SSAT Writing Practice Worksheet - 3

Instructions

• You have 25 minutes to complete one writing sample from the two prompts provided.
• Choose either Prompt A or Prompt B. You are not required to complete both prompts.
• Your response will not be scored, but it will be sent to the admission offices of the schools to which you apply.
• Schools use the writing sample to assess your writing skills, creativity, organization, and voice under timed conditions.
• Write legibly and stay focused on directly answering the prompt you select.
• Plan to leave 2-3 minutes at the end to proofread for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors.

Prompts

Prompt A

The old key had been sitting in the drawer for years, and no one in your family knew what it unlocked. One afternoon, while exploring the attic, you discovered something that the key might fit. Continue this story.

Prompt B

It is better to try something difficult and fail than to succeed at something easy. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Support your position with specific examples from your own experience, current events, history, or literature.

Model Answers

Model Answer - Prompt A

The old key had been sitting in the drawer for years, and no one in your family knew what it unlocked. One afternoon, while exploring the attic, I discovered something that the key might fit. Tucked behind a stack of faded photo albums stood a small wooden chest, its brass lock tarnished with age but still intact. My hands trembled as I inserted the key, and with a satisfying click, the lock surrendered its decades-long grip. Inside the chest lay bundles of letters tied with ribbon, their envelopes yellowed and fragile. The top letter was addressed to my great-grandmother, Estelle, in elegant cursive. As I carefully unfolded the brittle paper, I realized these were love letters from my great-grandfather during World War II. His words painted vivid pictures of distant battlefields and quiet moments of longing. He wrote about the stars over France reminding him of the nights they had danced together, about preserving a pressed flower from a Parisian garden to bring home to her. Beneath the letters, I found a small velvet pouch containing a tarnished silver locket. Inside was a photograph of a young couple, their faces radiant with hope. I recognized my great-grandmother's eyes immediately-the same eyes I saw in the mirror each morning. The discovery transformed these distant relatives from names on a family tree into real people who had loved, feared, and dreamed. When I brought the chest downstairs, my grandmother wept openly. She had heard stories about these letters but thought they had been lost forever. That evening, our family gathered as she read selections aloud, and the voices of the past filled our living room. A forgotten key had unlocked more than a chest; it had opened a portal to our family's history, reminding us that every generation's love and courage becomes part of who we are.

Model Answer - Prompt B

I strongly agree that attempting something difficult and failing is more valuable than succeeding at something easy. While success feels gratifying, genuine growth emerges from pushing beyond our comfort zones, regardless of the immediate outcome. Tackling challenging endeavors builds resilience, reveals hidden capabilities, and ultimately prepares us for future achievements that easy victories never could. My own experience with competitive mathematics illustrates this principle perfectly. In eighth grade, I joined the Math Olympiad team despite having no advanced training. During my first competition, I solved only two problems out of six, finishing near the bottom of my division. The easy path would have been to quit and return to regular math class, where I consistently earned perfect scores. Instead, I spent the next year working through difficult problem sets, frequently encountering problems I could not solve. The struggle was humbling, but each failure taught me new problem-solving strategies and revealed gaps in my understanding. By the following year, my persistence paid off when I placed in the top ten at regionals. More importantly, the process of grappling with difficult mathematics transformed how I approached all challenges. I had developed genuine confidence-not the hollow confidence that comes from easy wins, but the deep assurance that I could persevere through difficulty. Those early failures were more educational than a dozen easy successes would have been. History reinforces this truth as well. Thomas Edison famously failed thousands of times before inventing a practical light bulb, yet he viewed each failure as valuable data. Had he only pursued guaranteed successes, he never would have revolutionized modern life. Similarly, the Apollo space program involved numerous failures and setbacks, but NASA's willingness to attempt the seemingly impossible ultimately put humans on the moon. Easy goals inspire no one and teach little; difficult challenges, even when they end in failure, push humanity forward and help individuals discover their true potential.

Tips

1. Spend the first 3-4 minutes planning. Jot down a quick outline with your beginning, middle, and end. This roadmap prevents you from getting stuck mid-essay and ensures your response has clear direction and structure.
2. Choose the prompt that immediately sparks ideas. Do not waste time deliberating between both options. Trust your instinct and select the prompt for which you can envision specific details, examples, or a clear narrative arc within the first minute of reading.
3. Open with a hook that establishes voice and direction. For narrative prompts, drop the reader directly into an engaging moment with sensory details or action. For opinion prompts, state your position clearly and boldly in the first two sentences.
4. Use specific, concrete details rather than vague generalizations. Replace generic statements like "it was interesting" with precise descriptions, dialogue, or named examples. Specificity demonstrates sophisticated thinking and makes your writing memorable to admission officers.
5. Vary your sentence structure deliberately. Mix short, punchy sentences with longer, more complex ones. This rhythm keeps readers engaged and showcases your command of written English. Avoid starting every sentence with the same subject or structure.
6. For opinion essays, develop your argument with multiple examples. One detailed example is better than three superficial ones. Draw from personal experience, literature, history, or current events, but explain how each example supports your thesis rather than simply listing it.
7. Conclude with insight, not mere summary. Your final sentences should offer reflection, a broader implication, or a resonant image that gives the reader something to remember. Avoid simply restating what you have already written.
8. Reserve 2-3 minutes for proofreading. Read through your essay specifically looking for common errors: subject-verb agreement, pronoun clarity, run-on sentences, and misspelled words. Even one or two small corrections can significantly improve the polish of your writing.