Tight Writing on the SAT

（*SATはThe Scholastic Assessment Testのことで、アメリカの高校生が大学に進学する際に受験する大学進学適正試験です。）

For many of my SAT students, the essay is the most daunting part of the test. It's the only place on the test (apart from a few grid-in math questions) where you have to produce something, rather than simply choose correct answers. Students who come into class thinking that the essay is easy often think so because they believe that they're going to be able to write about the subject of their choice, or that simply producing a well-written essay that's somewhat off topic will earn them points.



The bad news about the essay is that this isn't the case; if you write an off topic essay, you'll receive a score of zero. If you write an essay that's on-topic but off assignment you might earn a three if your writing is outstanding, but certainly will do no better. Don't treat the SAT essay like a college application essay; the two are alike in a few ways, but fundamentally different, and certainly not interchangeable. Here are a few general tips:



Make sure you understand the Assignment-- On all SAT essay prompts, you'll see a quote enclosed in a box, with an assignment question and instructions underneath. Read the assignment before you read the quote, and re-read the assignment a few times while you plan your essay to make sure you don't break off track. Most SAT assignment questions fundamentally break down into the form of "Is [some concept] [this way] or [that way]?" For instance, "Are [people who offer advice] [usually wrong] or [right]?," or Is [true friendship] [supporting your friends no matter what] or [telling them the truth, even if it hurts their feelings]?"
Understanding how the assignments are typically structured allows you to create a general template for how you'll write your essay before you even enter the testing center. The more preperation you can do beforehand, the less stressed you'll be on test day.



Have an "infobank" ready to help you come up with examples-- The SAT will ask you to support your position with specific examples. I find it much harder to think of an example of something out of thin air than to refer back to a specific source. For instance, if my essay is about true friendship, I would ask myself "Is there an example of true friendship in Pride and Prejudice, Moby Dick, The Watergate investigation, Spider-man, etc.?" These infobank examples are books, movies, or situations from history that I know a little about. The fact that Spider-man is a comic book wouldn't stop me from using it. There are no trivial examples, as long as they're specific and relevant to the topic at issue, and I know enough about them to be able to discuss them comfortably.



Write a thesis-- This is the toughest part of planning your essay, because it's the most philosopical and profound issue. A good thesis does two things; it tells the reader what you think, and, broadly, why you think it. Stating your opinion is important, because it shows the test-grader that you can make up your mind. But articulating why you feel that way is no less important, because that demonstrates insight, an important component in high-scoring essays.

A cogent thesis basically makes the essay write itself. The example I always use in class is a simple one: "I think dogs are more important animals to society than cats, because dogs can be trained to do tasks cats can't, and offer us companionship in ways that cats can't." From just that thesis, you could probably write my essay for me, because everyone's heard of seeing-eye dogs, rescue dogs, guard dogs, etc. A good thesis anchors and forecasts your essay.



Write tight, focused body paragraphs-- A good body paragraph does three things. First, it introduces your specific example, and broadly establishes why it's relevant. Second, it adds detail and development of the example, showing philosophical insight and appreciation for the subtleties of the assignment questions. Finally, a good body paragraph reiterates why that particular example illustrates and supports your thesis.

For students whose english writing is a little slow, the above strategy allows you to say a lot in relatively few words, and to avoid digression from the assignment. Even a relatively short essay can earn a great score if you make every word count.



Leave the reader with your thesis-- Paraphrase your thesis in the conclusion, so that the reader leaves the essay knowing that you have stayed on-assignment throughout the essay, and haven't lost your way. The SAT essay is only a persuasive essay in name; you are really graded on how well you organize and articulate your point of view. And finally,



Remember that human beings, not computers, grade your essay-- Write as neatly as you can, begin a new paragraph every time you broach a new issue, and make genrous use of transition words. Don't say nice things about Hitler (I'm not kidding, a surprising number of writers do), or rant about how stupid your (or someone else's) parents, teachers, race, religion, government, or country is. A computer will give a great grade to a focused and articulate essay that calls Barak Obama a mendacious, imperialist swine, and glorifies Kim Jong Il's reeducation camps, as long as those examples are reasonably related to the assignment question. A human is a lot more likely to get offended and find a reason to give you a bad grade. Unfair, perhaps, but there you have it.


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・【It Really is Higher Education】2009.05.27 (Wed)