<p>hey i was wondering how to raise my score from a 10 to a 12 on the essay? i have been consistently been getting 10s on all of my practice ones i've been doing thru princeton review. i know that only 1 person grades it, but still. im not sure what else to do, i mean i give great examples, i write a ton, but still get a 10. i read somewhere to put examples in the intro paragraph, but i havent done that yet, since im not sure what exactly to put in the intro wit examples since i do that in the body paragraphs. any advice?</p>
<p>Fill all the spaces. Don't be too COMPLEX!!! KEEP IT SIMPLE!! Have solid specific examples in each body paragraph. Have a "hook" in your intro. Clearly state you're thesis.</p>
<p>try reading some of the posts in the past few days called "please grade my essay" because some people critiqued each other and gave various pointers that might hit home with your work, too.</p>
<p>Don't spend too much time/space on intro and conclusion. Devote more to putting meat in the body paragraphs. I didn't get a 12, but I got an 11...</p>
<p>I think it helps to have solid factual examples, as 3 examples from your own life can be a drag. I scored an 11, and I had 2 examples from two books, and 1 example from my life.</p>
<p>Also, I'm sure you are, but just in case, be sure to follow the standard 5 paragraph essay format. Triangular intro, from broad, to narrow thesis. Topic sentences in each paragraph that directly relate to thesis. Solid examples and concluding sentences. Conclusion that is reverse of intro, restate thesis (not exact words) and then have a more general statement.</p>
<p>alrighty..thanks</p>
<p>yea i have at least 3 examples..but whats the "hook"?</p>
<p>write stylistically and have good scope....</p>
<p>the hook is the sentence or senteces usually in the introduction that grabs the reader's attention</p>
<p>oo i c..thanks</p>
<p>i was wondering if u should include any parts of the examples u will use in ur intro or not..i usually make my examples up as i go along, so i dont write any examples or anything in the intro..like not even talk about it..should i? i guess i could leave a few lines for it to put examples in as i go on thru the essay...</p>
<p>Aha! don't make up examples as you go along; waaay too important. They're not like turning a quick, clever phrase as you're writing fast.</p>
<p>Instead, either before or after you pen your opening paragraph, PAUSE, THINK, and JOT down on a side paper your 3 examples and (very important) WHY you chose them. The "why" could just be 1 or 2 words you note to yourself, like "demonstrates diversity" or "showed courage" If you have 3 different reasons for choosiing your examples, you have the bones for an essay. Just choosing 3 examples isn't quite excellence.</p>
<p>If you know WHY you chose them, and know all 3 ahead of time, you'll be able to write with critical thinking, in each para, how they supported your thesis. OF course, don't write, "I chose them because..." but it'll be in your mind and it'll come out in your writing, which I know you must do fast.
It also gets away from that "flatness" I've read in some of the essays posted onsite here, where students make the same point 3 times with 3 different examples. Ho, hum.</p>
<p>Instead, in your central 3 paragraphs you'll end up making meaningful points about each example, building up your thesis as you go along.</p>
<p>Taking it up to an even higher level, you can "embed" in there some cross-connections or comparisons among the examples, espec. by the time you get down to the third one. That's called "building it up" and I think it turns a 10 into an 11 or 12.</p>
<p>The jot-note suggestion above (just take 45 secs-2 min. with it, that's all!!) came from my S. He went from 6 to 10 to 12 (well, that 6 is b/c he didn't know squat about the test format, first time. He's really a fine writer and hopes to make it his life's work, someday).</p>
<p>He also likes to pick a "vehicle" (Massorati?) to compare the examples, such as a "spectrum." LIke this (I'm writing now off the top of my head; this is not a quote from anybody's essay), after you're finished writing about your first example but want to open up the para for your next example:
"If Uncle Tom's Cabin represents the most socially-aware form of fiction writing, then surely Theater of the Absurd dramatist Ionesco occupies the opposite end of that spectrum in his play, "The Bald Soprano."
That shows more thinking then just writing, for your second example, "Another example of literature satirizing social norms is "The Bald Soprano."</p>
<p>p.s. It's a waste of time & space to name your examples in the Intro! It'll all come out in the essay, one by one. So, don't; instead use that first para for an attention-grabbijg opening and a clearly worded statement of your thesis, as described in Post 5 above, second para.</p>
<p>this thread helps a lot, my thanks to LuckMC</p>
<p>BTW, i know that was obnoxious, but I couldn't help myself :D</p>
<p>If you're getting a 10 to begin with it shows that your examples are pretty strong. I believe to reach a 12 you must write with your own personal style...anyone can come up with good examples to a prompt, but it's how you deliver it (sentence structure, word choice, etc) that can get you one notch ahead.</p>
<p>Yes, laserprecision, quite true. Some call it "writer's voice"</p>
<p>7yearman had a post some days ago, i think it was called Please Grade My essay, or something like that. In that thread, see post #10 </p>
<p>glad you're finding all this helpful, naidu90 !</p>
<p>thanks paying3tuitions, your comments are usually long, but very helpful! :)</p>
<p>hmm..i think i understand what ur saying paying3tuitions...thank u very much for the advice</p>
<p>also thanks laserprecision</p>
<p>lol naidu..no problemo :D</p>
<p>Try using a couple vocabulary words throughout your essay. They could make the difference.</p>
<p>new question: say you consistently get somewhere between a 9-11 on your essay, language is good, flow is decent, but organization lacks that 'uumph' factor. How can you change this? suggestions?</p>
<p>organization is the easiest to solve...just jot down a quick bullet-point outline before you start writing.</p>
<p>When D was practicing SAT tests using the Collegeboard online tests, she consistently score 10-11 and even an 8. But, we went to our high school PSAT meeting where the Princeton review rep said it's best to write very long, have a conclusion and that is exactly what D did. She scored 12 on the essay. I don't think colleges are looking at WR score that much.</p>