Diagnostic: The Five-Paragraph Essay

This Diagnostic assignment asks you to construct a piece of writing that falls between a first step and a final essay. Choose a claim. Your claim should include “should” or “should not” as well. You might write something like this: “Our school should allow students to bring therapy pets to class.” Or you might write, “Our school should lift its mask mandate for students after the COVID-19 wave subsides.” Choose a claim that interests you, and construct a cluster of points that support and point that counter this idea.

Afterwards, you’ll create a 500-word response that elaborates on your ideas. Your work should be professional, but don’t stress too much about the structure of your argument. We’ll look at organization and structure much more closely in the coming weeks. This assignment is about generating ideas and getting them down on paper.

Don’t underestimate the value of counterpoints in this response.

Below offers instructors another approach to the Diagnostic Writing Assignment:

edubirdie.com/blog/how-to-write-diagnostic-essay