Increasing an SAT essay score of 10 into a 11 or 12

Test Preparation
1

Hi, I think I’m a good writer and I follow all the standard essay rules like Introduction (+Thesis), 2-3 Body Paragraph Examples, Conclusion(Restatement.)
My examples make sense and I relate them to the thesis with my topic sentence.

(I don’t use much SAT vocab in my writing because under 25 minutes, I can’t try to think of advanced synonyms for simple words when all I’m doing is trying to write as fast as possible to prove my point before time’s up.)

Since 2 readers gave my essay 5/6, I’m clearing missing something. I don’t know what it is.

How do you increase your essay score from that?

2

Definitely make sure that your essay is the full two pages. Fill up each and every line. Also try not to use conventional examples as sometimes it’s easier to see the flaws in an argument if the reader is more familiar with the topic. So utilize your examples and get them from a variety of topics (an example from your own life, literature, history, music even). Keep a few generic but applicable SAT words that you can put anywhere in the essay as well.

3

I like the advice above. Also, make sure you analyze the issue rather than just describing what happened in your examples.