<p>This was from the SAT from this June. Here's the assignment:</p>
<p>"Does progress reduce the number of problems in the world, or does solving old problems just lead to new ones? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations."</p>
<p>Please give explanations for why you scored it the grade you did. </p>
<p>After I get a few replies I'll tell you what I actually scored. </p>
<p>Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>essay1</a> | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
essay2</a> | Flickr - Photo Sharing!</p>
<p>Your essay is solid, however, it only relates to the question marginally. I cannot imagine that you got more than a 6 on it.</p>
<p>Wow… okay, maybe I should be pleased with my score. I’m a great essay writer; I got 100 on the New York State English 11 regents which is basically essay writing and took college level English this year. Maybe it’s just the time constraint that’s giving me trouble? I expected higher because I used 3 examples, used every line, and finished with a conclusion. I was just a bit frustrated because an 11 or 12 would have given me an 800 for writing.</p>
<p>Your essay would be good if it were for a different prompt. I think the hardest part for really good writers who take the SAT is to answer the prompt as straightforward as possible. The question really is not hard if you just answer the what they are asking you EXACTLY and give solid examples. On my first SAT, the prompt was something about discipline, and I talked about Aristotle and Rousseau’s idea of human nature. I scored a 7. This time around I wrote about antibiotics and how when they were first invented they solved medical problems, but now we have new problems with bacteria that are immune to the antibiotics. I got a 12. </p>
<p>You pretty much to “dumb yourself down” to get a good score. Just curious what did you get?</p>
<p>Thanks so much! This makes a lot of sense now. I couldn’t understand why I didn’t get a high score, because I knew I used 3 solid examples and used every line! Now that I can read the prompt and my essay again, I can see how I didn’t completely answer the question. </p>
<p>I didn’t score as poorly as you guys probably would have guessed. I got a 9.</p>
<p>The most confusing thing was that in March I used 1 and 1/2 examples, and my essay was cut short at my 2nd example! I had only 3 paragraphs… it was terrible. My score? 8</p>
<p>Now for June, I felt so confident… used 3 examples, 5 paragraphs, and every single line! When I got my score, I was shocked to see that it only raised one point from March. I thought it would have been higher than 9.</p>
<p>I don’t like the SAT/ACT essay grading. I got 10 and 10 on the SAT, the second essay being MUCH more straightforward with better examples/flowing language. My ACT essay was total **** and they gave me an 11. I don’t get it sometimes haha.</p>
<p>I would personally have given your essay a 10.</p>
<p>I completely agree. The whole system is flawed. And thanks!</p>