NARRATIVE WRITING recounts a personal experience based on something that really happened. The paper has a clear, identifiable storyline that is easy to recognize, follow, and paraphrase. All details work together in an integrated way to create a complete story with a beginning, a middle, and an end. There is a focus with a controlling idea, central impression, sense of change, or something learned or gained by the writer. Events move along, staying within that focus, with some sort of a narrative structure, often chronological. (For purposes of statewide assessment, Narrative is distinguished from Imaginative writing in that Narrative prompts focus on real- life experiences,
whereas Imaginative is meant to be fiction.)

IMAGINATIVE WRITING tells about a situation or story based upon the writer's imagination. The writer might create a scene, situation, and character(s), might predict what could happen under hypothetical circumstances, or might solve a hypothetical problem using a creative approach. Imaginative writing often, but not always, takes the form of a short story. In some of the most effective imaginative writing, the writer uses his or her knowledge of the world, people or situations to make the situation or story seem realistic, but, as in all fictional writing, the writer is not bound by the constraints of reality. Strong imaginative writing may contain, as appropriate, elements of fantasy, drama, humor, the unusual, the unexpected, or suspense. Reader reactions often range from a sense of being challenged or intrigued to a sense of feeling delighted or amused.

EXPOSITORY WRITING provides information, explains, clarifies, or defines. The writing informs or amplifies the reader's understanding through a carefully crafted presentation of key points, explanations, and supportive detail. The writing contains clear ideas that are focused and fully explained. When appropriate, the writer has utilized a variety of credible resources to gather accurate, relevant information that provides a strong base of support in the form of facts, examples, illustrations, incidents, or explanations. Strong writers show a concern for audience and purpose by carefully selecting words, elaborative detail, and stylistic devices; they also recognize
that greater stylistic distance may be required in a formal, academic paper than in an informal, personal paper, but that expository writing can be lively, engaging, and indicative of the writer's commitment to the topic.

PERSUASIVE WRITING attempts to convince the reader to agree with a particular point of view and/or to persuade the reader to take specific action. The topic must be debatable: there are clearly reasons for more than one point of view. Persuasive writing differs from expository in that it does more than explain; the writer also takes a stand and endeavors to persuade the reader to take that same stand. Strong persuasive writers support their clearly stated position with reasoned arguments supported by credible evidence, facts, anecdotes, and statistics; if used, emotional appeals are well-balanced by these and other objective forms of documentation. Strong writers also address other
points of view, but acknowledge or counter points without seeming to shift positions. When a specific audience has been identified, the nature of the arguments and the style of presentation are designed to appeal to that audience.