Sample Topic Number Two for the SAT Writing Test

According to the College Board,* you're expected to do three things in an SAT essay--things that you've probably heard many times before:

• develop a point of view on an issue presented in an excerpt


• support your point of view using reasoning and examples from your reading, studies, experience, or observations


• follow the conventions of standard written English

One way to prepare for the writing portion of the SAT is to practice composing essays on topics similar to those that appear on the actual test. Before attempting the topic that follows, you may find it useful to review our Ten Tips for Composing a Successful Essay for the SAT or ACT.

Sample Topic Number Two: The Legalization of Drugs

You have 25 minutes to compose an essay on the topic assigned below.

Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and assignment.

It is possible to stop most drug addiction in the United States within a very short time. Simply make all drugs available and sell them at cost. Label each drug with a precise description of what effect--good and bad--the drug will have on the taker.
(Gore Vidal, "Drugs: Case for Legalizing Marijuana," The New York Times, September 26, 1970)

Assignment: Consider what the effects on your community would be if all drugs were legalized (or, more precisely, decriminalized) as Vidal suggests. Would the positive effects outweigh the bad? Compose an essay in which you develop your point of view on this topic. Support your position with arguments and examples drawn from your reading, studies, experience, and observations.

* About.com Grammar & Composition is neither affiliated with nor endorsed by the College Board, and this topic has not been approved for use on the essay portion of the SAT®.