Everything you need to know to pass the GED essay test © Janice M. Chamberlin 2011

 0-4 Under 2, you are “hit”  A well ORGANIZED essay – 5 paragraphs  Introduction – contains your opinion and 3 main reasons (with NO details)  3 paragraphs of “body” – one for each main reason  Conclusion – summary of your 3 main reasons  No misspelled homonyms (hear/ here, to/two/too, they’re/their/there, etc)  A good “story” with details to back up your opinion.  Decent grammar – complete sentences, correct punctuation and capitalization

The question is: Why do people have pets?

Intro and Conclusion are almost done Intro and Conclusion are almost done FEC 1. Companionship 2. Protection 3. Teach Responsibility to kids With this step finished, you can literally write your first and last paragraphs. Introduction example: (3-4 complete sentences) A huge amount of people have pets in their homes for various reasons. Dogs, cats, birds, and even snakes provide companionship. Some pets offer protection. Parents often use pets to teach their children responsibility.

Conclusion example: (3-4 complete sentences) Now you can see why people have pets. Lonely people like the companionship. Pets have been known to protect their owners. And children learn responsibility by caring for their pets.

FEC 1. Companionship 2. Protection 3. Teach responsibility to children What “FEC’s” can we add to each of our main points? F = Facts E = Examples C = Compare/Contrast This is a guide to help you come up with details for your middle paragraphs.

FEC 1. Companionship 2. Protection 3. Teach responsibility to children 1. Companionship - being lonely can make people sick - elderly- nursing homes have pets - single people-come home from work and “Fido” or “Kitty” meets them at the door - cuddle when watching TV

FEC 1. Companionship - being lonely can make people sick - elderly- nursing homes have pets - single people-come home from work and “Fido” or “Kitty” meets them at the door - cuddle when watching TV 2. Protection 3. Teach responsibility to children 2. Protection - dogs bark at strangers -cats wake you up if fire -woman walking a big dog

FEC 1. Companionship - being lonely can make people sick - elderly- nursing homes have pets - single people-come home from work and “Fido” or “Kitty” meets them at the door - cuddle when watching TV 2. Protection - dogs bark at strangers -cats wake you up if fire -woman walking a big dog 3. Teach responsibility to children - discipline: daily feeding, walking, cleaning the “poop” up, - patience -kindness

1. Companionship - being lonely can make people sick - elderly- nursing homes have pets - single people-come home from work and “Fido” or “Kitty” meets them at the door - cuddle when watching TV 2. Protection - dogs bark at strangers -cats wake you up if fire -woman walking a big dog 3. Teach responsibility to children - discipline: daily feeding, walking, cleaning the “poop” up, - patience -kindness

Here’s an example of how you could write your essay and score a big 4! Just follow your “recipe.”

A huge amount of people have pets for various reasons. Dogs, cats, birds, and even snakes provide companionship. Some pets offer protection. Parents often use pets to teach their children responsibility. First, companionship is a big reason to have a pet. I’ve read that being too lonely can make you sick. That is why they let elderly people have a dog or cat in nursing homes. Single people can come home from work and be greeted by “Fido” or “Miss Kitty”. Everyone likes watching TV cuddling up with their pet. Second, pets have been known to save their owners’ lives. We’ve all heard how dogs bark at strangers, often scaring away a burglar. Cats and birds seem to know if bad weather is coming, or if there is a fire. I just read the other day about a cat who woke up its owner. They both escaped from a house fire with no injuries. No punk would ever mess with a little old lady who is walking her huge Pit Bull, or even a yapping small terrier. Finally, pets teach children to be responsible. Self discipline is learned from taking care of a pet daily. Making sure your guinea pig is fed, your beagle is walked, or the parrot’s cage is cleaned all teach responsibility. Being sure to get home to clean the litter box, or let the dog out teaches kids how to be on time. Now you can see why people have pets. Lonely people like the companionship. Pets have been known to protect their owners from danger. And children learn responsibility by caring for their pets.