Persuasive writing: evidence that supports a reason

Quick Answer

Evidence is the sentence that makes a reader believe your reason. This workshop from Braintree Coaching Australia has three original sets, each with a claim, a reason and weak evidence. Each set fails in a different way: the evidence is off the point, vague, or only repeats the reason. Each is revised so the evidence proves the reason. It takes about 30 minutes, is free, and needs no sign-up.

Who is this workshop for?

It suits a Year 5 or Year 6 child who states a position and a reason but then adds a sentence that does not help: "Lots of people think so" or "This is very important". It also helps a parent who can tell a paragraph is thin but cannot say what is missing.

The NSW Department of Education lists Writing as one of four sections of the Selective High School Placement Test: one open-response question in 30 minutes. The task type can vary, so persuasive writing is one kind to practise, not the only one. For the opening paragraph, see our persuasive opening workshop. This page is about the sentences that come after the reason.

All three sets below were written by us as teaching examples. The school, names and numbers are invented. They are not real children's work and have not been given a mark.

What does a claim, a reason and evidence look like?

Use this frame for one body paragraph:

1. Claim: what the writer wants the reader to think or do.
2. Reason: one why, in one sentence.
3. Evidence: a specific example, fact, comparison or observation that shows the reason is true.
4. Link: one sentence saying what the evidence shows about the claim.

Then ask one question of the evidence: if the reason were false, would this sentence still make sense? If yes, the evidence is not doing its job.

Set 1: evidence that is off the point

Prompt: Your school is deciding whether to build a bike shed or a larger library. Write to the school council with your view.

Claim: The school should build a bigger library.

Reason: A bigger library means more children can read at once.

Weak evidence:

Our school is very old and was built in 1962. The library has green carpet and the principal is called Mr Hall.

What goes wrong:

• The sentences are true and specific, but neither one is about the number of children who can read at once.
• Taking the evidence away leaves the reason exactly as strong as before.
• A reader finishes the paragraph knowing facts, not a reason to agree.

Revised:

At the moment only 12 children fit in the library at lunchtime, so on a wet day a queue forms at the door and most of Year 5 goes without a book. A room with room for 30 would let a whole class read together.

What changed: the evidence now counts the children who fit and shows what happens to the others. It answers the reason directly, so it does the reason's work.

Set 2: evidence that is vague

Prompt: Your town council is deciding whether to put a 40 km/h limit on the road outside the school. Write to the council with your opinion.

Claim: The council should lower the speed limit outside the school.

Reason: Slower cars are safer for children crossing the road.

Weak evidence:

Everyone knows that fast cars are dangerous. Studies show that lots of accidents happen near schools, and many people agree.

What goes wrong:

• "Everyone knows" and "many people agree" are headcounts with no one named.
• "Studies show" names no study. A reader cannot check it, so a careful reader trusts it less.
• No sentence describes a place, a time or a child. The paragraph could be about any road.

Revised:

Each afternoon at 3:15, about 60 children cross Station Road at the crossing in front of the gate. Cars arrive at 60 km/h from the top of the hill, and the crossing supervisor has to stop her sign well before the line because she cannot be sure they will stop. At 40 km/h a driver coming over that hill would have far more time to see her.

What changed: the vague headcount became one place, one time and one observation a reader can picture. No study is claimed. The revision also stays within what a child could see from the gate.

Set 3: evidence that only repeats the reason

Prompt: Your school is thinking about letting Year 6 students run a lunchtime games club. Write to your teacher with your view.

Claim: Year 6 students should be allowed to run a games club.

Reason: Running a club teaches responsibility.

Weak evidence:

Running a club is a great way to learn responsibility. Students who run clubs become very responsible because being responsible is what running a club is all about.

What goes wrong:

• Each sentence says the reason again in different words.
• The reader is asked to accept the reason because the writer says it twice.
• There is nothing a reader could picture or check.

Revised:

A Year 6 student who runs the games club would have to book the hall, collect the equipment from the shed and lock it away before the bell. If she forgot, the Year 4s would arrive to an empty hall the next day, and everyone would know whose job it was.

What changed: the revision shows the duties and the consequence of failing them, so "responsibility" has something a reader can picture.

Which kind of evidence fits which reason?

Kind of evidence	What it looks like	Good when	Watch for
A specific example	"Last term, our Year 5 class…"	The reason is about what people do	An example that is true but off the point (Set 1)
A count or measure	"12 children fit"	The reason is about how much or how many	Numbers you cannot know or have made up
A comparison	"At 40 km/h a driver has more time"	The reason is about better or worse	Comparing things that are not alike
An observation	"She stops her sign well before the line"	The reason is about what happens	Words like "everyone" or "always"
A named authority	"The Department of Education says…"	The reader would not know the fact	Naming a source you cannot name exactly

What mistake patterns should we look for?

Pattern	Looks like	Fix to try
True but off the point	Facts about the school that do not touch the reason	Delete the reason and see if the evidence still fits
Headcount	"Everyone knows", "many people agree"	Replace with one person, place and time
Unnamed source	"Studies show", "experts say"	Name it exactly or remove it
Echo	The reason said again in new words	Ask "what would a reader see happen?"
No link	Evidence sits there and the claim is never mentioned again	Add one sentence connecting it back

Can my child try it on a new prompt?

Prompt: Your school can afford one of these next year: shade sails over the playground or a new set of musical instruments. Write to the principal saying which one the school should choose.

Ask your child to pick a side and write one body paragraph only, using the frame: claim, one reason, evidence, link. Give them eight minutes. Then check it together:

• Is there exactly one reason?
• Could the evidence be removed without changing the reason? If so, it is off the point.
• Is there a place, a time, a person or a number a reader can picture?
• Does any sentence only say the reason again?
• Is there a last sentence that links back to the claim?

If two or more boxes are unticked, rewrite the paragraph once on the same prompt. Fixing one paragraph teaches more than starting a new essay.

What should we do after this workshop?

• Next session, write the opening for the same prompt using the persuasive opening workshop, then join the two paragraphs.
• For how the writing section works and how to pace it, read the NSW Selective writing test guide.
• If you are weighing up feedback options, our page on AI and teacher marking explains what each kind of feedback can and cannot tell you.
• The free mock tests need a free classroom account. Create one only when your child is ready for a timed sitting.
• For a structured set of writing tasks with feedback, see what the Selective writing course includes and check how responses are assessed before buying.

Sources and review

Official source (checked 2026-10-15): NSW Department of Education, Selective High School practice tests: the Writing section is one set task in 30 minutes.

Where the examples came from: all prompts, claims, reasons, weak evidence and revisions are original Braintree Coaching Australia teaching examples written for this page. Names, places and numbers are invented. None is a real child's response and none has been marked against official criteria.

Author: James Rush, content writer, Braintree Coaching Australia.

Review status: a named teacher review has not yet been recorded for this workshop. If you think a note is wrong or unclear, please tell us.

Last updated: 2026-10-15.