• Each one is brief enough to compose easily in 30 minutes.
• They are intended as high-scoring models; we did not write them under timed conditions, so don't expect your essays to be quite as polished.

WRITING SAMPLE TOPIC "Cutters," a contemporary hair-care studio for men and women owned and operated by Jim and Joan Baxter, has been operating from the same downtown location for several years. However, the Baxters must move their studio when their lease terminates next month. They are considering two possible locations. Write an argument for one of the two following choices. Two considerations should influence your decision: The Baxters wish to minimize the time and expense involved in starting up business in a new location. The Baxters seek maximum potential for business growth and for return on their financial investment. The Baxters are considering a location on Frye Street where a contemporary-style men's hair salon has recently failed. The Frye Street storefront is only a few blocks away from the Baxters' present location. Although the space would be just large enough to support the Baxters' current operation, they could expand to an adjacent retail space in the same building. While the Baxters' present location is on a busy thoroughfare, Frye Street is a quiet side-street lined with quaint older houses and a few neighborhood stores. Most Frye Street residents are either senior citizens or young couples in their twenties. The Baxters are also considering a location in the new Fashion Place suburban mall, located about three miles from their present location. The space, which is positioned next to one of the mall's department stores, is large enough for the Baxters' current as well as potential future needs. The monthly rent is approximately twice that of the Frye Street location. Although parking at the mall is ample, no public transportation is available between the mall and the downtown area.

. Sample Response #1 (in favor of the Frye Street location)

The Frye Street location is the better choice for the Baxters. The time and cost of renovating the Frye shop would be minimal, since the store is already set up to accommodate a hair studio. Its close proximity would minimize the time and expense of moving as well as providing for uninterrupted business from current clients. A continued stream of business and a low initial rent would ensure short-term survival as well as making it financially feasible to expand to the adjacent space, thereby achieving long-term growth. Although the prior salon failure on Frye Street might suggest poor growth potential, that failure may have been due to other factors—such as mismanagement or a narrow male-only client base. The mall space's high-traffic location might seem to provide more long-term profit potential. However, the Baxters may face greater competition in the suburbs from franchise salons. More importantly, the Baxters' primary concern should be with short-term survival, since otherwise they cannot achieve their longer-term profit goals. The additional expense of equipping a new retail space, along with a high initial rent, may jeopardize that survival, especially since it may take considerable time to develop a new clientele. In sum, Frye is the better location; it would allow for a fast and inexpensive start-up and an uninterrupted flow of business, in turn ensuring both short-term survival and long-term success.

. Sample Response #2 (in favor of the Fashion Place Mall location)

The mall location would better meet the Baxters' objectives. The strategic high-traffic position next to a department store offers greater opportunity for long-term growth and profit. While the initial expense to equip the new space might be substantial, renovations at Frye Street to convert that space from a men-only salon may be just as costly and time-consuming. Even if not, the Baxters' primary concern should be with long-term investment return, as additional start-up costs will prove insignificant over time. Admittedly, the relatively close and quiet Frye Street location might help the Baxters retain current customers, thereby offsetting moving expenses. However, failure of the previous hair studio suggests an insufficient demand among nearby elderly residents for a contemporary hair studio. This factor, along with the location's low visibility, is likely to prevent growth. Although low rent would appear to help the Baxters to meet their objectives, any expansion at Frye would come at greater expense, thereby undermining long-term profit goals; the mall location allows for expansion without additional rent. In the final analysis, the mall is the better choice; while the relative start-up costs are uncertain, the mall location is more certain to achieve the Baxters' overriding objectives of long-term growth and profit.