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Common Core ELA6th GradeWriting

W.6.1: Write an Argument with a Claim and Evidence

Also written as CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.1 · Cluster: Text Types and Purposes.

All 41 6th Grade ELA Standards

The Official Wording

Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.

Common Core State Standards, Grade 6, Writing · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026

What W.6.1 Means in Plain English

A sixth-grade argument opens with a claim, like “School should start at 8:30,” then lines up its reasons. Each reason rests on evidence from a trustworthy source, linking phrases like as a result tie it to the claim, the voice stays formal, and the ending follows from the case.

Fifth grade (W.5.1) asks for opinions backed by facts. Sixth grade turns the opinion into a claim, requires credible sources and adds a formal style. Seventh grade (W.7.1) asks writers to acknowledge opposing claims and organize the evidence logically.

W.6.1 I Can Statements

  • I can introduce my claim and organize reasons and evidence clearly.
  • I can back each reason with relevant evidence from a credible source.
  • I can link ideas with transitions, stay formal and end with a matching conclusion.

W.6.1 Worked Example

Both students had the same four sources. One built the argument on them; the other leaned on the only one a reader should not trust.

Prompt

Should our middle school move its start time from 7:45 to 8:30? Write an argument with a clear claim, using evidence from at least two of these sources: a sleep researcher’s article explaining that the body clocks of most 11- to 14-year-olds shift later during puberty; our class survey, in which 58 of 84 sixth graders said they feel tired in first period; the attendance office’s count of 212 late arrivals in September; and an anonymous comment on a local news site that says “kids today just need to go to bed earlier.”

Not YetSchool should start later because waking up early is the worst. Everybody is so tired in first period. Even a comment online says kids need more sleep, so the school should totally change it.There is a claim, but “the worst” and “totally” break the formal style, “everybody” is a guess instead of the survey’s 58 of 84, and the only source named is an anonymous comment, which the writer also misreads.
Meets the StandardOur middle school should move its start time from 7:45 to 8:30. The first reason is biological: according to the sleep researcher’s article, the body clocks of most 11- to 14-year-olds shift later during puberty, so many sixth graders cannot fall asleep early even when they try. As a result, students arrive exhausted, and our class survey confirms it, since 58 of 84 sixth graders reported feeling tired in first period. The second reason is lost learning time. The attendance office counted 212 late arrivals in September alone, which suggests the early bell is costing students the start of their first class. For these reasons, a later start would give sixth graders a school day they are awake for.The claim leads, two reasons follow in a planned order, and each rests on a named source: the article and the survey for the first, the attendance count for the second. “As a result” and “For these reasons” show how the ideas connect, the voice stays formal, the anonymous comment is left out, and the conclusion follows from both reasons.
Moves to Use
State the claim in one sentence before giving any reason.Name the source each piece of evidence comes from.Leave out sources a reader would not trust, like an anonymous comment.Tie evidence to reasons with as a result or which suggests.Keep the voice formal: no slang and no exaggerations like “the worst.”

Common Mistakes with W.6.1

Every source treated as equal

An anonymous comment on a news site cited as if it were research

Try this: Teach three credibility questions (who wrote it, what do they know, how do they know it) and have students answer them for every source.

A chatty voice in a formal piece

“Honestly, waking up at 6 is literally the worst thing ever.”

Try this: Give students a list of informal words to hunt for (literally, totally, honestly, super) and have them replace each with a precise, formal choice.

Evidence dropped in without a link

“School should start later. There were 212 late arrivals in September. Teenagers have different body clocks.”

Try this: Have students write a linking clause after each piece of evidence, such as “which shows that,” connecting it back to the reason it supports.

Where W.6.1 Fits

Comes BeforeW.5.1Opinion pieces with reasons backed by facts and details, ordered logically and linked with clauses.
AlongsideRI.6.8The reading side: trace an author’s argument and tell supported claims from unsupported ones.W.6.8Gather information from print and digital sources and judge whether each one is credible.
Comes NextW.7.1Acknowledge opposing claims, support claims with logical reasoning and use accurate, credible sources.

Practice W.6.1

Quick Check

  1. Which two sources does the strong response use for its first reason?
  2. Why does the strong response leave out the comment from the news site?
  3. Find two places where the weak response breaks a formal style.

W.6.1: Other Names

W.6.1CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.1

Common Core State Standards © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved. Official wording from the Common Core State Standards PDFs at corestandards.org, last checked October 14, 2026. The explanation, I can statements, example, mistakes and practice on this page are EMStudio’s own, written beside the official wording. They are not part of the standard.