ACT Writing

1. ACT Writing Please take out your NEW ACT prep booklet. Turn to page 58.

2. Take it or not? • Many colleges require it, some don’t. • Take it if you’re not sure about yours • If you end up having to go back and take it later, you have to pay for the whole test all over again.  • Can’t hurt, might help.

3. What’s it like? • After rest of the test is over • Short break in between • 30 minutes of writing • Formal essay, not journal, not short story, etc. Intro, thesis, body paragraphs, conclusion.

4. What are the prompts about? • Usually ask for your opinion about something, and reasons for that opinion. • Easy to understand without background knowledge, something most people could easily come up with an opinion about. • Usually relevant to HS students • No right “side”

5. Instructions: always the same In your essay, take a position on this question. You may write about either one of the two points of view given, or you may present a different point of view on this question. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.

6. Instructions: always the same In your essay, take a position on this question. You may write about either one of the two points of view given, or you may present a different point of view on this question. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position. *You have to have an opinion. You can’t just talk about it neutrally—you have to take a position.

7. Instructions: always the same In your essay, take a position on this question. You may write about either one of the two points of view given, or you may present a different point of view on this question. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position. * You don’t have to use one of the two positions they give you. You can make up your own, better solution and explain why it’s better.

8. Instructions: always the same In your essay, take a position on this question. You may write about either one of the two points of view given, or you may present a different point of view on this question. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position. *You have to have reasons and examples to back up your opinion. Can’t be random, can’t be missing.

9. Sample Prompts: Educators debate extending high school to five years because of increasing demands on students from employers and colleges to participate in extracurricular activities and community service in addition to having high grades. Some educators support extending high school to five years because they think students need more time to achieve all that is expected of them. Other educators do not support extending high school to five years because they think students would lose interest in school and attendance would drop in the fifth year. In your opinion, should high school be extended to five years?

10. In this country, most people see and hear advertising for many different products every day. Some people think advertising is useful because it provides important information about many different products. Other people think advertising is not useful because it tries to persuade people to buy products they do not really need. In your opinion, does advertising serve a useful purpose in our society? Source: 2005 ACT Educator Workshops

11. In some high schools, students are required to complete a certain number of community service hours prior to graduation. Some people think community service is a good requirement because they think students will benefit from this experience. Other people think schools should not require community service because students will resent the requirement and, as a result, will not benefit from the experience. In your opinion, should high schools require students to complete a certain number of hours of community service? Source: The Real ACT Prep Guide, 2005

12. Tips: Before • Read prompt at least twice to make sure you understand what they’re asking you to write about. • PREWRITE!!! Take about 5 of the 30 minutes to write a thesis and outline. Doesn’t have to be formal, just organized. • Avoid writing complete sentences when you prewrite, and then having to rewrite them into your essay booklet. Takes too much time. • Avoid spending too much or too little time prewriting. 5 min is just about right for most people. 2 is too little, 8 is too long.

13. Tips: During • Your writing should be clear, and straightforward. Flair is okay, but you don’t have to “sound smart” to do well. • “I” is okay for this essay. • Every once in a while, glance back at your prewriting. Are you following your outline, or did you get off track? • Write a conclusion, but don’t spend all day on it. • (AP kids—this is 10 min. less than you get on AP essays, so make sure to pay attention to your time)

14. Tips: After • At the end, leave yourself time to check: • Is my position clear at the beginning? Does it stay clear? • Did I use examples and support my opinion? • Does my organization make sense? • Are there any spelling or grammatical errors I can correct? • Could I rewrite my thesis to make more sense? • Okay to cross things out neatly, draw arrows to move sections around, draw stars or carets to insert sentences.

15. How is it scored? • By English teachers and professors • They assume it’s a first draft • Holistic scoring—mistakes won’t count against you, but many mistakes will leave a less favorable impression • Scored against other ACT essays, not against polished or professional writing • 6 point scale

16. How can I practice? • Best way to practice timed writing is to do timed writing. Very different feeling than untimed. • In your ACT prep booklet, they include sample essays and why they scored the way they did. Super helpful to read! Pages 66-71 • Search “ACT Writing Sample Prompts” in Google—you’ll find a ton of example prompts and essays. Read them, do them. Time yourself. • ACT suggests reading newspapers and news magazines, keeping up with current events.