For many students, the SAT exam is a serious test on their way to college. The latest version of the test with the edited essay section appeared in March 2016. This article offers tips to help students prepare for essay writing.
What is a SAT?
SAT, offered 7 times a year, is a college entrance exam, which is chosen annually by more than a million students. Many high school students take it first in the spring in the 10th grade, and then again in the fall in the last year of school. On the official website, you can find an online registration form (containing useful tips for those studying at home, registration tips), as well as a list of rules with a list of questions regarding the day you pass the exam. (For example, it is forbidden to carry mobile phones or smartwatches).
To accustom yourself to the SAT format, pass a test exam in advance. We advise you to take such training exams very seriously: limit yourself in time, take small breaks between sections and not even think about lunch!
How is Essay Rated on SAT?
The essay is evaluated on a 4-point scale by 3 parameters: reading, analysis, composing the text. 2 examiners render their verdicts independently of each other, therefore, for each of the 3 elements in total, you can score from 2 to 8 points. The mark for the essay is not included in the overall SAT result, on the contrary, it is indicated separately. Check out official grading guidelines and sample essays.
All directions and strategies come down to one thing: the essay in the new SAT is an analytical text. You need to carefully read the proposed passage and, using your persuasion skills, create a composition-reasoning based on the facts presented in it.
An essay worthy of the highest scores must meet the following requirements:
1. Lack of grammatical errors;
2. Variety of syntactic structures;
3. Balanced vocabulary (without inappropriate phrases);
4. A clear expression of the main idea;
5. Consistent development of reasoning (the most successful format is an essay consisting of 5 paragraphs).
An essay for the SAT is a complicated task. That is why you should write it very responsibly. If you are looking for a professional website to process your request like ‘someone write my essay’ – feel free to get in touch with CustomWritings service who will do it for you successfully.
Top Five Tips on Writing an Essay For SAT
1. Study the examples. After reading the template articles and questions from the College Board, carefully read the answers provided. Think like examiners: start analyzing why each of the essays received just such 3 marks (Reading, Analysis, and Writing). Focus on the most successful examples and find traits that you can adopt.
2. Understand the position of the author. Before writing your first training essay, make sure that you understand the passage and the essence of the author’s argumentation, and not just the topic and your opinion on this matter. Emphasize key transitional words (such as, for example, furthermore, in contrast, however, etc.) and consider what meaning they give to the author’s general line. Highlight strong phrases, important words, and other reference points that you consider significant. Think about what the writer was trying to say. What confirms the main statements in the passage? Is evidence relevant and convincing? Is there any logic in their presentation? Are there any strong or weak points in the author’s argumentation? Is some important information missing that could convince the reader?
3. Allocate time. As a product of a good carpenter, the structure of an excellent essay rests on thoughtful and thorough preparatory work. Make sure that you answer exactly the question and do not stray from the course. When you take a few minutes at the beginning of your work to take notes of your own answer, you can save valuable time by eliminating the need to completely correct the draft version.
Be concise but look deep. As in the old days, a long essay is still highly valued, so try your best to fill out the 3 pages provided with the quality text. If your plan is good, then you will have something to say, avoiding repetitions and empty lengthy turns. If your handwriting is too large, try to write smaller. Your task is to effectively use all the space at your disposal. Try to leave marginal margins just for the sake of highlighting a new paragraph. Do not miss the lines, they can be filled with words that will bring you extra points!
4. Sprinkle all with magic powder. To get an essay worthy of a high mark, do not forget to use a few of your own rhetorical “decorations”: smart words, literary tricks, and even statistical data, and quotes that you remembered while preparing for the test. When used rationally, such tools can play in your favor in the same way as they helped the author of the passage, which you have to analyze during the exam.
Now the compositions are optional, and perhaps for some high school students, this is a delight. But before deciding whether to take up this section or not, be sure to find out what requirements for an essay put forward by your preferred colleges.
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