Yikes! An Essay on the SAT!

Did The College Board go crazy? In 2005, they added an essay to the already stressful SAT. What were they thinking? What is expected of students in this new section? What will be the subject of the essay? Are there keys to write an essay that will get raves? Will a computer grade it? So many questions; but fear not, we have answers.

The essay was added to the SAT because universities were finding that entering freshmen could not write on the college level. Colleges can now use the SAT’s essay to measure a student’s ability to express ideas, develop a point of view, and use language effectively. Although adding an essay to the SAT will not make a student a better writer, it will eventually force high schools to teach better writing.

The essay will generally introduce a topic question in a short paragraph. Students are given twenty-five minutes to complete the essay. In writing, it is important to show a wide range of experience and sophisticated knowledge. Always remember to write in the active voice, keep on topic, write in the given lines, and make sure all words are legible. The judges are looking for good organization, specific examples, and a smooth presentation. However, they also understand it is only a rough draft and will not expect a perfect paper.

The essay topic will be given at the time of the test. It is usually the first section administered. Question topics can range from persuading the reader, supporting an idea, defending a view, or solving a moral dilemma. Unfortunately, students will not have foreknowledge of the topic in advance, so it is important to be familiar with the steps involved in writing a good essay; this will help to reap higher scores from the judges.

Some keys to getting a high score on your paper will be based on the structure of the essay. This includes the opening and closing sentences, paragraph and sentence length, and the use of transition words to help the flow of the thesis. It will need to be structurally sound, effective, persuasive and make logical sense. Creating five paragraphs that include three detailed examples is the standard for a great essay.

Grading will not be done by a computer, but by two people. The essay judges will have a college degree, several years of writing experience, and they will be very familiar with the rules of Standard Written English. The College Board will scan the essay papers into a computer and send them to the respective judges. The judges will then grade the papers during a ten day period following the SAT. The paper will be graded on a score of 1-6 (A combined score of 12 is the highest possible score.). If there is more than a one point difference between the two scores, a third judge will then grade the paper. Their score will then be doubled and that will be the final score.

Judging will be done on the overall impression of the paper, so it must sound smart. The judges are looking for key items that will make your paper stand out among all the papers they will be reading. Start off with a great hook to grab their attention and end with an amazing statement that sums up your thesis. The judges will first read your paper quickly and then write down their first impression. Adding a couple of big vocabulary words can also raise your score. Writing intelligently throughout your paper can yield amazing results.

With colleges now measuring writing ability based on the SAT essay, students should also make this section a top priority. Take the fear out of writing an essay by following some proven, simple steps. Walk in confidence. You can then be on the right track to producing an outstanding essay that gets raves.

This article is the work of author, Jean Burk. It is the property of Maven of Memory Publishing, and may be reproduced according to the following terms.