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06-30-2008, 12:27 AM
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#1 | | New Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 26
| essay scoring-- arbitrary?!
I consider writing my main intellectual strength-- it's something I love to do and something I've been recognized for. And herein lies the rub:
800 M 800 CR and....740 W. With an 8 on the essay. 78 on the multiple choice.
I felt that my essay was thoughtful, nuanced, and pretty well-constructed from a organizational standpoint. It was without a doubt better than the fairly cookie-cutter crap I spat out on my first test-- which earned me a 10. I'm confused.
Is is just pure formula that these graders are looking for? Is this systematic?
I'm definitely not going to retake this test just to scrounge up those extra 60 points. It's just irritating that I lost them on something I simply don't understand.
Anyone else have a similar experience? | 
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06-30-2008, 01:11 AM
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#2 | | New Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 23
| I wrote solely about lindsay lohan on my last essay. I expected a 6, i got a 10 o.O. | |
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06-30-2008, 02:26 AM
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#3 | | Senior Member
Join Date: May 2007 Location: Seattle--> Swarthmore '12
Posts: 2,560
| They use a rubric. I think it's more systematic than people might think--I mean, consider how many essays they read. They're drilled and drilled until they can spot what a 4 is, what a 5 is, what a 6 is? Do you have your online score report? you might be able to show us your essay. | |
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06-30-2008, 03:39 AM
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#4 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 53
| (Grr...10 more points than me, lol.  )
Therein lies the problem. You say you wrote a nuanced essay. The College Board doesn't like that. The SAT tests your ability to write the crappy SAT Essay, nothing more and nothing less. Hence why your original attempt was a 10. You aren't graded on actual writing ability...which is why I think the SAT Essay is a joke. Then again, I think the entire test itself is a joke... | |
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06-30-2008, 12:02 PM
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#5 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Windham, NH
Posts: 1,404
| Eh, I think if you're a good essay writer, then you'll do well no matter what. When I say "good essay writer" I mean, "good, works well under pressure" essay writer. | |
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07-01-2008, 02:26 PM
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#6 | | New Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 26
| I'll see if I can find my essay from the score report. | |
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07-02-2008, 07:53 AM
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#7 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: China, Shanghai
Posts: 227
| first of all, 740 in writing is fine (not to mention ur other scores)
also, i would strongly advise people to carefully craft their first paragraph, since that makes the strongest impression. im pretty sure they just skim through the rest and read ur last sentence. the people are paid according the number of essays they score, they aren't going to pay too much attention to your thoughtfulness (no offense). | |
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07-02-2008, 12:57 PM
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#8 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 1,499
| Yeah, I feel like it's pretty random. Similarly to you, I got 800 CR, 800 M, and 790 Wr with a 9 on the essay (80 on the MC.) I mean, at least there wasn't quite a discrepancy with the actual numbers, but getting a single-digit score when people I know who aren't great writers got 11s and 12s was like... "what?"
The thing is, I did write in a formulaic, basic, elementary style. I wrote 1.5 pages, which according to studies on length bias would guarantee me a 10+. So I'm inclined to agree that it's arbitrary. XP | |
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07-02-2008, 01:01 PM
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#9 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 1,841
| agreed...
my first essay was excellent with good examples, etc, the way I would write in class.
my second essay was completely terrible and I couldn't even reread it. It basically was like, "This one time I was at a summer program and I learned to work hard".
First essay-8, second-10
& I've won writing contests and my english teacher (who's taught at v.good state schools) said I was one of her best students in her career :P | 
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07-02-2008, 01:06 PM
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#10 | | Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 371
| just like SAT math is not the math you learn in class, the SAT essay does not reflect your english class abilities. its all about plugging into a formula. and yeah, pimeson, i wrote about avril lavigne in my june essay =[ and got an 11! so go figure. | |
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07-02-2008, 02:19 PM
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#11 | | Junior Member
Join Date: May 2008 Location: Pacific Northwest
Posts: 275
| So what is the formula for success? I need to tell my D!
My son last year had the same scores as OP (but a 750 in writing), and his essay was clear, well-supported, concise and elegantly written. (I teach writing to grad students, so I'm qualified to evaluate this, even if it is my kid  ) I'm assuming he wrote too concisely for the graders' tastes, but the grading did, indeed, strike me as ridiculous. | |
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07-02-2008, 02:54 PM
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#12 | | Junior Member
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 289
| "just like SAT math is not the math you learn in class, the SAT essay does not reflect your english class abilities. its all about plugging into a formula. and yeah, pimeson, i wrote about avril lavigne in my june essay =[ and got an 11! so go figure."
Yeah, but I think that it shouldn't be formulaic. Anyone can plug into a formula with memorization...but shouldn't the essay test your ability to, well, write? Not babble... | |
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07-02-2008, 03:32 PM
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#13 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 53
| It should test your ability to write well, but it doesn't. Therefore, one has to work within the boundaries one is given. | |
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07-02-2008, 07:30 PM
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#14 | | Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 846
| Quote: |
Originally Posted by Poseur Yeah, I feel like it's pretty random. Similarly to you, I got 800 CR, 800 M, and 790 Wr with a 9 on the essay (80 on the MC.) I mean, at least there wasn't quite a discrepancy with the actual numbers, but getting a single-digit score when people I know who aren't great writers got 11s and 12s was like... "what?"
The thing is, I did write in a formulaic, basic, elementary style. I wrote 1.5 pages, which according to studies on length bias would guarantee me a 10+. So I'm inclined to agree that it's arbitrary. XP | With a score alteration (770, 780, 800, 80 MC 9 E for me), this sums up my feelings exactly. | |
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07-02-2008, 07:42 PM
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#15 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 145
| Talk about a formula...
I used the exact same proofs for each essay (Lord of the Flies, the Scarlet letter, and world war 2), wrote the exact same length (exactly 2 pages), and used a creative introduction followed by formulaic crap!
11 on the first one, 12 on the second. | |
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