Past Sat Essay Prompts

Opponents of the old SAT essay saw the assessment as a poor and somewhat arbitrary predictor of college success.These criticisms were to some degree supported by independent research.

“I stressed out about needing to know a lot about the topic of the passage,” she says.

“But I realized that the test isn’t looking to assess your knowledge of what the text is about.

Until recently, students faced confounding questions like, “Is it more important to avoid hurting people’s feelings or to tell the truth?

” There were no right or wrong answers — the essay, for which you were allocated 25 minutes — tested how well students constructed a persuasive argument. Now, students are asked to analyze an opinion piece, and the task is not to agree or disagree, but rather discuss the strategies the author employs to persuade their audience.

Student preparation should emphasize analytical skills with respect to written texts in a broad range of general-interest publications.

An experienced SAT tutor can provide relevant reading lists, understanding of how the SAT essay is scored, differentiated instruction in terms of essay-writing skill development, and assessment of progress.Informed sources generally agree that private SAT preparation is superior to self-study methods or pre-recorded video instruction due to the presence of a live teacher.The SAT Essay is meant to combine with the Writing and Language Test to provide a broad assessment of writing skills.Three scores are given: Reading, Analysis, and Writing. Two scorers read each essay independently and provide a score of 1 to 4 in each area.A score of 4 is considered "Advanced," while 1 is "Inadequate." Evaluation criteria include comprehension of essay reading passages, analysis and explanation of argument, and effectiveness of essay writing.It’s just looking for how you analyze the rhetorical devices used in the article.” Ultimately, Burns scored well responding to a passage about minimum wage, a topic on which she hardly considers herself an expert.Most important, Fracchia says, is to follow a set essay structure and have a toolbox of rhetorical devices (think: anecdotes, similes or pathos) at the ready.Students are no longer required to complete the essay, but many universities mandate the submission of essay scores, and the College Board recommends that all students take this section of the SAT in order to demonstrate reading, writing, and analysis skills.The time given for the essay has been doubled to 50 minutes, and the essay task is now focused on analysis of an argument rather than taking a position on an issue.“Often students are surprised to realize the essay they have to write isn’t that long,” says Fracchia.Ultimately, Fracchia likes the new SAT essay because it tests college preparedness.