How to Write a SAT Essay? Understand Tips to Improve Your Score

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Wondering whether the SAT Essay still exists? The truth is that starting 2024, the SAT Essay was officially axed. Students are no longer required-or, for that matter, even allowed-to take the SAT Essay. In the old days, the SAT Essay aimed to test an applicant's capacity to analyze a given passage and generate a well-supported response.

Optional but often prized by applicants as showcasing strong analytic and writing ability, the essay has not, however, been required by many elite universities- Harvard, Princeton, Yale, and Stanford, to name a few-and this diminished its utility over the years. Although the SAT Essay allowed students to demonstrate critical thinking and persuasive writing under time pressure, it is no longer part of the test. Those preparing for the digital SAT will focus on the new format and other test sections.

Scoring SAT Essay Guide

Two independent readers evaluate students' essays, scoring them in three categories: Analysis, Reading, and Writing. The SAT Essay presents a single passage for you to read, analyze, and respond to in a well-structured essay. The task requires careful consideration of the passage and focuses on evaluating your reading, analytical, and writing skills within a timed setting.

Score	Reading	Analysis	Writing
4 (Advanced)	Demonstrates thorough understanding of the source text. Shows clear grasp of central ideas and key details, effectively interrelating them. Free from errors in fact or interpretation. Skillfully uses textual evidence like quotations or paraphrases to support ideas.	Provides insightful analysis of the author's argument and demonstrates a deep understanding of the task. Offers a thorough evaluation of evidence, reasoning, and stylistic or persuasive elements. Support for claims is relevant, sufficient, and strategically chosen. Focuses consistently on the most critical features of the text.	Cohesive and highly effective use of language. Features a precise central claim, with a strong introduction and conclusion. Ideas progress logically both within and across paragraphs. Demonstrates varied sentence structures, precise word choice, and a formal tone. Free from *grammar* and language errors.
3 (Proficient)	Shows effective understanding of the text's main ideas and key details. Free from significant factual or interpretive errors. Appropriately uses textual evidence to support points.	Effectively analyzes the author's argument and demonstrates an understanding of the task. Evaluates evidence and reasoning with relevant and sufficient support. Focuses primarily on critical elements of the text.	Mostly cohesive and demonstrates good control of language. Presents a clear central claim with an effective introduction and conclusion. Ideas progress clearly, though with some minor inconsistencies. Displays some sentence variety and mostly precise word choice. Few language errors.
2 (Partial)	Demonstrates limited understanding of the text. Shows some comprehension of central ideas but misses key details. May contain errors in fact or interpretation. Uses textual evidence inconsistently or haphazardly.	Offers limited analysis of the author's argument with partial understanding of the task. May identify elements of the argument without fully explaining their importance. Lacks sufficient support for claims or points. Analysis may be unfocused or superficial.	Limited cohesion and weak language control. Central claim may be unclear or inconsistent. Introduction and conclusion are ineffective or missing. Ideas may progress within paragraphs but lack overall flow. Sentence structures are repetitive, and word choice is vague or general. Errors may detract from clarity.
1 (Inadequate)	Demonstrates little or no understanding of the text. Fails to grasp central ideas or focuses only on details. May contain multiple factual or interpretive errors. Little to no use of textual evidence.	Provides little or no analysis of the argument and lacks understanding of the task. Identifies elements without explanation or offers irrelevant analysis. Lacks support for claims or makes unsupported assertions.	Lacks cohesion and demonstrates poor language use. No clear central claim. Missing or poorly constructed introduction and conclusion. Ideas do not progress logically. Sentence structures are repetitive, with vague or inaccurate word choice. Contains frequent errors that hinder understanding.

Key Details:

Number of Questions: 1 prompt (includes points to consider and directions).
Content: 1 passage that serves as the basis for analysis and response.
Time Limit: 50 minutes to read the passage, analyze the author’s argument, and craft a cohesive written response.

How Is the Scoring SAT Essay Done?

This extended time allows you to delve into the nuances of the passage, effectively examine the author’s techniques, and articulate a well-organized essay that reflects both depth and clarity. It's an opportunity to showcase not just comprehension but also critical thinking and writing prowess. Each reader assigns 1-4 points per category, and the scores from both readers are combined. Therefore, scoring the SAT essay is across three areas, each on a 2–8 scale. The SAT Essay assesses your ability to analyze a passage and write a thoughtful, well-structured response:

Dimension	Description
Reading	Demonstrates your understanding of the passage by capturing its central ideas, key details, and effectively using textual evidence.
Analysis	Assesses how well you examine the author's argument, focusing on evidence, reasoning, and persuasive techniques. Evaluates how effectively you support your points with relevant insights.
Writing	Measures your ability to create a cohesive and organized essay, using clear and precise language, varied sentence structures, proper grammar, and an appropriate tone and style.

SAT Essay Practice

A student's essay results have no bearing on their Verbal section and composite scores. Essay scores are reported only separately on the score report itself. Percentiles and composite scores are not shown in these as per scoring the SAT essay is concerned.

To prepare for the SAT Essay effectively, download the Bluebook app. From there, access the Practice and Prepare section and choose SAT Essay Practice. You will be able to log in with the credentials given by your school. Once you have completed the practice essay, go to the My Practice Section to review your work. Here, you’ll find your essay response, the prompt, a scoring guide to self-assess your essay, and sample responses from other students for additional insights.

Check- ACT to SAT Conversion

Strategies for Excelling in the SAT Essay

There is never a SAT essay prompt without a companion. Instead, it follows a text that is around 700 words, or one page, in length. Before they can even start to arrange their response, test takers must read the paragraph through completely and, if possible, comment on it.

Comprehend the Question: The essay prompt for SAT always requires analysis of how an author uses various rhetorical strategies in order to establish their argument.
Focus on Devices of Rhetoric: Determine specific kinds of rhetorical techniques such as metaphor, logical inference, or emotive appeal. Do not give general statements that lack specifics.
Analysis of Argument in the Prompt: The main argument of the author is typically found in the prompt. Here is an example: "Explain how Paul Bogard builds a persuasive argument in favor of the preservation of natural darkness."
Read Common Rhetorical Devices: Develop a list of 10-15 rhetorical techniques to recognize on the test very quickly and look for them often.
Brainstorm and Outline: Brainstorm before you start planning. Identify a few rhetorical devices that you think you can describe well.
Create a Good Thesis Statement: Formulate an explicit thesis indicating the techniques to be discussed in the essay.
Use Textual Evidence: Use examples and quotations from the text to support your arguments.
Write Clearly and Error Free: Your explanation should be clear, it should have right kinds of unidiomatic sentence structures, free of errors
End with Impact: Strive to close your essay with a 'punch line' restatement. This is because your thesis must summarize the central ideas well.
Proofread Your Essay: Set aside reserve time to read and correct grammatical, spelling, and structures.

Conclusion

Lastly, SAT Essay gives you the opportunity to demonstrate that you can read a passage, make an evaluation about it, then write a response. Although optional in the test, acing this essay can help prove that you think clearly and critically under pressure. If you're applying to colleges that require or recommend the SAT Essay, then you'll want to hone your writing skills so you make a good impression. You can do a great job of presenting an argument if you prepare well.

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