More Tips for Writing the SAT Essay

By: Sean Savoie 

Writing samples for the SAT essay have changed at the website of the College Board, the organization that designs the SAT test (www.collegeboard.com). Once again, I highly recommend that students learn about the SAT exam at this website.

Carefully examine the advice that the College Board gives below. Then, consider how you might write the essay topic provided below: 

Approaches to the Essay

There are no short cuts to success on the SAT essay. You will not receive high scores on your essay just because it is long, or has five paragraphs, or uses literary examples. The high school and college teachers who score the SAT reward essays that insightfully develop a point of view with appropriate reasons and examples and use language skillfully. So what can you do to write a successful SAT essay?

§         Read the entire assignment. It is all there to help you. Every essay assignment contains a short paragraph about the issue. Imagine that you are talking to the author of the paragraph about the issue. Would you argue with him or her, or agree? What other ideas or examples would you bring up? Answering these questions will help you develop your own point of view.

§         Do not oversimplify. Developing your point of view doesn't mean coming up with as many examples as you can. Rushing to give multiple relevant examples can lead you to oversimplify a complex topic. An essay with one or two thoughtful, well-developed reasons or examples is more likely to get a high score than an essay with three short, simplistic examples.

There is nothing wrong with "I." You are asked to develop your point of view on the issue, not give a straight report of the facts. This is your opinion, so feel free to use "I," and give examples that are meaningful to you, even ones from your personal life or experiences. Of course you need to support your ideas appropriately, and show that you can use language well, but remember: the essay is an opportunity for you to say what you think about an issue relevant to your life.

College Board Example:

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, I've Known Rivers: Lives of Loss and Liberation

This example question above, given by the College Board, could be answered in many different ways, using many modes of development. One student sample essay that received a six, the highest score on a writing sample, caught my attention. The student had written using a great deal of 1st person point of view as well as an informal style of writing. Notice how the College Board does not necessarily expect students to write dry academic college style essays; all things being equal, the College Board is giving points for how the student develops a thought and supports it. In the example below, one of many at www.collegeboard.com, the student uses one extended example. She puts narration to good use, and although not worded complexly, the College Board is apparently impressed with the student’s focus to the main idea given above. In the next issue of the New York Community Times, we will examine a completely different approach to this question and consider which of the essays is stronger. 

College Board Student sample essay 1 

Without our past, our future would be a tortuous path leading to nowhere. In order to move up the ladder of success and achievement we must come to terms with our past and integrate it into our future. Even if in the past we made mistakes, this will only make wiser people out of us and guide us to where we are supposed to be.

This past year, I was auditioning for the fall play, "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." To my detriment I thought it would be a good idea to watch the movie in order to prepare. For two hours I studied Elizabeth Taylor's mannerisms, attitude, and diction, hoping I could mimic her performance. I auditioned for the part of "Maggie" feeling perfectly confident in my portrayal of Elizabeth Taylor, however, I was unaware that my director saw exactly what I had been thinking. Unfortunately, I didn't get the part, and my director told me that he needed to see "Maggie" from my perspective, not Elizabeth Taylor's.

I learned from this experience, and promised myself I would not try to imitate another actress, in order to create my character. Persevering, I was anxious to audition for the winter play just two months later. The play was Neil Simon's "Rumors," and would get the opportunity to play "Chris," a sarcastic yet witty role, which would be my final performance in high school. In order to develop my character, I planned out her life just as I thought it should be, gave her the voice I thought was right, and the rest of her character unfolded beautifully from there. My director told me after the first show that "Rumors" was the best work he'd ever seen from me, and that he was amazed at how I'd developed such a believable character. Thinking back to my first audition I was grateful for that chance I had to learn and to grow, because without that mistake I might have tried to base "Chris" off of someone I'd known or something I'd seen instead of becoming my own character. I utilized the memory of the Elizabeth Taylor debacle to improve my approach to acting and gave the best performance of my life so far.