There is no denying the value of persuasive essay prompts.  Right now, especially if you are a high school student, you may not be able to recognize their importance.  That is completely understandable.  In high school, when your teachers give you essay prompts, it tends to feel as if they are simply trying to control you.  That is how most teenagers feel about their teachers at one time or another.  They dictate what books you can read, they pile homework on you, they control what you study, and in the blink of an eye they can assign an exam and make your life miserable for the next few weeks.  But trust that your teachers are not trying to torture you when they give you writing prompts.  Quite the contrary, they are trying to help you.  Usually, only retrospect, hindsight, and all of that, will help you see how much they actually are helping you.  Hopefully, however, the following information will let you see it now.  Plus, we are going to take a look at a few persuasive prompt samples – just to give you some practice, if you would like! Get some more ideas about interesting research paper topics.

The purpose of persuasive essay prompts is, of course, to teach you how to write persuasively.  This is going to come in handy with term paper writing, with research papers, and even – especially – with later dissertations and research proposals, when you need to persuade a committee that the research you are proposing is worthwhile and important.  These types of essay prompts are also frequently seen on college applications.  Sometimes you have to write a narrative or personal essay but far more often you need to explain exactly what a particular institution will gain from admitting you into one of its programs.  You also need to persuade that college or university to understand why you are interested in that school and how you think you will benefit from going there.

Clearly, persuasive essay prompts are not something your high school teachers use just to torture you.  Writing prompts are invaluable.  You can learn something from each different one, be they persuasive, personal, argumentative, or expository prompts.  It may be hard to take them seriously at this time in your life and they may seem like far more work than they are worth.  However, being able to persuade readers to your point of view, no matter what you are writing about, will benefit you so much!  It will even help you in job interviews and things like that, when you need to persuade someone that you are the best possible person to fill a particular position.  With that being said, let’s take a look at some sample essay prompts of the persuasive variety.  These are easy little writing prompts, but they give you an idea of what you are doing.  Furthermore, because they are simple, you can easily do them in your own free time, thereby building up your persuasive skills.

Sample one: Your school board wants to take up a brand new technology initiated program.  They want to include two new computers in every classroom.  However, your teachers want to take two classrooms and turn them into computer rooms, so that students will have more access to individual computers.  The school board is worried about the cost and upkeep of this idea.  Which do you think is the better method?  Explain why in such a way that you could convince the school board and your teachers to go with your idea.

Sample two: A lot of kids in the fifth grade class think they should be allowed to stay up as late as they want.  Do you think this is true?  Explain why or why not.  Is there an alternative option?  Persuade the kids and/or their parents to do with your idea or solution.

Sample three: Kids begin smoking early these days.  Write a letter to the class describing why they need to stay away from cigarettes.

As you can also see, these persuasive essay prompts can be for students and for teachers.  You can also simply play a role when you are writing them.  There are a lot of samples out there and, truthfully, they can even help you come up with good term paper ideas, simply by showing you the kind of format and persuasion you need in your writing.

Today, we have a comprehensive list of various sample essay prompts to consider.  You are going to see a lot of these during your academic career.  Beginning in middle school, going on through high school, and even when you get to college, your teachers and professors are going to hand out essay writing prompts like candy.  You might prefer a lollipop or a pack of smarties, but trust, they are not doing this to torture you.  The writing habits you begin learning in middle school really are going to help you later.  The fundamental elements of personal essays, argumentative essays, and descriptive essays – the styles most commonly seen during your early school days – are going to show up again and again, in term papers, research papers, and even dissertations.

Of course, sample essay prompts do not have to be assigned.  Why not practice on your own?  That may sound crazy, but essay prompts can actually come in handy in a number of ways, with a number of assignments.  Just as a for instance, think about your college applications.  You are usually asked to write up a personal statement – basically, a personal essay, which is also known as a narrative.  Sometimes it may be related to your major, what you want to do with your life, or why you want to go to that specific institutions.  Other times, it might be completely random.  Such prompts can show up on the PSATs and SATs as well.  So, why not take a look at some sample personal essay topics?  At the very least, they can even help you with writer’s block.

Personal Sample 1: Just about every student has been caught unprepared for a big, important exam at one time or another.  Maybe you were sick, maybe you were away, maybe you were busy with other school work – whatever the case, describe a time when this happened to you.  Did you wing it or explain your situation to the teacher?  How did you do?

Personal Sample 2: Pick out a very vivid moment of your childhood and describe it with as much detail as possible.  Make your readers understand why it is so special and/or important to you.

Personal Sample 3: Think about a goal you have had in the past and explain to your reader exactly how you reached it.  Make sure you describe why doing so was so important to you.

Next up are some sample essay prompts in the form of argumentative topics.  You will likely be given a lot of persuasive papers as you go through school, so you definitely need to learn how to form arguments on paper.

Argumentative Sample 1: Do you think that the problem of domestic violence in the United States is being exaggerated, or do you think it needs to be taken more seriously?  Why?

Argumentative Sample 2: What do you think about animal testing?  Is it human to use them for scientific research, or inhumane?

Argumentative Sample 3: What are your feelings on people using cell phones in public?  Do you think they should be banned in malls, restaurants, et cetera?  Why or why not?

Now, let’s have a look at some samples for descriptive papers.  Descriptive essay prompts give you a chance to be really imaginative and, as such, are great exercises for both academic writers and literary or non fiction writers.

Descriptive Sample 1: Think about your favorite place in the world and describe why it is so special.  What do you do there?  What does it look, smell, and feel like?

Descriptive Sample 2: What is your favorite season?  Why?  What is your town like during that season?

Descriptive Sample 3: What teacher has affected you the most?  Why was he or she so memorable?  How and why did he or she inspire and/or affect you?

As you can see, sample essay prompts are beneficial with any number of subjects.  More importantly, they pop up where you least expect them.  They also show up on some of the most important exams we will take in our lives, and on some of the most crucial documents.  You never know which kind you are going to get, and any way, they truly do help later in life, when you have moved from essays to research and term papers.