Development and Support
Top ACT essays do more than state opinions. They prove them with concrete support and follow the reasoning through.
Core Idea
Development and Support asks whether each claim is earned. Strong essays give specific evidence, explain why it matters, and follow the argument through to its consequences.
Understanding
Read this domain as a paragraph-quality check. A scorer is asking whether each claim is actually earned on the page or whether the writer stopped at opinion.
- What earns points: a concrete example, a sentence that explains why that example matters, and a clear sense of what follows from the claim.
- What weakens scores: broad assertions, dropped-in evidence with no commentary, or a paragraph that piles up examples without proving one idea clearly.
- Revision move: in each body paragraph, label the sentences claim, evidence, and commentary. If you can find evidence but not commentary, the paragraph is probably underdeveloped.
Worked Example
A student argues that high schools should require financial literacy. Which body-paragraph move would most strengthen the essay in the Development and Support domain?
Select an answer to see the explanation
Concept Guides
4Support claims with logical reasoning and specific examples.
Move from claim to concrete example to explanation so the reasoning is visible.
Explain how examples connect to the thesis (avoid unsupported assertions).
After an example, explain the bridge back to the thesis so the reader sees why the example matters.
Develop implications and consequences of the argument where relevant.
Show what changes if the reader accepts the claim, and keep the consequence proportional to the evid
Maintain coherence by using evidence that is relevant and sufficient.
Use evidence that points to one claim and gives enough detail to make that claim believable.