Praxis Core Writing Essay 2

Ready to practice a source-based essay for the Praxis Core? This test includes two essay questions to assess your writing skills under timed conditions. Below, you’ll find an example prompt for the second essay question—the Praxis source-based essay. Read the prompt, type your response in the text box, and receive instant scoring and feedback.

Essay 2: Source-based Essay

 
You have 30 minutes to read two short passages and write an informative essay based on the information they provide.

Read both sources and the prompt carefully. Take a few minutes to plan your response and organize your ideas before writing. You must write only on the assigned topic—essays on different topics cannot be scored. All responses must be written in English.

This essay demonstrates your ability to synthesize information from multiple sources and communicate it clearly. Focus on presenting the key ideas from both passages in a well-organized essay. Use specific details and examples from the sources to support your points. Quality is more important than quantity, but you’ll need to write several well-developed paragraphs to adequately cover the topic.

Your essay will be scored on a scale of 1–6, with a passing score of 4. Scores are based on how well you identify and explain key ideas from both sources, organize your essay, integrate information from the passages, and demonstrate command of standard written English.

Assignment:

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a branch of computer science researching whether it is possible to create a computer that learns, thinks, and acts like a human being. In the early 2020s, AI advances went mainstream with chatbots such as ChatGPT. While earlier forms of AI relied on preprogrammed responses, ChatGPT and its competitors could create seemingly new responses and images based on users’ inputs. Companies rushed to adopt this technology in the hopes of lowering costs and increasing efficiency. In education, some reformers see AI adoption as necessary due to a nationwide teacher shortage. The following two passages provide different viewpoints on the debate over AI as a teacher replacement or aide.

Read both passages carefully. Then write an essay that identifies the key concerns related to the issue and explains why they matter. Use information from both sources, and you may also include your own experiences, observations, or reading. Be sure to cite the sources when paraphrasing or quoting.

Source 1

Adapted from: Howell, Thomas. “Opinion: AI Will Not ‘Solve’ Education. Here’s Why.” Center for Digital Education. 31 July, 2024.

The second educational myth fueled by AI is that it can solve our teacher shortage. This myth rests on the assumption that there is an effective substitute for individualized human attention. Seen this way, the vision riding on AI’s potential is not new, but rather the latest in a long line of attempts to “scale” the scarce resource of expert educators’ attention.

This is especially true in the United States. The history of the American education system is a history of industrialization—of increasing leverage and lowering the cost per student—from tutoring to small classrooms, from small classrooms to large ones, and from large classrooms to online courses. AI tutors represent the next step in this progression, potentially replacing human teachers outright.

Yet these attempts to scale education fly in the face of all we know about learning—that learning is social, and that more human attention leads to better outcomes.

So might an AI tutor produce the same positive psychological changes in its students that effective human teachers do? Early evidence is far from promising. Software company AllHere, creator of an AI “educational friend” called Ed, promised a tool that would be emotionally responsive, capture students’ attention, and motivate students. Yet despite plans to reach half a million students in Los Angeles public schools, the company ultimately announced widespread staff furloughs and suspended its services.

Against the backdrop of a lofty mission, millions of dollars in funding, and an eventual business collapse, there is little evidence that the AI chatbot meaningfully supported students’ psychological needs. According to the district superintendent, one seventh-grade girl remarked, “I think Ed likes me.” Beyond basic tutoring, it is easy to see why a classroom grounded in warmth, trust, and human connection would outperform one that feels cold, competitive, and mechanical.

Source 2

Adapted from: Post, Rachel. “How Can AI Help Solve Teacher Shortages?” American Association of School Personnel Administrators. 1 February 2024.

The potential of AI to change how teachers teach is often discussed. But what if AI tools could help attract and retain teachers by easing their workload? Teacher burnout—driven largely by heavy workloads—is a leading cause of high turnover, with 44% of K–12 teachers reporting that they often or always feel burned out.

AI has the potential to reduce burnout by giving educators tools that allow them to spend more time teaching and less time searching for, creating, or managing instructional resources. Rather than replacing teachers, these tools aim to support them by reducing some of the most time-consuming aspects of the job.

One example is BookBaker, created by AllCourse, a first-of-its-kind AI content generator that enables teachers to quickly create custom learning materials aligned with their curricula and differentiated for their students.

BookBaker allows educators to produce a wide range of materials—from worksheets to full textbooks—in just minutes, often at 90–99% lower cost than traditional options. Teachers can also access free materials created by other educators or generate their own by selecting from a set of simple options, reducing both time and financial strain.

Tools like BookBaker may also help districts rethink how they allocate resources. By lowering spending on textbooks and other instructional materials, districts could redirect billions of dollars toward teacher salaries, student enrichment programs, and other high-impact investments.

BookBaker further supports substitute teachers by enabling them to generate standards-aligned, relevant worksheets in minutes. This helps ensure continuity of learning during teacher absences, vacancies, or situations in which no sub plans are available.