ACT WRITING PROMPT
At some high schools, teachers have considered allowing each student to choose the books he or she will read for English class rather than requiring all students in class to read the same books. Some teachers support such a policy because they think students will greatly improve their reading skills if they read books they find interesting. Other teachers do not support such a policy because they think that students will learn more by participating in class discussion with others who have read the same books. In your opinion, should each individual student be allowed to choose the books he or she reads for English class?
My essay
There are many different books in the world. This is because people like different styles, different genres and different authors, but also because we are different. This is why when I read the same text as you, I could look at it from a different point of view and think that the metaphors mean something completely different to what you think they mean. So making pupils read different books and books of their choice will enhance their motivation for learning and also cater for their academicall needs, as they get to choose books that suit their level of English.
A study conducted in 2015 at the university of Birmingham, found that students who read a choice of their own book were more likely to continue reading books 50% more than the group who were all given a book. Considering that all these students weren’t reading frequently before makes the experiment relatable to high school students in my school, as most of their hobbies are gaming and using the internet. So this means that by just letting pupils choose their own books they are 50% more likely to choose a path of lifelong learning.
An experience that I had myself; was in the group discussions for the bok we read as a class called “Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde”. Many of my peers weren’t engaged in the class discussions as most people said the same things and also because they simply were not interested in the story or the use of old English words that they found confusing (though I found it very interesting). This shows that reading, writing and discussing about the same book for 6months on the same books makes students disengaged from the lesson and unable to read.
However, by reading the same book the teacher marking essays would take much less time and have better quality marking as they do not have to read all of the books or just have to take the students word for it. This means that the students will be hindering their learning and disrupting learning by not getting their essays back as fast etc. So this is a point that should be taken into consideration by the teacher before telling students that they can choose their own books.
Overall I think that their many advantages and disadvantages to letting students choose their own books. Ultimately, I think that It comes down to the level of discipline and the level of intelligence the class has. For a class that is academically advanced and well-disciplined choosing their own books may be a good idea. On the other hand, for a class that is ill-disciplined and has low English skills I think that choosing the class book to read is a good idea.
This prompt is from 2012.
The Writing section of the ACT has changed.
Try this prompt http://www.actstudent.org/writing/sample/
I will be glad to read your essay when you are done.
Thank you 
This is my essay in response to the first example
The first ever robot was created in 1495 by Leonard Da Vinci. It was able to move its joints like arms, legs and jaw and sit up. It is evident that we have come very far from the very first robots and i believe that it is something to be very proud of. Without Robots our lives would be completely different. We would not be able do or have the things in life we have now for a cheap price and we would not be able to help other species too.
I feel like Intelligent machines are great for low-skill, repetitive jobs that are done with high speed and are very precise. Firstly, this is great because it can make high quality goods much faster than humans can. This means that people with not a great deal of money can enjoy quality goods just like other people and can afford it without making sacrifices in life. Secondly, having high speed machines means that we can meet the demands for our growing population. If humans were still making technical goods like cars then statistics show that the world would only have half of the car population of 2015. If this were the case then the economy around the world wouldn’t be as good and the parts of the world that have to have food exported due to the poor farmlands wouldn’t have food. Therefore having intelligent machines helps the economy and people all around the world so is very beneficial to us.
Intelligent machines are always being improved. Can you imagine what the world would be like if we were stuck with the first ever aeroplane or the first ever mobile phone? Not only is it just aeroplanes and mobile phones, but it is medical and scientific technology. We have found out so much about the world, space and human beings. If we didn’t have a micro camera to look at peoples stomachs for cancers or x-ray machines for broken bones, so many people would be in pain suffering every day or not even able to feel pain. It is because of humans and machines that we are able to accomplish things that we do now and it is really all thanks to them.
However, Intelligent machines have down sides too. The replacement of people by machines has led to more and more people jobless. Being jobless increases the chance of crime, mental health and physical health problems and obesity. So people working is very important to individual and social well being. Secondly, a lot of people loose touch with reality and are internet and smart phone addicts. Because of this people loose touch with reality and are stuck in their own worlds unable to carry out simple things like eating and sleeping. Many are socially awkward and unable to socialise with others and hardly leave the house because of their dependance on intelligent machines.
In conclusion, there is a line where dependance on intelligence machines and using intelligence machines to enhance life. When this line is crossed it is when is all goes pear shaped. Intelligent machines are really beneficial to humans but we also need to be able to to use ourselves aswell. Forget about intelligent machines and use them only when we need to.
I read it and PM’d you the comments.