<p>I took the Princeton Review ACT practice test. I scored a 29 on the English section. The computer said: An essay score was not requested for this test. Below is an estimate of your writing score based on possible essay scores.</p>
<p>Essay Writing
0 33
I was wondering how my writing score could be a 33. The ACT scoring website said that the essay can only raise or lower one’s score by up to 2 points.
I want someone to score my essay on the scale of 2-12 and then using my essay score and my English score, compute the rest of my ACT score. </p>
<p>The prompt was: Many high school students today regularly carry and use cell phones. Many schools, however, have banned cell phone use on school grounds. Officials at these schools feel that banning cell phones is necessary to create a better environment for learning by eliminating an unnecessary distraction. On the other hand, others feel that cell phones are necessary for scheduling transportation, extracurricular activities, and reaching the police or parents in the event of an emergency. In your opinion, should officials disallow the use of cell phones in schools?</p>
<p>Assignment: In your essay, take a position on the question. You may write about either of the two points of view given, or you may present a different point of view on this question. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.</p>
<p>My essay:</p>
<p>With the expansion of the communications industry, there has been a new influx on controversial devices. Primarily, the cell phone is the major issue of debate. Many schools want to ban the cell phone use on school ground. However, this measure is both impractical and impossible to achieve. Cell phones should not be banned in schools because they are a necessity in everyday life, they can serve an important function in emergencies, and it is impossible to ban their existence on school property.</p>
<p>Cell phones are a part of many young people’s everyday lives. Their rides to and from schools, extracurricular activities, and sporting events often depend on cell phones. With the increase in student activity, it is impractical for all the students to use school provided phones. Many of my friends rely on their phones to take them to and from inter-school science competitions. Important events, such as these, are critically dependent on available transportation. Cell phones are needed to contact rides and for basic transportation means. Banning them would force many youths to use school phones. School phones would become swarmed with student usage. This would take away from important administrative functions of these phones.</p>
<p>Moreover, cell phones are also essential for emergency situations. This was seen during a violent conflict between adolescents. A large bully was physically intimidating another youth, along with various cohorts. The confrontation resulted in a beating. However, the victim was able to get justice because of a cell phone call. A youth on school grounds saw the fight in a nearby park. He informed the police and the victim of the crime was able to get justice. If the police informant did not have a cell phone without a school ban, a child would have been beaten senseless without ever receiving fair justice.</p>
<p>Furthermore, the ban on cell phones is impossible to enforce. My school is one of the schools with a cell phone ban. Teachers are very strict and even confiscate cell phones on the person of any member of the student body. However, this still does not stop students from using cell phones. The sending of text messages has become an uncontrollable addiction for many teens. The usage of cell phones has become so common in the media and the common youth population of America that cell phones have essentially become a huge part of American teenage culture. The last time a culturally intertwined and addictive substance was banned on a great magnitude was prohibition. The 19th amendment tried to ban alcohol under prohibition. This failed miserably because alcohol consumption actually increased because people wanted what they could not get. Illegal speakeasies opened up and people were consuming more alcohol then ever. The same can occur if cell phones are banned. Teachers cannot monitor every student’s cell phone use all the time. The class interruptions and the deterioration of the school environment will increase if cell phones are banned because their usage will only increase. </p>
<p>Cell phone usage must not banned because it will hinder student transportation, cause a sense of helplessness for students in emergency situations, and will only increase cell phone usage due to impracticality of enforcement. Officials should not hinder the technological marvel of the cell phone in education system, but rather, they should embrace the new telecommunications change.</p>