Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
Common Core State Standards, Grade 7, Writing · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026
What W.7.1 Means in Plain English
Seventh graders state a claim, name the strongest opposing claim and respond to it, then order reasons logically, each backed by accurate evidence from credible sources. Phrases like according to and that is true, but tie the parts together, the tone stays formal, and the conclusion supports the argument.
Sixth grade (W.6.1) asks for claims, reasons and credible sources but never mentions the other side. Seventh grade adds acknowledging opposing claims, logical reasoning and accurate sources. Eighth grade (W.8.1) goes further: students distinguish their claim from counterclaims and show how claims, counterclaims, reasons and evidence relate.
W.7.1 I Can Statements
I can introduce my claim and acknowledge an opposing claim fairly.
I can back each reason with accurate evidence from credible sources.
I can link ideas in a formal style and end with a supporting conclusion.
W.7.1 Worked Example
Both students had the same four facts about food trucks in the park, one of them a point for the other side, and only one student answered it.
Prompt
Should the town let food trucks sell at Tanner Park on summer weekends? Write an argument that states a claim, acknowledges the opposing side and uses these facts as evidence. In a parks department survey of 300 residents, 64 percent said they would stay at the park longer if they could buy food there. The nearest place to buy a meal is a 20-minute walk from the park. The town would offer six summer permits at $250 each, open to any local business. The owners of the two diners on Lowell Street say the trucks would take away their weekend customers.
Not YetFood trucks would be awesome because everyone loves food trucks. Some people say the diners would lose business, but that is not true. Honestly, the park is boring without food, so the town should just do it.There is a claim and a nod to the other side, but the opposing claim is waved away with “that is not true” instead of answered. None of the survey or permit numbers appear, and “awesome” and “just do it” are chat, not a formal style.
Meets the StandardThe town should let food trucks sell at Tanner Park on summer weekends. According to the parks department survey, 64 percent of the 300 residents asked would stay at the park longer if they could buy food there, and right now the nearest meal is a 20-minute walk away. The six $250 permits would also earn the town $1,500 over the summer. The owners of the two diners on Lowell Street object that the trucks would take away their weekend customers. That is a real worry, but the permits are open to any local business, so the diners could apply for spots of their own and sell to park visitors themselves. For these reasons, food trucks at Tanner Park would keep families at the park longer and give local businesses, the diners included, a new place to sell.The claim leads. The opposing claim gets a fair sentence of its own and a reasoned answer built from a fact in the prompt: the permits are open to the diners too. Every reason carries a number from the prompt, “According to” and “That is a real worry, but” show how claim, reasons and evidence relate, the style stays formal, and the conclusion follows from the argument.
Moves to Use
State the claim in the first sentence, as a position someone could dispute.Give the strongest opposing claim a fair sentence of its own.Answer it with reasoning: admit what is true, then explain why the claim still holds.Tie each piece of evidence to its reason with phrases like according to and which shows.Keep the tone formal from the first sentence to the conclusion.
Common Mistakes with W.7.1
Waving the other side away
“Some people say the diners would lose business, but that is not true.”
Try this: Require one sentence that states the opposing claim fairly and one that answers it with a reason or a piece of evidence.
Evidence from nowhere
“Studies show that 99 percent of people love food trucks.”
Try this: Have students name the source beside every number, then check with a partner whether that source is credible and the number accurate.
Writing to a friend instead of a reader
“Honestly, the park is so boring without snacks, and everybody knows it.”
Try this: Highlight every slang word, exaggeration and second-person you in the draft, then rewrite each highlighted sentence in a formal voice.
Writing Prompt GeneratorFree ToolAn opinion prompt from the 6 to 8 bank. Before drafting, students write down the strongest claim against theirs and one sentence that answers it.OpinionGrades 6 to 8Printed
Where does the strong response acknowledge an opposing claim, and how does it answer it?
In the fourth sentence: the diner owners say the trucks would take their weekend customers. The fifth sentence admits the worry, then answers it with a fact from the prompt: the permits are open to any local business, so the diners could sell at the park themselves.
Which facts from the prompt does the strong response use as evidence for its first reason?
The survey in which 64 percent of 300 residents said they would stay at the park longer if they could buy food there, and the 20-minute walk to the nearest meal.
Why does “but that is not true” fall short of W.7.1?
It names the diner owners’ objection but gives no reason or evidence against it, so the claim is dismissed rather than acknowledged and answered with logical reasoning.