Over the past month or so, I have been practicing for the SAT and have done a few practice essays. Though IMO I scored relatively high on these (9-11 range), I’m very weary about writing in a formulaic format. A lot of the 12 essays I’ve seen seem natural; some only have 4 body paragraphs that don’t particularly elaborate on their examples, others are spontaneous and just have one big blob for a body. However, I’ve heard trying to free write is dangerous, and your best bet for getting a 12 is following the format (in body paragraphs, state and elaborate on example and then connect it to question). I’m a pretty good write (got a 7 or 8 on AP exam essay, and relatively right good essays in school), so If I right in my own style, AS LONG AS I ANSWER THE QUESTION WITH ACTUAL EXAMPLES, does it matter if I follow the format?
For the SAT essay, should I follow the formulaic Intro, 2/3 body, conclusion, or should I free write
Formulaic works best. The graders are looking for certain things in certain places, and they read/grade too fast to hunt for stuff or figure out unusual structures.
What I don’t understand is students are simply stating their examples with grandiloquence in some 12 essays… never actually analyzing them…
Yep. It’s not real writing; it’s just a hoop through which to jump.
@marvin100 Yeah, I was guessing that Formulaic writing is the safest bet. It may be basic, but at least graders know where my stance/evidence/connection/analysis/ and conclusions are.
Formulaic writing all the way! I got an 8 on my non-formulaic writing, but after I developed my own template with practice, I could guarantee a 10.
*Ps. I mean “all the way” for a decent grade, not that I believe that the SAT essay is a good reprsentative of your writing skills.