<p>i think it would be interesting for all of those who have received their writing scores to post their essay score, the graders comments, and the length of their essay. I havent gotten mine yet, but i'll post again as soon as i do.</p>
<p>I had a seven (!?) with about 2.5 pages. the comment was:</p>
<p>
[quote]
YOUR ESSAY ACKNOWLEDGED COUNTERARGUMENTS ON THE ISSUE BUT DID NOT DISCUSS THEM. YOUR ESSAY MAINTAINED FOCUS ON THE SPECIFIC ISSUE IN THE PROMPT
[/quote]
</p>
<p>so I didn't "discuss the counter arguements" and that's a 7???</p>
<p>yeah W T F!!! I had the exact same comment and got 8/12! i thought i wrote a really great essay, at least a 10/12... i followed PR's format exactly! (intro w/ thesis, counterargument, two example paragraphs, conclusion w/ restatement of thesis). i must have lacked substance in their eyes, cause my essay was structurally very good. i got a 36 on English, but a 32 English/writing combined. i think the ACT essay is nonsense</p>
<p>Don't expect the comments to explain your score. There apparently aren't very many comments that the essay scorers can choose from, and it seems like certain comments only appear with certain scores, so it must be limited further. There might not have been comments available that were more relevant to why the readers chose the scores they did.</p>
<p>uh... i got a 12. I got a 12 the first time I took it. No angst for me...</p>
<p>But do colleges really even care about the writing score? I mean, I've heard they don't.</p>
<p>I really really hope they don't. I was hoping for at least a 10!</p>
<p>11/12</p>
<p>Your essay adrssed the complexity of the issue but evaluating its implications. Your essay effectively supported general statements with specific reasons, examples, and details. The logical sequence of ideas in your essay fit its persuasive purpose well. Your essay showed a good command of language by using varied sentences and precise word choice.</p>
<p>All this praise, yet 11/12? Damn, what the hell do I need to write for a 12?</p>
<p>most don't care about the writing due to its formulaic approach. those that do care--you have to wonder about the English department.</p>
<p>the comments tend to be two sentences and are often repeated at various levels such as 9 or 10. meaningless.</p>
<p>the use of the writing could be used to compare the style to make sure that the essays are from the same person. how you could prove they're not is questionable.</p>
<p>I think you are better off having a rec from an English teacher than relying on the essay grade of the ACT to boost your chances.</p>
<p>Writing Score can also compare the English section which is practically the same thing. If you have a low English scores and a High writing score, then it just shows that you are not a test taker. If a low writing score and a high English Score is there, it just shows that you have prepped for the test with a tutor or something of that sort.</p>
<p>Apparently the big thing about the ACT essay is discussing the counter-arguments as well. If you look on the ACT website about the essay, this is one of the biggest things.</p>
<p>"Writing Score can also compare the English section which is practically the same thing. If you have a low English scores and a High writing score, then it just shows that you are not a test taker. If a low writing score and a high English Score is there, it just shows that you have prepped for the test with a tutor or something of that sort."</p>
<p>This is not always the case. I did minimal prep (1 PR practice ACT, no tutor or anything) and I got a 36 on English. For whatever reason, though, the ACT essay graders did not seem to like my essay. I guess I didn't follow their formulaic approach strictly enough. I consider myself extremely proficient at grammar and writing, but the ACT really can't measure good writing skills given such an elementary prompt and only 30 minutes to prepare an essay. I think my essay could have been better if they had provided some basic facts or trends that I could cite as specific examples. I had a lot of trouble coming up with actual examples because I honestly did not know any proven results of cutting fine arts elective classes from schools.</p>
<p>Cavalier07- most of my experience with ACT (and SAT writing) has been that the best evidence is complete and utter BS. I just kind of made stuff up that sounded plausible, and passed it off as real evidence. Philosophers REALLY come in handy here, I based my SAT essay off Plato, and my two ACT essays off David Hume and Ludwig Wittgenstein. You don't need specific, provable, hardcore evidence with them, and you sound like you know what you're talking about. The essays are themselves BS (as are ALL standardized tests in general), so if ACT or the collegeboard shovels BS at you, why not shovel more back at them?</p>
<p>My results:
ACT writing, two 12s. SAT essay: 11/12. Philosophy and the manufacture of evidence have worked well in my case.</p>
<p>you did not need proven results to write a good essay, simply make things up. for example, i said that if it were a choice between electives and core classes, then electives should be the one to go. one of my reasons was that many colleges, if not all, specify that a student must have studied specific core subjects for a certain number of years upon applying to the university. if a school were to cut the core curriculum, the students would not be as well prepared for entry into college. then i made up an example about my friend who did not complete the classes and had to go to community college.</p>
<p>
[quote]
"Writing Score can also compare the English section which is practically the same thing. If you have a low English scores and a High writing score, then it just shows that you are not a test taker. If a low writing score and a high English Score is there, it just shows that you have prepped for the test with a tutor or something of that sort."
[/quote]
</p>
<p>that makes absolutely no sense. I no prep whatsoever had a 31 english but a 7 essay. being able to do well on the english section does not show use of a prep course, and a low essay grade doesn't maen much either. how important is being able to write a formulaic essay on "high-school" topics?
And I'm pretty sure the essays are also graded on handwriting.</p>
<p>i got an 8</p>
<p>"Your essay adequately supported general statements with specific reasons, examples and details. your essay maintained focus on the specific issue in the prompt"</p>
<p>I got the exact same as kaschrauben.</p>
<p>Weirdly, I got a 36 on the English, though. (Combined score is 32)</p>
<p>I guess I'm only good at writing! Haha, got a 24 composite. 10 on the essay.</p>
<p>My comment:</p>
<p>Your essay showed recognition of the complexity of the issue by addressing counterarguments. Your essay showed recognition of the complexity of the issue by partially evaluating its implications. General statements in your essay were well supported with specific reasons, examples, and details. Your essay was well organized, making it easy to understand logical relationships among ideas.</p>
<p>Didn't speak English for a whole year...and did well! Relief.</p>
<p>i got the same as kaschrauben and lgriffin0903</p>
<p>my english score was 35, combined 31..
i find it VERY odd that people with such high english scores can get such writing scores... hmm...</p>
<p>think about the part time McDonald's worker grading your essay.</p>
<p>it explains everything.</p>
<p>You all have no reason to complain. Your combined scores are still in the 30s. Get over it.</p>