The S.A.T. Writing Section
The SAT Writing section consists of 1 essay prompt and 25 minutes to read that prompt and respond in a clear, concise essay.
The essay assesses students’ ability to think critically and to write effectively under time constraints similar to those they will encounter on essay examinations in college courses.
Students are given 25 minutes to hand write their essays.
The essay portion of the SAT writing section was created with an understanding that an essay written in a short amount of time will not be polished but represents the initial phase of the writing process: the first draft.
nThe essay counts toward roughly one-third of the total writing score. The combination of the multiple-choice items and the essay provides an assessment of writing that takes into account both the student’s ability to develop ideas in a thoughtful, coherent and cogent essay and his or her understanding of the conventions of language.
For the SAT essay, students will have 25 minutes to write a first draft of an original essay. This task provides a direct measure of a student’s ability, under timed conditions, to write clearly and effectively — a skill required in many college courses. Effective writing is marked by:
- The development of a point of view n
- Logical presentation of ideas n
- Clear lines of reasoning
n- Sustained focus
- Appropriate choices of evidence n
- Skillful coherence
- Effective organization n
- Precise use of language n
- Engagement with the reader.
For the SAT essay, students will have 25 minutes to write a first draft of an original essay. This task provides a direct measure of a student’s ability, under timed conditions, to write clearly and effectively — a skill required in many college courses. Effective writing is marked by:
- The development of a point of view n
- Logical presentation of ideas n
- Clear lines of reasoning
n- Sustained focus
- Appropriate choices of evidence n
- Skillful coherence
- Effective organization n
- Precise use of language n
- Engagement with the reader.
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Writing Prompts
nStudents are asked to write in response to an essay assignment, or prompt, that is carefully selected so they can respond quickly in a variety of ways.
nPrompts are easily accessible to the general test-taking population, including those for whom English is a second language.
nPrompts are free of figurative, technical or specific literary references; they do not draw on specialized knowledge.
nThe prompt stimulates critical thinking and is relevant to any number of fields and interests.
nIt gives students the opportunity to draw on a broad range of experiences, learning and ideas to support their points of view on the issue in question.
The Prompt Format:
The prompt consists of a short paragraph (no more than 80 words) adapted from some authentic text. nFollowing the prompt is an assignment that has the students focus on the issue addressed in the paragraph. nBecause students are asked to address a specific issue, they are not able to prepare an essay in advance that will effectively address the essay assignment. nStudents should take a couple of minutes to plan their response to the assignment before they begin to write.
The Prompt Format:
The prompt consists of a short paragraph (no more than 80 words) adapted from some authentic text. nFollowing the prompt is an assignment that has the students focus on the issue addressed in the paragraph. nBecause students are asked to address a specific issue, they are not able to prepare an essay in advance that will effectively address the essay assignment. nStudents should take a couple of minutes to plan their response to the assignment before they begin to write.
Example Writing Prompts
January SAT® Essay Prompts
If you took the January 2009 SAT, you had one of the essay prompts below:
Prompt 1
Planning lets people impose order on the chaotic processes of making or doing something
new. Too much planning, however, can lead people to follow the same predetermined course of action, to do things the same way they were done before. Creative thinking is
about breaking free from the way that things have always been. That is why it is vital for
people to know the difference between good planning and too much planning.
Adapted from Twyla Tharp, The Creative Habit
Assignment:
Does planning interfere with creativity? 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.
Prompt 2
Most people underestimate their own abilities. They tend to remember their failures more vividly than their successes, and for this reason they have unrealistically low expectations about what they are capable of. Those individuals who distinguish themselves through great accomplishments are usually no more talented than the average person: they simply set higher standards for themselves, since they have higher expectations about what they can do.
Assignment:
Do highly accomplished people achieve more than others mainly because they expect
more of themselves? 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.
Prompt 3
People are taught that they should not go back on their decisions. In fact, our society
supports the notion that to change your mind is evidence of weakness and unreliability,
leading many people to say, "Once I decide, I decide!" But why do people make such a
statement? If factors, feelings, and ideas change, isn't the ability to make a new decision
evidence of flexibility, adaptability, and strength?
Adapted from Theodore I. Rubin, Compassion and Self-Hate
Assignment:
Should people change their decisions when circumstances change, or is it best for them to
stick with their original decisions? 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.
If you took the January 2009 SAT, you had one of the essay prompts below:
Prompt 1
Planning lets people impose order on the chaotic processes of making or doing something
new. Too much planning, however, can lead people to follow the same predetermined course of action, to do things the same way they were done before. Creative thinking is
about breaking free from the way that things have always been. That is why it is vital for
people to know the difference between good planning and too much planning.
Adapted from Twyla Tharp, The Creative Habit
Assignment:
Does planning interfere with creativity? 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.
Prompt 2
Most people underestimate their own abilities. They tend to remember their failures more vividly than their successes, and for this reason they have unrealistically low expectations about what they are capable of. Those individuals who distinguish themselves through great accomplishments are usually no more talented than the average person: they simply set higher standards for themselves, since they have higher expectations about what they can do.
Assignment:
Do highly accomplished people achieve more than others mainly because they expect
more of themselves? 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.
Prompt 3
People are taught that they should not go back on their decisions. In fact, our society
supports the notion that to change your mind is evidence of weakness and unreliability,
leading many people to say, "Once I decide, I decide!" But why do people make such a
statement? If factors, feelings, and ideas change, isn't the ability to make a new decision
evidence of flexibility, adaptability, and strength?
Adapted from Theodore I. Rubin, Compassion and Self-Hate
Assignment:
Should people change their decisions when circumstances change, or is it best for them to
stick with their original decisions? 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.
What to Write About?
Students may write about:
- Literature
- The arts
- Sports
- Politics
- Technology and science
- History
- Current events
- Personal observations
- Other topics.
Students may accept or reject the idea presented in the prompt to whatever extent they see fit.
nThey may draw on the rhetorical approach that best suits their writing style and purpose. nFor instance: ¨ some students may use an expository or argumentative style; ¨others may structure essays through comparison or contrast, or other techniques, including personal narrative.
- Literature
- The arts
- Sports
- Politics
- Technology and science
- History
- Current events
- Personal observations
- Other topics.
Students may accept or reject the idea presented in the prompt to whatever extent they see fit.
nThey may draw on the rhetorical approach that best suits their writing style and purpose. nFor instance: ¨ some students may use an expository or argumentative style; ¨others may structure essays through comparison or contrast, or other techniques, including personal narrative.
How to Format your Essay
FORMAT I – The one-example essay
Select one suitable illustrative example from your personal experience, or your reading, or knowledge of current affairs, history, science etc. and use this as the basis for a discussion of the topic. The example should be specific and ‘real’ rather than invented. It is best to avoid religion or politics or anything controversial.
There is no word limit but a limited space is provided. The space you have to fill is approximately one and a half sides of A4 paper. The space is sufficient to write a five-paragraph essay. You will have to write in pencil.
Paragraph 1: Introduction Try to create interest in the topic.
The introduction can be general but must include a thesis statement to point the reader in the right direction.
Paragraph 2: Part I of the example Describe the situation and cover about half the “example” here.
Paragraph 3: Part II of the example Finish the “example”.
Paragraph 4: Discussion/analysis Explain what your example shows. Extract the conclusions/moral lessons to show how it supports your thesis.
Paragraph 5: General conclusion Show how the example leads to more general conclusions about the topic. (If possible, relate to material from the introduction to round the essay off.)
FORMAT II - The two-example essay
Paragraph 1: Introduction Explain, in your own words, what the issue is. Include a thesis statement, which is a clear statement of your point of view.
Paragraph 2: Point one in support of your thesis Explain the point you are making with the aid of a specific example.
Paragraph 3: Point two in support of your thesis Explain the point you are making with the aid of a specific example
Paragraph 4: Qualification Explain that, under certain circumstances, the opposite point of view might be correct. (This is to show that you are aware of all aspects of the issue, even though you are 80-90% convinced of your thesis.) [Sometimes this paragraph is replaced by another point and/or further discussion or reasoning.]
Paragraph 5: Reinforcement of thesis Show how your viewpoint, despite the qualification you have just made, is more persuasive under the present circumstances.
Select one suitable illustrative example from your personal experience, or your reading, or knowledge of current affairs, history, science etc. and use this as the basis for a discussion of the topic. The example should be specific and ‘real’ rather than invented. It is best to avoid religion or politics or anything controversial.
There is no word limit but a limited space is provided. The space you have to fill is approximately one and a half sides of A4 paper. The space is sufficient to write a five-paragraph essay. You will have to write in pencil.
Paragraph 1: Introduction Try to create interest in the topic.
The introduction can be general but must include a thesis statement to point the reader in the right direction.
Paragraph 2: Part I of the example Describe the situation and cover about half the “example” here.
Paragraph 3: Part II of the example Finish the “example”.
Paragraph 4: Discussion/analysis Explain what your example shows. Extract the conclusions/moral lessons to show how it supports your thesis.
Paragraph 5: General conclusion Show how the example leads to more general conclusions about the topic. (If possible, relate to material from the introduction to round the essay off.)
FORMAT II - The two-example essay
Paragraph 1: Introduction Explain, in your own words, what the issue is. Include a thesis statement, which is a clear statement of your point of view.
Paragraph 2: Point one in support of your thesis Explain the point you are making with the aid of a specific example.
Paragraph 3: Point two in support of your thesis Explain the point you are making with the aid of a specific example
Paragraph 4: Qualification Explain that, under certain circumstances, the opposite point of view might be correct. (This is to show that you are aware of all aspects of the issue, even though you are 80-90% convinced of your thesis.) [Sometimes this paragraph is replaced by another point and/or further discussion or reasoning.]
Paragraph 5: Reinforcement of thesis Show how your viewpoint, despite the qualification you have just made, is more persuasive under the present circumstances.
Holistic Scoring
- Essays are scored in a manner that is fair and consistent, using a holistic approach.
- In holistic scoring, a piece of writing is considered as a total work, the whole of which is greater than the sum of its parts.
- The essay is scored by qualified readers who take into account such aspects as complexity of thought, substantiality of development and facility with language.
- A reader does not judge a work based on its separate traits, but rather on the total impression it creates.
- Holistic scoring recognizes that the real merit of a piece of writing cannot be determined by merely adding together the values assigned to such separate factors as word choice, organization, use of evidence and adherence to the conventions of Standard Written English.
- It is how these separate factors blend into and become the whole that is important.
- Holistic scoring evaluates this whole equitably and reliably.
Readers are required to keep a number of criteria in mind when scoring essays. These criteria include:
The Scoring Guide provides a consistent and coherent framework for differentiating between score points; ¨reading to gain an impression of the whole essay, and then scoring immediately; ¨reading supportively, ¨looking for and rewarding what is done well rather than penalizing what is done poorly or what is omitted; ¨ ignoring the quality of handwriting; ¨and judging an essay by its quality, not by its length.
Scoring:
nEach essay is scored independently by two qualified readers on a scale of 1 to 6, with the combined score for both readers ranging from 2 to 12. nIf the two readers’ scores differ by more than one point, the scoring leader resolves the difference. nEssays not written on the essay assignment nreceive a score of zero.
- In holistic scoring, a piece of writing is considered as a total work, the whole of which is greater than the sum of its parts.
- The essay is scored by qualified readers who take into account such aspects as complexity of thought, substantiality of development and facility with language.
- A reader does not judge a work based on its separate traits, but rather on the total impression it creates.
- Holistic scoring recognizes that the real merit of a piece of writing cannot be determined by merely adding together the values assigned to such separate factors as word choice, organization, use of evidence and adherence to the conventions of Standard Written English.
- It is how these separate factors blend into and become the whole that is important.
- Holistic scoring evaluates this whole equitably and reliably.
Readers are required to keep a number of criteria in mind when scoring essays. These criteria include:
The Scoring Guide provides a consistent and coherent framework for differentiating between score points; ¨reading to gain an impression of the whole essay, and then scoring immediately; ¨reading supportively, ¨looking for and rewarding what is done well rather than penalizing what is done poorly or what is omitted; ¨ ignoring the quality of handwriting; ¨and judging an essay by its quality, not by its length.
Scoring:
nEach essay is scored independently by two qualified readers on a scale of 1 to 6, with the combined score for both readers ranging from 2 to 12. nIf the two readers’ scores differ by more than one point, the scoring leader resolves the difference. nEssays not written on the essay assignment nreceive a score of zero.
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