Free Year 8 Should Mobile Phones Be Banned at School? — Persuasive Writing
An exam-style persuasive prompt on phone bans in schools. Students analyse persuasive techniques, then plan a contention, three developed arguments with evidence, a rebuttal and a call to action. The success criteria emphasise logical structure, audience awareness and the deliberate use of persuasive devices expected in Year 8.
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- Year
- Year 8
- Subject
- English
- Topic
- Persuasive Writing
- Difficulty
- Level 2 · Standard
- Estimated time
- 45 minutes
- Curriculum
- New Zealand Curriculum
- Questions
- 8
- Answers
- Included, with working
- Format
- PDF (A4) + print
Students will practise
- developing a sustained line of argument
- supporting claims with evidence and reasoning
- anticipating and rebutting counter-arguments
- adapting tone and devices to the audience
Curriculum: New Zealand Curriculum. We show specific outcome codes only where they have been verified against the official curriculum document.
What's next?
Completed: Should Mobile Phones Be Banned at School? — Persuasive Writing
Ready for more? Move on to Year 9 English.
How to use this writing prompt
- Print the PDF or complete it on screen. Write the student's name and date at the top.
- Read the instructions for each part together before starting. Encourage working to be shown.
- Mark with the answer sheet. Use the model answers and success criteria as a guide rather than a single right answer.
- Record the score, celebrate what went well, then follow the "What's next" suggestion.
Common questions
Who is this writing prompt for?
Year 8 students (typically ages 12–13) working on persuasive writing. It is pitched at level 2 · standard.
Are the answers included?
Yes. The PDF includes a full answer sheet with model answers and success criteria where there is more than one good answer. You can also view the answers online.
How long does it take?
About 45 minutes for 8 questions. Short, regular sessions work best: two or three a week beats one long one.
Do I need to sign up to download?
No. Click Download Free PDF and it opens immediately. It is free for personal, classroom and homeschool use.
What should we do next?
Explore more Year 8 english resources.
Preview
Year 8 · English · Persuasive Writing
Should Mobile Phones Be Banned at School? — Persuasive Writing
Student name:
Date:
Plan for seven minutes, write for thirty minutes, then edit for five minutes.
Persuasive techniques
Identify the techniques you will use for a mixed audience of students, parents and teachers.
- Anecdote
- Inclusive language
- Expert opinion
- Emotive language
- Rhetorical question
- Appeal to logic
- Can anyone really learn algebra with a notification buzzing every ninety seconds?
- Last term my friend lost an entire lunchtime to a group chat argument that started in maths.
- If phones are locked away, there is nothing to film, nothing to post and nothing to fight about online during school hours.
- Teachers consistently report that lessons run more smoothly without phones.
- We all know how hard it is to put a phone down.
- Phones are quietly stealing our students' attention, hour by hour.
- APhones are not useful for learning.
- BThat is a silly argument and nobody believes it.
- CIt is true that phones can support learning; however, every school already provides laptops for that purpose, so a phone adds distraction without adding anything a laptop cannot do.
- DSome people think phones help learning but I disagree.
Plan
Plan for seven minutes. Make sure each argument has evidence or an example.
Preview — the PDF contains the full resource and answer sheet.
Persuasive Writing in other year levels
- Should Homework Be Banned in Primary School? — Persuasive Writing
Writing Prompt · Year 6 · Persuasive Writing · Level 2 · Standard
- Is Social Media Doing More Harm Than Good? — Persuasive Writing
Writing Prompt · Year 10 · Persuasive Writing · Level 3 · Challenge
About this resource
- Created by
- Success Tutoring
- Last reviewed
- 1 October 2026
- How it was made
- Written by our team
Free to print and share for personal, classroom and homeschool use. Please don't resell. Spotted an error? Let us know.