<p>How common are 12 essays these days? There were some articles back in 2006 stating that less than 1% received 12s. A November 2006 NY Times article narrowed that figure to .006% or 8,000 students nationwide. I’ve been searching, but can’t find any data on the frequency of 12 scores in recent years…</p>
<p>I don’t think the frequency of 12 scores is very high. Nevertheless, it is not necessary to have a 12 essay in order to get an 800 on the Writing section ;)</p>
<p>put it this way, on this site 8 people got 2400’s and only 1 received a 12. subjectivity needs to be removed it undermines the credibility of the test. The fact that two readers often give different scores shows this.</p>
<p>The number of essays that score a 12 is very small. Such situations require both graders to give the essay the already rare score of 6. The problem of inconsistent grading stems from the inherent subjectivity and probable differences in grading standards and criteria. Consider these facts:
[ul][<em>]There are almost twice as many 9-scoring essays as there are 10-scoring essays. Keep in mind that an odd-numbered score requires different scores from the graders – and the scale only runs 1-6.
[</em>]There are about three times as many 11-scoring essays as 12-scoring essays.
[<em>]7-scoring essays are nearly as frequent as 6-scoring essays.
[</em>]Based on the test day, 2.8% to 4.1% of essays receive scores from the graders that differ by 2 or more. This is inexcusable when the scale is so small.
[/ul]</p>
<p>Well, I am not sure of those stats or anything, but in my town alone, 6 guys, including me, got a 12 on their essays on this last January SAT. But no, I don’t really think it is that subjective, if you write in an eloquent, but not pretentious, style, you will get a 12.</p>
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<p>If the grading is not subjective, how do you account for the fact that of those who receive at least one 6 for their essay, only 1/4 get a second 6? Moreover, it is difficult to believe that well over 99% of the test-takers are unable to write eloquently.</p>
<p>True, but I am aware that if the points given are too far apart, a third reader will read your essay as well, and that third score will be taken into account. Also, the SAT has been criticized for being unfair or whatever, but there is no test that can possibly suit everyone. Therefore, I believe that there is no point complaining about the grading. It is made random to ensure quality, and so that the essays can be graded without prejudice, but obviously that doesn’t work, because kids get scores that differ by more than 2 sometimes. However, one will not mistake a 9 essay for a 12 essay, and vice versa, no matter how bad the scorer is.</p>
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<p>Please note this point from post #4:</p>
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<p>When I say “2 or more,” I mean on the scale of 1-6. Thus, graders apparently not only mistake a 9 essay for a 12 essay, but also an 8 essay for a 12 essay.</p>
<p>4.1% is a very small portion of the testers.</p>
<p>As I said before, the SAT can’t possibly encompass everyone</p>
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<p>Not when one considers that that number indicates that one out of every 25 essays receives a grade that is two points different on a scale that only covers six numbers – 2 vs. 4 or 3 vs. 5, for instance.</p>
<p>True, but I suppose that is why colleges will allow you to take the test multiple times, to figure in for that discrepancy. If you get a difference of two more than once, than it seems that one reader is very generous, and the other is not. Or, one reader is very harsh, and the other is not. Either way, you will not get these two graders, so the probability it will differ by two on different tests is slim.</p>
<p>lets be honest, the fact that silverturtle only got a 10 proves the essay is b u l l s h i t</p>
<p>Lets build off of that, then. he only received a 10, but he still got a 2400, which shows that the collegeboard knows that the essay cannot deter you from achieving a perfect score, so I don’t even understand how this is an issue.</p>
<p>I think delontewest has a good point.</p>
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Interpreting style is subjective. What you just wrote seemed pretentious to me.</p>
<p>@boogalooshrimp. Posting ignorant comments on cc also guarantees a 12!!!</p>