Persuasive Writing

Example response (about 410 words — arguing FOR a ban)

Primary schools should ban homework on weekends. Weekends are the last regular space families have to recover from a crowded week; filling them with school tasks sends the message that learning only counts when it is measured at home.

First, weekend homework steals time that cannot be replaced. Many students in Year 5 and 6 already carry sport, music, and family responsibilities on Saturdays. When Sunday becomes "catch-up day," children do not practise deeper thinking — they rush through worksheets to avoid Monday trouble. A ban would not stop curious children from reading or building projects; it would stop mandatory work from colonising rest.

Second, rest is part of learning, not the enemy of it. After five days of new concepts, the brain needs sleep and play to move information into long-term memory. Teachers in schools that trial homework-free weekends report calmer Mondays and fewer incomplete tasks during the week — because students arrive less exhausted.

Critics argue that weekend tasks "build discipline." Discipline already exists in five school days, music practice, and chores. Adding another pile of pages does not build character; it builds resentment. If the goal is independence, schools can set optional extension challenges with no penalty for skipping them.

Some parents worry their child will "fall behind." In truth, a child who reads one book they chose, cooks with a parent, or fixes something broken is practising literacy and problem-solving without a mark scheme. Those experiences are not gaps — they are enrichment.

Banning weekend homework is not lowering standards. It is protecting standards during the week by giving families their weekends back. Principals should pilot the policy for one term, survey families and teachers, and publish the results. If Monday mornings improve, the ban should stay.

Example response (about 430 words — formal letter)

Dear Mayor Chen and Riverside Councillors,

I am writing to urge you to keep Riverside Pool open while repairs are planned, not to close it for twelve months. The pool is not a luxury facility; it is weekly infrastructure for children learning to swim, clubs training before dawn, and older residents who rely on gentle exercise.

Last summer, our primary school sent ninety-two students to the pool for water-safety lessons. Those lessons are compulsory because drowning remains one of the leading causes of death for young Australians. If the pool closes, families will drive to Westlake — forty minutes away — or skip lessons entirely. A closed pool is not a neutral choice — it is a decision to push families elsewhere, often the families with the least time and money.

Riverside Swim Club has forty members under fourteen who train four mornings a week. Their coach, Ms Okonkwo, has produced three state qualifiers from a suburb with no other fifty-metre lane. Closing the pool mid-season would break training cycles that cannot pause without losing qualification points.

I understand the roof and filters need work. However, a full shutdown is not the only option. Councils in similar towns have used staged repairs: temporary covers, reduced hours, and partnership grants from health departments that fund active communities. The $1.2 million figure is serious, but so is the cost of exporting our swimmers, patients, and students to neighbouring towns.

Some will say ratepayers cannot afford delays. I reply that delay is cheaper than rebuilding community trust after a year of silence from a boarded-up building on the main road.

Please vote to keep the pool operating on a limited timetable while you seek repair funding. Publish a month-by-month plan so residents can see progress. Riverside deserves a council that fixes problems without abandoning the people who use them every week.

Yours sincerely,

Jordan Ellis Riverside resident and parent