<p>How exactly is this essay graded? I got a 34 composite, yet a 6 on the essay. (Combined English/Writing: 29) Is there a certain essay length that they're looking for? I felt mine had the content, but it was barely 2 pages in length. Their comments stated that "I had taken a clear stance on the prompt, and had given specific examples and reasons, yet needed more." Also, will that 6 in any way harm my chances of being accepted into a higher tier university?</p>
<p>I’m also wondering what is the significance of the combined English/Writing score.</p>
<p>I got a 7.lol. I seriously thought I did worse though. </p>
<p>Some schools would probably look at it. How did you only get a 6 if you got like a 34 composite?</p>
<p>WTH, I got an 8.</p>
<p>I print in all caps, so the 30 times limit was extremely painful, as my writing is very slow. </p>
<p>,but seriously, 8? I had a 33 composite, will the writing score drastically bring me down?</p>
<p>I got an 11, and my English/Writing combined score stayed the same as my English score.</p>
<p>I got a 29 Comp. with a 10 Essay.</p>
<p>I swear to god with the ACT, WRITE ALOT. I practically wrote my essay twice and got a 10. They only have 1 min to read it…so sometimes i dont think they get through.</p>
<p>Eazy - with your 34 composite, that’s pretty shocking that you got a 6 on the essay. Sorry! People claim that it’s easy to figure out a formula, but I don’t know. I have 2 kids who are excellent writers and they’ve gotten 8, 8 and 9 between them on the SAT and ACT essays. My D’s composite was very good, but the essay grade brought her writing score down, so she needs to figure out how to bring it up. One tip I stumbled across in a prep book is that they expect you to make a counter-argument against your thesis. If you can write quickly, present a definite thesis, and fit in both pro- and con- arguments, you can probably raise your score.</p>
<p>Well, I’m not going to take the ACT ever again, now that I’ve gotten a 34 comp. However, I just hope there won’t be much importance placed on the writing score. I’m content with the combined eng/writing though. It was only 1.5 pages long, and I think it had no counter argument. So, there’s my bad score. I completely forgot about the counter. I’ve heard of people who are extremely gifted writers, who get 5 in AP lit and such, yet score horribly low on the ACT writing section. I’m not a gifted writer, but I don’t feel I’m a bad writer…</p>
<p>i got a ten on the essay, so my combined english/writing score was the same as before, a 30</p>
<p>I am a current college student, at Columbia University no less, and I’ve had articles published in one of, if not the, most respected papers in the world.</p>
<p>,but I guess my writing isn’t good enough for those scoring the ACT. :)</p>
<p>FauxNom- I provided a counter-argument, and still ended up with an 8, so it didn’t do much for me.</p>
<p>Hopefully colleges don’t weight the writing score too heavily.</p>
<p>It sounds like you took a clear stance rather than presenting both sides of the prompt’s issue. It is a common mistake on the writing portion of the test.</p>
<p>Same thing happened to me. 34 Composite, 6 writing (with about the same comment, I don’t remember exactly), and a 31 english/writing.</p>
<p>es four,</p>
<p>I was thinking about columbia
How do you like it?</p>
<p>The prompt asked the writer to pick a side and write an argument supporting his or her assertion. How much can one write in 30 minutes? I did no planning, and began writing the moment time started, and I was only able to complete about a page and a half. How much can be covered in the short time provided?</p>
<p>I feel like there is some confidential grading formula that caters to a specific type of essay. I suppose my essay didn’t fit within those parameters.</p>
<p>10…didn’t really like the topic too much</p>
<p>My son got an 11 on the writing and was shocked. Now he’s trying to decide if he should take the writing part again. He wants to take the test overall again to try to raise math, but is afraid he might end up with a much lower essay. But I don’t think most schools will take the ACT score if it doesn’t have the writing component so I guess he’s stuck with both.</p>
<p>Incidentally, his score also stayed the same 31 English, then 31 English/writing composite with the 11 on the essay. Doesn’t seem like it helped much!</p>
<p>gregb,</p>
<p>I like Columbia. My main reason for leaving is that I need more financial aid. Living in Manhattan isn’t for everyone; I love the city, but many others don’t. I’d say the urban environment separates Columbia from peer schools, for better or worse.</p>
<p>My teacher showed us how to write everything. Make sure you have clear transitions and a good counter argument</p>
<p>I know the essay I wrote was bad, I won’t be happy when I see my score. My essay was short and vague. O_O</p>
<p>I got an 11 on the SAT essay but only a 9 (two times) on the ACT. Does anyone have any suggestions? Are we supposed to present both sides of the argument (50/50?) in the ACT Writing portion? The 9 brought my Combined E+W score to a 30 from a 32E…so I need helppp</p>