SAT Prep
Writing
Essay Rubric







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







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







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







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







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







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
SAT Essay Rule 1: Open-Ended
Prompts
 Because
the prompts are vague, there is
a lot of flexibility in what you write about.
SAT Essay Rule 2: Talk About
Whatever You Want
 Don’t
feel like you have to choose the
popular side of the argument or agree
with any quote that’s in the prompt.
 The only position I wouldn’t take is one
that puts down teachers or schooling
(your graders are high school and college
teachers).
SAT Essay Rule 3: You Don’t
Have to Be Perfect
 You
don’t get extra consideration for
using academic examples over pop
culture or personal examples
 Points are not deducted for mistakes
when it comes to historical facts or literary
details; what’s most important is that
whatever you’re discussing supports your
thesis
SAT Essay Rule 4: Some
Imperfect Grammar is Okay
 Grammar
mistakes shouldn’t be
pervasive, but some grammatical errors
won’t take you down any more than one
point on the rubric.
 Your introduction, especially your thesis,
should be the one section where your
grammar is as perfect as possible.
SAT Essay Rule 5: The Longer,
The Better
 Most
sample essays that have scored a
five or six are five-paragraph essays (Intro,
Three Main Points, Conclusion).
 Of course, quality is more important that
quantity; aim for both.

p. 210 of Blue Book: in terms of grammar,
diction, and style, it does a better job of
following the scoring guide than essays that
received a higher score. Why is it a three?
Too short.
SAT Essay Rule 6: Vocabulary
Isn’t That Important
 It’s
in the scoring guide, but sophisticated
vocabulary isn’t found in many of the
sample high-scoring essays.


p. 120: biggest word in the sample essay is
“dumbfounded” and the essay uses the
non-word “alright”
Using “big words” incorrectly will bring
down your score; trying to use words you
don’t typically use will only eat up precious
essay-writing time
SAT Essay Rule 7: There’s No
Set Format (But Use the 5Paragraph One)
 All
of the high-scoring sample essays have
an opening paragraph, supporting
paragraphs, and a closing paragraph;
most have three supporting/example
paragraphs
SAT Essay Rule 8: Clearly State
Your Thesis, Preferably in the
First Sentence
 The
most important part of the essay,
score wise, is your ability to support your
thesis. Therefore, you need a strong, clear
thesis.


Sample essay on p.197 of Blue Book
Follow the three Ts: tell them what you’re
going to tell them (thesis), tell them (support
that proves thesis), tell them what you told
them (conclusion paragraph)
Step-By-Step Approach to the
Essay
1.
2.
3.
4.
Watch the clock. Don’t let yourself spend
more than 5 minutes (20% of essay time)
prepping.
Develop a one-word response to the
question (decide if your answer is yes, no, or
maybe)
Pick three facts/examples that illustrate your
position. Use personal examples if you want
or pick from PERMS (Political, Economic,
Religious, Media, Social).
Begin your essay with a one-sentence
statement of your answer to the prompt
(thesis).
5. Add one to two sentences that expand on
your thesis.
6. Finish the first paragraph with a sentence that
gives a strong introduction to your examples.
“____, ____, and ____ serve as compelling
examples of this fact.”
7. Begin the second paragraph with a general
statement that introduces your first example.
p.200 Blue Book—first sentence of second
paragraph
8. In 3-5 sentences, tell the story that goes
with your first example. Make sure whatever
you discuss is clearly relevant to your thesis.
9. Use a sentence or two to relate the story
of your first example to the thesis. This helps
close the paragraph by re-connecting it to
the first sentence of your essay.
10. Repeat these steps for the third
paragraph with your second example.
11. Repeat these steps for the fourth
paragraph with your third example.
12. Begin the final paragraph with a
sentence that relates all of your examples
back to the thesis.
13. Finish the essay with a sentence that
rephrases the first sentence in the essay.
Let’s practice!
 Practice
coming up with your answer to
the prompt (yes, no, maybe) and your
three examples for the following
prompts…
Sample Prompt 1


Boxed Excerpt: Sometimes it is necessary to
challenge what people in authority claim to
be true. Although some respect for authority
is, no doubt, necessary in order for any group
or organization to function, questioning the
people in charge—even if they are experts or
leaders in their fields—makes us better
thinkers. It forces all concerned to defend old
ideas and decisions and to consider new
ones. Sometimes it can even correct old
errors in thought and put an end to wrong
actions.
Assignment: Is it important to question the
ideas and decisions of people in authority?
Sample Prompt 2


Boxed Excerpt: Many people believe that our
government should do more to solve our
problems. After all, how can one individual
create more jobs or make roads safer or
improve the schools or help to provide any of
the other benefits that we have come to
enjoy? And yet expecting that the
government—rather than individuals—should
always come up with the solutions to society’s
ills may have made us less self-reliant,
undermining our independence and selfsufficiency.
Assignment: Should people take more
responsibility for solving problems that affect
their communities or the nation in general?
Sample Prompt 3
 Boxed
Excerpt: Knowledge is power. In
agriculture, medicine, and industry, for
example, knowledge has liberated us
from hunger, disease, and tedious labor.
Today, however, our knowledge has
become so powerful that it is beyond our
control. We know how to do many things,
but we do not know where, when, or
even whether this know-how should be
used.
 Assignment: Can knowledge be a burden
rather than a benefit?
Sample Prompt 4


Boxed Excerpt: Technology promises to make
our lives easier, freeing up time for leisure
pursuits. But the rapid pace of technological
innovation and the split second processing
capabilities of computers that can work
virtually nonstop have made all of us feel
rushed. We have adopted the relentless pace
of the very machines that were supposed to
simplify our lives, with the result that, whether
at work or play, people do not feel like their
lives have changed for the better.
Assignment: Do changes that make our lives
easier not necessarily make them better?
Writing Multiple Choice
 Improving
Sentences
 Identifying Sentence Errors
 Improving Paragraphs
Approaches to Improving
Sentences







Read the entire sentence before you look at
the choices.
Remember that the right answer will result in
the most effective sentence.
Read each choice along with the entire
sentence.
Look for common problem areas in
sentences.
Read all five versions of the sentence aloud, if
possible, while you’re practicing.
Read more slowly than you normally do.
Use your test booklet to help you by marking
each question that you don’t answer.
Unwritten Rules of Identifying
Sentence Errors on the SAT
-Think only about grammar—don’t worry
about style at all. Don’t mark something as
correct because you think it might be a
better way to say it.
-Deletions are rare. Only delete an entire
underlined phrase when the phrase is
redundant (this happens rarely).
 “He,”
“She,” “It,” and “They” must always
be replaceable within the sentence. If the
college board uses one of those
pronouns, then there must be a noun
somewhere else in the sentence that
indicates what the pronoun is referring to.
If you see the word “they” or the word “it”
underlined, you have to make sure there’s
a phrase somewhere in the sentence that
can be plugged in exactly for that word.
If there’s not, then the College Board will
say the usage is incorrect.
 Verb
tenses can only be wrong if they’re
formed wrong, or if they’re impossible. The
only time a verb will be grammatically
incorrect on the writing section if it is
conjugated incorrectly or if it creates an
impossible situation when combined with
other verbs in the sentence.



The tree fell over. acceptable
Lightning will strike the tree. acceptable
The tree fell over when lightning will strike it.
impossible situation
 You
can only compare similar things, and
only in similar ways.



My house is bigger than John should be My
house is bigger than John’s house.
There are more people living in Germany
than Hawaii should be There are more
people living in Germany than in Hawaii.
I am bigger than John should be I am as
big as John is.
Common Ways the Writing
Multiple Choice Will Trick You
 parallel
structure
 Singular vs. plural (My brother and my
sister both want to be ____ [a dentist or
dentists?].)
 Pay careful attention to word order
 subject-verb agreement; they’ll use a
phrase between the subject and verb to
try to confuse you

Ex. The list of names takes a long time to
read.
Step-by-Step Approach for
Identifying Sentence Errors
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Read the entire prompt sentence.
Focus on the underlined portions of the
prompt sentence.
Think about how each underlined word
relates to the other words in the
sentence.
Look for a word that doesn’t fit properly
with the words it is supposed to be
related to.
Consider that there may be nothing
wrong with the sentence.
Improving Sentences
Questions
 Grammar
still matters in this section.
 Style also counts (see next slide for
patterns).
 Don’t pick a choice that fixes one
problem but creates another.
 Choice A is always the same as the
sentence.
Grammar Patterns to Identify the
Correct Answers for Improving
Sentences
1.
2.
3.
Shorter sentences are often the correct
answer choices.
Look for sentence options that have the
least amount of words ending in –ed or –
ing.
You want sentences with few words that
are under five letters long.
Approach for Improving
Sentences Section
1.
2.
3.
4.
Read entire prompt sentence.
Read the answer choices and eliminate
any with obvious grammatical errors.
If you’re not sure which choice has the
best SAT style, determine which choice
follows the three grammar patterns from
the last slide.
Read the entire sentence with your
preferred answer choice in place of the
underlined portion to make sure it’s
good.