Responding to Survey Questions

Pick a side on a community survey and defend it in a short, reasoned response.

Time

26 min

Length

150–200 words

Choose

1 of 2

Tone

Persuasive

What's expected

Pick one of the two options fast. The choice itself doesn't affect your score — indecision wastes time.
Give two distinct reasons, each backed with a concrete example.
Close with a single sentence that reinforces your choice.

Answer structure

1
Thesis
Open with a clear, one-sentence position. No fence-sitting.
2
Reason 1 + example
Expand one angle with a believable, specific example.
3
Reason 2 + example
A second, genuinely different angle — not the first one rephrased.
4
Close
One sentence reaffirming the choice in slightly different words.

What raters look for

Clarity of position — no fence-sitting
Two genuinely different reasons
Persuasive, neutral register — not angry, not flowery
Grammar, paragraphing, and cohesion

A worked example

Prompt

Your city is considering two uses for a new park: (A) a community garden, (B) a sports field. Which do you support, and why?

Model answer

I support turning the new park into a community garden for two reasons.

First, a garden gives the neighbourhood a space to gather across generations. In my current building, the shared herb boxes have led to more conversations between neighbours than any event the city has organised. A garden scales that effect to a whole community.

Second, a garden is cheaper to maintain and more inclusive than a sports field. Sports fields favour a few age groups and require ongoing budgets for lighting, lines, and cleanup. A garden, once set up, is mostly volunteer-run and open to everyone — children, seniors, and anyone curious about growing food.

For those reasons, I believe a community garden is the better choice for our neighbourhood.

Why it works

Clear thesis in the first sentence — no fence-sitting.
Two distinct angles: social value, then cost and inclusivity.
Each reason has a concrete example, not just a claim.

Traps that cost points

Giving both sides instead of picking one.
Two 'reasons' that are actually the same idea rephrased.
Angry or overly emotional language — the rubric rewards calm persuasion.

Pro bonusWriter's Warm-up

A 3-minute mental warm-up before every W2.

Pick one of three scenarios for W2 and walk through the audience → purpose → tone → structure decisions step by step. No typing. No scoring. Just the pre-writing habits that separate bands.

Open Writer's Warm-up

A worked example

Prompt

Your city is considering two uses for a new park: (A) a community garden, (B) a sports field. Which do you support, and why?

Model answer

I support turning the new park into a community garden for two reasons.

First, a garden gives the neighbourhood a space to gather across generations. In my current building, the shared herb boxes have led to more conversations between neighbours than any event the city has organised. A garden scales that effect to a whole community.

Second, a garden is cheaper to maintain and more inclusive than a sports field. Sports fields favour a few age groups and require ongoing budgets for lighting, lines, and cleanup. A garden, once set up, is mostly volunteer-run and open to everyone — children, seniors, and anyone curious about growing food.

For those reasons, I believe a community garden is the better choice for our neighbourhood.

Why it works

Clear thesis in the first sentence — no fence-sitting.
Two distinct angles: social value, then cost and inclusivity.
Each reason has a concrete example, not just a claim.