<p>The title says it all.</p>
<p>i got an 8, but I thought I got a 12 :/</p>
<p>I got an 11, and it was like the worst essay i'd ever written in my life, so i'm sure lots of ppl get 12's. but an 11 is an 80/80 subscore so that's kinda weird.</p>
<p>i got a 10 and my essay was a load of crap, i didnt even have a conclusion paragraph, just a sentence, i ran out of time.
in june i got an 8 and i thought that id done really well
anybody with a 12 wins my everlasting praise for outstanding BS :)</p>
<p>I got a 12 (80/80 sub) and 4 MC wrong (80/80 sub) = 800 total.</p>
<p>Keys to success:</p>
<p>Four paragraphs, personal experience (with a clear intro and conclusion)
Used around 25 words high schoolers shouldn't know
Neat handwriting (for a guy)
Filled both pages, front and back, and ended on the last line provided</p>
<p>redbarn, did you use blantantly obvious transitions? "In conclusion" and "my first point is" and what not? To me, that seems like horrible writing, so should it be avoided, or ...?!</p>
<p>Lavender- I didn't use blatantly obvious transitions (that's just bad writing!), and I don't suggest doing so. By clear intro and conclusion, I meant that each was a defined paragraph serving to organize the piece.</p>
<p>one of my friends got a 12 on the essay and no MC wrong. 800!</p>
<p>My son is a very good writer (several writing awards, 800 verbal SAT I, 36 English ACT, 5's on literature and language AP's, etc). He followed all of the "write a good SAT essay" dictates, has good handwriting and spells well, and he got an 8 on the essay. He still got an 800, but he never understood his essay grade.</p>
<p>i thought my essay was awesome, but apparently i was wrong, since i got a 7! </p>
<p>i did use four paragraphs, with a clear intro and conclusion. The essays i write for english always receive very high grades, and i got a 5 on the AP english test....so apparently SAT II writing is looking for something else!</p>
<p>I thought mine was crap and I got a 10. five paragraphs though.</p>
<p>Mines was a load of crap also. I BSed everything and made up a story, but still somehow ended up with a 11 even though I thought my writing for the essay wasn't good. I guess either I "organized it well" or whatever.</p>
<p>I think you can talk about anything, even if it is sort of cheesy. They look for structure, diction, trans. sentences, etc, grammar, etc.</p>
<p>does your subscore for your essay show up on the collegeboard write-up they send to your house?</p>
<p>yes, the subscore shores on the mail report they send you.</p>
<p>I thought mine was really good- 9.</p>
<p>I think lots of the scoring is subjective. I got an eleven the first time I took it and twelve this time. If this is a thread for advice (which I presume it is), I'd say:</p>
<p>Don't worry about formulaic paragraphs. I know everyone says these tests want formulaic paragraphs, but use your own judgement. Make a clear introduction with a short and interesting point relating to the subject, preferably something random that draws to the subject. Also, don't use big words. I've learned from personal experience (ie poor english grades) that big words simply act as distractions. Use short solid words. And also, don't use words that many high schoolers use...that is, many generalizations. The minute you see yourself talking about "civilization of our times" and "society," think: are you really talking about all of society. If you are, you probably aren't making a valid point. If you aren't, then rephrase.</p>
<p>Good luck! (or if you've already taken SAT II, good luck in college apps)!</p>
<p>umm I thought my essay was crap and I got a 9. To be honest, I was surprised. My friend got a 12, though. so umm I dunno b/c he isn't even a strong writer heh.</p>
<p>I thought my essay was perfect, and I only got a 9.</p>
<p>I thought mine was pretty good, but I got a 9. What did I learn here? Structure and form count much more than content. My mistake was focusing on what I wrote and the values/ideas I wanted to express rather than grammar and organization, etc.</p>
<p>Oh well, I still got a 760! :)</p>