Persuasive writing is one of those skills that can help students succeed in real life. Learn the basics of this valuable skill, then use our big roundup of persuasive essay topics for practice.
Plus, fill out the form on this page to grab our free printable persuasive essay graphic organizers to pair with your lessons!
What is persuasive writing?
In a persuasive essay, the writer uses a combination of facts and emotion to sway a reader to adopt their own point of view or take a specific action. Here are the general steps to writing persuasively:
- State your position: Clearly and succinctly, state your desired opinion or outcome up front. This could be the point of view you want the reader to adopt (“Pineapple has no place on a pizza.”) or the action you want them to take (“All adults should educate themselves and vote in every election.”).
- Provide evidence and support: Use facts to support your point of view, citing sources whenever you can. Explain how those facts back up your position, using logic and reason.
- Anticipate counterarguments: It’s important to know your audience so you can anticipate any counterarguments they might make and try to overcome them.
- Use emotional appeals: Persuasive essays are similar to argumentative essays, but they incorporate more emotion rather than sticking to facts and logic. For instance, you might try to anger, scare, or create a sense of pride in your reader so they’ll be more likely to agree with you.
- Make a call to action: Finish strong with the specific action you’d like the reader to take, whether it’s voting responsibly or never putting pineapple on a pizza again.
Help students understand what strong persuasive writing looks like by exploring well-known examples of persuasive essays, speeches, ads, and more. Then, use the topics here to give them practice writing persuasively on their own.
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School and Education Persuasive Essay Topics
- Do you think homework should be required, optional, or not given at all?
- Students should/should not be able to use their phones during the school day.
- Should schools have dress codes?
- All students should wear school uniforms.
- If I could change one school rule, it would be …
- Is year-round school a good idea?
- Should we stop giving final exams?
- Is it better to be good at academics or good at sports?
- Which is better, private schools or public schools?
- Should every student have to participate in athletics?
- Should schools teach life skills like financial responsibility?
- Does your school handle bullying well?
- Do you think schools should ban junk food from their cafeterias?
- Should students be required to volunteer in their communities?
- What is the most important school subject?
- Are letter grades helpful, or should we replace them with something else?
- Is it ever OK to cheat on homework or a test?
- What are the ideal starting and ending hours for a school day?
- Should students get to grade their teachers?
- Do you think college should be free for anyone who wants to attend?
- Should schools be allowed to ban some books from their libraries?
- Which is better, book smarts or street smarts?
- Is attending college worth the time and effort?
- Should all students have to learn a foreign language?
- Are single-gender schools better or worse for students?
- Schools should reduce or eliminate standardized testing.
Life and Ethics Persuasive Essay Topics
- Who faces more peer pressure, girls or boys?
- Should all Americans be required to vote?
- Is it better to be kind or truthful?
- Which is better, giving or receiving?
- Should free speech have any limitations?
- Is it OK to keep animals in zoos?
- Should we change the minimum driving age in the United States?
- Which is more important, happiness or success?
- Is democracy the best form of government?
- Is social media helpful or harmful?
- Should parents be punished for their children’s mistakes or crimes?
- Should kids have set bedtimes or just go to bed when they’re sleepy?
- Do you think the government should find a way to provide free universal health care for everyone?
- Is it better to save your allowance or spend it?
- Is capital punishment ever ethical or justified?
- Should we ban plastic bags and bottles?
- Which is better, living in the city or in the country?
- Immigration benefits the United States.
- A border wall between Mexico and the United States is essential for reducing crime rates.
- Should the United States have stronger gun regulations?
- If I could make a new law, it would be …
Science and Technology Persuasive Essay Topics
- Is Pluto a planet?
- Should human cloning be legal?
- Should vaccines be mandatory?
- Do the benefits of nuclear power outweigh the risks?
- Is it right for countries to still maintain nuclear weapon arsenals?
- Should testing on animals be made illegal?
- Will expanded use of artificial intelligence be good for humanity?
- Should all people have free internet access in their homes?
- Is there intelligent life on other planets?
- Does technology create more jobs than it eliminates?
- Should parents use their children’s cell phones to track where they are?
- Should scientists try to develop a way for people to live forever?
- What’s the best type of smartphone: Android or iPhone?
- Which is better, Macs or PCs?
- Do people rely too much on technology in the modern world?
- Should cryptocurrencies replace cash?
- Should there be a minimum age requirement to own a smartphone?
- All people have a responsibility to help combat climate change.
- Is it important to keep spending money on space exploration, or should we use the money for other things?
- Should kids under 13 be allowed to use social media sites?
- Should we ban cigarette smoking and vaping entirely?
- Is it better to be an animal that lives in the water or on land?
- Are humans responsible for an increase in climate change?
- Should all communities be legally required to recycle?
Sports and Entertainment Persuasive Essay Topics
- Should kids be allowed to watch TV on school nights?
- Which is better, paper books or e-books?
- Is the current movie rating system (G, PG, PG-13, etc.) effective?
- Are video games better than board games?
- Sports teams should have to pay to build their own arenas or stadiums rather than relying on the community.
- Movie theater tickets are too expensive.
- Should we allow little kids to play competitive sports?
- Youth sports have become too competitive.
- Which is better, reading books or watching TV?
- Are celebrities obligated to be positive role models for their fans?
- Does playing violent video games make people more violent in real life?
- Video games need more inclusive and diverse characters.
- Are graphic novels just as valuable as traditional fiction books?
- Women’s sports deserve equal funding and coverage as men’s sports.
- Should everyone play on the same sports teams, regardless of gender?
- Choose a book that’s been made into a movie. Which was better, the movie or the book?
- Who is the world’s best athlete, present or past?
- Are professional athletes/musicians/actors overpaid?
- Is hosting the Olympics a waste of a country’s money and resources?
- College athletes should be allowed to accept a salary for playing.
- Which is better, fiction or nonfiction?
- The best music genre is …
- What is one book that everyone should read?
- What new sport should be added to the Olympics?
- What’s the best video game system?
- Does playing video games make you smarter?
- Should high school athletes be required to maintain a minimum GPA to continue playing?
- Contact sports like boxing and football are too dangerous.
- Does reality TV actually depict real life?
- Should all neighborhoods have free parks and playgrounds?
- Are awards like the Grammys and Oscars biased and in need of reform?
Just for Fun Persuasive Essay Topics
- What’s the best holiday?
- The very best food of all time is …
- Which make better pets, dogs or cats?
- Which is better, artificial Christmas trees or real ones?
- What’s the best season of the year?
- Should you put ketchup on a hot dog?
- Is a taco a sandwich?
- Does fruit count as dessert?
- Everyone should eat dessert first.
- Should people have to go to school or work on their birthday?
- Are clowns scary or funny?
- Which is more dangerous, werewolves or vampires?
- The best pizza topping is …
- What would be the best superpower to have?
- Should everyone make their bed every day?
- Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
- Should you put pineapple on a pizza?
- Should you eat macaroni and cheese with a spoon or a fork?
- Describe the world’s best ice cream sundae.
- Is Monday the worst day of the week?
- Would you rather travel back in time or forward in time?
- Is it better to be too hot or too cold?
- Are there aliens living among us here on Earth?
Get my free printable persuasive essay graphic organizers
Download our persuasive essay graphic organizer bundle to pair perfectly with your lesson and allow your students to plan their writing with helpful visuals. There are two worksheets, one with a simple layout for younger students and one with a detailed layout that’s best for older students. Both graphic organizers feature a road map theme that walks your students through all the steps, such as stating their claim, providing reasons and supporting facts, and restating the claim. These graphic organizers work for both persuasive and argumentative essays. Just press the button below to grab them!