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ACT Writing: Development & Support

8 min read•june 18, 2024

Naomi Ling

ACT 🎒

53 resources

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Overview: Development & Support

On the ACT, you will write an essay for the optional fifth section of the ACT. Remember to check with college admissions offices or scholarship organizations to make sure if you need to take the writing section.

For the writing section, you will write an argument essay. In the essay, your goal is to answer a prompt with multiple perspectives covering a debatable topic. Your thesis will consist of a stance on the issue (which is just one of the provided perspectives).

Two graders will score your essay using four rubric categories: Ideas & Analysis, Development & Support, Organization, and Language Use & Conventions. The maximum score in each section is a six. Since each of the four scores is averaged, the highest score you can get on the writing section is a 12, and the lowest score is a 2.

Let's learn how to score the highest score possible on the development & support criteria. ✅

Tips & Strategies Using the ACT Rubric

From the ACT rubric, you will need to achieve these three things to earn a score of 6️⃣ on development & support:

Developing ideas and supporting claims that deepen insight and broaden the context
Integrating your line of reasoning and conveying an argument’s significance
Incorporating qualifications and complications that help strengthen your ideas and analysis

Let’s talk through each of these areas and how you can incorporate them throughout your essay to ensure you score as high as you can on development & support.

Developing Ideas & Supporting Claims

A core aspect of any argument essay is the evidence that you use to support your argument. In every body paragraph, you should have evidence that proves your logical reasoning — that way, the graders will have an easier time understanding what you are trying to argue. For instance, you should provide a real-life example of perspectives that you may strongly disagree with; that way, when you argue against it, you can demonstrate how both the perspective and the argument have flaws.

One of the biggest hurdles to scoring high in development & support is finding adequate examples to use as evidence. Luckily, the ACT does not try to fact-check pretty much anything in your essay (unless it’s egregiously wrong, like 2 + 2 = 5). That means you are 💯% able to make up examples that help boost your claim. One word of caution is that your examples should sound pretty realistic/reasonable; if they sound outlandish, your graders may believe that the examples are not supportive of your argument.

For instance, you could say that “Harvard University conducted a study and found that climate change could lead to millions entering poverty by the year 2050.” Citing reputable sources can also demonstrate effective support, even if the fact is not valid.

Citing professionals or professional sources can build credibility and strengthen your argument. Image from Unsplash.

One acronym that is fantastic for evidence gathering is REHUGO, which stands for Reading, Entertainment (pop culture), History, Universal Truths (general ideas that everyone agrees with), Government (or current events), and Observations (personal anecdotes). You can use this acronym for inspiration whenever you're searching for examples.

Let's practice with an example!

Sample Prompt: Intelligent Machines

Many of the goods and services we depend on daily are now supplied by intelligent, automated machines rather than human beings. Robots build cars and other goods on assembly lines, where once there were human workers. Many of our phone conversations are now conducted not with people but with sophisticated technologies. We can now buy goods at a variety of stores without the help of a human cashier. Automation is generally seen as a sign of progress, but what is lost when we replace humans with machines? Given the accelerating variety and prevalence of intelligent machines, it is worth examining the implications and meaning of their presence in our lives.

Read and carefully consider these perspectives. Each suggests a particular way of thinking about the increasing presence of intelligent machines.

Perspective One

What we lose with the replacement of people by machines is some part of our own humanity. Even our mundane daily encounters no longer require from us basic courtesy, respect, and tolerance for other people.

Perspective Two

Machines are good at low-skill, repetitive jobs, and at high-speed, extremely precise jobs. In both cases they work better than humans. This efficiency leads to a more prosperous and progressive world for everyone.

Perspective Three

Intelligent machines challenge our long-standing ideas about what humans are or can be. This is good because it pushes both humans and machines toward new, unimagined possibilities.

First, let's identify the main ideas of the passage:

Many daily goods and services are now supplied by intelligent machines instead of humans.
Automation is generally seen as progress, but there's a concern about what is lost when humans are replaced by machines.

Next, let's take a look at a sample essay that scored a 6 (the highest score possible). Can you identify any examples that develop and support their main ideas?

The economic implications of the potential mechanical takeover alone should be enough to dissuade anyone from moving too fast. In the event the robots are more widely used in the workplace, humans would surely be replaced. At first, businesses would benefit from the efficiency of robots, but eventually a depressed job market would lead to a population that struggles just to feed themselves and their families, let alone purchase the products these robots make. In the long run, society will suffer if it does not take care to prevent the economic consequences of giving everything over to machines.

Even in the face of these obstacles, some people argue that the increasing intelligence of today’s machines is a good thing. After all, machine power can decrease the human work load. Computer processers double in power and ability every year. Computers are projected to reach human intelligence by as soon as 2025. The implications of this shift are unknown, but one thing is for certain. We are moving into this change too fast to anticipate and prevent damage to the human species. We are approaching this change too quickly for any sort of safety net to be built. Because of this, it is important that we as a species slow down our technological development so that we might consider all the implications of a change this big. We must figure out how to handle negative societal and cultural consequences before we embrace total integration of automated, intelligent machines.

In this excerpt, we can see that the author used examples such as "In the event the robots are more widely used in the workplace, humans would surely be replaced" and "Computers are projected to reach human intelligence by as soon as 2025" to support their line of reasoning. Therefore, these are all examples of solid development & support.

Integrated Line of Reasoning

An ACT Writing concept that often confuses students is the line of reasoning. A line of reasoning is essentially the broad structure that serves as the backbone of the essay. Another way to think about it is if someone were to try to reverse-outline your essay (and write down the main points and arguments) — that would be your line of reasoning.

Put the two perspectives you disagree with as your first two body paragraphs and elaborate on how they fall short - this is an instance of a line of reasoning! It’s also important to include why your thesis/perspective still stands despite the alternative perspectives, as you’ll see later.

In your final body paragraph, where you elaborate on why your provided perspective is the strongest, think of it as tying a ribbon around your line of reasoning! 🎀 Since you’ve discussed your perspective in each of the prior body paragraphs in relationship with the contrasting two perspectives, you effectively integrate your essay’s line of reasoning.

Going back to the robot example above, we can see that our excerpt does this well:

Advances in technology have become so widely accepted in today’s culture that very few people are willing to pause to consider the consequences. People get so excited about what new technologies can offer that they forget to question whether there might be any negative effects. Without caution and deliberation, replacing the natural with the mechanical would undoubtedly be disasterous.

According to the official ACT page, in this example, an integrated line of reasoning and illustration effectively conveys the argument’s significance by exploring the economic and cultural implications of the mindless incorporation of intelligent machines.

A strong line of reasoning that flows throughout your essay is the cherry on top of a strong ACT essay! Image from Unsplash.

Qualifications and Complications

Similar to the ‘examining implications, complications, and tensions’ category of ideas and analysis, the ACT in this criteria wants you to include qualifications or complications to help bolster your claims. For instance, maybe you could point out an idea that even your perspective doesn’t necessarily address. You could also demonstrate how your perspective doesn’t account for an issue within another perspective. 😮

You're ready to practice, so see if you can identify the qualifications/complications in the following excerpt:

Decreasing the speed with which we incorporate mechanical influence is important because of the potential dangers that lurk in blind acceptance. Not only does the preference of the mechanical over the natural interfere with the job market and the economy, but its use also has the potential to seriously degrade our culture as a whole. In combination with the uncertainty surrounding the increasing intelligence of machines, it is most assuredly better for the human species that technological progress be slowed so that we can, if necessary, prevent additional damage.

According to the official ACT page, "the final body paragraph complicates the argument by conceding both the benefits of machine power and the unprecedented sophistication of modern technologies, using these concessions to reinforce the call for moderation and deliberation—as we reach new technological heights, it is even more important that we “figure out how to handle” potential unintended consequences."

Conclusion

Development and support aren’t so bad after all! By providing reasonable and effective examples to support your perspective and counter perspectives, you’re directly contributing to both your essay’s development and a high ACT essay score.

If you need any other help with the ACT, AP exams, or the SAT, check out Fiveable for all your exam-related needs. We’re all manifesting a high score for you on test day. 🤞

Need more ACT practice? Fiveable has you covered. Check out all of our ACT study guides that tell you all you need to know about each ACT Subject!

Happy studying! Good luck 👏