Restate the question and both points of view in your own words as part of your introduction. In the exam, you will receive a question for which you will need to state your opinion. The question will offer two or three possible viewpoints as part of the question. Restating the essay prompt shows that you understand what the question asks. As you will be required to take a position, understanding the topic and given viewpoint choices is essential to writing a good ACT essay.
Take a clear position on the topic. You can either choose one of the viewpoints discussed in the essay prompt or an alternate opinion. There is no correct answer. ACT readers do not score your essay based on whether or not they agree with your opinion. They only want to know that you are able to formulate and support a position on the topic.
Provide specific examples to support your position. Your essay will score lower if you only speak in general terms. No matter what your viewpoint is, examples strengthen and clarify your position. The evidence you provide should be relevant to the topic. If possible, discuss personal experiences that helped you form your opinion.
Address possible concerns from other viewpoints. Not only do you need to support your own opinion, but you also need to address the concerns of others with different viewpoints. For example, assume your opinion is that high schools should add a fifth year. One concern from those with the opposite position is that students will skip their fifth year of high school out of boredom. You can address this concern by suggesting high schools offer courses for college credit in the fifth year.
Stay on topic. Throughout your essay, you need to make sure each statement directly pertains to the essay topic. Every example should be appropriate. Do not discuss ideas that are not relevant to the question asked.
Conclude with a short summary of the ideas you presented. The conclusion should simply wrap up the essay. Do not introduce new information, opinions or examples in your conclusion.