How much better could I have done on the writing section?

[brendanww]

<p>I took the May SAT Reasoning Test, and my score for the writing section ended up being a 660. However, I think this might be due in large part to a low score on the essay. In total, I missed 6 problems and omitted 0. My score on the essay was an 8. I believe the main reason for a low score was that I ran out of time writing the essay and therefore did not complete it. According to the SAT website the essay accounts for 30% of your final score for the writing section.</p>

<p>I am scared about my retake on Saturday. For even with a new plan for the essay, I am not confident I can do as well on the m.c. as I did on the May test. I had perfect scores for improving sentences (25/25) and improving paragraphs (6/6), but I got 5 wrong on identifying sentence errors (13/18). What are the odds of me being able to pull off the perfect scores on those two sections ago? Maybe I can, but my self-confidence is low. I have been preparing for the writing section for the past week in hopes to only get 1-2 m.c. wrong and improve the essay to at least a 10, what do you guys realistically think I can accomplish on the writing section of Saturday’s SAT?</p>

[tomackze]

<p>wow that is pretty harsh… 660 for 6 wrong and an 8 on the essay? That is a little harsh.</p>

<p>I received a 670 with 8 wrong and a 10 on the essay for March and March has a terrible curve. I say that you could do a lot better just by writing a better essay.</p>

<p>Around 4-6 wrong for MC and a 12 on the essay is 700+</p>

[brendanww]

<p>Nice job with that essay tomackze! Do you have any tips on writing the essay? I am going to outline a 4-point essay (intro-support-support-conclusion) the next time I take it so that I do not risk running out of time again. Do/did you do 3 or 2 supporting body sections?</p>

[tomackze]

<p>have an intro with a good amount of vocab (most focus mainly on this)</p>

<p>have 2 strong supporting passages with good descriptions. Use a literature and a history would be most advisable. I don’t think i ever got a practice 12 without doing that</p>

<p>And then have a decent but short conclusion as it’s not too important as people know it’s a timed essay</p>

<p>I received a 12 on this essay for CB website and i think it’s pretty accurate b/c it grades the essay in around 30 seconds which is how long it should take to grade an essay</p>

<p>

The way something is perceived definitely is not how the situation really is. What seems to be a certain way rarely is that way… Two examples of this would be Jay Gatsby’s persona in The Great Gatsby (his reclusive behavior) and Joseph Stalin’s perceived reign and the actuality of it. They both mirrored a much different character than who they really were and it took the deaths of both people for the world to see this actual image.</p>

<p>In The Great Gatsby, Jay was infamous for his extravagant parties. Everyone knew who he was because everyone knew about his parties. To the outside perspective (nick), he seemed to be the most popular guy around but he was not. In reality Jay Gatsby was just an enigma and no one, besides Jordan and Daisy really knew his story. They all came up with fancy fantasies about him but most were false. He was really reclusive, being very inconspicuous in his own parties. In a group of friends he would be the first mollified and no one would even notice… This was all proven true when only three people showed up in his funeral, though thousands were invited to his parties… No one knew much about him and thus did not really care about him… To an outside eye he definitely did not seem this way, yet he was.</p>

<p>Joseph Stalin, the totalitarian potentate of Russia was seen as a hero for liberating Russia from all it’s problems and establishing a strong Russian Empire. He was seen as a godsend and a benefactor, hugging the weeping citizens of Russia. He always had a smile to him and was beloved by many… Stalin would never be put in the same words as Adolf Hitler who was a mass murderer with his genocide of the Jewish people. He was seen as the hero who made Russia the Super Power with the United States, a savior of the lesser nations and a “friend.” In reality he was none of these things as his reign had much famine, starvation, oppression, and genoicde. He was not a benefactor as he killed his enemies very often. He also developed military weapons only so many starved in Russia, but had guns… Even though this was evident many ignored it because they were fed lies about Stalin. It took the collapse of the USSR to really show the negative implications of his actions. So he too “seemed” a certain way but wasn’t that way…</p>

<p>In the end, the term: “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover” must be used to describe Jay and Joseph. Both were perceived to be heroes or popular figures, but neither really was what he was seen to be.

</p>

<p>i also got a 12 for this essay:</p>

<p>

During a time of crisis or problem it usually does not matter what choice one makes in life as the consequence of a good choice usually equals that of a bad one. Two prime examples of this would be the actions taken by Macbeth in Shakespeare’s masterful play: “Macbeth,” and also the impending United States decision with the War in Iraq. In both cases there is not necessarily a good choice that can be made to fix everything as fate has dealt a bad hand for the prime players.</p>

<p>In “Macbeth”, the protagonist (and antagonist) Macbeth was given a prophecy by three witches that he would be the Thane of Cawdor, Glamis, and of the entire Scottish region. He is at first hesitant of their prophecy but upon seeing the Thane of Cawdor given to him, he feels that it must be for the betterment of the world that he is king. Fate made the death of Duncan a “done deal” and there was nothing he could do about it. Macbeth chose to hide his trails and run Scotland himself, instead of being tried as the villain and creating more chaos for the empire. At this time it was a brilliant decision because there was no man worthier than Macbeth to take the throne as he had just come back as a war hero and a favorite amongst the people. Fate’s hand gave him the knife to murder the king which he had to accomplish for it was a prophecy, which was not a decision for him to make. In the end the empire was still in chaos in a terrible Civil War which he could not prevent. His decision could not prevent the Civil War from occurring but neither would his execution at the time of crisis. Scotland was a terrible place after the death of King Duncan and he needed to take order and restore peace, which he did for many years until he was betrayed. Macbeth clearly shows a dictator who played the wrong cards and thus suffered for making a smart decision at a time of crisis. Either way, chaos would still have happened.</p>

<p>Another example of a good or back decision having a negligible effect would be the aftermath of this Iraq War which is going on in the United States. The United States government is now left with two choices with the failure in Iraq, they can either give up on Iraq and take the fall, or continue to spend trillions of dollars to fix the problem. Leaving the war is considered by many to be the good choice but either way, it would admit our failure in the Iraq operation would be a calamitous event. The United States can continue to spend millions in the Iraqi Civil War but this could also just extend the problems and waste money, or they can give up which will save money but will not fix the problems already in the country. Either way the Iraq War has been looked upon as a complete failure and either decision will have a disastrous impact, either way lives will still be lost and Iraq will still be in anarchy.</p>

<p>Macbeth’s decision to lie about murdering Duncan and the possibility of United State’s decision to leave Iraq can both be considered great ideas but both have very negative consequences. Macbeth’s choice could not prevent the Civil War in Scotland and the United States decision can not prevent the Civil War in Iraq. In either case many lives will be lost and an anarchy state will be formed, there is no way around it…

</p>

<p>VOCAB, LENGTH, GOOD HANDWRITING, AND interesting points… those are a necessity for a good score.</p>

<p>length, good handwriting, and decent points = 10</p>

<p>if you add vocab it should be a 12</p>

[brendanww]

<p>I really appreciate that you took the time to put those two essays up tomackze. I am going to take your approach to the essays at my test this morning. I feel much more comfortable writing them with your style/approach than the one I took before.</p>

<p>I’ll let you know how everything went when I get back from my testing center this evening.</p>

[JJJJ1234]

<p>I had a 690 in march with a 9 on the essay and 3 M.C. wrong. your curve was not harsh.</p>

[tomackze]

<p>wow… that’s real harsh. When did you take yours? what year?</p>

<p>that is also very “unbelievable” b/c a 10 on an essay and 3 wrong = minimum 700 and a 8 on an essay and 3 wrong = minimum 670</p>

<p>so it’s hard to believe</p>

[southeasttitan]

<p>Those essays don’t sound like 12s to me, no offense. The writing is not at all that impressive and your first introduction is really weak.</p>

<p>The CB website grading is much easier than the actual grading. Getting a 12 on the reg. SAT requires a lot more than what you wrote.</p>

[figment42]

<p>dang I thought my curve was harsh, and I got a 710 with and 9 essay and 5 wrong…</p>

[tomackze]

<p>@Southeasttitan they aren’t that impressive lol… but you have to consider that they only put 2-3 minutes on it then it would definitely get around a 5-6. </p>

<p>They won’t go crazy critiquing it.</p>