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The SAT Essay!

The SAT Essay!. Some Tips and Ideas To Help You Succeed on the Writing Section. How It’s Scored. 0-6 Rubric Rubric Criteria: Position: did you take a side? Did you offer examples and reasons to support it?

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The SAT Essay!

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  1. The SAT Essay! Some Tips and Ideas To Help You Succeed on the Writing Section

  2. How It’s Scored • 0-6 Rubric • Rubric Criteria: • Position: did you take a side? Did you offer examples and reasons to support it? • Organization: does your essay have a clear structure? Do the ideas build and progress through the piece? • Language: is your diction and syntax (sentence structure) clear and appropriate? Did you use a fitting “level” of language (low/informal and elevated are usually not the best; stick with neutral language!) • Grammar and Editing: is your essay mostly free of errors? Do the errors cause confusion in the meaning of the piece?

  3. So What Do I Have to Do? • The essay is a 25-minute timed writing. • You will be asked to make an argument based on selection of text. • You must effectively take a side and prove your point within that 25 minutes.

  4. This Essay Asks You To MAKE AN ARGUMENT! • The test refers to your argument as a “point of view” • Position: the side of the argument that you take. You will either defend, refute, or qualify a particular position stated in the prompt. • Thesis: Statement of a position on an issue or topic; the “big picture” part of your argument • Claim: A statement of a position on an issue or topic; the particular points you make (“smaller” than a thesis; support the thesis)

  5. You Must PROVE Your Point • Provide relevant, well-elaborated examples as evidence to help support your thesis and claims. • Treat your position and claims as though they are facts! If you back up a position well enough, you can argue anything!

  6. Types of Evidence You Can Use • History • Personal Experience • Observations of others • TV • Movies • Books • Anything else that helps prove your point!

  7. Other Things To Know and Consider • Defend: to offer support for a position or claim; back up that side • Refute: to offer support against a position or claim • Concession:describe the extent to which an opposing claim is true, but not to the degree that it disproves your own point. • Pro: Evidence supporting a claim. • Con: Evidence against a claim. • GOOD ESSAYS MIX IN REFUTATION AND CONCESSION; USE THEM TO HELP SOUND REASONABLE AND ASTUTE!

  8. General Tips • Provide Enough Relevant Examples to Prove You Point • More is not necessarily better: fewer examples with more detail and elaboration is ALWAYS better than lots of rushed examples • Make Sure Your Examples are Relevant • If the examples don’t relate to and directly prove your point, they’re no good for your essay • Use First Person if Need Be • How else could you write a paper about personal experiences? • Avoid “I think” and “I feel” statements. State your case and prove it!

  9. More Tips! • The thesis doesn’t have to come at the beginning—it’s often best placed elsewhere. • Be creative with your structure—essays that show consideration of how form affects the meaning often score higher. • Make sure your structure is clear and logical. • Be concise; while you need to elaborate, avoid rambling and going off on tangents.

  10. Even More Tips! • Argue the side that you can prove most effectively; this can even be the side opposite of your real position! • Whichever position has the most convincing evidence is the one you should take • The graders will never know if you are taking the opposite side—they don’t know you! • Choose meaningful examples, not just the first thing that comes to mind.

  11. Even more tips! • Explain your evidence fully; tell the reader how each claim or point connects to the overall thesis; don’t assume we’ll “get it” unless you explain it. • Don’t qualify your position—take a side. Qualification is too hard to do well in 25 minutes. • Prewrite! Brainstorm examples, freewrite—do anything that helps you get ideas on page prior to actually writing the piece • you don’t want to be stuck with the first thing you think of.

  12. A Useful Link • http://sat.collegeboard.com/home • This site has practice tests, booklets explaining the scoring, and plenty of other materials to help you prepare!

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