ACE Strategy

What is the
ACE strategy?

The ACE strategy is an
acronym used to help you
remember what belongs in a
constructed response essay.

A - ANSWER

• A is the first sentence of

your written response. It
should restate the
question and answer the it
in a complete sentence

A - ANSWER

SAMPLE QUESTION: In The Cat and
the Hat, how does the fish feel
about the cat?

• In The Cat and the Hat, the

fish feels that the cat will
cause trouble.

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-ND

C- Cite evidence (proof)

from the text

C is the second sentence of your
response. You will be citing (or
referring to) evidence (proof)
from the text. It should be
introduced, come directly from
the text. You can quote the text
word for word, or you can discuss
what happened in general.

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC

C- Cite evidence (proof) from
the text

SAMPLE QUESTION: In The Cat and
the Hat, how does the fish feel
about the cat?
• In The Cat and the Hat, the fish

feels that the cat will cause trouble.

• In the story, The fish exclaims,

“He should not be here. He
should not be about. He should
not be here when your mother is out!”

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-ND

E-Explain

Explain is the next part of your
response. It should be
introduced and explain HOW
the evidence proves your
answer.

Explain Sentence Starters

E-Explain

SAMPLE QUESTION: In The Cat and the Hat, how does the fish feel
about the cat?

trouble.

• In The Cat and the Hat, the fish feels that the cat will cause

• In the story, The fish exclaims, “He should not be here. He should

not be about. He should not be here when your mother is out!”

• The repetition of “He should not be...” shows that the fish is very

concerned of being home alone with a cat. Repetition is often
used when someone is trying to make point, just like when
teachers repeat their directions to make sure students
understand they expectations.

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-ND

SAMPLE QUESTION: In The Cat and the

Hat, how does the fish feel about the cat?

In The Cat and the Hat, the fish feels that

the cat will cause trouble. In the story, The fish
exclaims, “He should not be here. He should not
be about. He should not be here when your
mother is out!” The repetition of “He should not
be...” shows that the fish is very concerned of
being home alone with a cat. Repetition is often
used when someone is trying to make point, just
like when teachers repeat their directions to
make sure students understand they
expectations.

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-ND

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-

NC-ND

Now, you’re the
ACE at answering

questions!