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Should School Start Later?

Persuasive Writing

Intermediate

25 minutes

Independent

The Prompt

“Write a persuasive article arguing that school should start one hour later in the morning. Convince the reader that this would benefit students.”

Planning Hints

5 tips to help you plan your response

State your opinion clearly in the opening paragraph.

Give at least three strong arguments with evidence or examples.

Use persuasive techniques: rhetorical questions, statistics, emotive language.

Address the counter-argument (e.g., "Some might say...") and respond to it.

End with a powerful conclusion and a call to action.

Starter Sentences

Suggested opening lines to get you started

“Imagine a world where no child has to drag themselves out of bed at 6:30am.”

“Every morning, millions of children across the country start school while their brains are still asleep.”

“It is a truth universally acknowledged that no ten-year-old wants to be awake before seven o'clock.”

Key Techniques to Demonstrate

Techniques the examiner will be looking for in your response

Annotated Model Answer

A high-quality example response with techniques highlighted

Every morning, millions of children across the country start school while their brains are still asleep. They sit in classrooms with drooping eyes, yawning through maths, struggling to focus on reading, and counting the minutes until break. Is this really the best we can do? I believe it is time for a change. School should start at 10am, not 9am — and here is why. Firstly, scientific research is clear: children aged 8–13 need between 9 and 12 hours of sleep, and their natural body clocks mean they fall asleep later and wake later than adults. Forcing children to be alert and learning at 9am is like asking a car to race before the engine has warmed up. Starting school an hour later would mean students arrive rested, focused, and ready to learn — not groggy and glazed. Secondly, later starts would improve mental health. Morning rush — the alarm, the scramble for uniform, the half-eaten toast, the panicked sprint for the bus — creates stress before the school day has even begun. An extra hour would give families breathing space: time for a proper breakfast, a calm conversation, or simply a few extra minutes of sleep. Less stress in the morning means happier children in the classroom. Thirdly, academic performance would improve. Studies from schools in the United States that trialled later start times found that students achieved higher grades, attended more regularly, and were less likely to fall asleep in lessons. If the evidence exists, why aren't we acting on it? Of course, some people will argue that later starts would cause problems for working parents who need to drop children off early. This is a fair concern. However, schools could offer supervised breakfast clubs for families who need earlier childcare, just as many already offer after-school clubs. The solution exists — it simply requires the willingness to find it. The evidence is overwhelming. Later starts mean better sleep, better health, and better learning. Our children deserve mornings that set them up for success, not mornings that set them up for exhaustion. It is time for schools — and the adults who run them — to listen to the science, listen to the children, and make this simple but powerful change.

Hover or tap the highlighted phrases to see the technique and explanation

Techniques Used in This Answer

Rhetorical Questions (x2)

Simile

Listing

Counter Argument

Rule Of Three

Repetition

Ready to Write?

Practice this prompt under timed conditions, just like the real exam. You have 25 minutes.

Planning Templates

Suitable for persuasive writing

Persuasive Writing Frame

A structure for persuasive articles, speeches, and letters. Organises your argument logically.

4 steps|3-5 minutes

Marking Focus Areas

organisation

vocabulary

grammar

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