YEAR 8 · 10-MINUTE BOOSTER
Build a reasoned paragraph
Connect a clear claim to a reason and a relevant example.
2 minutes to read · 6 to try · 2 to check and improve. Suggested timings, not a test. Write in a notebook; nothing is uploaded or sent for marking.
Before you try
A claim tells the reader what you think. A reason explains why. An example makes the reason concrete. Explain how your example supports the claim rather than leaving the connection to the reader.
Examples can be hypothetical if you make that clear. Do not invent a survey or a statistic to make an argument seem stronger.
Read this
1Imagine that a school is deciding whether to open one supervised classroom as a quiet space at lunchtime. The space would be optional. Pupils could read, draw or complete work there. You have been asked to give the school council one reason for or against the proposal.
2A draft answer says: 'The school should open the room. It would be really good. Lots of people would like it.'
Original practice text created for The English Practice. People and situations are fictional.
Your turn
- Identify the claim in the draft. Explain why the remaining sentences do not yet give the council much to consider.
- Write a stronger paragraph of four or five sentences. Give a clear view, explain one reason and include a realistic hypothetical example.
- Check that your final sentence explains why the example matters to this decision.
Make your own attempt before opening the model below. If you are stuck, revisit the explanation; you can use a model to help, then try again in your own words.
Ready to compare? Reveal the model and explanation
One possible response—not the only successful answer
The claim is 'The school should open the room.' The other sentences offer approval, but do not explain a specific benefit or support the claim about what people want.
The school should trial an optional quiet room at lunchtime. A crowded playground does not suit every pupil every day, so a calmer choice could help more pupils use the break comfortably. For example, a pupil who wants to read could do so without competing with the noise of a ball game. The room would add an option rather than prevent anyone from playing outside. That makes a short trial worth considering.
Why it works
- The paragraph develops one reason instead of listing several unexplained benefits.
- 'For example' introduces a possible pupil, not a fabricated research finding.
- The final sentences connect the example to choice and to a proportionate proposal: a trial.
A model illustrates the thinking, not a script to memorise. Different wording or an alternative interpretation can work when it answers the task and is properly supported.
Check your work
Tick a check only when you can point to it in your answer. These ticks are not sent to us or recorded as a progress score.
Make one improvement
Find the vaguest phrase in your paragraph. Replace it with a specific benefit, difficulty or example that helps the council judge the proposal.
Want a further challenge? Optional stretch
Write one sentence explaining what information the school would need before making the trial permanent.
Allow extra time for this. It is not part of the 10-minute booster.
Before moving on, explain one choice you improved. Finishing an activity is practice, not proof that a skill is secure; try applying it again in fresh work.
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