SAT-Lucy Haagen Method offers classes to prepare Chinese students for the SAT. While all sections of the examination are challenging, we have found the writing section poses the greatest obstacle to SAT success.
In this article, we provide coaching tips for prospective SAT test takers in China. The purpose: to increase your competence and confidence as an SAT essay writer.
First, the writing section of the SAT examination is composed of two parts, a 25 minute essay and 2 multiple choice sections that test your knowledge of English grammar and usage.
In a future article, well offer prep tips for the multiple choice section. Here, well focus just on the essay.
The essay is always the first section on the SAT and can set the tone for the entire examination. If you feel youve done a good job on Section One, you will have the confidence to do your best on the rest of the exam. In contrast, if you dont perform well at the start, feelings of failure may interfere with your performance on the rest of the test.
What are the Most Important Things to Know about the SAT Essay?
1. You have only 25 minutes to write a complete essay. This means you have to think and write fast. You will not have time to go back and edit or revise your essay.
2. There is a single question that is presented in two parts as illustrated by this sample question from the ETS website:
You have twenty-five minutes to write an essay on the topic assigned below.
Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.
Many persons believe that to move up the ladder of success and achievement, they must forget the past, repress it, and relinquish it. But others have just the opposite view. They see old memories as a chance to reckon with the past and integrate past and present.
Adapted from Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, Ive Known Rivers: Lives of Loss and Liberation
Assignment: Do memories hinder or help people in their effort to learn from the past and succeed in the present? 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.
The key to writing a good essay is to focus on the assignment, not the background information. You should know that every questions asks you to state an opinion and back it up with examples. Like a lawyer in court, the stronger your evidence, the greater your success.
3. As a writer of English as a foreign language, you should aim for including 2 examples, not 3 as many American students can do in the time allotted.
4. Organization is very important your essay should be at least 3 paragraphs and no more than 5 paragraphs. The first paragraph should be an introduction, paragraphs 2 and 3 should present your examples and the final paragraph provide a strong conclusion. Posing a question is a good way to end your essay.
5. Follow a definite procedure to ensure efficient use of your time.
1. Read and Interpret the Questions
Circle key words in the prompt question.
Find the one or two most important ideas in the prompt.
2 Choose Your Examples
Ask yourself does _____ and ______ show up in stories and history? Does _______ ever lead to_______ in stories and history?
Brainstorm people from books and history whose lives or actions tie together these two ideas.
Choose two people whose experience links the two main ideas of the question. At least one of these people should be Chnese.
Do this until you come up with two examples that prove the same point.
3. Write Your Essay
Paragraph one should restate the question as a statement, present your opinion, and introduce your two examples . It should be 3-4 sentences long.
Paragraph two should introduce the first person and story that proves the main idea or thesis. It should be 4 to 8 sentences long
Paragraph three should introduce the second person and story that proves the main idea or thesis. It should be 4 to 8 sentences long
Paragraph four should restate your thesis in a way that emphasizes its importance. It should be 2 to 3 sentences.