<p>What did you write about? Literature, history or personal experience? How was your essay structured? What did you put in your intro? Did you use big words? What exactly are those graders looking for?</p>
<p>Thank you.</p>
<p>I didn't know that we were supposed to use examples to evidence our conclusions, and since any examples that I (or anyone) could muster would amount to little more than anecdote, I forewent including any substantial ones.</p>
<p>I wrote the essay similarly to how I would in an English class; I walked the thin line between formal and informal writing, my paragraph structure was unusual, as was my syntax in general.</p>
<p>I was rather verbose, yes. That seems to have worked to my benefit.</p>
<p>11 score btw.</p>
<p>How</a> the Essay is Scored</p>
<p>I used history examples. I used a normal essay structure (thesis, body paragraphs, conclusion). I didn't really use any big words. I got 11.</p>
<p>i did 5 paragraphs, filled the whole two pages and made up a historical event and literary event....the whole essay was made up and nothing was factual..</p>
<p>yet, i got a 12. (even though i suck at the MC part so i got 720 MC:66)</p>
<p>^ oh wow. What exactly did you write? The made-up examples that is.</p>
<p>I don't know how people remember all these history and literature examples. I sat down today with my practice book to get some essay practice, and I couldn't remember what happened in any of the classics I've read in English in the past couple years. Couldn't remember anything from my history classes. I may have to resort to BigWeight's method and make a load of stuff up.</p>
<p>do it, but my best advice, is DONT STOP WRITING UNTIL TIME IS UP</p>
<p>I wrote 1.25 pages on my first time SAT and got an 8 on the essay, even though I used one personal and one factual example.</p>
<p>this time, i made up something about George Washington, made a book and the characters up and made a personal event that never occurred up...</p>
<p>im taking it again in October, though.</p>
<p>but hey, trust me on this, making up stuff is much easier because u can manipulate every aspect and make it pertinent to the prompt. once i get my essay back, ill show u guys what i wrote.</p>
<p>i did use pretty good vocab...any advanced word that came to mind i included LOL.</p>
<p>Yeah, I took the June test without prepping at all, and I didn't really know how to go about the essay. I didn't use any examples except something about Lindsay Lohan being a druggie.</p>
<p>On our state tests that we have around here (thank you, No Child Left Behind), pretty much everyone BS'ed a story about themselves. I made up a little brother with a kidney transplant. Terrible, I know, but I scored really well. I'll have to try something like that on the SAT, I guess :)</p>
<p>ALWAYS include a historical, literal and personal example and write two full pages with good vocab and u should score 10+ for sure.</p>
<p>Yeah, I'm going to hit up SparkNotes before the November SAT and just memorize some book plots to make up stuff for.</p>
<p>what did u get previously?</p>
<p>i got
CR-640
M-680
W-720</p>
<p>u got any tips on CR, i cant seem to improve. :(</p>
<p>i got a 12 on my essay. my preparation? going to a rigorous prep school.
personal experience is always iffy to use. i would recommend straying away from that and instead, i would suggest books. pick a few books that you know pretty well. the beauty of this idea is that you can morph the book to literally any topic. make a brainstorm bank of different examples you could use: medicine, technology, books, etc. think quickly yet accurately.</p>
<p>I did alright, I got:</p>
<p>CR - 700
M - 710
W - 720</p>
<p>But honestly, it was a bit of a fluke...</p>
<p>For CR, my main thing is to study vocab, I'm alright at the other parts. Lately, I've been keeping a dictionary around while I read magazines and books and looking up all the words I don't know. I just bought the Blue Book yesterday and I'm going to study it like all summer for my 2300 (a girl can dream...).</p>
<p>One example from History, one from litt will work nicely. If you an sneak in
an extra litt example it would be great.</p>
<p>None of your examples have to be factually correct (historic/literary)- only
gramatically.</p>
<p>Uh, I'm terrible at making stuff up. Can you guys give me some examples you guys made up? With specific names...
Thank you...</p>
<p>I have only taken the SAT once, but I have taken a bunch of practice SAT's, and I've gotten pretty good at the writing.</p>
<p>Organize your essay like this:</p>
<p>Intro- 3 sentences; lead, thesis, outro
Second Paragraph- 4 sentences; topic, assertion, example, connection
Third Paragraph- 4 sentences; topic, assertion, example, connection
Fourth Paragraph- 4 sentences; topic, assertion, example, connection
Conclusion- 3 sentences; lead, assertion, overall connection</p>
<p>Next Tip,</p>
<p>Memorize sources that you will use. To be honest, just about any source can be aplied to every possible question. Choose something you know alot about and that is very broad. For example I like to use WWII, any novel I have read recently, and an example from my family.</p>
<p>With all that in mind, and good grammar, you should get a pretty good score.</p>
<p>I got a 10/11 on my essays, and an 800 on the writing section once. On the first essay, I used a personal experience (I only used one and then compared it to my sister, which is I think why I only got a 10; I did'n't have varied examples.) Second time around, I used an example from scientific history, and then made a general observation of how the world works.</p>
<p>Both times I did four paragraphs and usually wrote a two-part thesis (pro's/con's of prompt, or agree/disagree with the prompt) and wrote four-paragraph essays (intro, paragraph for one side, paragraph for another side, and a conclusion to compare the two examples/views). I did try to use advanced vocabulary, but I only used it where it really fit (i.e. I didn't force advanced words into the essay that didn't flow).</p>
<p>I wouldn't suggest using ONLY personal, but if you want to include one, go ahead. Also, if you can make up cultural/personal references well, do that; I know people that have made up cultural sayings or things their dying grandma said and wrote great essays. I wouldn't make up historical/literary ones though.</p>
<p>The main idea you should keep in mind is having a well-structured essay with varied examples, at least I think. From then on, it's just showing your own personal style.</p>
<p>I used only personal, and I got a 12. It's about how well you write, not about how many books you've read or facts you can make up.</p>
<p>I didn't write the typical 5 paragraph essay, i stuck to 2 examples and wrote 4 paragraphs and i ended up getting a 10. When the score report thing comes out on the 5th i'm going to read my essay over and figure out how i got a 10 on it haha</p>
<p>4 paragraph essay
2 examples
1 on History
1 on Literature-(actually it was BS, I said that a scifi movie was a book to get my point across)</p>
<p>No matter how many lies you put down on paper it doesn't matter. If need be, say that your sibling has a heart condition or that your parents have 38 patent or that our first president was Thomas Jefferson. Obviously, keep your lies within the realms of reality, and you are allowed to lie about historical facts because they are not grading you based on that knowledge but rather your ability to answer the prompt clearly and effectively on paper.</p>
<p>Here are the things that matter...
1.) Sentence Structure(Make sure to vary you're sentence structure)
2.) Use transitions
3.) Thorough developement of examples is key to a good essay
4.) Throw at least 5 big words(and more if you can) ex. use facsimiles instead of copies
5.) Conclusion is somewhat important...its not as important as your examples though so you still have a shot at a 12 if you really proved that you could write by what you have so far...</p>
<p>I used these 5 things to improve from a 8 to a 11...</p>