Although most SAT test-takers have a good grasp of how the overall test is scored (you get a score out of 2400 points, with each of the three sections earning a score between 200 and 800), many don’t really know how the SAT essay is scored. Here’s the deal.
The SAT Essay (you can see some examples here) is a writing exercise you complete right at the start of the test. You are given a prompt and an assignment, which will look like this:
You are expected to express your opinion on the assignment (in the example above, “Is it possible to become friends with someone without that friendship changing you?”) and then write a clear, coherent essay supporting your opinion. You are given two lined pages and 25 minutes to do it in. As per the instructions on the SAT:
The essay allows you to demonstrate how successfully you can articulate and expand on your opinion. You must effectively describe your idea, communicate examples in a clear and rational manner, and use standard language.
In essence, the point of the essay is to see how effectively you can express and support your opinion regarding a question that has no clear right or wrong answer. It’s not a test to see if you agree with the test-maker’s opinion–it’s a test of your thinking and reasoning skills.
The essay is given a score between 2 and 12. This score is obtained by combining the individual score given to your essay by two completely separate, unrelated readers, each of which gives your essay a score from 1 to 6 (except in the case of an essay that does not address the question in the assignment at all–those essays are given a score of 0).
But what separates an essay that gets a score of 1 from an essay that gets a score of 6? Here’s what the College Board (the makers, administrators, and graders of the SAT) has to say:
An essay given a score of 1:
An essay in this category demonstrates very little or no mastery, and is severely flawed by ONE OR MORE of the following weaknesses:
- Develops no viable point of view on the issue, or provides little or no evidence to support its position
- Is disorganized or unfocused, resulting in a disjointed or incoherent essay
- Displays fundamental errors in vocabulary
- Demonstrates severe flaws in sentence structure
- Contains pervasive errors in grammar, usage or mechanics that persistently interfere with meaning
An essay given a score of 2:
An essay in this category demonstrates little mastery, and is flawed by ONE OR MORE of the following weaknesses:
- Develops a point of view on the issue that is vague or seriously limited, and demonstrates weak critical thinking, providing inappropriate or insufficient examples, reasons or other evidence to support its position
- Is poorly organized and/or focused, or demonstrates serious problems with coherence or progression of ideas
- Displays very little facility in the use of language, using very limited vocabulary or incorrect word choice
- Demonstrates frequent problems in sentence structure
- Contains errors in grammar, usage and mechanics so serious that meaning is somewhat obscured
An essay given a score of 3:
An essay in this category demonstrates developing mastery, and is marked by ONE OR MORE of the following weaknesses:
- Develops a point of view on the issue, demonstrating some critical thinking, but may do so inconsistently or use inadequate examples, reasons or other evidence to support its position
- Is limited in its organization or focus, or may demonstrate some lapses in coherence or progression of ideas
- Displays developing facility in the use of language, but sometimes uses weak vocabulary or inappropriate word choice
- Lacks variety or demonstrates problems in sentence structure
- Contains an accumulation of errors in grammar, usage and mechanics
An essay given a score of 4:
An essay in this category demonstrates adequate mastery, although it has lapses in quality. A typical essay:
- Develops a point of view on the issue and demonstrates competent critical thinking, using adequate examples, reasons and other evidence to support its position
- Is generally organized and focused, demonstrating some coherence and progression of ideas
- Exhibits adequate but inconsistent facility in the use of language, using generally appropriate vocabulary
- Demonstrates some variety in sentence structure
- Has some errors in grammar, usage and mechanics
An essay given a score of 5:
An essay in this category demonstrates reasonably consistent mastery, although it has occasional errors or lapses in quality. A typical essay:
- Effectively develops a point of view on the issue and demonstrates strong critical thinking, generally using appropriate examples, reasons and other evidence to support its position
- Is well organized and focused, demonstrating coherence and progression of ideas
- Exhibits facility in the use of language, using appropriate vocabulary
- Demonstrates variety in sentence structure
- Is generally free of most errors in grammar, usage and mechanics
An essay given a score of 6:
An essay in this category demonstrates clear and consistent mastery, although it may have a few minor errors. A typical essay:
- Effectively and insightfully develops a point of view on the issue and demonstrates outstanding critical thinking, using clearly appropriate examples, reasons and other evidence to support its position
- Is well organized and clearly focused, demonstrating clear coherence and smooth progression of ideas
- Exhibits skillful use of language, using a varied, accurate and apt vocabulary
- Demonstrates meaningful variety in sentence structure
- Is free of most errors in grammar, usage and mechanics
As long as you write on the topic given in the assignment, the lowest score you can receive is a 2. However, remember that essays not written on the topic are given a score of 0.
You can see examples of essays that received scores of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 here.
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