OSSLT writing prompts: 40 opinion essay topics to practise

The only long piece of writing on the OSSLT is the opinion essay, and it is worth 20 of the test’s 78 raw points, about a quarter of the total. The prompt asks a question about everyday life, and you answer it in a series of paragraphs that state your opinion and support it with reasons and specific details. Below are 40 original practice prompts, grouped by theme, plus how to choose a side and a plan that works for any of them.

These prompts were written by Litguide in the style of the OSSLT. They are not past or upcoming OSSLT prompts.

What an OSSLT writing prompt looks like

Each prompt is a question you can answer yes or no, followed by the same instruction: write a series of paragraphs that states your opinion and supports it with reasons and specific details. The topics come from school, home and the community, so you don’t need any special knowledge. Either side can earn the top code. What counts is how clearly you state your opinion and how specific your support is.

Three of the prompts below are built into the free OSSLT essay grader. Choose “Mark it free” next to one of them to write it and get both rubric codes in seconds.

School life

• Should high schools start the school day later? Mark it free

• Should students be able to choose where they sit in class?

• Should high schools have a longer lunch break?

• Should students be allowed to listen to music while they work in class?

• Should schools replace final exams with projects?

• Should students help choose the books they read in English class?

• Should school clubs meet during class time instead of after school?

• Should high schools switch to a four-day school week?

Technology

• Should students be allowed to use AI tools to help with homework?

• Should schools teach students how to spot false information online?

• Should video games count as a school sport?

• Should teachers post all homework online?

• Should families have one screen-free evening every week?

• Should coding be a required course in high school?

• Should students be allowed to take notes on a laptop instead of on paper?

• Should online classes be an option for every high school course?

Community and the environment

• Should school cafeterias stop using single-use plastic?

• Should towns build more bike lanes, even if it means less parking?

• Should every town have a free community space for teenagers?

• Should public libraries lend out things other than books, like tools and sports equipment?

• Should schools switch off lights and screens for one hour a week to save energy?

• Should local sports fields be free for anyone to use?

• Should students spend one school day a year helping in their community?

• Should pets be allowed in more public places, like stores and restaurants?

Work, money and responsibility

• Should every high school student have to take a class on managing money? Mark it free

• Do high school students have too many responsibilities outside of class? Mark it free

• Should teenagers have a part-time job while they are in high school?

• Should parents pay teenagers for doing chores at home?

• Should high school students be allowed to leave school at lunch?

• Should every student learn basic home repairs before they graduate?

• Should teenagers have to save part of any money they earn?

• Should schools give students one period a week to plan their future careers?

Health and sport

• Should school cafeterias serve only healthy food?

• Should physical education be required in every grade of high school?

• Should school sports teams be open to every student who wants to play?

• Should schools start each day with ten minutes of exercise?

• Should teenagers have a daily limit on screen time?

• Should sports for players under twelve stop keeping score?

• Should students get one mental health day each term?

• Should schools have quiet rooms where students can take a short break?

How to choose a side

• Pick the side you can back up with the most specific details, not the side you think a marker wants. Either side can score the top code.

• Give yourself one minute to list three reasons for each side. Choose the side where your reasons came faster and each one has a real example.

• Once you choose, stay on that side for the whole essay. An opinion that changes partway through scores lower.

A plan that works for any prompt

• Opening: answer the question in your first sentence with a clear opinion, and name the reasons you will use.

• Reasons: one paragraph for each reason, with a specific detail or example a reader can picture, and a sentence linking it back to your opinion.

• Other side: optional, one or two sentences on the opposing view and why your opinion still holds.

• Closing: return to your opinion in fresh words.

Spend about 5 minutes planning, 25 writing and 5 rereading to fix errors. The opinion essay guide has an annotated sample, and the OSSLT marking guide explains every code.

Get your writing marked

Practice only helps if you know what to fix. Write one of these prompts a week in the four to five months before the test, get each one marked, and rewrite the weakest paragraph. The free essay grader marks the three prompts above, and Litguide marks every opinion essay in its practice sets in seconds against the OSSLT rubrics, with feedback on each paragraph.