<p>Hello. In May, I wrote the following essay and got an 8/12. Each reader gave me a 4. I was surprised because the result was far from my expectations. Anyways, I wrote down the essay (from the actual essay in my score report) and pasted it on Collegeboard's Online Course essay grader. I got a 12!
In my opinion, the discrepancy is shocking. And I thought maybe someone here could please tell me whether my essay deserved an 8. Thank you.
Here's the essay (I kept the grammatical mistakes):</p>
<p>It is common to see human beings satisfying urgent needs and pleasures rather than devoting their energy into planning for the future. Being a computer science fan, I subscribe to the notion that musing on an algorithm is more praiseworthy than coding. Weeks of planning can save you months of coding, as one anonymous source is credited for. Preparing for the future is crucial in our lives. Several examples from real life and literature demonstrate this. </p>
<p>Steve Jobs was one of the most highly venered and praised man of the twenty first century. Because of his visions and future-planning, he made his company one of the best computer-producing entreprises. Steve Jobs was the chairman and cofounder of Apple Inc, which has a gain of billions of dollars every year. It was because of his vision that he succeeded, as ABC.net.au's "Visionary Steve Jobs succumbs to cancer" paper says. He looked into the future, thinking about what would people like, unlike Dell which was criticized by Steve Jobs for creating "unimaginative biege boxes". Steve Jobs said that he goes not where the plum is but where it will be. Such vision and looking into the future is what allowed Steve Jobs to be one of the most remarkable men in the 21st century. </p>
<p>Hiroshima by John Hersey is a novel that describes a community that suffered from the deadly effects of the atomic bomb, but never lost its resilience. The survivors of the atomic bomb demonstrated that looking into the future of their society is more productive than looking at the bleak present. Whenever faced with an obstruction, one should turn it into an opportunity because if one doesn't, the future will only be grimmer. One of the survivors, Mr. Fujii, instead of reconnecting with his family after the bomb, he ignored everyone and went to enjoy his life. He only thought about the luxuries of the present. And as a result of carelessness, he died lonely and detested by the people around. Father Kleinsorge, serving as a foil, thought about the future of Japanese society, and he cared. Although a German, he made friendly relations with the Japanese priests in Hiroshima. After the bomb went off, he went to help others in Asano Park. He made ties with Miss Sasaki and the Kataoka children. His example is a paragon of patience that allows one to foresee what the future holds. Hiroshima demonstrates that thinking only about the future always has negative consequences, but preparing for the future is more important. </p>
<p>King Lear is another novel that shows how small and rash decisions can affect the future greatly. King Lear was a figure that represented order and a rigid heirarchy in Britain. Everything and everyone was in peace, if not harmony. But then, one day, he decided to hand off his power to his two daughters, Golerin and Regan. He would regret that decision for his entire life. The country devolved into civil strife and war. Many, like Gloucester, criticized very scathingly King Lear's decision. King Lear, the novel, shows that rationality and preparedness for the future is more important. </p>
<p>Preparing for the future, instead of the present, is undoubtedly more important.</p>
, you’ll get 12 in official online course. </p>