The SAT is an entrance exam used by colleges and universities to help make decisions about admissions.
The SAT is administered by the CollegeBoard and is given 7 times per year. The exam is a timed, mainly multiple-choice exam, taken by students in high school.
Beginning in the spring of 2024, the SAT will be going fully digital. The digital SAT (DSAT) will have some formatting and content changes to it, along with some other changes. You can review those changes below.
This exam will be given to students starting in spring of 2024.
Section | Number of Questions | Time Limit (Mins) |
---|---|---|
Reading & Writing | 54 | 64 (Two 32-Minute Modules) |
Math | 44 | 70 (Two 35-Minute Modules) |
This exam will be given to students up until spring of 2024.
Section | Number of Questions | Time Limit (Mins) |
---|---|---|
Reading | 52 | 65 |
Writing & Language | 44 | 35 |
Math (With calculator) | 38 | 55 |
Math (Without calculator) | 20 | 25 |
The biggest difference between the old SAT and the digital SAT is that the digital SAT is taken completely online and has combined some sections to streamline the exam.
You will receive a score for math and a score for reading/writing. Each of those scores will be between 200 and 800 .
Your total score will be the sum of those two scores. You can receive a total score between 400 and 1600 on the SAT.
The average SAT score is 1060. Learn more about good SAT scores .
You can register for the SAT online via the CollegeBoard site .
You will need to do the following when registering for the SAT:
It will cost your $60 to take the SAT. There may be some additional fees like canceling, changing test center, etc..
The SAT is typically given 7 times per year. The exam is given on Saturdays. You can expect the exam to be given in these months:
You can find exact dates on the official website .
When using our free SAT practice tests, we recommend the following steps to get the most out of your time:
There are many benefits to using SAT questions during your prep process. Some of those benefits include:
The SAT exam is a timed test. Keeping a steady pace is critical to achieving a high score.
You can improve your decision making and your time by taking practice exams.
All standardized tests, including the SAT, have their own unique way of presenting questions and answer choices.
You will gain more familiarity and comfort with the SAT question style as you take more practice quizzes. On the real exam day, there will be no surprises.
When you take many practice exams, you will get a sense of your test strengths and weaknesses.
Many students mistakenly spend time working on their strengths while ignoring their weaknesses.
Knowing which subjects you struggle with will help you focus your study time.
Tests like the SAT measure your ability to solve problems, not just memorize information. It is critical to have strong problem-solving abilities.
The answer explanations provided in our score reports can help you understand how to solve problems that you may be struggling with.
When is the sat going to the digital format.
The SAT will be switching to the digital format in the spring of 2024.
There are 154 questions on the old SAT (written version).
There are 98 questions on the new SAT (digital version).
You will have 3 hours and 15 minutes to take the old SAT (written version).
You will have 2 hours and 14 minutes to take the new SAT (digital version).
There will be 1 math section in which you can use a calculator and 1 math section in which you cannot use a calculator on the old SAT (written version).
You will be permitted to use a calculator on all math modules on the new SAT (digital version).
We recommend taking 1 practice exam for each subject. You can then determine which subject gave you the most trouble and focus your studies on that subject.
Get in touch with us
Study abroad.
Sat essay examples.
Just like with essays on other exams, the secret to excelling on the SAT essay section is by pre-planning the examples and evidence that you wish to use. But you might be wondering how it can be done on the new SAT essay as the whole point of the essay is to use information from the given passage while answering and you don’t know about the essay ahead of time.
Well, the truth is that while the specifics of each example depend on the passage and obviously change with each exam, the pattern of the examples you choose to discuss can be defined, and therefore, planned ahead of time.
In this blog, we will discuss a few good SAT essay examples that will help you in formulating almost any essay SAT gives you. By practicing examples of the most common types of essays asked on SAT, you will cut down on planning time during the exam and increase the amount and quality of content you can write in a limited time. This will help build your confidence and enable you to walk into any SAT essay exam with a positive attitude.
If you are looking for an answer to the question, “Is there an essay on the SAT?”, here it is: The College Board in January 2021 announced that the essay portion of the SAT will no longer be asked after June 2021. Some schools with school day testing still offer the SAT essay section. Therefore, now it’s no longer possible to take the SAT Essay, unless your school offers it during SAT School Day Testing.
While the SAT Essay scores were already made optional by most colleges, this means that the SAT Essay cancelled section is now not required by the College Board. It will also probably result in changes in college applications such as not considering the essay scores for ACT or SAT anymore, in addition to requiring more writing samples for placement.
For every passage, you should play for its particular strengths. If there are a lot of statistics or facts involved, you can discuss those in your essay. If it dwells more on personal appeals or anecdotes to emotion, you can discuss those. But if you struggle with analysing in a limited amount of time, it is best to memorize these types of examples beforehand so that you get a helpful checklist to get through while you read the essay prompt. This will point you in the right direction.
Below we have discussed a few examples of SAT essays on different topics such as evidence and reasoning that you can use as stellar evidence to support your thesis. We have also guided you on how you can use the evidence type to support your thesis across a range of SAT essay prompts for each example. After you go through the blog, you will realize how helpful pre-planned high-scoring student SAT essay examples are.
The most fundamental technique that the author uses to build an argument is by supporting his points with the help of evidence. Many different kinds of evidence can be used by the author to support his/her claim. But here we will discuss a single one (facts and statistics) that is commonly seen in official SAT Essay prompts.
Using facts and statistics to bolster one’s argument is one of the most reliable techniques authors use to build an argument. It is more commonly seen in essays written about social studies-related and scientific topics where specific facts and data are readily available.
Statistics are usually found in the form of specific numbers about the topic under study. It may be shown in the form of tables, percentage, or as a way to communicate other information. Below are a few examples of statistics from an official essay prompt of SAT , “Let There Be Dark” written by Paul Bogard.
Example: In United States, 8 children born out of 10 will never get to know a sky dark enough for the Milky Way
Example: In Western Europe and the United States, the increase in the amount of light in the sky is about 6% on an average year
Non-numerical information can also be used to depict factual evidence. You will often encounter facts being presented with references to the research survey, study, expert, or other sources from which they have been derived. Below is another example from the same topic.
Example: The World Health Organization already classifies working during night shifts as potentially carcinogenic for humans.
Statistics and facts are persuasive argument building methods as the author is not just making up random points for why the argument could be possibly right. There is actually some data, statistics, research, or other types of reliable information that backs up the author’s argument.
In the above examples, Paul Bogard reveals specific information regarding the issues with light pollution (when he says that most children in the United States won’t be fortunate enough to see the Milky Way) to back up his argument that light pollution is a real issue. He then proceeds to present information indicating how light pollution is a major problem (working during the night is carcinogenic for humans).
By presenting valid facts and information instead of just forcing a subjective opinion and beating about the bush, Paul Bogard empowers the reader to connect the dots themselves. This gives the reader a power or ownership over the argument, rendering it more persuasive. This is because the reader concludes the same statements even on his own, rather than blindly trusting Bogard on telling them what to think.
Another technique often used by authors as an alternative to presenting evidence with facts or statistics is using the anecdote. This type of evidence can be found more commonly in speeches or other types of SAT essay prompts that are personally directed towards the reader.
An anecdote refers to a short story about a real event or a person. It is when an author goes about discussing their own personal experiences or that of someone else they know or have heard of. Below is an anecdote example from an official SAT essay prompted that has been taken from the foreword by Jimmy Carter, a former U.S. President.
One of the most humbling and unforgettable experiences of our lives happened on the coastal plain. During our trip, we had expected to see the caribou. However, to our amazement, we saw the migration of thousands of caribou along with their newborn calves.
The sweep of tundra surrounding us was flooded with life in a matter of a few minutes with the sounds of clicking hooves and grunting animals filling the air. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to see the dramatic procession of the herd of the Porcupine caribou. We now understand why this special birthplace has been described as “America’s Serengeti” by many.
Although anecdotes are not facts or statistics, they can be a reliable technique to express information because it’s more interesting for the reader to go through the anecdote rather than read dry, boring facts. People tend to trust the experiences more if they can personally relate or connect with them, although it does not always mean that the statement is true.
In the example stated above, instead of talking about the statistics supporting the creation of wildlife refuges, rather an anecdote is used by Jimmy Carter to represent the same point using illustrations of the wonders of nature, which works more effectively. By allowing the readers to vicariously experience this majestic event of the migration of the caribou, Carter stimulates the empathetic sense of the reader towards wildlife preservation and therefore makes it more likely for the reader to agree with him on the topic of wildlife preservation.
We hope that the essay prompts given above help you in your SAT preparation and in getting a SAT good essay score. Don’t forget to check out our other blogs on how to prepare effectively for the SAT.
1. why is it helpful to prepare sat essay examples.
The SAT essay examples will help you get a sat good essay score as they have several things in common with the exam pattern:
By practising these essay examples you will have a decent idea ahead of time regarding argument-building techniques that will help you greatly on the test day and increase your overall SAT essay score.
The main techniques used by the author won’t be too complex. This is because you just can’t afford the time to analyse and write about complicated techniques. Therefore, you can prepare yourself beforehand with SAT essay examples found across persuasive passages on many common topics.
Introduction In today’s college admissions environment, your Cumulative Grade Point …
How Should You Calculate Cumulative GPA for all Semesters? Read More »
Securing good marks on the digital SAT is important for …
Strategies for Success: Mastering the Digital SAT Scoring System Read More »
With multiple speculations on the introduction of the newer SAT …
Is the Digital SAT Easier? New Format & Adaptive Testing Read More »
High school students take the SAT or Scholastic Assessment Test …
Is the Digital SAT Harder? Exploring Changes, Similarities & Prep Read More »
Sat / act prep online guides and tips, how to get a perfect 8|8|8 sat essay score.
SAT Writing , SAT Essay
The SAT Essay is scored separately from the rest of the SAT now, thanks to the changes that went into effect in March 2016 .
While the essay is now optional (you don't automatically have to take it every time you take the SAT), s ome colleges still require students to submit SAT essay scores with their applications . Learning how to consistently write a perfect SAT essay will be a huge boost to your application to these schools.
In this article, we'll discuss what it takes to get a perfect 8/8/8 on the SAT essay and what you need to do to train yourself to get this top score.
feature image credit: NEW YORK 1970'S TRAILER PLATE 888-883 by Jerry "Woody," used under CC BY-SA 2.0 /Cropped from original.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});.
In January 2021, the College Board announced that after June 2021, it would no longer offer the Essay portion of the SAT (except at schools who opt in during School Day Testing). It is now no longer possible to take the SAT Essay, unless your school is one of the small number who choose to offer it during SAT School Day Testing.
While most colleges had already made SAT Essay scores optional, this move by the College Board means no colleges now require the SAT Essay. It will also likely lead to additional college application changes such not looking at essay scores at all for the SAT or ACT, as well as potentially requiring additional writing samples for placement.
What does the end of the SAT Essay mean for your college applications? Check out our article on the College Board's SAT Essay decision for everything you need to know.
You’ll have to practice this. The perfect SAT essay is like a puzzle that happens to be in written form—it can be mastered, but to do it well and completely every time requires practice with a lot of sample topics. You need to learn the format of an effective essay and how to fill out a complete essay within 50 minutes.
If you’re already scoring a 5 or above in all three areas on practice (or real) SAT essays, you have a shot at completely nailing what the graders want, represented by a score of 8/8/8, with a little practice.
But there’s something important to remember in your question for perfection: on the SAT essay, an 8 in all categories is not always achievable. We’ve got good news and bad news for those of you who are determined to score an 8/8/8 on the SAT essay.
Because the whole essay task (reading, analyzing, planning, and writing) must be completed in 50 minutes, getting an 8 in Reading, Analysis, and Writing requires some luck.
You have to read the article and analyze the way the author builds her/his argument, pick out the most important components to the argument, find evidence to support your interpretation, and plan out your essay before you can even start writing.
A lot depends on how quickly you can come up with a thesis and relevant support for whatever the prompt happens to be—you might find some articles easier to read and analyze the argumentative structure of than others.
You'll need to use precise language to show mastery of English writing. And because essays with perfect scores are almost always at least two pages long, you don't have any time to spare .
If you trip up on your execution of any of these aspects, the graders might not give your SAT essay an 8/8/8.
Because the essay is so formulaic, it's always possible to get a 6 across the board . Sometimes you might find the author's argument to analyze harder than others, or sometimes you might find the article more difficult to get through, but you will always be able to impress them enough to get a 6/6/6.
No college worth its salt is going to base your college admissions decision on getting those last two points on an essay you had 50 minutes to write (especially when the essay is optional). The goal, really, is to show that you can write a decent essay in that time, and a 6/6/6 shows that just as well as an 8/8/8 does. But you should aim as high as you can, so keep reading to find out what it really takes to get a perfect score on the SAT essay.
If we asked the College Board what the difference is between a 6 and an 8 SAT essay, they would direct us to the scoring rubric that shows the criteria for a 1, 2, 3, and 4 in Reading, Analysis, and Writing. (SAT essays are scored by two graders who each rate your essay on a scale of 1-4 in Reading, Analysis, and Writing; the two graders' scores are added together to get scores out of 8 for each domain.)
Below, we've excerpted the criteria for a 3 and a 4 in all three domains and described the differences between the 3 and 4 score levels for Reading, Analysis, and Writing . We’ve marked the differences between the 3 and 4 criteria in bold.
|
|
|
|
| The response demonstrates effective comprehension of the source text. The response shows an understanding of the text’s central idea(s) and important details. The response is free of substantive errors of fact and interpretation with regard to the text. The response makes appropriate use of textual evidence (quotations, paraphrases, or both), demonstrating an understanding of the source text. | The response demonstrates of the source text. The response shows an understanding of the text’s central idea(s) and of The response is of fact or interpretation with regard to the text. The response makes of textual evidence (quotations, paraphrases, or both), demonstrating a of the source text. | A 3 essay demonstrates your understanding of the text’s central ideas, while a 4 essay also shows that you know and . |
| The response offers an effective analysis of the source text and demonstrates an understanding of the analytical task. The response competently evaluates the author’s use of evidence, reasoning, and/or stylistic and persuasive elements, and/or feature(s) of the student’s own choosing. The response contains relevant and sufficient support for claim(s) or point(s) made. The response focuses primarily on those features of the text that are most relevant to addressing the task. | The response offers an of the source text and demonstrates a of the analytical task. The response offers a of the author’s use of evidence, reasoning, and/or stylistic and persuasive elements, and/or feature(s) of the student’s own choosing. The response contains relevant, sufficient, and for claim(s) or point(s) made. The response on those features of the text that are most relevant to addressing the task. | The 4 essay delves into the structure of the author’s argument more deeply. The writer not only states the techniques used in the text, but also These explanations are backed up with evidence from the text that enhances the writer’s discussion of the structure of the text. |
| The response is mostly cohesive and demonstrates effective use and control of language. The response includes a central claim or implicit controlling idea. The response includes an effective introduction and conclusion. The response demonstrates a clear progression of ideas both within paragraphs and throughout the essay. The response has variety in sentence structures. The response demonstrates some precise word choice. The response maintains a formal style and objective tone. The response shows a good control of the conventions of standard written English and is free of significant errors that detract from the quality of writing. | The response is cohesive and demonstrates a highly effective use and command of language. The response includes a precise central claim. The response includes a and conclusion. The response demonstrates a both within paragraphs and throughout the essay. The response has a wide variety in sentence structures. The response demonstrates a The response maintains a formal style and objective tone. The response shows a strong command of the conventions of standard written English and is . | The 4 essay is written , whereas the 3 essay is written fairly well. In addition, the 4 essay is in a way that positively influences the impact of the writer’s argument, while the 3 is just organized clearly. |
Let’s condense the information above. A perfect 4 essay :
In other words, you need to excel in every one of these aspects to get a perfect score.
Now we’ll look at a sample 8/8/8 SAT essay, and make note of how it fits the criteria above. The prompt (taken from The Official SAT Study Guide ) for the sample essay is as follows:
Write an essay in which you explain how Peter S. Goodman builds an argument to persuade his audience that news organizations should increase the amount of professional foreign news coverage provided to people in the United States. In your essay, analyze how Goodman uses one or more of the features listed in the box above (or features of your own choice) to strengthen the logic and persuasiveness of his argument. Be sure that your analysis focuses on the most relevant features of the passage.
The passage to which this prompt refers appears on pp. 183-185 of The Official SAT Study Guide (March 2016 & Beyond) , or on slightly different pages in later editions. You'll need the passage to follow along with the sample essay below.
Here’s the essay. Read it first, and we’ll have annotations below.
In the article “Foreign News at a Crisis Point,” Peter S. Goodman eloquently argues the ‘point’ that news organizations should increase the amount of professional foreign news coverage provided to people in the United States. Goodman builds his argument by using facts and evidence, addressing the counterarguments, and couching it all in persuasive and compelling language.
Goodman begins the article by bombarding the reader with facts and statistics. He states that, according to a census conducted by the American Journalism Review, the number of full-time foreign news correspondents in the United States dropped from 307 in 2003 to 234 in 2011. In addition, the AJR survey also discovered that “the space devoted to foreign news [in American papers] had shrunk by 53 percent” in the last 25 years.
Beginning the article with all of these facts and figures has a couple of strengtheing effects on Goodman’s argument. First, by starting out with hard evidence, Goodman lays the groundwork of his own credibility. He’s not just writing an opinion piece—his opinion is backed by the truth. This will bring the readers onboard and make them more likely to trust everything else he says. Second, because Goodman presents these facts without much explaining/interpreting, the reader is forced to do the math herself. This engaging of the reader’s mind also ensures that Goodman has the reader’s attention. When the reader does the math to find a drop of 73 full-time foreign news correspondents employed by US papers in just 8 short years, she will find herself predisposed to agree with Goodman’s call for more professional foreign news reporting.
In addition to employing facts to his argument’s advantage, Goodman also cunningly discusses the counterargument to his position. By writing about how social media and man-on-the-ground reporting has had some positive impact on the state of foreign news reporting, Goodman heads off naysayers at the pass. It would have been very easy for Goodman to elide over the whole issue of citizen reporting, but the resultant one-sided argument would have been much less convincing. Instead, Goodman acknowledges things like “the force of social media during the Arab Spring, as activists convened and reacted to changing circumstances.” As a result, when he partially refutes this counterargument, stating the “unease” many longtime profession correspondents feel over the trend of ‘citizen journalism’ feel, the reader is much more likely to believe him. After all, Goodman acknowledges that social media does have some power. Knowing that Goodman takes the power of social media seriously will make the reader more inclined, in turn, to take Goodman’s concern about the limits of social media seriously.
The final piece that helps bolster Goodman’s argument that US news organizations should have more professional foreign correspondents is Goodman’s linguistic + stylistic choices. Goodman uses contrasts to draw the reader deeper into his mindset. By setting up the contrast between professional reporters as “informational filters” that discriminate good from bad and amateur, man-on-the-spot reporters as undiscriminating “funnels,” Goodman forces the reader to view the two in opposition and admit that professional filters are to be preferred over funnels that add “speculatio, propaganda, and other white noise” to their reporting. In addition, Goodman drives the reader along toward agreeing with his conclusion in the penultimate paragraph of the article with the repetition of the phrase “We need.” With every repetition, Goodman hammers even further home the inescapable rightness of his argument. The use of “We” more generally through the article serves to make the readers feel sympathetic towards Goodman and identify with him.
By employing the rhetorical techniques of presenting facts, acknowledging the other side, and using persuasive language, Goodman convinces the reader of his claim.
Here are our notes on what stands out in this essay (general comments are in purple, spelling/grammar errors are highlighted in yellow):
Note that not every 8/8/8 essay needs to have exactly the same items in here, nor do you need to argue in exactly the same way. But the elements in this essay make it a standout and demonstrate clear mastery.
And now for the million-dollar question:
Maybe you get the theory behind what makes an essay an 8/8/8, but how can you tell the difference between a 6 and an 8 in practice? Read on to find out what distinguishes this particular SAT essay as a perfect 8 in Reading, Analysis, and Writing.
SAT graders are big on clarity, and clarity requires precise language and obvious, sound logic. In this essay, vivid language is used effectively and appropriately:
All of this clear and precise language helps support and explain the author's point (just as Goodman’s language supports his point in the text!).
The writer's clarity extends to her logic as well. Sufficient background is given to make it clear the writer read and understood the text. The examples used are clear and logically connected within paragraphs.
The writer also makes sure to identify the what/why/what of the author's argumentative devices:
The organization of the essay follows the organization set out in the introduction: the writer first discusses facts and evidence, then the presentation and refutation of a counterargument, then compelling language. Organization in the essay is aided by transitions between all paragraphs, which create a smooth, consistent argument that is easy to follow.
The clarity of the argument and the lack of errors remain consistent from start to finish. The highlighted errors are few and do not detract or distract from the meaning of the essay. The wording of the thesis statement in the introduction and the conclusion is similar but not identical, and the description of how Goodman builds his argument is the same.
The author uses a variety of words (marked in blue) and sentence structures to convey similar ideas in different ways throughout the essay. For instance, social media , man-on-the-ground (or man-on-the-spot ) reporting , citizen journalism , and amateur reporting are all different words and phrases used to describe the same phenomenon of non-professional foreign news correspondents.
In paragraph 4, there's also a good example of a skillfully executed variation in sentence structure. “Knowing that Goodman takes the power of social media seriously will make the reader more inclined…” could easily be the simpler “Goodman takes the power of social media seriously, which makes the reader more likely to agree…” This kind of linguistic "flourish" can be found in most top-scoring SAT Essays.
Note that all of the varied usage described above is effective as well as varied. SAT vocab words and differening sentence structures aren't thrown into the essay haphazardly—it's clear, effective writing like what you might read in the New York Times.
The essay is long enough to detail three complex examples (discussing Goodman’s use of facts and evidence, a counterargument, and vivid language) and include introductory and concluding paragraphs.
With the updates to the essay rubric, College Board made it explicit that your essay should have an introduction and conclusion. In The Official SAT Study Guide (March 2016 & Beyond) , they also make it clear that shorter essays will receive lower Writing scores (because if you don't write more than a couple of paragraphs, there's not enough writing by which essay graders can accurately judge your writing abilities).
But length means nothing if there isn't valuable information filling the space, so long SAT essays also need to be detailed—this author uses the space to give lots of context for her examples.
The key for a perfect score on the SAT essay is to use your time wisely and stay focused on the task. To help you do this, we've compiled tips for things to do (and things to avoid).
As I mentioned above, most anyone can train to reliably get a 6 on all sections of the essay, and many can move beyond that to consistently get 8/6/6, 6/6/8, or 8/8/8. Here’s a framework for how to do this:
Ready to get started with practice essays? Check out our thorough analysis of the SAT essay prompt and our complete list of prompts to practice with .
Use our 15 tips to improve your SAT essay score .
Follow along as I take you through how to write a top-scoring SAT essay, step by step .
Took the old SAT essay and want to know what's changed? Read our complete guide to the March 2016 SAT essay here .
Laura graduated magna cum laude from Wellesley College with a BA in Music and Psychology, and earned a Master's degree in Composition from the Longy School of Music of Bard College. She scored 99 percentile scores on the SAT and GRE and loves advising students on how to excel in high school.
Have any questions about this article or other topics? Ask below and we'll reply!
The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 160+ SAT Points
How to Get a Perfect 1600, by a Perfect Scorer
Score 800 on SAT Math
Score 800 on SAT Reading
Score 800 on SAT Writing
Score 600 on SAT Math
Score 600 on SAT Reading
Score 600 on SAT Writing
Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests
What SAT Target Score Should You Be Aiming For?
15 Strategies to Improve Your SAT Essay
The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 4+ ACT Points
How to Get a Perfect 36 ACT, by a Perfect Scorer
36 on ACT English
36 on ACT Math
36 on ACT Reading
36 on ACT Science
24 on ACT English
24 on ACT Math
24 on ACT Reading
24 on ACT Science
What ACT target score should you be aiming for?
ACT Vocabulary You Must Know
ACT Writing: 15 Tips to Raise Your Essay Score
How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League
How to Get a Perfect 4.0 GPA
How to Write an Amazing College Essay
What Exactly Are Colleges Looking For?
Is the ACT easier than the SAT? A Comprehensive Guide
Should you retake your SAT or ACT?
When should you take the SAT or ACT?
Stay Informed
Get the latest articles and test prep tips!
Check out our top-rated graduate blogs here:
GRE Online Prep Blog
GMAT Online Prep Blog
TOEFL Online Prep Blog
Holly R. "I am absolutely overjoyed and cannot thank you enough for helping me!”
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
Here are a couple of examples of statistics from an official SAT essay prompt, "Let There Be Dark" by Paul Bogard: Example: 8 of 10 children born in the United States will never know a sky dark enough for the Milky Way. Example: In the United States and Western Europe, the amount of light in the sky increases an average of about 6% every year.
Essay Sample Response (High Scoring) "In response to our world's growing reliance on artificial light, writer Paul Bogard argues that natural darkness should be preserved in his article "Let There be dark". He effectively builds his argument by using a personal anecdote, allusions to art and history, and rhetorical questions.
You have 50 minutes to read the passage and write an essay in response to the prompt provided inside this booklet. CD . 0 . REMINDERS • Do not write your essay in this booklet. Only what you write on the lined pages of your answer sheet will be evaluated. • An off-topic essay will not be evaluated. STANDARD TIME . Essay: 50 . minutes . This ...
In the section about the new SAT essay, however, there are two additional sample essay prompts (accompanied by articles to analyze). Sample Prompt 1: "Write an essay in which you explain how Peter S. Goodman builds an argument to persuade his audience that news organizations should increase the amount of professional foreign news coverage ...
The SAT Essay section is a lot like a typical writing assignment in which you're asked to read and analyze a passage and then produce an essay in response to a single prompt about that passage. It gives you the opportunity to demonstrate your reading, analysis, and writing skills—which are critical to readiness for success in college and ...
To summarize, your SAT essay should stick to the following format: Introduction (with your thesis) - 2-5 sentences. Start with a statement about what the author of the passage is arguing. Thesis with a clear statement about what argumentative techniques you'll be examining in the essay. Example 1 - 6-10 sentences.
If your state offers SAT Essay as part of its in-school testing, you can find practice essay prompts and scoring explanations below. ... Download student sample essays—and the explanations that show why they received the score they did—for SAT Practice Essay 1. PDF; 461.99 KB;
The SAT Essay is a lot like a typical college writing assignment that asks you to analyze a text. It shows colleges that you're able to read, analyze, and write at the college level. The SAT Essay asks you to use your reading, analysis, and writing skills. You'll be asked to: Read a passage. Explain how the author builds an argument to persuade ...
You can utilize these Essay SAT prompts as 10 sample SAT Essay questions for easy practice. This set of SAT Essay prompts is the most comprehensive that you will find online today. The predictability of the SAT Essay test necessitates students to perform an organized analytical method of writing instead of thinking up random ideas on their own ...
Here are 5 tips for writing a killer SAT essay, should you decide to add on that section: 1. Stay Objective. The thing to remember here is that ETS (the company that writes the test) is not asking you for your opinion on a topic or a text. So be sure to maintain formal style and an objective tone.
SAT Essay Prompt 1. Here are the actual directions to follow: "As you read the passage below, consider how Paul Bogard uses. evidence, such as facts or examples, to support claims. reasoning to develop ideas and to connect claims and evidence. stylistic or persuasive elements, such as word choice or appeals to emotion, to add power to the ...
This example of the SAT essay is cohesive in its entirely and demonstrates the reader's effective use and command of the English language. Basically, the response captures Carter's primary claim. In this case, the body paragraphs focus on justifying this claim by appealing to emotions, ethics, and logic.
You'll get detailed SAT essay examples that guide you through how to construct an argument. SAT Essay Prompt Type 1: Discuss what people should do. This type of SAT essay question lends itself to many different kinds of examples. Anything that involves people and their choices is fair game. See the diagram below for more information on how this ...
Based on the examples you choose, you will ultimately have to decide when fame is a good thing and when fame is a bad thing. The answer varies from person to person, and there is not necessarily a right or wrong answer. You simply need to write a strong essay that supports your point of view. 6. Truth and Lies.
The SAT examination begins with a 25-minute writing task: The essay. You have no choice of topic: you have to write on the prompt given in a text box. For example you may see something like: Time has a doomsday book, on whose pages he is continually recording illustrious names. But as often as a new name is written there, an old one disappears.
3 SAT PRACTICE ESSAY #1 SCORE EXPLANATIONS Student Sample 2 In "Let there be dark," Paul Bogard talks about the importance of darkness. Darkness is essential to humans. Bogard states, "Our bodies need darkness to produce the hormone melatonin, which keeps certain cancers from developing, and our bodies need darkness for sleep, sleep.
If you're behind a web filter, please make sure that the domains *.kastatic.org and *.kasandbox.org are unblocked.
Contains a comparison and analysis of two actual SAT essays, including one that would receive a perfect score, and a list of essay prompts from previous tests. This book is worth hundreds of dollars of tutoring. Makes a great companion to Top 30 Examples to Use as SAT Essay Evidence.
Looking at successful SAT essay examples can help prep you for the writing portion of the SAT. See sources for SAT sample essays to get your best score.
This is the argument you need to deconstruct in your essay. Writing an SAT essay consists of four major stages: Reading: 5-10 minutes. Analyzing & Planning: 7-12 minutes. Writing: 25-35 minutes. Revising: 2-3 minutes. There's a wide time range for a few of these stages, since people work at different rates.
SAT Essay Sample 1. Time has a doomsday book, on whose pages he is continually recording illustrious names. But as often as a new name is written there, an old one disappears. Only a few stand in illuminated characters never to be effaced. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. ASSIGNMENT:
All SAT Practice Tests. If you want some more in-depth prep, use a free SAT practice test listed below. Practice Exams = Timed and Full-Length. Practice Sets = Not Timed and Smaller Sets of Questions. SAT Practice Exam #1. SAT Practice Exam #2. SAT Practice Exam #3. SAT Practice Exam #4.
Below are a few examples of statistics from an official essay prompt of SAT, "Let There Be Dark" written by Paul Bogard. Example: In United States, 8 children born out of 10 will never get to know a sky dark enough for the Milky Way. Example: In Western Europe and the United States, the increase in the amount of light in the sky is about 6% ...
The perfect SAT essay is like a puzzle that happens to be in written form—it can be mastered, but to do it well and completely every time requires practice with a lot of sample topics. You need to learn the format of an effective essay and how to fill out a complete essay within 50 minutes.
For example, a basket of groceries that cost $100 then, now costs more than $12; and typical home prices have jumped more than 30 percent. ... he sat there for three hours, three hours, watching ...