Votes at Sixteen — Persuasive Text Comprehension — Answers

Answer sheet with model answers and success criteria for the Year 10 reading comprehension comprehension exercise.

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Year 10 · English · Reading Comprehension

Votes at Sixteen — Persuasive Text Comprehension — Answers

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Part A — Find the facts

1.What is the writer's main contention?[1 mark]

Answer: That New Zealand should lower the voting age to sixteen.

2.List three things the writer says sixteen-year-olds can already do.[1 mark]

Answer: Any three of: leave school; work full-time; pay tax; get a learner licence; make decisions about many kinds of medical treatment.

3.What did the Supreme Court find in 2022?[1 mark]

Answer: That the voting age of eighteen is inconsistent with the protection against age discrimination in the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act.

4.When did New Zealand lower the voting age to eighteen?[1 mark]

A1893
B1974
C2002
D2022

Answer: 1974

The text says the voting age was lowered to eighteen in 1974.

Part B — Analyse the argument

5.Identify the writer's strongest argument, according to the column, and explain it in your own words.[2 marks]

Answer: That young people will live with today's decisions for the longest, so they deserve a say. Issues such as climate, housing and student loans will shape the rest of their lives.

6.Paragraphs 3 and 4 use rebuttal. Explain what this means and give one example.[2 marks]

Answer: Rebuttal means presenting an opposing argument and then arguing against it. For example, the writer mentions the claim that sixteen-year-olds are not mature enough, then replies that no other voter's maturity is tested.

7.Find a rhetorical question in the column and explain its effect.[2 marks]

Answer: 'Why should those with the biggest stake in the future have no say in it?' It invites the reader to agree that the answer is obvious, making the writer's view seem like common sense.

8.Why does the writer mention the Supreme Court and other countries such as Austria?[2 marks]

Answer: To show the idea is serious and has authority behind it, and to counter the impression that it is a fringe or untested idea.

Part C — Evaluate

9.The writer uses humour: 'anyone who has spent five minutes at a family dinner…'. How does this help persuade the reader?[2 marks]

Answer: It makes the writer seem relatable and the opposing argument seem silly, so readers are more likely to dismiss it.

10.Identify one weakness or gap in the writer's argument.[2 marks]

Answer: For example: the research on young voters is mentioned only generally with no source; it does not address the argument that some sixteen-year-olds are not interested in politics; it does not discuss civics education to prepare new voters.

Part D — Your turn

11.Do you agree that the voting age should be lowered to sixteen? Write a persuasive paragraph that states your view, gives two reasons and rebuts one counter-argument.[5 marks]

Model answer: The voting age should stay at eighteen, at least for now. Many sixteen-year-olds have not yet studied how government works, and it would be better to strengthen civics education first so new voters understand the choices in front of them. Eighteen is also the age at which most other adult responsibilities begin. Supporters argue that sixteen-year-olds pay tax and so deserve a say, but even younger children pay GST on what they buy, and we do not give them the vote. Preparing young people well is more important than lowering the age quickly.

Success criteria:

Clear contention
Two developed reasons
One counter-argument identified and rebutted
Persuasive language used deliberately

Marking tips

Give credit for correct method even when the final answer slips — the working shows where the thinking went right.
For open-ended tasks, use the success criteria as a checklist rather than looking for one "right" answer.
Celebrate what went well first, then pick one thing to work on next.

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