<p>hey guys im from jamaica. i sat the 0ctober 2011 sat and got 2090. however my writing score was lower than expected.- i got 10/12. i used lots of big words, and wrote TWO WHOLE PAGES!!1 i however used mainly examples from Jamaica- could it be that markers marked me down because they couldnt relate to my anecdotes????? here are the first an 5th paragraph of my essay:</p>
<p>the presupposition that people shouldnot listen to criticism is a categorical falsity. I believe that it is absolutely necessary for persons to listen to criticism. I shall now adduce three prominent, germane and apropos archetypes to create an achilean and incontrovertible argument which proves my dissertation true. </p>
<p>Pugnacious and fatuous opponents of my argument would like to promulgate that people should not listen to criticism. In a futile attempt to create a counter argument, persons of the opposing view have turned to fickle diatribe. However, as seen in my examples the case remains that it is absolutely important to listen to criticism. Thus the counter argument is innocuous and in no way debilitates or enervates my argument.</p>
<p><em>note i get 12 and 11's in practice tests. </em> is there some way i can get it remrked????? :|</p>
<p>Just because you use big words and 2 pages doesnt mean you get a 12… Your examples from Jamaica, if they were personal could be less convincing than historical and literary examples. You could be biased in your essay, there are a lot of reasons why… a 10/12 is not a bad score and a 12 is difficult to get. Just because you get 11/12 on practice tests doesnt mean it is always applicable: the graders could be lenient. They aren’t discriminating… the essay is graded by different two people, each scoring 1~6, if the scores are 2 points different the process brings in another grader.</p>
<p>As the above poster said, using big words and filling all pages does not guarantee a 12. SAT Essay grading is fairly arbitrary (this being one of the reasons that many schools ignore or give little weight to the writing section.) Personal examples aren’t the best, either. They can be done well and get high scores, but are less convincing than literary/historical ones.</p>
<p>Also, not to be mean, but your essay is not really that good… You sound like you’re trying way too hard, and not all of your “big words” work or make sense in the context that you use them. This sentence → “I shall now adduce three prominent, germane and apropos archetypes to create an achilean and incontrovertible argument which proves my dissertation true.” actually leads me to believe that this is some sort of ■■■■■, as it’s just so…ridiculous. The whole “I shall do x, y, and z” thing is a litte bit obnoxious, and doesn’t generally work out too well. “Adducing” three “achillean,” “germane” “archetypes”? That doesn’t make much sense, and holds very little meaning --fluffing up your paper instead of making a sound argument.</p>
<p>Basically, it appears (even if it’s not true) as if you’re hiding behind a dictionary to mask your lack of writing ability.</p>
<p>Stay true to your own voice, talk about things that you do know about, and don’t try to impress the readers. Basically, let your writing speak for itself. Don’t fluff it up with random, awkward, big words, as the scorers will see right through it (as I suspect they did in this case.) That’s how I got an 11, at least – no SAT vocab required!</p>
<p>Your words are getting in the way of your writing. You sound like you’re using language to muddle things, not make them clear. Always use the simplest structure you can.</p>
<p>Is your essay online already? The SAT score report for my son says that additional information won’t be available until October 25.</p>
<p>If your essay isn’t online already, how is it possible for you to remember exactly what you wrote? Did you prepare your introduction and conclusion in advance and just plug in the topic you were given?</p>
<p>In my opinion, some of the words in your essay (such as fickle and presupposition) were used incorrectly. Also, the tone of the essay is too dramatic for the topic. You are clearly very smart, but using such big words can get in the way of a clear, straightforward essay.</p>
<p>So what, I too got 10/12 and used big words and wrote two whole pages as you did. But essay is not to test your skill of throwing out big words and writing speed, which can be easily trained even to ten years old kids.
Content and logic is always the most crucial part.</p>
<p>Your essay has a lot of filler and not much content. I agree with the post above, you are lucky that you got a 10 (pity points for the verbiage?). This is nothing against you - your vocabulary exceeds mine by far - but I definitely think a focus on more clear, concise arguments, instead of writing multiple sentences that say the same thing, is a wiser approach.</p>
<p>(Yes I’m aware of Perelman’s opinions, but I think he makes a fundamental error - higher scoring essays do not score higher because they are long and use big words, but rather good essays tend to be longer and and contain big words)</p>
<p>Is this a joke, firework2? In your essay, you take the position that it is essential to listen to criticism. Then, in the concluding paragraph, you offer a refutation of the opposing view, that people should not listen to criticism. Given your position, the reader will want to see how you take the [hypothetical] criticism of your argument. So, let’s see: you refer to people with the opposing view as “pugnacious and fatuous,” you say their attempt at a counter-argument is “futile,” and you accuse them of “fickle diatribe.” These statements in themselves vitiate your argument.</p>
<p>If that weren’t enough, when you use uncommon vocabulary, it is important to have your word choice spot-on, instead of somewhere in the neighborhood of the correct word. For example, you propose to create an “achilean and incontrovertible” argument. Did you mean Achillean? Or is “achilean” a word that is unfamiliar to me? If you meant “Achillean,” then there is a problem. Although Achilles was the strongest warrior for the Greeks in the Trojan war, he also suffered from the problem that his heel had not been dipped in the river Styx by his mother. This caused him to have vulnerability in a single spot, his heel. As a result, an argument cannot be both Achillean and incontrovertible.</p>
<p>On the other hand, if you really intended to offer an “Achillean” argument, by having the last paragraph (i.e., the “heel” of the essay) implicitly contradict your entire argument by showing that you do not listen to criticism, then I commend you on the subtle humor of the essay.</p>
<p>I’m taking AP Comp right now and basically we are supposed to write 3 well developed essays in 2 hours. So, we learn all these strategies to convey certain viewpoints we have and have to convey to the “collegeboard reader”. Deadwood, imprecise word choice, and inaccurate voice (you are in high school after all -_-) are things we always look to edit out of our essays. Your two paragraphs are the epitome of what I’d never want to have in my essay ever.</p>
<p>I honestly think you are trolling…but think of every writing assignment like this: The New York Times is publishing some sort of editorial that showcases certain views of high schoolers. Readers would not believe the work if it sounded too elevated or too scholarly. The best features would have strong, distinct voices and a clear outlines of thoughts. Just because something uses big words and is long does not mean it demonstrates to the collegeboard (or anyone else, for that matter) that you know how to effectually convey your ideas on paper (and control it using transitions and knowledgeable use of punctuation).</p>
<p>hey people:
firstly achillean means unbeatable <em>just saying</em>
also at my classes we were told to use big words- and write alot- and we would get decent grades- im just follwing the rules i was taught <em>dont shoot the messenger</em>. also yep we created our essay ‘skeleton’ and reused it for each essay plugging in where neccesary</p>
<p>Yeah, but I think you’ve overlooked the fact that the big words need to be used accurately and in context, if at all. I know what “achillean” means, but it just wasn’t appropriate in that sense (despite the dictionary definition.) </p>
<p>Again, don’t use big words like that. It makes you sound ridiculous, bud. Also, you really didn’t make any argument in that essay, just rambled.</p>
<p>If you can’t write you don’t get a good score, and just because you were taught poorly doesn’t mean the college board is going to feel sorry for you and give you a better score. You are lucky you got a 10, which is fine (colleges don’t care about this), so get over yourself. Why do you think you deserve a better score? And are you really surprised no Jamaicans have gotten a perfect score? Not many Jamaicans take the SAT and you have a horrible education system in the first place.</p>
<p>If you have read any literature written within the last 80 years you will see that good writing does not necessarily rely on “big words” or “long passages”. Both of those things can make writing very BAD.</p>
<p>i got an 11 in my essay when i was in the 9th grade, and i’m from Trinidad and i used examples specific to Trinidad so OP i disagree with you about the discrimination.</p>
<p>@mada34, i think you deserve a prize, brilliant comments</p>
<p>@numberfortyone or whatever your name is where do you get off think internationals are entitled. Please don’t let your interactions with a few serve as the basis for your formulating an erroneous view generalizing allll international students. It’s just not nice.
but yea i agree that this particular poster has a very entitled air, superficial but irrelevant words ought never to be a substitute for content.</p>