Grade my SAT essay out of 6?

Test Preparation SAT Preparation
1

<p>Prompt: Is it important to question the ideas and decisions of people in positions of authority?</p>

<p>Questioning the ideas and decisions of people in authority is essential in order for society to progress. By questioning the status quo, great advances have been made in fields from science, human rights, and art. Scientists such as Galileo made huge discoveries in astronomy by questioning the church. Horrible practices such as slavery were outlawed, and revolutionary new music forms took hold by questioning the norm.</p>

<p>In the 15th century, the Catholic church was the authority on human knowledge. The church had control over schools and Universities, so any learning and scientific research was strictly regulated. The church's incorrect teachings such as geocentrism, the belief that the sun revolves around the earth, were taught as fact until one man dared to challenge the Church. Galileo, an Italian scientist, discovered that the earth revolved around the sun, which was a revolutionary idea at the time. Galileo's theory was correct, and his protest of the church's authority inspired scientists like Newton and led to a scientific revolution.</p>

<p>Centuries later, the field of human rights experienced a revolution by questioning the authority of governments around the world. At the beginning of the 19th century, most governments believed that slavery was acceptable. This belief was the norm until, starting in the mid 1800's, human rights leaders around the world protested this idea. In the US, leaders like Abraham Lincoln fought against the widely held idea that slavery was acceptable. Similar events took place in other countries, leading to a universal ban on slavery throughout the world.</p>

<p>Similar to the scientific revolution brought on by Galileo and the revolutionary new ideas about slavery, there was a musical revolution that took place in the 1950's. Elvis Presley, the first "rock & roll" musician, challenged existing ideas on music and created a genre that still lasts today. The "authority" on music, which were the adults of the kids listening to Elvis, hated his music, but Elvis still played and invented a new type of music.</p>

<p>Progress in the fields of science, human rights, and music was not made easily, and challenging authority was essential to improvement. Challenging authority is still just as necessary today if society expects to progress</p>

2

<p>I love it, 5!!</p>

3

<p>Thank you @Marrissa! Any tips on how to improve?</p>

4

<p>No idea, I got an 8 so I’m obviously not the best at SAT essays. Maybe it was the time constraint because I’m usually an excellent writer. Sigh ):</p>

5

<p>It’s good! I give it a 5 out of 6, 10 out of 12.</p>

<p>You started off really well. I noticed that in the 2nd paragraph and onward, your paragraphs weren’t 5 sentences. Make sure they are AT LEAST 5 sentences, except the conclusion. Also, I really liked your examples, however, you should try to vary them, and include one book. Anthem and Fahrenheit would have been perfect examples.</p>

<p>Hope this helped!</p>

6

<p>I would say a 3… so 6/12.</p>

<p>You should use two examples instead of three. Typically, the essays that get twelves (as research shows) expand upon ONE example. If you use three, then you won’t be able to expand and explain why those are great examples (remember, you’re only allowed to have two pages of paper).</p>

<p>And this is really important:
You’re given two pages to write. FILL ALL THE PAGES. A study by an MIT professor shows that essays that fill all the pages received better scores and those that didn’t. If your handwriting is small, make it bigger. If it’s big, make it stay big. At a conference, some other dude held up essays and said to judge what the scores were just by looking at the papers. Guess what, he correctly answered each essay’s score. Those that did not have a lot of wording would get a 3. My suggestion: Write 500-600 words if you want a 12. Don’t plan out a lot. I know this goes against Essay Writing 101, but quantity is better than quality in this case. </p>

7

<p>@swaqqy I completely filled two pages with this, to the very last line, and only had 378 words. Do I need to write smaller?</p>

8

<p>@2016bostonian‌ If you want a top score, you should write smaller to dramatically increase your chances. SAT essay graders want to see quantity more than quality, unlike in school.</p>

<p>If you do not want to write more, then have two very original examples. For instance, if your topic is “Should we stand up against authority?” and if you say yes, son’t write about Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi. Instead, write about some obscure saint who went against the pope and a volleyball player who went against the IOC.</p>

<p>In your case, 2016bostonian, you could easily get a 4 or even a 5 by writing a bland and unambitious essay.</p>