English Language Arts Standards » Writing » Grade 11-12

The CCR anchor standards and high school grade-specific standards work in tandem to define college and career readiness expectations—the former providing broad standards, the latter providing additional specificity.

Text Types and Purposes

• 1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

  Suggested tag: cc-11-12e-w-1

  • Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the significance of the claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that logically sequences claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.

    Suggested tag: cc-11-12e-w-1a

  • Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases.

    Suggested tag: cc-11-12e-w-1b

  • Use words, phrases, and clauses as well as varied syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.

    Suggested tag: cc-11-12e-w-1c

  • Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.

    Suggested tag: cc-11-12e-w-1d

  • Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.

    Suggested tag: cc-11-12e-w-1e

• 2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

  Suggested tag: cc-11-12e-w-2

  • Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information so that each new element builds on that which precedes it to create a unified whole; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

    Suggested tag: cc-11-12e-w-2a

  • Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic.

    Suggested tag: cc-11-12e-w-2b

  • Use appropriate and varied transitions and syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts.

    Suggested tag: cc-11-12e-w-2c

  • Use precise language, domain-specific vocabulary, and techniques such as metaphor, simile, and analogy to manage the complexity of the topic.

    Suggested tag: cc-11-12e-w-2d

  • Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.

    Suggested tag: cc-11-12e-w-2e

  • Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented (e.g., articulating implications or the significance of the topic).

    Suggested tag: cc-11-12e-w-2f

• 3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

  Suggested tag: cc-11-12e-w-3

  • Engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or observation and its significance, establishing one or multiple point(s) of view, and introducing a narrator and/or characters; create a smooth progression of experiences or events.

    Suggested tag: cc-11-12e-w-3a

  • Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.

    Suggested tag: cc-11-12e-w-3b

  • Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole and build toward a particular tone and outcome (e.g., a sense of mystery, suspense, growth, or resolution).

    Suggested tag: cc-11-12e-w-3c

  • Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.

    Suggested tag: cc-11-12e-w-3d

  • Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative.

    Suggested tag: cc-11-12e-w-3e

Production and Distribution of Writing

• 4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)

  Suggested tag: cc-11-12e-w-4

• 5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.

  Suggested tag: cc-11-12e-w-5

• 6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information.

  Suggested tag: cc-11-12e-w-6

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

• 7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

  Suggested tag: cc-11-12e-w-7

• 8. Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.

  Suggested tag: cc-11-12e-w-8

• 9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

  Suggested tag: cc-11-12e-w-9

  • Apply grades 11–12 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “Demonstrate knowledge of eighteenth-, nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century foundational works of American literature, including how two or more texts from the same period treat similar themes or topics”).

    Suggested tag: cc-11-12e-w-9a

  • Apply grades 11–12 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g., “Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts, including the application of constitutional principles and use of legal reasoning [e.g., in U.S. Supreme Court Case majority opinions and dissents] and the premises, purposes, and arguments in works of public advocacy [e.g., The Federalist, presidential addresses]”).

    Suggested tag: cc-11-12e-w-9b

Range of Writing

• 10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes

  Suggested tag: cc-11-12e-w-10