How to write the
OSSLT opinion essay
The opinion essay is one question, and it is worth about a quarter of the whole OSSLT. This guide covers what the task asks, how the two rubrics score it, a paragraph plan that works, an annotated sample essay and original topics to practise with.
What does the opinion essay ask you to do?
The prompt asks a question, and you answer it in a series of paragraphs that state your opinion and support it with reasons and specific details. You type it into a text box in the online test.
EQAO looks at three skills: developing a main idea with enough supporting details, organizing ideas so they connect, and using spelling, grammar and punctuation well enough that they don’t get in the way. Because there is no time for full revision, the essay is scored as a first draft.
Two rubrics, read by Ontario teachers
Topic development
Codes 10 to 60: your opinion, your details and how you organize them
- 60A clear, consistent opinion, supported with specific details that are thoughtfully chosen, organized so the ideas build.
- 50A clear, consistent opinion with enough specific details, organized logically.
- 40A clear, consistent opinion with enough details, but only some are specific. The organization is mechanical.
- 30A clear opinion, but details are too few or vague, or not clearly tied to it. Lapses in organization distract.
- 20Only part of the essay supports an opinion, or the opinion is unclear or changes. Details are too few or repeated.
- 10Related to the prompt but no opinion, or an opinion with no supporting details.
- IOff topic, a restatement of the prompt, or just yes or no.
Conventions
Codes 10 to 40: spelling, grammar and punctuation
- 40Control of spelling, grammar and punctuation is evident.
- 30Errors do not distract from communication.
- 20Errors distract from communication.
- 10Errors interfere with communication, or the response is under 30 words, not counting words from the prompt.
- IIllegible or not written in English.
Plain-language summaries of EQAO’s generic opinion essay rubrics. The full wording is in the OSSLT framework, and the OSSLT marking guide covers every rubric on the test.
Four parts, one opinion
- 1. Opening
Answer the prompt in the first sentence with a clear opinion. Name the reasons you will use.
- 2. Reasons
One paragraph per reason: a topic sentence, then a specific example or detail, then a sentence that links it back to your opinion.
- 3. Other side
Optional: one or two sentences on the opposing view and why your opinion still holds.
- 4. Closing
Return to your opinion in fresh words and end on a final thought. Then reread and fix errors.
A way to spend your time: about 5 minutes to plan your opinion and reasons, about 25 to write, and about 5 to reread and fix errors.
An opinion essay, annotated
Should every high school student have to take a cooking class? Write a series of paragraphs that states your opinion and supports it with reasons and specific details.
Every high school student should have to take a cooking class, because cooking is a skill people use every day, it saves money and it helps people make healthier choices.
The opinion answers the prompt in the first sentence, and the three reasons preview the paragraphs that follow.
First, almost everyone will need to cook once they leave home. In a few years, many students will be living on their own, in an apartment or a residence. Knowing how to make a simple meal, like pasta with vegetables or scrambled eggs, means they can feed themselves instead of relying on someone else. A class would give every student that starting point, not just the ones who learned at home.
A topic sentence names the reason. The examples are specific, and the last sentence ties them back to why every student should take the class.
Second, cooking saves money. A takeout lunch can easily cost fifteen dollars, while a sandwich made at home costs a few. For a student with a part-time job, making lunch instead of buying it five days a week adds up quickly. A cooking class would show students how to plan meals and shop on a budget.
A concrete comparison makes the detail specific. An opinion essay doesn’t need research, just details a reader can picture.
Finally, students who can cook are more likely to eat well. When the only things someone knows how to make are instant noodles and frozen pizza, eating healthy food is hard. In a cooking class, students would learn to use fresh ingredients and read nutrition labels, habits that can last their whole lives.
Each paragraph handles one reason, which keeps the organization easy to follow.
Some people think schools should spend that time on academic subjects instead. However, cooking uses measuring, reading instructions and planning, skills students need in other classes too. For all of these reasons, every high school student should have to take a cooking class.
The closing answers the other side briefly, then returns to the opinion. The opinion never changes from start to finish.
Written by Litguide to show the structure. It is not an EQAO exemplar and has not been scored.
Eight topics to practise with
- Should every high school offer a required class on managing money?
- Should students get one day a month to work on a project of their choice?
- Should schools stop assigning homework on weekends?
- Should high school students help decide the school dress code?
- Should every student spend some time outdoors each school day?
- Should video game design be offered as a high school course?
- Should schools replace some printed textbooks with free online resources?
- Should students be able to take one course each year without a mark?
Original topics written by Litguide. They are not past or upcoming OSSLT prompts. Each one has two reasonable sides, so pick the side you can support with the most specific details.
Six common mistakes
| The mistake | What the rubric says |
|---|---|
| Restating the prompt without taking a side | A restatement of the prompt, or a yes or no with nothing after it, is scored I, below the lowest level. |
| Switching sides partway through | An opinion that is unclear or inconsistent is described at code 20. |
| Reasons with no specific details | Vague or too few details hold an essay at 30. Specific details are what move it to 50 and 60. |
| Writing about something else | Content unrelated to the prompt is scored I, however well it is written. |
| Writing too little | Under 30 words, not counting words from the prompt, can only receive the lowest conventions code. |
| Errors that get in the way | The essay is scored as a first draft, so a few slips are expected. Errors that distract or interfere lower the conventions code. |
Get your essay marked in seconds
Litguide marks every opinion essay against the OSSLT rubrics in seconds and shows what to improve on the next draft, with lessons on each part of the plan above. Try it on one essay now with the free OSSLT essay grader. If your school already licenses Litguide, it is free for you.
Quick answers about the opinion essay
How long should the OSSLT opinion essay be?
EQAO doesn’t set a word count. It asks for a series of paragraphs, and a response under 30 words, not counting words from the prompt, can only receive the lowest conventions code. An opening, two or three reason paragraphs and a closing leaves room for specific details.
Is the OSSLT opinion essay the same as the series of paragraphs?
Yes. EQAO’s framework describes the opinion essay as one open-response question made up of a series of paragraphs supporting an opinion.
What is the OSSLT opinion essay worth?
20 raw score points, about a quarter of the test’s total, more than any other single question.
Is spelling marked on the OSSLT essay?
Yes, through the conventions rubric. The essay is scored as a first draft, so what matters is whether errors distract from or interfere with communication.
Are these real OSSLT essay topics?
No. The practice topics and sample essay on this page were written by Litguide. EQAO’s own practice test includes an opinion essay with sample responses.
Can you pick either side of the question?
Yes. The rubric rewards a clear, consistent opinion with specific support, not a particular answer. Choose the side you can back with the most specific details.
- Free OSSLT essay graderWrite an opinion essay and get both rubric codes and paragraph feedback in seconds
- Free OSSLT practice testA news report, seven reading questions and an opinion essay prompt, with every answer explained
- OSSLT marking guideEQAO’s scoring codes and how the 200 to 400 scale works
- What your OSSLT score meansThe 200 to 400 scale, the 300 pass mark, the student report and when results arrive
- How to prepare for the OSSLTA four-week plan, the skills the test measures and how to write the opinion essay
- Is the OSSLT hard?Pass rates for 2025–26, who finds it harder and where marks are lost
- What is the OSSLT?The OSSLT explained: who writes it, what’s on it and how it’s scored
