embarrassing Zoom Mishaps? 148. What Does Your Country’s National Anthem Mean to You? 149. Are Sports Just Not the Same Without Spectators in the Stands? 150. Would You Volunteer for a Covid-19 Vaccine Trial? 151. What ‘Old’ Technology Do You Think Is Cool? 152. Have You Ever Tried to Grow Something? 153. How Has the Pandemic Changed Your Relationship to Your Body? 154. How Do You Find New Books, Music, Movies or Television Shows? 155. Are You Nervous About Returning to Normal Life? 156. How Do You Celebrate Spring? 157. How Do You Talk With People Who Don’t Share Your Views? 158. Would You Want to Be a Teacher Someday? 159. What Would You Recommend That Is ‘Overlooked and Underappreciated’? 160. What Children’s Books Have Had the Biggest Impact on You? 161. What Is Your Gender Identity? 162. Have You Hit a Wall? 163. What Is the Code You Live By? 164. Do You Think You Have Experienced ‘Learning Loss’ During the Pandemic? 165. What Are the Most Memorable Things You’ve Seen or Experienced in Nature? 166. Do You Want to Have Children Someday? 167. What Have You Learned About Friendship This Year? 168. What Seemingly Mundane Feats Have You Accomplished? 169. Has a Celebrity Ever Convinced You to Do Something? 170. How Have You Commemorated Milestones During the Pandemic? 171. How Often Do You Read, Watch or Listen to Things Outside of Your Comfort Zone? 172. Do You Think You Live in a Political Bubble? 173. What Is Your Relationship With the Weight-Loss Industry? 174. What Have You Made This Year? 175. How Are You Right Now? 176. What Are You Grateful For?

Want more writing prompts?

You can find even more Student Opinion questions in our 300 Questions and Images to Inspire Argument Writing , 550 Prompts for Narrative and Personal Writing and 130 New Prompts for Argumentative Writing . We also publish daily Picture Prompts , which are image-centered posts that provide space for many different kinds of writing. You can find all of our writing prompts, added as they publish, here .

Reading Worksheets, Spelling, Grammar, Comprehension, Lesson Plans

50 Narrative Essay Topics

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but a narrative essay can also tell an exciting story and create vivid pictures in the reader’s mind! We’ve got 50 narrative essay topics designed to prompt students to craft memorable written narratives. These can be modified for students in elementary, middle and high school. Feel free to print the entire narrative essay topics list for plenty of inspiration for your next narrative essay assignment!

Narrative Essay Topics

Your first day of school.
Your most exciting day of school
A field trip that your class took.
Your favorite summer vacation.
A trip that included something unexpected or surprising.
A time that you experienced something spooky.
A time that you experienced something truly frightening.
A time that you learned something new that changed you in some way.
The moment when you met someone who changed your life.
The day that you got your first pet.
A move from one place to another.
Something funny that happened to you.
Something funny that happened to one of your family members or friends.
Something embarrassing that happened to you.
Your favorite birthday party.
A birthday that was disappointing.
A big storm (rain, snow or even a tornado!).
A time that the power went out.
A summer day when the temperature got much higher than expected.
A time when you went to an amusement park.
A time when you got lost somewhere.
A memorable experience with a favorite family member.
A sad experience with someone about whom you care.
Your most exciting moment playing sports.
Your most exciting moment performing in a play, singing, playing music or dancing.
An experience that left you feeling frustrated.
An experience that was hard but ended up being worth it.
A time that you experienced rejection.
A weird encounter with a stranger.
A random act of kindness.
A time that you took a stand for someone or for an issue that you care about.
A moment when you thought you might get hurt but didn’t.
Breaking a bone (or otherwise suffering an injury).
Your first time away from home for the night (or longer).
A time when you experienced a historic event.
Where you were when a major event happened. (Note: You don’t need to have been at the site of the event; this prompt is about where you were when you found out about the event and how you reacted.)
A time when you rebelled against your parents or teacher.
A dangerous experience.
A misunderstanding between yourself and someone else.
A difficult decision that you had to make.
The end of a friendship or relationship.
The beginning of a friendship or relationship.
A time when you judged someone first and then realized that you were wrong about the person.
A time when someone judged you first and then realized that he or she was wrong about you.
A moment when you felt that you were starting to grow up.
A time when you saw one or both of your parents in a different light.
A time when you looked up to your older sibling.
A time when your younger sibling looked up to you.
A time when you were grateful to be an only child.
An experience that you think has only ever happened to you!

Looking for more essay topics? Compare and Contrast Essay Topics Descriptive Essay Topics Cause and Effect Essay Topics Persuasive Essay and Speech Topics

You are using an outdated browser and it's not supported. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience.

LOGIN FOR PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS
PROGRAM SUPPORT

Personal Narrative Essay

Description.

There may be cases when our downloadable resources contain hyperlinks to other websites. These hyperlinks lead to websites published or operated by third parties. UnboundEd and EngageNY are not responsible for the content, availability, or privacy policies of these websites.

Grade 12 ELA Module 1, Unit 3 - Full Unit
Grade 12 ELA Module 1, Unit 3 Overview

Bilingual Language Progressions

These resources, developed by the New York State Education Department, provide standard-level scaffolding suggestions for English Language Learners (ELLs) to help them meet grade-level demands. Each resource contains scaffolds at multiple levels of language acquisition and describes the linguistic demands of the standards to help ELA teachers as well as ESL/bilingual teachers scaffold content for their English learning students.

CCSS Standard:
L.11.12.1 ,
L.11.12.1A ,
L.11.12.1B ,
SL.11.12.4 ,
SL.11.12.6 ,
W.11.12.3A ,
W.11.12.3B ,
W.11.12.3C ,
W.11.12.3D ,
W.11.12.3E ,
W.11.12.4 ,
W.11.12.5 ,

In This Unit

lesson 1: Drafting Narrative Essay
lesson 2: Revising and Components of an Introduction
lesson 3: Narrative Techniques
lesson 4: Building Toward an Outcome
lesson 5: Precision, Language, and Voice
lesson 6: Peer Review
lesson 7: Final Drafts

Related Guides and Multimedia

Our professional learning resources include teaching guides, videos, and podcasts that build educators' knowledge of content related to the standards and their application in the classroom.

Building Fluency: Unbound A Guide to 6-12 ELA/Literacy Practices

See All Guides

Grades 6-12
School Leaders

Learn How to Support Stressed and Anxious Students.

101 Interesting Persuasive Essay Topics for Kids and Teens

Use your words to sway the reader.

Persuasive Essay Topics: Should we allow little kids to play competitive sports?

Persuasive writing is one of those skills that can help students succeed in real life. Persuasive essays are similar to argumentative , but they rely less on facts and more on emotion to sway the reader. It’s important to know your audience so you can anticipate any counterarguments they might make and try to overcome them. Try reading some mentor texts to show kids great examples of opinion writing. Then use these persuasive essay topics for practice.

School and Education Persuasive Essay Topics

Life and ethics persuasive essay topics, science and technology persuasive essay topics, sports and entertainment persuasive essay topics, just for fun persuasive essay topics.

Do you think homework should be required, optional, or not given at all?

Persuasive Essay Topics: Do you think homework should be required, optional, or not given at all?

Students should/should not be able to use their phones during the school day.
Should schools have dress codes?
If I could change one school rule, it would be …
Is year-round school a good idea?
Should we stop giving final exams?
Is it better to be good at academics or good at sports?

Is it better to be good at academics or good at sports?

Which is better, private schools or public schools?
Should every student have to participate in athletics?
Do you think schools should ban junk food from their cafeterias?
Should students be required to volunteer in their communities?
What is the most important school subject?
Are letter grades helpful, or should we replace them with something else?

Persuasive Essay Topics: Are letter grades helpful, or should we replace them with something else?

Is it ever OK to cheat on homework or a test?
Should students get to grade their teachers?
Do you think college should be free for anyone who wants to attend?
Should schools be allowed to ban some books from their libraries?
Which is better, book smarts or street smarts?

Which is better, book smarts or street smarts?

Should all students have to learn a foreign language?
Are single-gender schools better or worse for students?
Is it OK to eat animals?
What animal makes the best pet?
Visit an animal shelter, choose an animal that needs a home, and write an essay persuading someone to adopt that animal.
If you find money on the ground, should you try to find the person who lost it, or is it yours to keep?

If you find money on the ground, should you try to find the person who lost it, or is it yours to keep?

Who faces more peer pressure, girls or boys?
Should all Americans be required to vote?
Is it better to be kind or truthful?
Which is better, giving or receiving?
Is it OK to keep animals in zoos?
Should we change the minimum driving age in the United States?

Should we change the minimum driving age in the United States?

Which is more important, happiness or success?
Is democracy the best form of government?
Is social media helpful or harmful?
Should parents be punished for their children’s mistakes or crimes?
Should kids have set bedtimes or just go to bed when they’re sleepy?
Do you think the government should find a way to provide free health care for everyone?

Do you think the government should find a way to provide free health care for everyone?

Is it better to save your allowance or spend it?
Should we ban plastic bags and bottles?
Which is better, living in the city or in the country?
If I could make a new law, it would be …
Is Pluto a planet?
Should human cloning be legal?
Should vaccines be mandatory?
Is it right for countries to still maintain nuclear weapon arsenals?

Is it right for countries to still maintain nuclear weapon arsenals?

Should testing on animals be made illegal?
Will expanded use of artificial intelligence be good for humanity?
Should all people have free Internet access in their homes?
Is there intelligent life on other planets?
Does technology create more jobs than it eliminates?
Should parents use their children’s cell phones to track where they are?
Should scientists try to develop a way for people to live forever?

Should scientists try to develop a way for people to live forever?

What’s the best type of smartphone: Android or iPhone?
Which is better, Macs or PCs?
Do people rely too much on technology in the modern world?
Should cryptocurrencies replace cash?
Should there be a minimum age requirement to own a smartphone?
Is it important to keep spending money on space exploration, or should we use the money for other things?

Is it important to keep spending money on space exploration, or should we use the money for other things?

Should kids under 13 be allowed to use social media sites?
Should we ban cigarette smoking and vaping entirely?
Is it better to be an animal that lives in the water or on land?
Should kids be allowed to watch TV on school nights?
Which is better, paper books or e-books?
Is the current movie rating system (G, PG, PG-13, etc.) effective?
Are video games better than board games?
Should we allow little kids to play competitive sports?

Should we allow little kids to play competitive sports?

Which is better, reading books or watching TV?
Does playing violent video games make people more violent in real life?
Are graphic novels just as valuable as traditional fictional books?
Should everyone play on the same sports teams, regardless of gender?
Choose a book that’s been made into a movie. Which was better, the movie or the book?

Choose a book that's been made into a movie. Which was better, the movie or the book?

Who is the world’s best athlete, present or past?
Are professional athletes/musicians/actors overpaid?
Which is better, fiction or nonfiction?
The best music genre is …
What is one book that everyone should read?
What new sport should be added to the Olympics?

What new sport should be added to the Olympics?

What’s the best video game system?
Does playing video games make you smarter?
Does reality TV actually depict real life?
Should all neighborhoods have free parks and playgrounds?
What’s the best holiday?
The very best food of all time is …
Which is better, artificial Christmas trees or real ones?

Which is better, artificial Christmas trees or real ones?

What’s the best season of the year?
Should you put ketchup on a hot dog?
Is a taco a sandwich?
Does fruit count as dessert?
Should people have to go to school or work on their birthday?
Are clowns scary or funny?
Which is more dangerous, werewolves or vampires?

Which is more dangerous, werewolves or vampires?

The best pizza topping is …
What would be the best superpower to have?
Should everyone make their bed every day?
Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
Should you put pineapple on a pizza?
Should you eat macaroni and cheese with a spoon or a fork?

Should you eat macaroni and cheese with a spoon or a fork?

Describe the world’s best ice cream sundae.
Is Monday the worst day of the week?
Would you rather travel back in time or forward in time?
Is it better to be too hot or too cold?
Are there aliens living among us here on Earth?

What are your favorite persuasive essay topics for students? Come exchange ideas in the We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook .

Plus, check out the big list of essay topics for high school (120+ ideas) ..

Need some ideas for practicing persuasive writing skills? These persuasive essay topics provide lots of scope for students of all ages.

What one class should all high schools students be required to take and pass in order to graduate?

The Big List of Essay Topics for High School (120+ Ideas!)

Ideas to inspire every young writer! Continue Reading

205 Essay Topics for Grade 8, 9, 10, 12 + Writing Tips [2024]

We came up with this guide to make school essay writing easy for you. Need some creative writing topics for grade 8? Or recommendations for the 11th-grade expository paper? We’ve got you!

Our specialists will write a custom essay specially for you!

Helpful tips and essay topics for grades 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12— our Custom-writing.org team has advice for everyone. Here, you’ll find:

205 great essay ideas;
tips on how to write argumentative and persuasive papers.

In fact, our recommendations will be perfectly suitable for both middle and high school students. Still, there will be some grade-specific information. So, start with the 8th-grade essay topics and tips and read till the end!

✏️ 8th Grade Essay
📜 9th Grade Essay
📚 10th Grade Essay
🧑‍🎓 11th Grade Essay
🎓 12th Grade Essay

🔗 References

✏️ essay or class 8: topics & tips, top 10 essay topics for grade 8.

The future of print books
Aliens in science fiction
Why do people need art?
What’s the point of fashion?
Why homework is useless
A book that changed the world
Should all education be free?
Should people learn foreign languages?
The world’s biggest secret
The next scientific breakthrough

8th Grade Essay: How to Write

You already know how to write short, simple essays. In an 8th grade, however, you need to make a point , collect evidence , and present it in your paper. This is when learners start experiencing difficulties with their essay writing.

The picture enumerates the ways to approach research of an essay's subject.

We want to present to you some helpful tips that will help you write excellent papers. Check them out:

Do your research. It’s especially important with argumentative, persuasive, and analytical papers. So, before you start writing, you should go to a library or at least search for information online.
Make outlines. 8th grade is the right time to start making outlines for your essays if you haven’t made them before. It’s best to write an outline after researching the topic since you need to organize all the information.
Be positive. Thinking of your essay as a burden won’t do you any good. You can make things easier by being more positive. Try to pretend your essay is a story you want to tell your friends. It has a main storyline ( thesis statement ), plot twists (arguments), and you wrap everything up in the end.
Make it interesting for yourself. Find the things that excite you the most about your topic. For example, you can try to think of surprising facts you’ve learned while researching it.
Start with 5 sentences. Feeling overwhelmed is another factor that makes it hard to write an excellent essay. The thing to remember is that at the core of any essay there are just 5 sentences. The rest is just additional information to back them up. So, what are these sentences?
Thesis statement. This is where you describe the whole idea of your paper.
Topic sentence 1. The first sentence develops your thesis a bit more.
Topic sentence 2. You add a counterargument here.
Topic sentence 3. Here, you explain how that counterargument helps the case and introduce ways to solve the issue.
Conclusion. Summarize and wrap everything up.
Write the body paragraphs first. After they’re done, it will be easier for you to write the conclusion and introduction since they both basically summarize your whole paper.
Always proofread and edit your essays. 8th-grade teachers are strict when it comes to mistakes and inaccuracies.

Essay Topics for Class 8 in Various Subjects

The deadline is approaching, and you’re out of ideas? This section is for you. Topics provided below can prompt you to write an excellent paper:

Just in 1 hour! We will write you a plagiarism-free paper in hardly more than 1 hour

Noise pollution , or Let me hear nature. Noise pollution refers to exposure to high sound levels. In your paper, examine the level of noise pollution in modern cities. Alternatively, you may concentrate on the impact it has on people or domestic animals.
Can robots replace people? Robots perform many tasks faster and better than people do. You can think of professions that may disappear in the near future because of it. You may also think about the spheres that robots can never dominate.
Do children need handwriting skills? Many children (and adults) hate writing by hand. Some even say that people don’t need such skills anymore. Messages are mainly typed now. What do you think about the value of handwriting skills? Should students still be taught them?
Can people live in isolation ? The COVID-19 pandemic made countries launch strict lockdowns . People had to be isolated for many weeks. Such isolation leads to health problems, such as depression and anxiety. What does it tell us about the importance of communication?
Age-based film ratings . Do you agree that age restrictions should exist? Can some movies be excessively violent and inappropriate for some age groups? Is it a kind of discrimination ? What aspects should be considered to impose age restrictions?
Should people go to Mars or the Moon? Why or why not?
What can make a person truly happy?
Who is the mightiest hero among fictional characters?
Write about the bad habits you have and how you can get rid of them
What is the most essential discipline at school?
Describe humanity’s best and worst qualities
Explain how society benefits from using the Internet
If you could change one part of your life , what would you change, and why?
Is it possible to fall in love with someone you’ve never met?
If you had a time machine, what time would you travel to?
Can you judge people without knowing them and how they live their lives?
How would humanity change if we knew the world would end in 10 years?
What would it be like if you couldn’t use your smartphone for a month?
What consequences may occur if artificial intelligence keeps developing?

📜 Essay for Class 9: Topics & Tips

9th-Grade Essay: How to Write

Writing grade 9 essays amounts to improving your skills, gaining more knowledge, and developing your position on various issues. If you need more details about grade 9 essays, keep reading!

First, we want to talk about different types of written assignments that you may receive:

Essays are the most common academic paper assignment that you can master with our free tips:

Use quotes. Sometimes, when researching for your essay, you may stumble across a source that perfectly describes your thesis or some other thought you wanted to use in your paper. Why not quote it, then? Just make sure to include your own ideas as well.
Use Wikipedia the right way. If you’ve got a topic you know nothing about, Wikipedia will quickly help you familiarize yourself with it. Another way to use it is for finding sources. Read an article on your topic and then check its reference section to select some trustworthy ones.
You’re not the only one writing a paper. Your teacher will probably read several more works like yours. This fact makes it even more important to make your text unique and exciting.
Your teacher won’t have enough time to reread if something’s unclear. The clarity of information will definitely influence the result, so make sure that your writing is flawless.

Essay Topics for Class 9 in Various Subjects

Below you will find unique topics for argumentative or persuasive essays:

What is the future of music ? Many people don’t like modern pop music and believe that it was better back in the day. What’s your opinion on it? Discuss what’s in store for pop music . What directions of music development can you predict?
What makes people come up with conspiracy theories ? Some people believe in the secret world government or Americas’ fake Moon mission. You can describe a particularly interesting conspiracy theory . You may also explore the reasons for the existence of such ideas.
Can humans prevent or at least slow down global warming ? Scientists are sure that human negative impact on the environment is significant. What do they think of our ability to address the problem? To what extent can we affect life on the planet?
How much should parents control their children? Rearing children is difficult, and it’s hard to set the balance between restrictions and freedom. Should children and adolescents be allowed to behave the way they want? How can it affect children’s self-esteem in the future?
Do best friends exist? This essay can start with the definition or description of a good friend. Can two people really be best friends ? In what situations is it impossible? Are all people able to be good friends? How can you detect fake friends?
What extracurricular activities should be available in all schools (a specific kind of sport or art)?
Is it a threat to people’s privacy to use cameras as a security measure?
When is the right time to allow children to make their own life decisions?
How does a feeling of importance influence a person’s ego?

The picture shows the 5 stages of writing an essay.

📚 10th-Grade Essay Topics & Tips

Grade 10 Essay: How to Write

Like any typical sophomore, you want to get good grades and write excellent essays. But what if your written assignments never grade higher than a B? Don’t give up! We can help you with it.

Receive a plagiarism-free paper tailored to your instructions. Cut 20% off your first order!

What follows next are the necessary attributes of an A+ essay. Pay attention to them while writing and you will surely succeed:

Read the tips below and learn about the essentials of writing excellent essays.

Resort to advanced storytelling. Even if you’re not working on a narrative essay, you can try applying the following 3-act structure to your writing. According to Indiana University, the structure consists of 3 parts: setup, confrontation, and resolution . The acts set an uninterrupted narrative flow. As a result, the reader doesn’t even notice the transition from one part of the work to another. Here’s how to use this technique:
Don’t let go of your ideas . The thing is always to be prepared for writing, just in case you suddenly find inspiration or a brilliant idea pops into your head. Don’t risk trying to remember it and write it down later—you’ll likely end up forgetting it. To avoid such regrettable situations, make sure to always have a notebook with you.
Check out other people’s essays. Apart from getting ideas for the content of your essay, you’ll also be able to consider the writing style and format of the paper. The more samples you can look through, the better. You’ll see all the possible options and variations of how this type of assignment can be done.

10th-Grade Essay Topics in Various Subjects

Need creative essay ideas? Check out this list:

Censorship and social media. Answer these questions: What is censorship related to social media content? Should any topics be considered taboo? What are the adverse outcomes of such a practice? Where is the line between censorship and fundamental rights violation?
Music and student productivity . The essay can examine the latest findings regarding the effects of different music genres on people’s cognitive abilities. What have neuroscientists discovered? Why does music influence people in such a way? You can describe your personal attitudes and anecdotes.
Why do people have holidays? All nations have their unique holidays . Why is that so? Do people just need more days to rest from work? Do Americans need more national holidays? You may explore the role different holidays play in the development of a nation.
Should individuals, nations, or international bodies interfere in other people’s affairs? Thousands of messages regarding people’s suffering appear every minute. Individuals, charities , governments, and international institutions try to help people across the globe. Is this involvement always justified? Can such interference be regarded as a form of cultural expansion ?
What can national cuisine tell about a nation? Compare the national food of several countries in your essay. Think about whether the environment plays a role in developing cuisines.
Would societies develop without the use of fossil fuels ?
Does science fiction influence the development of technology or vice versa?
How has school life changed throughout the last 20 years?
What’s the best way to choose which school to go to?
How vital is a personal understanding of people’s lives ?
What are the consequences of having too much money?
Do teens need to follow all of their parents’ guidelines?
Does doing less homework make you a better student?
How do celebrities influence the way teenagers look and behave?

Grade 10 English Essay Topics

If you’re a 10-grader, you probably write many essays for your English classes. Can’t choose a topic? Have a look at these ideas:

The role fairy tales play in people’s lives. This essay can be concerned with the way fairy tales contribute to the norms as well as prejudice . Why do people create fairy tales? What is their place in world literature? Can children develop properly without reading them?
The history and significance of comic books . Some people think comic books are inferior to literary works. Do you agree with this viewpoint? What role do comic books play in American society? Why did this art form appear?
The role the setting plays in literary works. You can analyze a specific genre or a text. For example, explore how the setting reflects Emily’s character in A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner.
Should all plastic be banned? Writing an argumentative essay is always a good idea. Students may try to decide whether plastic should be prohibited. Can people (especially in developing countries) live without plastic? What can be a cost-effective replacement?
Oscar Wilde: a master of epigrams. Focus on his plays or The Picture of Dorian Gray . What characteristic features can be found in Wilde’s epigrams? What is the purpose of their use?
What makes Macbeth one of the greatest literary works in English (and world) literature?
Should students read ancient literature, such as The Epic of Gilgamesh ?
What can we learn from books written by politicians?
What distinguishes the epistolary genre?
How the image of the vampire evolved: from folklore to pop culture
Female writers in antiquity and Middle Ages
What is the future of world literature ?

Grade 10 Essay Topics for Creative Writing

The following list of topics will inspire an outstanding composition or even a short story:

Get an originally-written paper according to your instructions!

A detective story of a failed assignment/meeting/ exam. Students become genuinely creative when they try to explain the reasons for not doing their homework . Why not make it an essay topic? Describe a force majeure that made doing something impossible.
A dystopia or a utopia. You can create your own world based on an optimistic or pessimistic view. How perfect can a society be? What atrocities can become accepted in the future? What hierarchies, political orders, or economic models can emerge?
A letter from a historical leader. Imagine you are a ruler of Medieval France or any other monarch . You can write a letter to your royal relative or enemy. A letter from Elizabeth I to future generations can make an excellent essay!
Creative description . Come up with a detailed description of an interesting thing, person, or event. For example, describe a charm on your bracelet and its meaning. Describing someone’s personality traits can be another option.
Writing memoirs . Create a biography of a historical person, fictional character, or modern celebrity. Or, imagine you became famous and write about your way to glory.
A narrative about the most remarkable or tiresome waiting experience
A poem about first love
A parody of A Song of Ice and Fire
Pretend to be a future historian analyzing a current popular song or movie (or any other artifact)
Ponder on the nature and relevance of creativity
Your stream of consciousness (the road to school, a minute in a class, enjoying the sunrise, and so on)
Elaborate on the theory regarding the nature of Agent Smith of The Matrix
Write down the associations connected with your favorite song
Description of the dream you had last night

🧑‍🎓 Grade 11 Essay Topics & Tips

11th Grade Essay: How to Write

You can consider 11th-grade essay writing to be a combination of everything you’ve learned in the previous 3 years. One of its main goals is to demonstrate that you have a clear understanding of all essential writing elements.

You’re going to have the chance to practice various forms of writing. The following tips will help you excel at it.

Try practicing ACT Writing. ACT Writing is a test that requires you to create an essay in just 40 minutes. There are several limitations and requirements associated with it (if you want to learn more, you can check out this article by Southern Utah University on ACT tests and their characteristics ). Practicing this kind of writing with a timer can be highly beneficial for developing your skills. Here’s what you need to keep in mind:
Ideas and analysis. Answer the question given in the prompt as clearly as possible. You also need to demonstrate your perspective and analyze how it relates to other aspects under discussion.
Development and support. Explain all the points you make. The trick here is to make each explanation fit into 2 or 3 sentences—not because of word count requirements, but due to the time limit.
Language use. While writing your essay, make your sentences clear and easy to understand. You should also avoid repetition. You may use some terms or fancy words, but if you do, make sure you know what they mean.
Organization. Even though there are no strict rules for formatting your paper, it doesn’t mean you can turn it into a chaotic mess. The easiest thing to do is to separate each of your ideas into a paragraph. Make sure that the overall structure is logical, and take care of smooth transitions.
Try the Elevator Pitch. It’s a technique salespeople use when developing a short, catchy product summary. When using this technique to write an essay for high school, you boil your ideas down to the essentials. Even though it’s a challenging task, it leaves you with a perfect summary . And you can use it to write an introduction that will undoubtedly grab your reader’s attention.
Know the limits. It’s important to know when to stop. This statement is especially true when you’re selecting a position to take or choosing the main point you want to prove in your essay. Your argument needs to be compelling enough to capture your reader’s attention. But at the same time, you don’t want to overdo it.

Here are some other things that are better to avoid:

An overly broad or poorly written thesis statement.
Topic sentences without a proper focus.
Off-topic writing.
Inadequate conclusion.
Inability to foresee and refute objections.
Talking about things that are too obvious to discuss.

Essay Topics for Grade 11 in Various Subjects

Senior students are required to write about serious subjects. Here we’ve compiled a list of great thought-provoking topics to kickstart your writing:

Pros and cons of criminalizing the sales of alcohol. Alternatively, you can think about the consequences of banning cigarettes .
Nature vs. nurture. Researchers are still unsure whether the environment or inborn traits play a key role in people’s personal development . You may try to provide an answer to this challenging question. You can concentrate on the notorious case of Three Identical Strangers . The examination of the ethical issues related to this kind of research is also a good idea.
Career path plans. Naturally, eleventh-graders need to consider their future careers. It can be a good idea to write a professional development plan . What kind of higher education or skills do you need? How can you acquire them?
Autocratic and democratic regimes in the times of pandemics. You may try to compare the effectiveness of authoritarian or democratic countries when addressing the COVID-19 crisis. How do different regimes address the problem? What role does access to information play in the process? Compare the outcomes of the measures undertaken in the US and China.
Identity in the cyber world. Adolescence is the period of paying considerable attention to one’s identity. The Internet has changed our lives, including the process of identity-making. Why do young people create fake identities in the digital environment? Do these identities affect their authentic selves?
Can English be replaced as an international communication language any time soon?
Is it necessary to punish those who download content from the Internet illegally?
What digital devices can be used to improve education?
Should everyone switch to electric or environmentally friendly vehicles ?
Do the world’s wealthiest countries help poor ones enough?
Is it appropriate for students and teachers to interact on social media?

Grade 11 Essay Topics for Narrative Writing

Choosing the most exciting and potentially successful topic can be challenging. Here are some ideas for the best narrative papers.

The hardest goodbye you’ve ever said. A common approach to this topic is to write about saying goodbye to a friend or loved one. Creative students may describe the moment when they said goodbye to their childhood .
A disaster that led to good outcomes. Write about an event or action that seemed like a mistake but turned out to be beneficial. It can be connected to extracurricular activities, going to a party, taking up responsibility, etc.
Science in our daily lives. It may seem that science is just a school subject. However, every person has conducted at least one experiment or observation in their lifetime. The narrative composition of this essay can deal with such an observation.
The evolution of your professional inclinations. Children often dream of being athletes or movie stars. Some want to be teachers or writers. You may describe the way your idea of a dream job changed throughout your life. What factors affected this evolution?
Conflict management. Describe a situation when you used conflict management skills. These cases can include working on a project, debating with other students, or distributing chores. What skills are needed to manage conflicts effectively?
The most challenging aspects of being an adolescent
Describing the first time doing something ( first day at college , first driving experience, etc.)
The most significant event in a specific year or century
The first considerable success in your life
Growing up in the 21st century
When did Murphy’s Law work in your life?
A day in the life of the world’s happiest person
The most important piece of advice someone gave you

11th Grade Writing Prompts & Topics for Argumentative Essays

Select a topic from the the list below and impress your teacher with a stunning essay:

Should the system of American presidential elections be changed? During the past few years, Americans have started criticizing the existing presidential election system. The Electoral College seems outdated to many. In this essay, you may share your views on the strengths and weaknesses of the voting system.
Should female students be encouraged to study science rather than humanities? Many researchers point out that the scientific world is highly disproportioned when it comes to gender. Women often choose to study humanities rather than sciences due to bias or lack of confidence. How can we encourage talented girls to pursue scientific careers?
Restrictions and totalitarianism . Can governments impose restrictions related to certain areas of people’s lives? Is it a pathway to dictatorship ? Can people be responsible enough to have personal limits? You can focus on such aspects as marriage age and access to information.
Student loans : an opportunity or a burden? Student loans have become a serious issue leading to substantial economic constraints for individuals and the educational system. Older generations stress that they managed to work and pay their tuition fees . Should young people use student loans? Can they receive higher education without this financial burden?
Is conservation a proper approach to treating endangered species ? Many species are on the brink of extinction due to various reasons. Governments and non-governmental organizations try to preserve natural diversity. Conservation is one of the employed methods. Is it effective? Do people have the right to interfere with the natural evolution of species?

The picture explains the process of school essay grading.

Autocratic leaders and technological breakthroughs: the cases of Steve Jobs and Elon Musk
Should physical punishment make a comeback in the American educational system?
Should humans consume products containing GMOs?
Should the US government invest in the exploration of outer space ?

Essay Topics for Grade 11: Persuasive Writing

When writing persuasive essays, students need to find the right words to convince their opponents or the reader. Here are some ideas for such a paper:

Nudging is manipulation, so it should be banned. Companies and even governments often influence people’s choices. Using a coffee smell to boost the sales of food is one such technique. Is it ethical?
Cigarettes should be banned altogether. Everybody knows of the long-term effects of smoking . The negative impact of cigarettes is severe and compatible with substance abuse. Is it necessary to make smoking cigarettes illegal?
Blogging for young people. Many adolescents find blogging a sphere where they can excel. For some, blogging becomes a profession. However, to be a successful blogger , a person should have experience, knowledge, and skills. Do you agree that young people should study hard instead of blogging?
Zoos cannot exist in the modern world. Animal rights gained momentum decades ago, but zoos are still popular places visited by millions. In modern zoos, animals live in cages that can be pretty spacious. However, this does not make them an appropriate place for wild animals. Is it possible to stick to wildlife parks as an alternative?
Birth control . Birth control is a common area of concern for many countries. The Chinese government even had a policy regarding the number of children in a family. Should such policies exist? Are they effective?
Should the age of presidential candidates be changed?
Silent praying time at public schools: is it necessary?
Standardized tests in schools should be banned
Teachers should pass qualification testing regularly
Toy manufacturers shouldn’t advertise their products on kids’ channels
Children committing violent crimes require appropriate punishment
Sex education is necessary for public schools

🎓 Grade 12 Essay Topics & Tips

Grade 12 Essay: How to Write

Grade 12 essays are very similar to those you have completed before. They’re just a bit longer and require more effort and knowledge from you. Here are our tips that will help you write such essays:

Organize your essays adequately and write strong thesis statements.
Make your arguments well-grounded and support them with evidence.
Use terms and various sentence structures.
Make sure your text is grammatically correct.

Bonus: College Essay Tips

When it comes to grade 12, the trickiest writing assignment you’re likely to receive is a college application essay. Don’t worry, though: the tips below will help you ace it! Have a look:

Keep the right amount of detail. To make your college essay memorable, choose the most exciting event from your life. Describe it in great detail, without wasting space on boring trivia. This way, you’ll paint a clear picture of what happened and how it influenced you.
Avoid clichés. Clichés are words and phrases that are often overused and don’t add any value to our writing. Thinking outside the box and using a couple of witty phrases is a good thing. But using age-old clichés defeats the purpose.
Make yourself memorable. Your story needs to stay in the minds of those who are going to read it. Make a strong personal statement so that even sometime later, they can pick your essay up and say, “Yes, I know this one…it’s about that student.”
Check your essay yourself after writing the first draft. Does the story leave a powerful impression? If not, what can you do to make it better? The committee will appreciate that you’ve put some serious work into writing a personal essay.
Don’t settle for an average result. You can do much better than that. To understand the task better, look through some college essay examples and make your work far superior to those.

For more helpful tips and topics, check out our article on writing successful college essays .

Essay Topics for Grade 12 in Various Subjects

Here are some of the current topics that can inspire an outstanding essay:

The future of space exploration . Elon Musk has revolutionized space exploration, giving it a new life. What countries will be leaders in this sphere in the nearest future? Will people colonize Mars any time soon?
What is the background of the Black Lives Matter movement? Discuss what connects BLM and the Civil Rights movements . What factors led to its rise in the late 2010s? What about other ethnic groups and minorities?
Living in a post-COVID era. Will communication become more digitalized? Can we transform healthcare systems accordingly? How did the pandemic affect people’s personal lives?
The future of movie theaters. Can they recover completely from pandemic-related restrictions? Is watching blockbusters at home a more comfortable option?
Body positivity . Can the body-positive approach lead to unhealthy behaviors ? The focus on being too slim or too fat is harmful. Is it better to focus on health and wellness? Should we establish a new health-positive trend instead of the existing appearance-based movements?
The background of the gender pay gap in the scientific world
To what extent can communities interfere with people’s family lives?
The limits of the First Amendment in the contemporary USA
How can we make political debates more civil and focused on solving problems?
If you were a senior mentor, what wisdom would you pass on to a first-year student?
What are effective ways of convincing people to exercise more?
What skills should students have to convince a school that they deserve a scholarship ?
What might be the cause of World War III ? What would be the consequences?
Are books still relevant, or should we all switch to computers, iPhones, and tablets?
How do the obstacles we encounter in life make us better?
What sparks your desire for personal growth and self-development ?
Without which fact, quality, or story would your life be incomplete?

Essay Topics for Grade 12: Creative Writing

Creative writing can be challenging for some students. However, an essay’s success often depends on the chosen topic. The following ideas will boost your creative potential.

When Hulk met Mr. Hyde . It can be interesting to imagine a meeting or a battle between Mr. Hyde and his later version, Hulk. Which one is stronger? Who is more malicious?
Happy new holiday! Come up with a brand-new holiday for the US. What can it be based on? Why do Americans need this celebration?
Being a book on a shelf. It can be exciting to write from the perspective of a mundane object found in any home. What could books on the shelves think of? What are the biggest fears of a fridge?
The best robot ever! Imagine that you live in a future where all people can own robots. What qualities will such robots have? What kinds of chores can they do? Can they complete school assignments for students? What ethical concerns could exist in the society of the future regarding robots?
Home alone. The story of the eight-year-old Kevin is well-known. What would you do in his place? How challenging or relaxing can such an experience be? How soon would you feel lonely?
Should evil be romanticized in literature and cinema?
Being in a 14 th -century classroom
The class in the fantasy world with fictional characters
Imagine a global government of the future
Being a President of the US and proclaiming an inaugural speech
If God were one of us
Lessons from creative people of the past
How to find true love: a guide

Grade 12 Essay Topics for Narrative Writing

Tell your own unique story with one of our imaginative topic ideas:

Being an activist. Youth activism is now on the rise. You can write about your personal contribution or analyze existing movements. What activities are appropriate for students of your age? Where is the line between activism and delinquency?
Talk about your family’s values . Are they culture-based? How did religious beliefs affect these values ? Why should families have such values?
People are responsible for those they have tamed. What did Antoine de Saint-Exupéry mean by this? What kind of responsibility is it? Does it refer to pets or people? You can write your own story of being responsible for someone.
What to do with a billion dollars. Imagine you received an enormous sum of money. What would be the first thing to do? Think of any purchases or orders such as a house, a journey around the world, or even your own island . With this topic, it’s easy to be creative!
The most embarrassing moment of your life . Write from experience or imagination. You can focus on a fictional or famous person. What awkward moments can politicians and movie stars go through?
Things to say to your future self
Becoming a true leader for peers and family
Self-improvement plan to follow after the graduation
Who is the role model for modern children?
Is being a teenager as bad as people say?
The most profound moment in your life
The most striking news of the past year

If you need more ideas, you can try using our topic generator .

Have you found what you were looking for? We hope our guide helped you with your school essay writing. Make sure to share your experience in the comments below!

This might be interesting for you:

Primary School Essay: Simple Writing Guide
What Does an Excellent Essay Look Like?
1000-Word Essays: Quick Answers
Breaking Down the Types of Essays
A Complete Guide to Essay Writing
How to Write a Good 5 Paragraph Essay
140 Excellent Analysis Essay Topics & Questions
200 Interesting Cause and Effect Essay Topics & Ideas
260 Good Descriptive Essay Topics and Writing Tips
150+ Excellent Narrative Essay Topics
420 Good Compare and Contrast Essay Topics
180 Process Essay Topics

❓ School Essay FAQ

Students write essays on every educational level. Naturally, middle school essays are different from that of a high school. But the general principle is to choose a good topic, research it, make an outline, write the essay, and proofread it.

On that level, the best choice would be to write an argumentative, informative, or narrative essay. Pick a topic that is familiar, interesting, or not too difficult for you. Then, research it, make an outline, and write your essay.

To write a 9th-grade essay, you need to:

1. Choose a suitable topic; 2. Do your research in a library or online; 3. Outline your essay; 4. Write the body paragraphs; 5. Write the introduction and the conclusion.

It’s better not to pick overly narrow college-level topics for an 8th-grade essay. It is better to write about the environment, career choice, nature, or yourself. Choose something broad enough to identify several pros and cons, causes and effects, and other essay components.

How to Do Research: A Step-By-Step Guide, Get Started: LibGuides at Elmira College
Overview of the Academic Essay: Harvard College Writing Center
A Comprehensive Guide for Writing Research Papers, Humanities Edition: Southwestern University
Student Guide to Academic Writing & Research: Accredited Online Schools
Generate Topic Ideas Quickly and Easily: Online Research Library, Questia
Thesis Statements: KU Writing Center
Narrative Essays: Literacy Education Online
Writing Topics: Thoughtful Learning K-12
50 Writing Prompts for All Grade Levels: Edutopia, George Lucas Educational Foundation
100 Persuasive Essay Topics: Grace Fleming, ThoughtCo
Essay Tips: 7 Tips on Writing an Effective Essay: The Fastweb Team
Essay Topics: Oral Roberts University
Essay Topics and Tips: College of Arts and Sciences, Lewis & Clark
UChicago Supplemental Essay Questions: The University of Chicago
50 Narrative Essay Topics: Reading and Writing Resource
High School Essay Writing Course: Time4Writing
Creative Writing Prompts: The Write Practice
81 Creative Writing Prompts for Writers: Writer’s Digest
Short Story Ideas: Creative Writing Now
25 Controversial Topics: The Best Schools
Research Topic Ideas: University Michigan-Flint
Climate Change: ProCon
Prompts for Narrative and Personal Writing: The New York Times
Interesting Debate Topics: Udemy
10 Creative Writing Prompts for Story Ideas: MasterClass
Research Topics: Frontiers
Research Topics: National Archives
Essay Topic Suggestions: Gallaudet University
Past Essay Topics: University of Warwick
Literature Topics and Research: Purdue University
Share to Facebook
Share to Twitter
Share to LinkedIn
Share to email

151 Transportation Essay Topics & Writing Tips

Have you ever thought about the importance of transportation? Every day we see cars, trucks, planes, and ships and never wonder what exactly they are doing. In fact, these vehicles not only transport people from one place to another. They also form a vast system that plays a vital role...

63 Brilliant Ideas for Writing Essays on Family Values

In a few words, family values can be defined as principles, some ideals, and beliefs within a family that are passed from generation to generation. You should keep in mind that family values might change with time. Besides, they may differ from culture to culture.

Essay on India after Independence: How-to Guide and Prompts

India gained its independence on August 15, 1947. Before that, it was a British colony. Since 1947, India has changed a lot, and this is what you will have to discuss in your essay on India after 60 Years of Independence.

World Peace Essay: Prompts, How-to Guide, & 200+ Topics

Throughout history, people have dreamed of a world without violence, where harmony and justice reign. This dream of world peace has inspired poets, philosophers, and politicians for centuries. But is it possible to achieve peace globally? Writing a world peace essay will help you find the answer to this question...

Halloween Essay: How to Write, Topics and Essay Ideas

So, there are a few days left before Halloween, one of the favorite American holidays both for kids and adults. Most probably, your teacher will ask to prepare a Halloween essay. And most probably, it is not the first Halloween essay that you need to prepare. We are sure that...

250 Topics for Investigative Essay, Example, & Tips

An investigative essay is a piece of writing based on the information you gather by investigating the topic. Unlike regular research or term paper, this assignment requires you to conduct interviews, study archival records, or visit relevant locations—in a word, inspect things personally. If you’re a fan of detective stories,...

Nationalism Essay: Topics, Examples, & Tips

A nationalism essay is focused on the idea of devotion and loyalty to one’s country and its sovereignty. In your paper, you can elaborate on its various aspects. For example, you might want to describe the phenomenon’s meaning or compare the types of nationalism. You might also be interested in...

Human Trafficking Essay Topics, Outline, & Example [2024]

“People for sale” is a phrase that describes exactly what human trafficking is. It also makes for an attention-grabbing title for an essay on this subject. You are going to talk about a severe problem, so it’s crucial to hook the reader from the get-go. A human trafficking essay is...

256 Advantages and Disadvantages Essay Topics [2024 Update]

Is globalization a beneficial process? What are the pros and cons of a religious upbringing? Do the drawbacks of immigration outweigh the benefits? These questions can become a foundation for your advantages and disadvantages essay. And we have even more ideas to offer! There is nothing complicated about writing this...

World War 2 Essay: Outline + 100 WW2 Research Topics

This time you have to write a World War II essay, paper, or thesis. It means that you have a perfect chance to refresh those memories about the war that some of us might forget. So many words can be said about the war in that it seems you will...

413 Science and Technology Essay Topics to Write About [2024]

Would you always go for Bill Nye the Science Guy instead of Power Rangers as a child? Were you ready to spend sleepless nights perfecting your science fair project? Or maybe you dream of a career in science? Then this guide by Custom-Writing.org is perfect for you. Here, you’ll find...

256 Satirical Essay Topics & Satire Essay Examples [2024]

A satire essay is a creative writing assignment where you use irony and humor to criticize people’s vices or follies. It’s especially prevalent in the context of current political and social events. A satirical essay contains facts on a particular topic but presents it in a comical way. This task...

we need conversation questions for the same paragraph writing would be super.

Okay, so I’m in extension English (highest English), and we’ve just written our first essay on To Kill A Mockingbird. Last year I was getting high C’s, mostly B’s and the odd A. But this year, I have a different teacher, and he is not so satisfied with my writing. I got a C- for my first essay this year. He said my ideas were great, logical, and enthusiastic, but the way I’m writing it is not as appealing, motivating and persuasive. How can I improve my writing, so that I can easily get my ideas on the page without making them less effective?

Hi, It’s cool that you want to improve your writing. These are a few suggestions from our experts: 1) use strong thesis statements in your papers (examples are here: https://custom-writing.org/blog/thesis-statement-examples) or download our guide on how to write a thesis statement (you can see it on a pop-up when you come to our blog); 2) use examples to illustrate your position; 3) avoid using too long sentences, so that readers could follow your train of thoughts; 4) subscribe to our bi-monthly newsletter (in the upper right sidebar of the blog) and receive our expert tips directly to your e-mail. Good luck! We are sure that you will learn how to write only A+ papers pretty soon. See you!

I came to college as a mature student. Now I need to write a 4-page essay. I need help.

Hi Sarah, Thank you very much for stopping by. We would be happy to help you with your paper. You are welcome to visit other posts on our blog, or even contact our Live Chat so that our experienced writers could help you. See you, and good luck!

Thank you so much! It’s a big help. I hope I get an A* for my O/L exams this year May. Wish me luck!

Katherine, we aren’t going to wish you luck! You don’t need it:) You will get A+, that’s for sure! 🙂

But if you’re that superstitious – GOOD LUCK! 🙂

Jump to navigation

Inside Writing
Teacher's Guides
Student Models
Writing Topics
Minilessons
Shopping Cart
Inside Grammar
Grammar Adventures
CCSS Correlations
Infographics

Get a free Grammar Adventure! Choose a single Adventure and add coupon code ADVENTURE during checkout. (All-Adventure licenses aren’t included.)

15 Engaging Explanatory Writing Prompts

When you want your students to practice explanatory writing, present them with one or more of the following prompts, grouped by difficulty. You can also introduce students to the PAST strategy to help them understand what each explanatory prompt is asking them to do.

Beginning Explanatory Prompts (Grades 4–5)

The following explanatory prompts are meant for students who are moving from paragraph writing to essay writing.

1. Defining Friendship

Everyone needs friends. What qualities make someone a good friend? How can you be a friend for someone who needs one? Write an essay that explains ways to be a good friend.

2. A Job for Me

People do all kinds of jobs. Some people build. Others serve. Some teach. Others sell. Some people work on ships at sea, and others in skyscrapers in cities. What kind of job would you like to do? As a future worker, write an essay that names a job you would like, describes the work, and tells why you would like it.

3. An Admirable Person

We all have people we admire. They might be family members or friends. They might be singers, dancers, or actors. They might even be fictional characters. Whom do you admire most? Write an essay that names a person you admire and describes the qualities that make you like the person.

4. Sweet or Spicy?

Most people have a favorite food. What is yours? Is the food a common one that most other kids would know about, or a really special type? Is it sweet or spicy? In an essay, name your favorite food and describe to your classmates how it looks, smells, and tastes. Tell why you like it so much.

5. My Ideal Home

Most people can imagine a dream home. What would yours be? Big or small? In the country or in the city? How many floors? Would it be underground or up in a tree? As a young person, write an essay describing your dream home to a parent or guardian.

Intermediate Explanatory Prompts (Grades 6–8)

The following explanatory prompts are meant for students who do regular multi-paragraph writing.

6. Connectivity Culture

Smartphones, tablet PCs, social media, and constant connectivity are changing the ways that people live, think, work, and connect. How do these technologies shape your life? Are you plugged in or tuned out? Why? Write an essay that explains to your fellow students the ways that you connect digitally and predicts how people will connect in the future.

7. Pets vs. People

Pets are not people. After all, dogs don’t go to school and cats don’t hold down jobs. But pet owners often consider their dogs and cats to be members of their families. In what ways are pets like people and in what ways are they not? Write a comparison-contrast essay explaining the similarities and differences between pets and people.

8. Defining Responsibility

A parent is responsible for taking care of children. A criminal is responsible for committing a crime. And teens are encouraged to make responsible choices. Just what does it mean to be “responsible”? Does it mean something different for young people than for adults? As a young person who is taking on more and more responsibilities, write an essay that defines what responsibility means to you, and explain the idea to those older than you.

9. Unique Celebrations

The Chinese celebrate New Year with a dragon dance. How do you celebrate New Year? What other special days do you observe? In an essay, explain a celebration or ritual that you know about. Tell what is usually done and why. Explain it to a reader who is new to the event.

10. Here's How It's Done

What are you really good at? Perhaps you can sink a free throw every time. Maybe you can identify birds by their songs, or make a very delicious homemade pizza. Think of a particular skill you have and could teach others. Then write an essay describing the process you use to accomplish this special feat. Provide enough detail so your reader can learn how to do the same thing.

Advanced Explanatory Prompts (Grades 9–12)

The following prompts are meant for high-school level writers. Students may need to research the topics in order to respond with sufficient depth and complexity.

11. Addressing Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying involves using technology to harm, intimidate, and embarrass others. One form of cyberbullying called “trolling” occurs when anonymous Internet users intentionally post inflammatory content in an attempt to provoke and upset other users. While much effort has been made to counteract bullying in schools, the online and anonymous nature of cyberbullying makes it difficult to regulate. Write an essay that explains to your fellow students ways to counteract cyberbullying.

12. Moral Dilemmas

Consider a moral dilemma that a character in a novel or other piece of literature must face. It could be an issue you yourself have faced or one that is new to you. Explain what you would do if you were caught in the same situation. Then explain why you would handle it that way.

13. Talking About My Generation

Today’s youth are sometimes perceived as tech savvy, optimistic, and accepting. Other times, they are perceived as spoiled, coddled, and lazy, more interested in checking Instagram than in bearing down and working hard. In an essay, define the general characteristics of your generation. Provide evidence and reasons to support your definition.

14. Fashionable Expressions

Author Sarah MacLean believes “The most confident of women are those who believe in every scrap of fabric they wear.” Indeed, clothing is a form of self-expression for many people. Evaluate the clothing choices that you or someone else (famous or not) makes and explain what these fashion choices express about the person.

15. Comparing Future Career Paths

What do you want to do after you graduate from high school? Attend college? Hone your skills at a trade school? Or go straight into the professional world? Choose two options (college, trade school, job) and write an essay in which you analyze similarities and differences between the two options.

Teacher Support:

Click to find out more about this resource.

Standards Correlations:

The State Standards provide a way to evaluate your students' performance.

110.5.b.12.B
LAFS.3.W.1.2
110.6.b.11.B
110.6.b.12.B
LAFS.4.W.1.2
110.7.b.12.B
LAFS.5.W.1.2
110.22.b.10
110.22.b.11.B
LAFS.6.W.1.2
110.23.b.10
110.23.b.11.B
LAFS.7.W.1.2
110.24.b.10
110.24.b.11.B
LAFS.8.W.1.2
110.36.c.10.B
LAFS.910.W.1.2
110.38.c.10.B
110.39.c.10.B
LAFS.1112.W.1.2
LA 12.2.1.b
LA 12.2.2.a

Related Resources

All resources.

What are the keys to successful project-based programs?
How can students use Inquire for PBL?
How can students share what they find?
Where can I see PBL in action?
38 Ways Students Can Create Digital Content
Writing Character Analyses
Writing Literary Analyses
Inquire Online Middle School Classroom Set
Inquire Online Middle School Teacher's Guide
Write on Course 20-20
Inquire Middle School Teacher's Guide
Inquire Middle School
Inquire Elementary Teacher's Guide
Inquire Elementary

Essays Topics for Grade 12 and Grade 11 for 2021

Essays Topics for Grade 12 and Grade 11 for 2021: Writing an essay for grade 12 and grade 11 can be a challenging task for both teachers and students in terms of creating and crafting a high-quality essay, and finally editing and grading them.

Different Essay Types for Grade 12 and Grade 11

Narrative essay.

Examples of Narrative Essays Topics:

Your favorite vacation with your family
A trip you will never forget
A time you made friends in an unusual circumstance
Your first day at a new school
Talk about something that scared you a lot

Reflective Essays

Discursive Essays

Argumentative Essays

Expository Essays

Descriptive Essays

Ho to write an effective essay

common Essay Topics in South African Schools

Verbal Punishment
Death Penalty in South Africa

List of Descriptive Essays Topics for Grade 12 and Grade 11

Imagine that your teacher wants to teach a new subject for the next few weeks. Your teacher will take suggestions, and then let the students vote on the new subject. What subject should your class choose? Write an essay to support your choice and to persuade the other students to vote for your choice.
Are actors and professional athletes paid too much?
Should teachers have to wear uniforms or have a dress code?
Since the invention of nuclear weapons we have had a long period of GLOBAL peace and stability. Are nuclear weapons global peacemakers or killing devices?
Should boys and girls be in separate classes?
Is the death penalty effective?
To what extent is the use of animals in scientific research acceptable?
What age is appropriate for dating?
Pretend you woke up one day and there were no rules. People could suddenly do whatever they wanted! Explain what the world would be like. Use your imagination!
Should student’s textbooks be replaced by notebook computers?
Should students be allowed to have cell phones in elementary and high schools?
Should wealthy nations be required to share their wealth among poorer nations?
Should money be spent on space exploration?
Is fashion important?
Are we too dependent on computers?
If you had the opportunity to bring any person — past or present, fictional or nonfictional — to a place that is special to you (your hometown or country, a favorite location, etc.), who would you bring and why? Tell us what you would share with that person
Most high level jobs are done by men. Should the government encourage a certain percentage of these jobs to be reserved for women?
Should students be allowed to grade their teachers?
In your opinion what factors contribute to a good movie?
The destruction of the world’s forests is inevitable as our need for land and food grows. Do you agree?
Many parents give their children certain chores or tasks to do at home. Should children have to do chores or tasks at home? Be sure to explain why you think it is a good idea or a bad idea. Include examples to support your reasons.
Should the voting age be lowered to thirteen?
Should the government place a tax on junk food and fatty snacks?
Should more be done to protect and preserve endangered animals?

Requirements to pass Grade 12 | Matric

Hey, Grade 12 Learner! Do you know what it takes to obtain your Grade 12 Certificate? All matric students in South Africa are required to register to write at least 7 subjects and they may not fail more than one subject. Failing more than one subject means you have failed matric. Thus, in order to pass you need to meet the following requirements:

Obtain at least 40% for your Home Language
Pass two other subjects with 40%, an
Get 30% for three other subjects

Career Times is here for you: We have compiled all useful career resources for you to take your career to the higher levels, such as: Schools Directory , Career Options , Jobs , as well as study resources for other Grades ( Grade 11 , Grade 10 , and Grade 12 ) All the best!

12 Creative Descriptive Essay Prompts

by Suzanne Davis | Dec 12, 2019 | Writing Essays and Papers , Writing Prompts | 13 comments

“Description is what makes the reader a sensory participant in the story.” –Stephen King

Stephen King wrote about description in stories. But the same advice is correct for descriptive essays. Get your readers engaged by making them sense and connect with everything you’ve written in your essay. How can you do that? Begin with descriptive essay prompts that inspire you to write more.

Then add important details and characteristics or features about the person, place, object, or experience in your essay. The more detail and elements you add to a descriptive essay, the better it will be.

So, check out these descriptive writing topics and find the one that will work best for you.

How to Select a Descriptive Essay Prompt

Before you select a descriptive essay topic, see if you can show and not tell your readers about the characteristics, actions, and emotions in that essay.

Maybe you’ve heard writers say, “ Show Don’t Tell .” This motto is an approach some writers use to make their writing more descriptive. The word “show” means to portray or illustrate feelings and actions. And “tell” is when a writer says what the emotions and actions are.

For example, “ The black poodle snarled and growled.” (showing) vs. “The black poodle was angry and fierce.” (telling)

In the example above, the first sentence shows that the black poodle was angry because it snarled and growled. The second sentence says or tells us that the dog was angry and fierce.

Use the “ Show Don’t Tell” approach in your descriptive essay by asking these questions about the 5 senses:

What did you see?
What did you hear?
What did you touch?
What did you smell?
What did you taste?

You probably won’t have answers to all these questions. (Or at least if you write about a mountain, I hope you can’t describe how tastes.) But write “Show Don’t Tell ” content wherever you can in your essay.

The 12 descriptive essay prompts here, give you the freedom to develop your content in different ways, and with a lot of sensory details. They are divided into 4 categories: person, place, object, and experience. Each type has 3 descriptive essay writing ideas. For each writing prompt, brainstorm how you can develop that essay.

Descriptive WritingTopics About a Person

# 1 describe the strangest person you ever met.

Strange people are easy to remember, and if you remember a different, odd, or unique person, you’ll have a lot of information you can write on. Before you choose this topic, brainstorm a few ideas about this person.

Questions to develop this essay topic : What seemed strange about this person? What characteristics did he/she possess? How did you feel about this person?

# 2 Describe a person you envied .

Envy or jealousy is a powerful emotion. When you focus on a person you were jealous of, there are reasons and characteristics for why you felt that way.

Questions to develop this essay topic: What traits or characteristics did this person have? How did that person look? How did this person act? What made you envy him/her?

# 3 Describe an inspiring friend or family member.

We remember people who inspire us. And people love to read about inspiring individuals. If you describe an inspiring person, think about the impact that a person made on you.

Questions to develop this essay topic: What did this person do that was inspiring? How did that person act toward others?

Descriptive Writing Topics About a Place

# 4 describe a spooky or haunted place ..

If you describe a scary place, include a lot of sensory details. Spooky and haunted places are memorable.

Questions to develop this essay topic: What did this place look like? Where was it located? What did you see, hear, smell, or feel at this place? Did you find someone or something that scared you? Why is this place, spooky?

# 5 Describe a place you loved as a child.

People love to know things about another person’s childhood. A great way to show who you are is to describe a place that was important to you. If you select this writing topic, make sure you remember this place well.

Questions to develop this essay topic : How did this place look? What did you do at this place? Was anyone else at this there? How did you feel about the area?

# 6 Describe a beautiful location in nature.

You could describe a mountain, body of water, campground, desert, etc. Or any other place that is outdoors and part of nature.

Questions to develop this essay topic: What did this place look like? How did you feel when you were there? Did you hear, smell, taste, or touch anything at the location? Was there anyone else with you? What did you do at this place?

Descriptive WritingTopics About an Object

# 7 Describe a lucky object.

It can be any lucky object, a good luck charm, an heirloom object, etc. Select something you believe brings you good luck.

Q uestions to develop this essay topic: What are the characteristics of this object? How is it used? What makes this a lucky object?

# 8 Describe a piece of art.

It can be a photograph, painting, sculpture, etc. There are a lot of sensory details you can include in a descriptive essay about a piece of art.

Questions to develop this essay topic: What does this work of art look? Can you touch it? If so, how does it feel? What are the emotions you have when you see this sculpture, painting, photograph, etc.?

# 9 Describe an object used in your favorite sport or hobby.

If you have a favorite sport or hobby, describe an object that is relevant to that sport. For example, if you play tennis, describe a tennis racket. Or, if you collect coins, describe a unique coin from your collection.

Questions to develop this essay topic: What are the characteristics or features of this object? How is it used? What is significant about this object? What are some sensory details you can add?

Descriptive Essay Topics About an Experience

# 10 describe the first time you drove a car or rode a bicycle..

First-time experiences are emotional and significant to people. If you haven’t driven a car or ridden a bicycle, write about another first-time experience.

Questions to develop this essay topic: What did you see, hear, touch, smell, or taste during this experience? What did you do? Were others involved? If so, what did they do? How did you feel during this experience? How do you feel about it now?

# 11 Describe a hike or special walk you took .

Do you recall a hike you took or a walk on a trail, path, or street? If so, describe that memory.

Questions to develop this essay topic: What was the place you were at like? What did you hear, see, smell, taste, or touch during this experience? What did you do? What did anyone else do?

# 12 Describe a happy memory.

Write about a happy experience you can remember clearly. This topic involves remembering what occurred and how you felt during that experience.

Questions to develop this essay topic: What made this experience happy? What happened? Who else was there? Can you describe them?

Writing a Descriptive Essay

The key to writing a descriptive essay is to show or portray to a reader the significant elements of a person, place, object, or experience. So, select an essay topic that you connect with, and develop it with sensory details. If you do this, you’ll achieve what Stephen King does in his writing and “make the reader a sensory participant.” When you do that, your readers will want to keep reading until the end.

Make them wish your essay continued so that they could read even more!

So which descriptive essay prompt inspires you? And if you want more creative writing prompts, check out my blog post, “13 Thought-Provoking Personal Narrative Prompts” https://www.academicwritingsuccess.com/13-thought-provoking-personal-narrative-prompts/.

Suzanne,I enjoy reading your articles. Loved your sense of humour ‘(Or at least if you write about a mountain, I hope you can’t describe how tastes.)’. I tried to share this article in my Pinterest account, but somehow something went wrong and it did not allow me to do it.

I’m glad you enjoyed the article. I do try to be funny whenever I can. I’m having a problem right now with my article pinning. I’m working on it.

Loved the “show, not tell” explanation. It really made sense. I’m a visual learner, so I really liked the visual for the 12 descriptive essay prompts in both written form and as a image. You gave me a lot of good ideas for starting a descriptive essay!

Terri, I’m glad you liked my infographic for the post. I love designing visual images for articles. Let me know if you use one of the descriptive essay prompts. I’d love to know how it worked for you.

Excellent. I like the sensory detail questions. It brings the writing to a new level.

Raven, thank you. Sensory details are great for developing writing. They really help writers of all ages.

Nice article, Suzanne. I love using prompts with my students. I might be nervous of the prompt “Describe the strangest person you ever met.” For many of my students I would have the starring role in that one! 🙂 Using the basic five senses to help students expand upon their writing is also very good. So many students write one sentence and then get stuck. Prompting questions can really help them broaden their thoughts.

Ron, thank you. I might be nervous about the “strangest person you ever met” prompt too. But, I’m hoping there are other strange people students could write about too!

Love these! In this generation of “just getting the point across”, it is so difficult to get some students to be descriptive in their writing.It would be hard for any student to not be descriptive using these prompts. When working on writing with students, I always use the five senses to show them how their writing will be more interesting to any reader when it is descriptive. Thanks for sharing!

Thank you,Randy. Descriptive writing is a challenge, but finding a good descriptive writing prompt and using the 5 senses makes a huge difference.

Also, that is a great quote by Stephen King!

Hi Suzanne! Excellent post! I love the creative prompts. They’re helpful, whether one is writing fiction or non-fiction.

You have a great site. Will stop by again. I know I’ll learn lots here.

P.S. Thanks for stopping by my site. I appreciate your feedback.

Hi Nadine, Thanks so much. I am glad you stopped by and checked out my post on descriptive writing prompts. I love prompts because they can make you think about writing in different ways. And sometimes I just need help getting started. I enjoyed your post on writing spaces. I’ll be visiting your site again.

Session expired

Please log in again. The login page will open in a new tab. After logging in you can close it and return to this page.

Privacy Overview

ESSAYS GRADE 12 NOTES - LITERATURE STUDY GUIDE
The structure of an essay
Steps to writing an essay in the exams
Narrative essays
Descriptive essays
Reflective essays
Discursive essays
Argumentative essays
Writing an essay from a picture
Essay checklist
What is expected from you in the exam

To write a successful exam essay, you need to give yourself time to plan your ideas and write a draft. Once you have edited and corrected your draft, your final essay should be a well-structured and interesting piece of writing. In this section, you will learn how to express yourself using the rules that will earn you marks in the final Grade 12 exam.

1. All about essays

1.1 the structure of an essay.

An essay must have an introduction, a body and a conclusion.

Introduction The introduction is the first paragraph of an essay. It should catch the reader’s attention and suggest what the essay is about (the topic).

Body The longest part of an essay is the body of the essay. It is divided into paragraphs. Each paragraph usually contains one main idea about the essay topic.

Conclusion The last paragraph in an essay is the conclusion. It brings the essay to an end. No new information is given in the conclusion, but it often brings together some key points or ideas.

Coherent - expressed in a clear way that is easily understood
Logical order - Arranging information so that the points follow each other in an order that makes sense.

1.2 Steps for writing an essay in the exams

There are four main steps involved in writing an exam essay:

Step 1: Choose your topic and type of essay Step 2: Plan your essay Step 3: Write and edit your draft essay Step 4: Write your final essay

Step 1: Choose your topic and type of essay Topic In the essay section of the exam, there will be about eight topics. You need to choose one of these topics on which to write your essay. You only need to write one essay.

Essay type A particular topic may suit one type of essay better than another type of essay. For example, if a topic asks whether you agree or disagree, then use the argumentative essay type. The table below shows brief descriptions of the five essay types. See pages 9 to 38 for more information on each essay type.

Step 2: Plan your essay Decide which type of essay you think is most suitable for the essay topic. Remind yourself of the features of this type of essay. Plan your essay by writing down your ideas for the content of the essay. The content refers to the main ideas (points or details) in your essay – what it is mainly about. It must be relevant to the topic. Once you have written down a few ideas, you can organise them by numbering them. This will show the order of your paragraphs for the structure of your essay. There are many different ways to plan an essay. For example, you could use a mind map. Use the planning method that works best for you. There are examples of planning tools on pages 5 and 6.

Ways to plan an essay

A plan helps you think about what ideas you want to include in your essay. It also helps you put your ideas into a clear structure. You will earn marks for showing your planning. You can use a mind map or an ideas list to plan your essay.

An essay must be between 250 to 300 words long.
The way you write your essay creates a style of writing. The words you chose and the length of your sentences are two examples of how a writing style is created.
Think about your audience to help you chose the right register for your essay. Register can be formal. For example; if your audience is a teacher or informal if your andience is for example a friend.
The tone of the essay is the feling the write gives the writing. For example, the tone could be playful or serious.

Step 4: Write your final essay Write your final essay by rewriting your draft. Make sure that you make all the changes you marked in your draft so that your final essay has no mistakes and clearly expresses all your best ideas. When you have finished your final essay, cross out your planning and draft essay. If you do not do this, the examiner may mark your draft and not your final essay.

2. The five essay types

There are different types or genres of essays. Each type is written for a different purpose. To prepare for the exam, you need to revise how to write five types of essay:

The main features of each type of essay and guidelines for writing each type of essay are given in this section. To prepare for the exam, practice writing the different types of essays.

2.1 Narrative essays

A narrative essay tells a story or describes a sequence of events. It can be written from any perspective (first person or third person narrative). The first person narrator will use the pronouns “I” or “we”, while the third person narrator will use pronouns such as “he”, “she”, “they” and “them”. A narrative essay can include dialogue (speech between characters in the story) and often includes interesting descriptions. This helps the reader to imagine what is happening, so the story comes alive.

A learner’s example of a narrative essay using the four steps Step 1: Choose the topic and type of essay

This learner chose this essay topic because it fitted a narrative essay type: I am an old desk in a classroom and this is my story…

Note: Write a narratiove if the word "story" is in the description. Always give your essay a title.

Step 4: Write the final essay Note: By including her edits from her draft essay, the learner greatly improved her final essay.

word count: 262

Main features of a narrative essay that are shown in this learner’s story

Activity: Writing a narrative essay

Here are some narrative essay topics to help you to practice your writing skills:

Write a story that includes the following words: Suddenly there was absolute silence... NOTE: The words given in the topic MUST be included somewhere in your essay.
Write a story that begins with the following words: It was the greatest day of my life. NOTE: The words given in the topic MUST be used in the first sentence of your introduction.

2.2 Descriptive essays

In a descriptive essay, the writer describes an experience, an event, a situation, an object or a person. The purpose is to allow the reader to imagine what is being described as clearly as possible. Writing a descriptive essay is like creating a picture with words, rather than telling a story.

A learner’s example of a descriptive essay using the four steps

Step 1: Choose the topic and type of essay

This learner chose this essay topic because it fitted a descriptive essay type: The scene in the waiting area of a clinic OR a doctor’s surgery. Note; The word scene in the topic sentence suggests that a descriptive essay is appropriate for this topic

word count: 271

Main features of a descriptive essay that are shown in this learner’s essay

Activity: Writing a descriptive essay Here are some descriptive essay topics to help you to practise your writing skills:

Write an essay on the following topic: Life with my neighbors
Write an essay on the following topic : It was a dream come true! NOTE: The words given in the topic MUST be included somewhere in your essay.
Write an essay on the following topic : An amazing performance.

2.3 Reflective essays

A reflective essay is written to explain what the writer thinks, and/or feels, about an object, an idea, a situation or an experience. It is subjective (based on the writer’s personal experience) and uses first person pronouns (“I”, “we”, “us”). A reflective essay usually includes the writer’s emotional reactions or feelings. It could be about, for example, a dream, your hopes for the future or a past event.

A learner’s example of a reflective essay using the four steps

Step 1: Choose the topic and type of essay This learner chose this essay topic because it fitted a reflective essay type: Things I would like to achieve by the time I am 30. A reflective essay will be about what you think and feel about a topic. It shows your emotions, hopes and dreams.

Step 4: Write the final essay

Note: Leave a line between each paragraph to make your essay easy to read.

word count: 260

Main features of a reflective essay that are shown in this learner’s essay

Activity: writing a reflective essay.

Here are some reflective essay topics to help you to practise your writing skills:

Write an essay that includes the following words: ‘I wish I hadn’t ...’ NOTE: The words given in the topic MUST be included somewhere in your essay.
Write an essay that includes the following words: As I looked at that photograph ... NOTE: The words given in the topic MUST be included somewhere in your essay.
Write an essay that includes the following words: This experience has made me realise that ... NOTE: The words given in the topic MUST be included somewhere in your essay.

2.4 Discursive essays

The word “discursive” comes from the word “discourse” which means the sharing of thoughts and ideas. A discursive essay presents both sides of an argument. Its purpose is to tell the reader about various sides of a topic. This could be the advantages and disadvantages of something, or the reasons for or against a particular point of view. It must be objective (looking at both sides equally), and give a balanced view. In the conclusion, the writer usually gives a summary of the main points, and suggests, or recommends, some action or way forward. In the conclusion, the writer may state the opinion, or view, with which he or she personally agrees. However, the reasons for that decision must be clearly shown in the essay.

Objective - giving a general point of view

A learner’s example of a discursive essay using the four steps

Step 1: Choose the topic and type of essay This learner chose this essay topic because it fitted a discursive essay type: Freedom of choice has both advantages and disadvantages Discuss this statement.

In a discursive essay you must present BOTH sides of an issue. For example, the advantages AND disadvantages of a topic.

Word count: 300

Activity: Writing a discursive essay

Here are some descriptive essay topics to help you to practise your writing skills:

Sport can unite or divide people. Discuss your views.
Do subjects offered at school prepare you for life? Discuss your views.
Wearing school uniform is very important. Do you agree? Discuss your views on wearing school uniform.

2.5 Argumentative essays

In an argumentative essay, the writer expresses his or her opinion or viewpoint on a topic. The purpose of the essay is to try to convince, or persuade, the reader to agree with that opinion. The writer’s opinion about the topic is clear throughout the essay. It is a subjective essay, and strong personal opinions may be expressed.

In an argumentative essay you must take a stand on a topic and then support your point of view.

A learner’s example of an argumentative essay using the four steps

Step 1: Choose the topic and type of essay This learner chose this essay topic because it fitted an argumentative essay type: Today young people are influenced more by their friends than by their parents. Do you agree?

Step 2: Plan the essay This learner used a list to plan her essay.

Step 3: Write and edit the draft essay

Word count: 282

Main features of an argumentative essay that are shown in this learner's essay

Activity: writing an argumentative essay.

Here are some argumentative essay topics to help you to practise your writing skills:

Most teenagers today do not pay much attention to leading a healthy life. Do you agree?
Technology has changed the lives of teenagers. Do you agree?
Should alcohol and cigarettes be advertised in the mass media? Discuss your views.

2.6 Writing an essay from a picture

There is always a question in the exam that asks you to write an essay based on a picture. You only need to write an essay about ONE of the pictures. Choose which picture you are going to write about. Then you need to decide what type of essay you are going to write. The content of your essay must link with the picture. Looking closely at the picture, identify information you can use in your essay. For example, the picture below shows a man who is:

Laughing/smiling
Dressed smartly in a shirt and tie
Holding a baby
Speaking/listening on the telephone
Writing something in a book/diary

There are five different types of essay that could be written about this picture, as shown below.

A learner’s example of an essay from a picture using the four steps

Word count: 297

Activity: Writing an essay from a picture

2.7 essay checklist, 3. what is expected from you in the exam.

In the exam, you must write one essay that is no less than 250 and no more than 300 words long (about 1 to 1 1/2 pages). The essay is worth 50 marks out of 100 marks in the exam - half the total marks for Paper 3. Examiners will give marks for your essay based on:

Content and planning (30 marks)
Language, style and editing (15 marks)
Structure (5 marks)

The rubric on the next two pages is a table the examiners use to mark your essay. It shows the five levels of achievement that the examiners can award an essay, from the lowest achievement (Inadequate column) to the highest achievement (Exceptional column). The table also describes the skills the examiner looks for when marking. For example, when marking an essay’s content, the examiner will assess how well the ideas relate to the topic, and whether they are well planned and organised. The rubric is a useful guide for you to use when practising your essay writing because it reminds you of the skills the examiner will be assessing when marking your exam.

2022 DBE Self-study Guides Gr. 12 English: Writing Essays and Transactional Texts

This study guide is intended to serve as a resource for teachers and learners. It provides notes, examples, problem-solving exercises with solutions and examples of practical activities.

Do you have an educational app, video, ebook, course or eResource?

Contribute to the Western Cape Education Department's ePortal to make a difference.

Essay Topics – List of 500+ Essay Writing Topics and Ideas

List of 500+ essay writing topics and ideas.

Essay topics in English can be difficult to come up with. While writing essays , many college and high school students face writer’s block and have a hard time to think about topics and ideas for an essay. In this article, we will list out many good essay topics from different categories like argumentative essays, essays on technology, environment essays for students from 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th grades. Following list of essay topics are for all – from kids to college students. We have the largest collection of essays. An essay is nothing but a piece of content which is written from the perception of writer or author. Essays are similar to a story, pamphlet, thesis, etc. The best thing about Essay is you can use any type of language – formal or informal. It can biography, the autobiography of anyone. Following is a great list of 100 essay topics. We will be adding 400 more soon!

But Before that you may wanna read some awesome Essay Writing Tips here .

500+ essay topics for students and children

Get the Huge list of 100+ Speech Topics here

Argumentative Essay Topics

Should plastic be banned?
Pollution due to Urbanization
Education should be free
Should Students get limited access to the Internet?
Selling Tobacco should be banned
Smoking in public places should be banned
Facebook should be banned
Students should not be allowed to play PUBG

Essay Topics on Technology

Wonder Of Science
Mobile Phone

Essay Topics on Festivals on Events

Independence Day (15 August)
Teachers Day
Summer Vacation
Children’s Day
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
Janmashtami
Republic Day

Essay Topics on Education

Education Essay
Importance of Education
Contribution of Technology in Education

Essay Topics on Famous Leaders

Mahatma Gandhi
APJ Abdul Kalam
Jawaharlal Nehru
Swami Vivekananda
Mother Teresa
Rabindranath Tagore
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Subhash Chandra Bose
Abraham Lincoln
Martin Luther King
Lal Bahadur Shashtri

Essay Topics on Animals and Birds

My Favorite Animal

Essays Topics About Yourself

My Best Friend
My Favourite Teacher
My Aim In Life
My Favourite Game – Badminton
My Favourite Game – Essay
My Favourite Book
My Ambition
How I Spent My Summer Vacation
India of My Dreams
My School Life
I Love My Family
My Favourite Subject
My Favourite Game Badminton
My Father My Hero
My School Library
My Favourite Author
My plans for summer vacation

Essay Topics Based on Environment and Nature

Global Warming
Environment
Air Pollution
Environmental Pollution
Water Pollution
Rainy Season
Climate Change
Importance Of Trees
Winter Season
Deforestation
Natural Disasters
Save Environment
Summer Season
Trees Our Best Friend Essay In English

Essay Topics Based on Proverbs

Health Is Wealth
A Stitch in Time Saves Nine
An Apple a Day Keeps Doctor Away
Where there is a will, there is way
Time and Tide wait for none

Toppr provides free study materials like NCERT Solutions for Students, Previous 10 Years of Question Papers, 1000+ hours of video lectures for free. Download Toppr app for Android and iOS or signup for free.

Essay Topics for Students from 6th, 7th, 8th Grade

Noise Pollution
Environment Pollution
Women Empowerment
Time and Tide Wait for none
Science and Technology
Importance of Sports
Sports and Games
Time Management
Cleanliness is next to Godliness
Cleanliness
Rome was not Built in a Day
Unemployment
Clean India
Cow Essay In English
Describe Yourself
Festivals Of India
Ganesh Chaturthi
Healthy Food
Importance Of Water
Plastic Pollution
Value of Time
Honesty is the Best Policy
Gandhi Jayanti
Human Rights
Knowledge Is Power
Same Sex Marriage
Childhood Memories
Cyber Crime
Kalpana Chawla
Punctuality
Rani Lakshmi Bai
Spring Season
Unity In Diversity
Artificial Intelligence
Online Shopping
Indian Culture
Healthy Lifestyle
Indian Education System
Disaster Management
Environmental Issues
Freedom Fighters
Grandparents
Save Fuel For Better Environment
Importance Of Newspaper
Lal Bahadur Shastri
Raksha Bandhan
World Environment Day
Narendra Modi
What Is Religion
Charity Begins at Home
A Journey by Train
Ideal student
Save Water Save Earth
Indian Farmer
Safety of Women in India
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
Capital Punishment
College Life
Natural Resources
Peer Pressure
Nature Vs Nurture
Romeo And Juliet
Generation Gap
Makar Sankranti
Constitution of India
Girl Education
Importance of Family
Importance of Independence Day
Brain Drain
A Friend In Need Is A Friend Indeed
Action Speaks Louder Than Words
All That Glitters Is Not Gold
Bhagat Singh
Demonetization
Agriculture
Importance of Discipline
Population Explosion
Poverty in India
Uses Of Mobile Phones
Water Scarcity
Train Journey
Land Pollution
Environment Protection
Indian Army
Uses of Internet
All that Glitters is not Gold
Balanced Diet
Blood Donation
Digital India
Dussehra Essay
Energy Conservation
National Integration
Railway Station
Sachin Tendulkar
Health And Hygiene
Importance Of Forest
Indira Gandhi
Laughter Is The Best Medicine
Career Goals
Mental Health
Save Water Save Life
International Yoga Day
Winter Vacation
Soil Pollution
Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining
Indian Culture And Tradition
Unity Is Strength
Unity is Diversity
Wildlife Conservation
Cruelty To Animals
Nelson Mandela
Of Mice And Men
Organ Donation
Life in a Big City
Democracy in India
Waste Management
Biodiversity
Afforestation
Female Foeticide
Harmful Effects Of Junk Food
Rain Water Harvesting
Save Electricity
Social Media
Social Networking Sites
Sound Pollution
Procrastination
Life in an Indian Village
Life in Big City
Population Growth
World Population Day
Greenhouse Effect
Statue of Unity
Traffic Jam
Beti Bachao Beti Padhao
Importance of Good Manners
Good Manners
Cyber Security
Green Revolution
Health And Fitness
Incredible India
Make In India
Surgical Strike
Triple Talaq
A Good Friend
Importance of Friends in our Life
Should Plastic be Banned
Nationalism
Traffic Rules
Effects of Global Warming
Fundamental Rights
Solar System
National Constitution Day
Good Mother
Importance of Trees in our Life
City Life Vs Village Life
Importance of Communication
Conservation of Nature
Man vs. Machine
Indian Economy
Mothers Love
Importance of National Integration
Black Money
Greenhouse effect
Untouchability
Self Discipline
Global Terrorism
Conservation of Biodiversity
Newspaper and Its Uses
World Health Day
Conservation of Natural Resources
A Picnic with Family
Indian Heritage
Status of Women in India
Child is Father of the Man
Reading is Good Habit
Plastic Bag
Terrorism in India
Library and Its Uses
Life on Mars
Urbanization
Pollution Due to Diwali
National Flag of India
Vocational Education
Importance of Tree Plantation
Summer Camp
Vehicle Pollution
Women Education in India
Seasons in India
Freedom of the Press
Caste System
Environment and Human Health
Mountain Climbing
Depletion of Natural Resources
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
Health Education
Effects of Deforestation
Life after School
Starvation in India
Jan Dhan Yojana
Impact of Privatization
Election Commission of India
Election and Democracy
Prevention of Global Warming
Impact of Cinema in Life
Subhas Chandra Bose
Dowry System
Ganesh Chaturthi Festival
Role of Science in Making India
Impact of Global Warming on Oceans
Pollution due to Festivals
Ambedkar Jayanti
Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat
Family Planning in India
Democracy vs Dictatorship
National Festivals of India
Sri Aurobindo
Casteism in India
Organ trafficking
Consequences of Global Warming
Role of Human Activities in Global Warming
Issues and Problems faced by Women in India
Role of Judiciary in the Country Today
Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan
PUBG Mobile Game Addiction
Role of Youths in Nation Building
Value of Oxygen and Water in Life/Earth
Farmer Suicides in India
Start-up India
Pollution Due to Firecrackers
Life of Soldiers
Child Labour
Save Girl Child
Morning Walk
My School Fete
Essay on Financial Literacy
Essay On Sustainable Development
Essay On Punjab
Essay On Travel
My Home Essay
Child Marriage Essay
Importance Of English Language Essay
Essay On Mass Media
Essay On Horse
Essay On Police
Essay On Eid
Essay On Solar Energy
Animal Essay
Essay On Mango
Gender Discrimination Essay
Essay On Advertisement
My First Day At School Essay
My Neighborhood Essay
True Friendship Essay
Work Is Worship Essay
Essay On Self Confidence
Essay On Superstition
Essay On Bangalore
Sex Vs Gender Essay
Essay On Social Issues
Time Is Money Essay
Essay About Grandmothers
Essay On Hard Work
First Day Of School Essay
Flowers Essay
My Favorite Food Essay
Essay on Birds
Essay on Humanity
Essay on Sun
Essay on Kargil War
Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining Essay
Francis Bacon Essays
Importance of Cleanliness Essay
My Sister Essay
Self Introduction Essay
Solar Energy Essay
Sports Day Essa
Value Of Education Essay
Essay On Isro
Essay On Balance Is Beneficial
Essay On Reservation In India
Essay On Water Management
Essay On Smoking
Essay On Stress Management
Essay On William Shakespeare
Essay on Apple
Essay On Albert Einstein
Essay On Feminism
Essay On Kindness
Essay On Domestic Violence
Essay on English as a Global Language
Essay On Co-Education
Importance Of Exercise Essay
Overpopulation Essay
Smartphone Essay
Essay on River
Essay on Cyclone
Essay On Facebook
Essay On Science In Everyday Life
Essay On Women Rights
Essay On Right To Education
Essay on Quotes
Essay On Peace
Essay On Drawing
Essay On Bicycle
Essay On Sexual Harassment
Essay On Hospital
Essay On Srinivasa Ramanujan
Essay On Golden Temple
Essay On Art
Essay On Ruskin Bond
Essay On Moon
Birthday Essay
Dont Judge A Book By Its Cover Essay
Draught Essay
Gratitude Essay
Indian Politics Essay
Who am I Essay
Essay on Positive Thinking
Essay on Dance
Essay on Navratri
Essay on Onam
Essay on New Education Policy 2020
Esasy on Thank you Coronavirus Helpers
Essay on Coronavirus and Coronavirus Symptoms
Essay on Baseball
Essay on coronavirus vaccine
Fitness beats pandemic essay
Essay on coronavirus tips
Essay on coronavirus prevention
Essay on coronavirus treatment
Essay on essay on trees
Essay on television
Gender inequality essay
Water conservation essay
Essay on Gurpurab
Essay on Types of sports
Essay on road safety
Essay on my favourite season
My pet essay
Student life essay
Essay on Railway station
Essay on earth
Essay on knowledge is power
Essay on favourite personality
Essay on memorable day of my life
My parents essay
Our country essay
Picnic essay
Travelling essay

Customize your course in 30 seconds

Which class are you in.

Letter Writing
It So Happened Summary
Honey Dew Chapter Summaries
The Alien Hand
Malu Bhalu Summary
Sing a Song of People Summary
The Little Bully Summary
Nobody’s Friend Summary
Class Discussion Summary
Crying Summary in English

Download the App

98 English Speech Topics for Grade 12 to choose from (South Africa)

98 English attention-grabbing Speech Topics for Grade 12 to choose from: High School speech topics for Grade 12 are often not easy to discover. Also, giving a speech in front of the class may not be the easiest:

Table of Contents

English Speech Guide for Grade 12

List of 98 English Speech Topics for Grade 12 to choose from

Studying martial arts is good for mind and health.
Competitive sports can teach us about life.
Reality shows are exploiting people.
Community service should be required for teens.
These qualities make a hero.
It’s important to grow things in a garden.
Violent video games are dangerous.
Lyrics in a song can impact our lives.
Traveling and studying abroad is positive.
Journal writing is therapeutic.
You should spend time with grandparents.
The laptop is better than the tablet.
Religion and science can go hand in hand.
School uniforms are good.
All-girl colleges and all-boy colleges are bad.
Multiple choice tests are better than essay tests.
We should not spend money on space exploration.
Open-book tests are as effective as closed-book tests.
Security cameras keep us safer.
Parents should have access to students’ grades.
Small classes are better than big classes.
You need to start saving for retirement now.
Credit cards are harmful to college students.
We should have a royal family.
We should protect endangered animals.
Texting while driving should be illegal.
You can write a novel.
You can go to your college of choice.
State colleges are better than private colleges.
Private colleges are better than state colleges.
We should do away with penny coins.
Fast food containers hurt the environment.
Plastic straws hurt the environment.
You can eat and enjoy healthy snacks.
You can become a millionaire.
Dogs are better pets than cats.
You should own a bird.
It’s unethical to keep birds in cages.
Liberal arts degrees prepare better workers.
Hunting animals should be banned.
Football is dangerous.
School days should start later.
Night school is better than day school.
Technical training is better than a college degree.
Immigration laws should be more lenient.
Students should be able to pick their schools.
Everyone should learn to play a musical instrument.
Grass lawns should be prohibited.
Sharks should be protected.
We should do away with cars and go back to horse and carriage for transportation.
We should use more wind power.
We should pay more taxes.
We should do away with taxes.
Teachers should be tested like students.
We should not interfere in the affairs of other countries.
Every student should join a club.
Homeschooling is better than traditional schooling.
People should stay married for life.
Smoking in public should be illegal.
Students should live on campus.
Parents should let students fail.
Giving is good.
Education makes us happier people.
The death penalty is good for society.
Bigfoot is real.
We should increase train travel to save the environment.
We should read more classic books.
Fame is bad for children.
Athletes should stay loyal to teams.
We should reform our prisons.
Juvenile offenders should not go to boot camps.
Abraham Lincoln was the best president.
Abraham Lincoln gets too much credit.
Students should be allowed to have cell phones in elementary, middle, and high school.
College student-athletes should be paid for playing.
Elderly citizens on fixed incomes should receive free bus rides.
Colleges and universities should be free to attend.
All South African citizens should complete one year of community service.
Students should be required to take Spanish classes.
Every student should be required to learn at least one foreign language.
Marijuana should be legal for recreational use nationwide.
Commercial testing of products on animals should no longer be allowed.
Felons who have served their time in prison should be allowed to vote once they are free.
The drinking age should be bumped up past 21.
Replacing fossil fuels with cheaper alternative energy options should be mandated.
Churches need to contribute their share of taxes.
The Cuba embargo should be maintained by the U.S.
South Africa should replace income taxes with a nationwide flat tax.
The Bowl Championship Series, also known as the BCS, should be replaced with a true college football playoff system.
Doctor-assisted suicide should be legal.
Spammers—people who bombard the internet with unsolicited email—should be banned from sending their junk mail.
Every automobile driver should be required to take a new driver’s test every three years.
Electroshock treatment is not a humane form of therapy.
Global warming is not real.
Single-parent adoption should be encouraged and promoted.
Gun companies should be held accountable for gun crimes.
Human cloning is not moral.
Religion does not belong in public education.

Hello Grade 12 Learners. Modern Classroom has everything for you needed to pass your matric exams, tests, assessments, research tasks and assignments under CAPS Curriculum . Feel free to explore all resources for grade 12, such as Study Guides, DBE Past Exam Papers with Memos , and Speech Topics . That’s if you want to know how to pass grade 12 with distinctions in South Africa Modern Classroom

Why passing Grade 12 is very important

Grade 12 ultimately prepares you for the real world out there, and most importantly matric is your ultimate gateway for varsity. You really need good marks in Grade 12 in order to pass well and study what you like . Good Grade 12 marks means good APS Score.

The calculation of an Admission Point Score (APS) is based on a candidate’s achievement in any SIX recognised National Senior Certificate 20-credit subjects (including subjects from the non-designated subject list, e.g. CAT , Tourism , Hospitality Studies and Civil , Electrical & Mechanical Technology , etc.), by using the NSC seven-point rating scale. Life Orientation is a 10-credit subject and may not be used for calculating the APS. Life Orientation is also not a faculty-specific subject requirement.

Have you made your career choice yet?

Now that you are in your final year of studies, have you made up your mind about what career you want to pursue after matric? Have a look at below questions and click on the links for more information:

Do you know:

If you want to study at a University or College ?
What career do you plan to pursue after school ?
What subjects you will need to study for this career?
Which country do you want to study at, Canada maybe?
How will you pay for your studies?

5 Ways to Pass Matric with Distinction?

Teach your friends the subject you know the most. Teaching others makes you learn faster
Manage your time properly. Learn to focus at one task at a time.
Gather all learning material about a subject and try answering previous exam papers and tests
Ensure you do have 8 hrs of sleep every night so that you will always be productive.
Remove all destructions around you, such as: TV, CellPhone, Noisy people, etc. If you cant, go to the library or study at school.

Other Grade 12 Past Papers and Memos

Accounting Grade 12 past papers and revision notes
Economics Grade 12 past papers and revision notes
Mathematics Grade 12 past papers and revision notes
Technical Mathematics Grade 12 past papers and revision notes
Physical Science Grade 12 past papers and revision notes
Life Sciences Grade 12 past papers and revision notes
Technical Sciences Grade 12 past papers and revision notes
Mathematics Literacy Grade 12 past papers and revision notes
Biology Grade 12 past papers and revision notes
Life Orientation Grade 12 past papers and revision notes
Religion Studies Grade 12 past papers and revision notes
Business Studies Grade 12 past papers and revision notes
Consumer Studies Grade 12 past papers and revision notes
Tshivenda Home Language Grade 12 past papers and revision notes
IsiXhosa Home Language Grade 12 past papers and revision notes
IsiZulu Home Language Grade 12 past papers and revision notes
Sepedi Home Language Grade 12 past papers and revision notes
Sesotho Home Language Grade 12 past papers and revision notes
Setswana Home Language Grade 12 past papers and revision notes
Seswati Home Language Grade 12 past papers and revision notes
Afrikaans Home Language Grade 12 past papers and revision notes
English Home Language Grade 12 past papers and revision notes
Xitsonga Home Language Grade 12 past papers and revision notes
Tourism and Hospitality Studies Grade 12 past papers and revision notes
Computer Applications Technology Grade 12 past papers and revision notes
Civil Technology Grade 12 past papers and revision notes
Electrical Technology Grade 12 past papers and revision notes
Engineering Graphics and Designs Grade 12 past papers and revision notes
Information Technology Grade 12 past papers and revision notes
Mechanical Technology Grade 12 past papers and revision notes
Agricultural Sciences Grade 12 past papers and revision notes
Agricultural Technology Grade 12 past papers and revision notes
Agricultural Management Practices Grade 12 past papers and revision notes
Dance Studies Grade 12 past papers and revision notes
Design Grade 12 past papers and revision notes
Dramatic Arts Grade 12 past papers and revision notes
Music Visual Arts Grade 12 past papers and revision notes

View all Grade 12 Past Papers here

Did You See These?

English Grade 12 Study Guides Free Download
Language and Context – Mind the Gap Grade 12 Study Guide Download (South Africa)
Grade 12 Economics Exam Paper 1 and 2 May-June 2019 and Memo English
English Language Grade 12 November 2022 Exam Question Papers with Memos for Revision
English SAL Grade 12 Annual Teaching Plan (ATP) for 2023
Grade 12 Business Studies Paper 1 and 2 2019 Exam Papers and Memos
What is Hydrochloric acid (South Africa)
Life Sciences Grade 12 September and November 2019 Past Exam Papers and Memorandum