In a world where and often determine a student’s grade, what criteria does the writing teacher use to evaluate the work of his or her students? After all, with essay writing you cannot simply mark some answers correct and others incorrect and figure out a percentage. The good news is that
is a chart used in grading essays, special projects and other more items which can be more subjective. It lists each of the grading criteria separately and defines the different performance levels within those criteria. Standardized tests like the SAT’s use rubrics to score writing samples, and designing one for your own use is easy if you take it step by step. Keep in mind that when you are using a rubric to grade essays, you can design one rubric for use throughout the semester or modify your rubric as the expectations you have for your students increase.
. The essay should have good and show the right level of . It should be organized, and the content should be appropriate and effective. Teachers also look at the overall effectiveness of the piece. When evaluating specific writing samples, you may also want to include other criteria for the essay based on material you have covered in class. You may choose to grade on the type of essay they have written and whether your students have followed the specific direction you gave. You may want to evaluate their use of information and whether they correctly presented the content material you taught. When you write your own rubric, you can evaluate anything you think is important when it comes to your students’ writing abilities. .
, and ) we will write a rubric to evaluate students’ essays. The most straightforward evaluation uses a four-point scale for each of the criteria. Taking the criteria one at a time, articulate what your expectations are for an , a and so on. Taking grammar as an example, an would be free of most grammatical errors appropriate for the student’s language learning level. A would have some mistakes but use generally good grammar. A would show frequent grammatical errors. A would show that the student did not have the grammatical knowledge appropriate for his language learning level. Taking these definitions, we now put them into the rubric.
The next step is to take each of the other criteria and define success for each of those, assigning a value to A, B, C and D papers. Those definitions then go into the rubric in the appropriate locations to complete the chart.
Each of the criteria will score points for the essay. The descriptions in the first column are each worth 4 points, the second column 3 points, the third 2 points and the fourth 1 point.
What is the grading process?
Now that your criteria are defined, grading the essay is easy. When grading a student essay with a rubric, it is best to read through the essay once before evaluating for grades . Then reading through the piece a second time, determine where on the scale the writing sample falls for each of the criteria. If the student shows excellent grammar, good organization and a good overall effect, he would score a total of ten points. Divide that by the total criteria, three in this case, and he finishes with a 3.33. which on a four-point scale is a B+. If you use five criteria to evaluate your essays, divide the total points scored by five to determine the student’s grade.
If you do, they will know exactly what your expectations are and what they need to accomplish to get the grade they desire. You may even choose to make a copy of the rubric for each paper and circle where the student lands for each criterion. That way, each person knows where he needs to focus his attention to improve his grade. The clearer your expectations are and the more feedback you give your students, the more successful your students will be. If you use a rubric in your essay grading, you can communicate those standards as well as make your grading more objective with more practical suggestions for your students. In addition, once you write your rubric you can use it for all future evaluations.
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Date Published
01 February 2023
Whether you take the General Training or Academic IELTS test, the second writing task is writing an essay in response to a problem or argument. Here are 10 easy steps, with lots of tips, to guide you on how to write high-scoring essays.
Fairness and accuracy are critically important when marking IELTS writing tasks . Your essay will be marked by at least two experienced IELTS examiners on the following criteria:
Each of these criteria is worth 25 percent of your total score for the essay writing task. Both of your writing tasks are used to calculate your overall writing band score.
Step one: plan your time.
The Writing test (consisting of Writing tasks 1 and 2) takes approximately 60 minutes. Plan to spend around 20 minutes on your first task, and 40 minutes on your essay task. A sample plan for your time might be:
How to write a good introduction
While you may be anxious to jump straight into writing, make sure you take the time to carefully read the essay question. If you misunderstand the question, you risk writing an essay that does not address the issues properly which will lower your score.
Top 10 podcasts to help you improve your English
There will be multiple issues that you will need to address in your essay. Addressing each issue individually is key to achieving a high essay score. Highlight each individual issue that you will need to address.
The A to Z of IELTS: E is for Essays
Create an outline of how you will respond to the issues in your essay. This will serve as your ‘blueprint’ when you write your first draft. As a general rule your essay should have:
Make sure you note which idea or issue you will address in each paragraph. Check that the issues you highlighted are all accounted for in your outline.
Write some notes about any key points or ideas you’d like to include in each paragraph. When you’re writing your first draft, these notes will help to make sure you don’t forget any ideas you want to include.
Mind maps to build your vocabulary resource for IELTS
Connecting your ideas clearly and correctly is critical to achieving a high essay score. Try to use a range of linking words to make your essay easy to read. You can use connecting devices and phrases to:
Compare ideas.
Don’t fall into the trap of trying to put a linking word in every sentence. Essays will score higher when the writer uses linking words only where necessary and appropriate.
Now that you’ve planned your essay, it’s time to write your first draft. Follow the outline you’ve created and expand on the notes and ideas you included there.
How to boost your IELTS Writing score
When you have completed the first draft of your essay, it’s important to proofread it. Read your essay from start to finish.
You can read it silently, but it may help to read it out loud if you can do so without disturbing others. Make a mental note or mark your paper anywhere that you may need to fix an issue.
How to access FREE official IELTS mock tests
Carefully go through the issues you noted while proofreading. Edit or rewrite these until they look and sound correct. Examples of issues and how to edit them may include:
There is more than one main idea in each paragraph. Move any unrelated sentences to the correct paragraph. Each paragraph should address one issue only.
IELTS Writing: How to organise your responses
After your edits and before submitting your essay , give it one final proofread. Make sure you have:
IELTS Writing: 8 steps towards a band 8
IELTS is widely recognised by businesses and universities globally, and is the only English language competency test approved by all four of the following countries:
With convenient computer and paper based test options, your IELTS test can be completed in a way that you’re most comfortable with. If you’re in a hurry, you could even have your test results back within two to five days!
Also, the IELTS Familiarisation test is designed to give test takers an idea of what to expect on the actual IELTS test. It includes sample questions from different part of the test, such as Listening, Reading, and Writing. Set yourself up for success and explore our extensive library of preparation materials today.
2024. IELTS is jointly owned by the British Council; IDP IELTS; and Cambridge University Press & Assessment
Achieving higher essay grades may seem like a bit of a mystery.
You need to: - understand the topic/question - plan a coherent answer - conduct great research - write clear logical arguments - apply good examples - write in an academic, professional style - think critically - create powerful introductions and conclusions - demonstrate good editing and proofreading skills - reference/cite accurately…
It IS possible to learn and master all of these skills, but just not at once, and not all in one blog post or training.
What I can teach you is ONE thing you can do right now, that only takes ten minutes, to start yourself on the road to higher essay grades. If you know you want to achieve better marks, but you’re not sure how, this is your best starting point.
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Workbook + video training to take you from procrastination and overwhelm to understanding your question and mapping out your ideas with momentum. Easier, faster essay writing (and higher grades) await.
Learn my method and repeat it with every essay and you should see your marks rise with every essay (to a point obviously!).
You should always be aiming to improve in your studies. Whether that’s indirectly by enhancing your study skills, or by making direct increases in your marks and grades. The way to do this is through continuous improvement.
‘Practice the philosophy of continuous improvement. Get a little better every single day’ - Brian Tracy
Learning from feedback is the first step and is a vital skill all students need to develop.
I study with the Open University where essays are returned with tutor feedback. This feedback normally includes comments on what I did right, remarks on what I didn’t do so well, and suggestions for how I can improve.
Some critiques I’ve had in the past are: ‘Your referencing is incorrect. Look at the module handbook for the rules’ ‘You seem to lose your focus here and end up adding in some irrelevant points’ ‘You wasted words on details and could have gone deeper’ ‘You didn’t refer back to the module material enough. Try to back up all of your points with theory and evidence.’
Now, some of those make for uncomfortable reading right? It’s never easy to receive negative feedback. Even if you know it’s good for you. It can feel like a slap in the face to read negative comments when you were actually pretty happy with what you submitted.
But here’s the difference between a low grade and high grades student. A low grade student will glance at feedback and put it aside, or read it, feel upset or angry and ignore it. A low grade student will miss easy opportunities to achieve higher essay grades and will end up making the same silly mistakes multiple times.
On the other hand, a high grade student uses their feedback as an opportunity to learn. They see the potential for higher essay grades in those comments and they pay attention to them – even if they don’t want to. With every essay they fix errors and make tweaks here and there; their study skills develop and their marks start to climb.
Receiving negative comments can make you feel like a failure. But remember this. A mistake is not a failure. A mistake is part of being human. But making the same mistake over and over when you have the capacity to change is a failure.
In one of my modules I was told early on that my referencing was incorrect. That was my mistake. But I didn’t want to hear the feedback so I ignored it. For the next three essays I lost marks every single time for my referencing. That was a failure. I finally took responsibility for my grades and spent a little time reading my feedback and learning how to reference properly. My next essay I got it right and my marks increased.
I hope you can now see the value in learning from feedback. But what if the feedback you get isn’t enough?
If your university doesn’t provide much feedback – ask for it.
Email or visit your tutor and tell them that you want to improve your grades with their help. Ask them for specific, tangible examples of where you lost marks and brainstorm with them some ideas for improving in those areas.
The worst thing that can happen is they say no when you ask for help, but I can’t imagine that would happen as it’s their job to support you. They probably don’t have time to help you develop those weaker areas, but they can point you in the right direction so you can do the work yourself.
Ok, so now I‘m going to share with you my method for learning from feedback to achieve higher essay grades.
1. Grab your marked essay and all tutor feedback.
2. Scan your feedback for positive comments from your tutor. Look for things you did RIGHT and note them down as a reminder to continue doing those things.
3. Next, look at your feedback and note down where you lost marks – what you didn’t do so well.
4. Then I want you to reflect on your own performance. First think of the things you did right in your essay e.g. ‘I spent time planning my essay before I started writing’ or, ‘I took really good notes so my essay writing was easier’. Next think of the negative points e.g. ‘I started writing too late so I didn’t have time to review my answer’ or ‘I misread part of the question so went off on a tangent and lost marks’. Note down these elements alongside your positive and negative tutor feedback.
5. For your negative points – think of action you can take improve these areas in preparation for higher essay grades next time.
6. File this sheet with your marked essay and guidance and use it as a checklist when you’re working on your next essay. You want to make sure you’re still doing the good things, and that you’ve taken action to resolve or improve the not-so-good things.
7. Pat yourself on the back and get the wine in in anticipation of higher essay grades in the future.
Small steps, big results: how to actually achieve your study goals.
In this episode, I delve into the challenges of balancing study with work and family life, offering insights and strategies tailored for adult learners. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or lacking confidence in your learning abilities, you’re not alone. Together, we’ll explore how focusing on small, achievable steps can lead to significant progress in reaching your
If you’re curious about how to study like a First Class student and whether aiming for top grades is the right approach for you, this episode is your guide. I explore the benefits of adopting a First Class mindset and study habits, explaining why every student can benefit from aiming high, regardless of their current
In this week’s episode, I reveal a powerful perspective shift that can make your studying easier and transform your academic journey. Whether you’re juggling work, family, or both, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the pressure of achieving good grades. You might even find yourself confused by inconsistent results—feeling confident about an essay only to
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Essay tests are useful for teachers when they want students to select, organize, analyze, synthesize, and/or evaluate information. In other words, they rely on the upper levels of Bloom's Taxonomy . There are two types of essay questions: restricted and extended response.
Before expecting students to perform well on either type of essay question, we must make sure that they have the required skills to excel. Following are four skills that students should have learned and practiced before taking essay exams:
Following are a few tips to help in the construction of effective essay questions:
One of the downfalls of essay tests is that they lack in reliability. Even when teachers grade essays with a well-constructed rubric, subjective decisions are made. Therefore, it is important to try and be as reliable as possible when scoring your essay items. Here are a few tips to help improve reliability in grading:
The structure of the assessment.
You'll begin by reading a prose passage of 700-1,000 words. This passage will be about as difficult as the readings in first-year courses at UC Berkeley. You'll have up to two hours to read the passage carefully and write an essay in response to a single topic and related questions based on the passage's content. These questions will generally ask you to read thoughtfully and to provide reasoned, concrete, and developed presentations of a specific point of view. Your essay will be evaluated on the basis of your ability to develop your central idea, to express yourself clearly, and to use the conventions of written English.
There is no "correct" response for the topic, but there are some things readers will look for in a strong, well-written essay.
Scoring is typically completed within three weeks after the assessment date. The readers are UC Berkeley faculty members, primarily from College Writing Programs, though faculty from other related departments, such as English or Comparative Literature might participate as well.
Your essay will be scored independently by two readers, who will not know your identity. They will measure your essay against a scoring guide. If the two readers have different opinions, then a third reader will assess your essay as well to help reach a final decision. Each reader will give your essay a score on a scale of 1 (lowest) to 6 (highest). When your two scores are added together, if they are 8 or higher, you satisfy the Entry Level Writing Requirement and may take any 4-unit "R_A" course (first half of the requirement, usually numbered R1A, though sometimes with a different number). If you receive a score less than 8, you should sign up for College Writing R1A, which satisfies both the Entry Level Writing Requirement and the first-semester ("A" part) of the Reading and Composition Requirement.
The Scoring Guide outlines the characteristics typical of essays at six different levels of competence. Readers assign each essay a score according to its main qualities. Readers take into account the fact that the responses are written with two hours of reading and writing, without a longer period of time for drafting and revision.
clearly demonstrate competent writing skill.
present a thoughtful response to the text, elaborating that response with appropriate examples and sensible reasoning.
present an organization that supports the writer’s ideas, which are developed with greater detail than is typical of an essay scored '4.'
have a less fluent and complex style than an essay scored '6,' but shows that the writer can usually choose words accurately, vary sentences effectively, and observe the conventions of written English.
be just 'satisfactory.'
present an adequate response to the text, elaborating that response with sufficient examples and acceptable reasoning.
demonstrate an organization that generally supports the writer’s ideas, which are developed with sufficient detail.
use examples and reasoning that are less developed than those in '5' essays.
show that its writer can usually choose words of sufficient precision, control sentences of reasonable variety, and observe the conventions of written English.
be unsatisfactory in one or more of the following ways:
It may respond to the text illogically
it may reflect an incomplete understanding of the text or the topic
it may provide insufficient reasoning or lack elaboration with examples, or the examples provided may not be sufficiently detailed to support claims
it may be inadequately organized
have prose characterized by at least one of the following:
frequently imprecise word choice
little sentence variety
occasional major errors in grammar and usage, or frequent minor errors
show weaknesses, ordinarily of several kinds.
present a simplistic or inappropriate response to the text, one that may suggest some significant misunderstanding of the text or the topic
use organizational strategies that detract from coherence or provide inappropriate or irrelevant detail.
simplistic or inaccurate word choice
monotonous or fragmented sentence structure
many repeated errors in grammar and usage
show serious weaknesses.
disregard the topic's demands, or it may lack structure or development.
Have an organization that fails to support the essay’s ideas.
be inappropriately brief.
have a pattern of errors in word choice, sentence structure, grammar, and usage.
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There are times when you just want to write without worrying about every grammar or spelling convention. The online proofreader immediately finds all of your errors. This allows you to concentrate on the bigger picture. You’ll be 100% confident that your writing won’t affect your grade.
The Scribbr essay checker fixes grammar mistakes like:
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Our Essay Checker can detect most grammar, spelling, and punctuation mistakes. That said, we can’t guarantee 100% accuracy.
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Grammar check | Essay checker | Writing checker
August 7, 2020
by Nicholas Walker , under Features , For researchers , For teachers
An argument essay has 5 paragraphs: an introduction, two supporting arguments, a counterargument, and a conclusion, plus a works cited section.
An opinion essay has 3 or more paragraphs: an introduction, one or more paragraphs with supporting arguments, and a conclusion, but no works cited section
IELTS essays involve letter writing tasks for people preparing to emigrate (GT Task 1), academic reporting tasks (Academic Task 1), and opinion essay writing tasks (Task 2).
Written skills are an essential form of communication. Because a writing sample, such as an essay, is able to indicate the ability to gather, synthesize, and present information in a clear, logical, and persuasive way, it is often used as a means to assess a student’s creativity, knowledge, and intellect. Consequently, essay assignments are common components of university and college entrance applications, standardized tests, and classrooms evaluations. However, when it comes to grading those essays, the task is daunting.
(See testdeclassement.com for a free online level placement test.)
The assessment of essays is time-consuming and expensive. If a college teacher spends an average of 10 minutes reading and scoring each student’s essay, scoring all of the teacher’s 150 students’ essays will require 25 hours of non-stop grading. It is not surprising that teachers limit the number of writing tasks they assign during the semester to just two or three essays, denying students opportunities for additional writing practice and feedback. Hiring more teachers to reduce class sizes could help, but it would lead to increased tuition fees and taxes.
Get a Moodle plugin to automate essay scoring .
Furthermore, grading essays objectively is a problem. Grading spelling, grammar, and punctuation is relatively straightforward for teachers to score because errors can be counted, but grading content, organization, coherence, sophistication are more difficult to score impartially. Two teachers might score the same essay differently because of subjective impressions of quality, and one teacher might score the same essay inconsistently because of fatigue.
With advances in computer technology, the possibility of grading essays with a computer has now become a reality. Automatic Essay Scoring (AES) allows teachers to assign scores to essays through computer analysis. It uses Natural Language Processing (NLP), a form of artificial intelligence enabling computers to comprehend and manipulate human language, to assess educational essays. An AES program works by extracting features such as word count, vocabulary choice, error density, sentiment strength, sentence length variance, and paragraph structure of high scoring essays to create a statistical model of essay quality. Comparing a student’s essay to that statistical model allows the system to estimate a score in 2 seconds or less.
(Learn about the Virtual Writing Tutor’s free essay scoring system here .)
The earliest AES system dates back to 1966 when Ellis Page developed Project Essay Grade , the first computerized essay scoring system. The computers of the time were extremely expensive and there was not much advancement in the field until the 1990s when more systems were developed. In all systems, the goal is to improve the efficacy of written assessment and decrease human effort. When analyzing the effectiveness of AES itself, the system is evaluated based on its ability to be fair, valid, and reliable. If the system does not disproportionately penalize a group of people, if it measures what it sets out to measure, and if it repeatedly gives the same essay a consistent score and students can use the feedback to improve their writing, it is considered successful.
AES supervised by a human teacher is clearly advantageous. It takes much less time to score, ensuring that results and feedback can be provided instantly. This is especially important with university and college classes that are so large it would be almost impossible to give each student frequent, detailed, individualized feedback. Since feedback is immediate, students are able to submit work at any stage of the writing process, receive feedback, make improvements, and keep writing. They no longer need to wait the customary two weeks for a teacher to comment and suggest corrections. As a result, students write more frequently and make more revisions—two essential keys to becoming a better writer.
Consistency of scoring is also an advantage. AES grades each essay based on its own merits, and similar papers will receive the same grade. Computer scored essays are not subject to human bias and subjectivity. For example, when scored by a human rater, a student who is perceived as an “A” student may also receive an “A” on subsequent essays, even if they are not well-written. Likewise, a student who traditionally does not perform well on written assignments may receive a low grade, even though he/she constructed a well-written essay. Even the most well-meaning teacher can hold subconscious biases that affect students’ scores. An objective evaluation performed by computers can eliminate that bias. Many argue that AES systems can be just as good at assessing writing as a human instructor. However, not everyone agrees.
Critics of AES argue that computer-scoring focuses largely on surface elements and components such as creativity and originality of ideas are not adequately assessed. This is especially important for those students writing high-stakes essays (ones in which the outcome is of great importance for the test-taker). Additionally, if the students get to know what features are being evaluated, they may end up writing to the test. Test writers will compose a lengthy essay using big words and complex sentences, knowing the computer algorithm is set to look for those elements. Others worry that writers will lose motivation to write if they know a machine will evaluate them. Written communication assumes a relationship between the reader and the writer; without a human reader, the writer may not see the purpose for writing. This concern is particularly acute in a small classroom setting where the teacher-student relationship is important in written communication. Still others raise concerns about the quality of automated scorers. Occasionally, AES misses errors or provides bad feedback, not able to compete with the discerning eyes of an expert human evaluator. However, having a human evaluator doublecheck scores and the feedback generated by a machine seem to mitigate these worries.
One cannot discount the advantageous acceleration of feedback and reduction of workload for teachers with the use of AES. Soon, students may come to expect automated feedback and scoring of their writing in all their courses, complaining to friends about old-fashioned teachers who make them wait unnecessarily for their scores.
Probably, there will also be teachers who overuse automated essay scoring systems, leaving students wondering who their audience is if only a machine ends up reading their essays. But when taxpayers start calling for lower taxes, governments may force colleges to reduce costs by increasing class sizes to the point that teachers feel they must use AES to manage their workload. An older generation will, no doubt, get nostalgic for handwritten comments in red ink and complain that youngsters have willfully dehumanized education and the writing process.
In all the hoopla, however, we would do well to remember that every profession in every domain embraces some degree of automation. Will essay writing courses be any different? Only time will tell. In fact, AI-powered automated evaluation is becoming more widespread and reliable every day. Check out Assess.com for another example.
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One challenging component of the TSI test is the essay question. You will be asked to write a persuasive essay on a controversial issue or an issue of current interest. The TSI essay will be evaluated on your organization, focus, development and support, sentence structure, and mechanical conventions. Fortunately, your essay is only required to be 300-600 words in length. A simple 5 paragraph essay will be more than sufficient. Scores on the essay section range from 1 to 8, with 8 being the highest.
An essay that is too short to be evaluated, written on a topic other than the one presented, or written in a language other than English, will be given a score of zero. The biggest differences between the low-scoring and high-scoring essays is LENGTH and CLARITY. Aim to achieve multiple paragraphs with good organization, and this essay should be fairly easy!
This is a sample outline for the TSI Essay. Notice we are aiming for 5 paragraphs total. You may opt for a shorter 4 paragraph version if 5 paragraphs are too many for you to write, but aim for 5 paragraphs if you can. If you have trouble completing 5 paragraphs, see if you can streamline your body paragraphs. They can often be bloated with unnecessary wordiness. Keep the introduction and the conclusion short and sweet.
Paragraph 1 — Introduction (3–4 sentences)
You will want to begin your essay with one of the following: a generalization about the topic, a quotation, a short anecdote to set-up the correctness of your position, a historical framework, or a piece of news illustrating the contemporariness of the issue. Admit the complexity of the issue.
You have two goals in the beginning part of the essay: to introduce the topic, and to express your opinion on it. Be sure to place your thesis as the final sentence in your introduction.
Paragraph 2 — First Example (4–6 sentences)
Start with your most-powerful or relevant example. Be specific. Your example can be from history, science, politics, business, entertainment, pop culture, current events, personal experience, etc. Anything can be an example, but choose ONE only for each paragraph. It needs to be something you are knowledgeable about and also something that you believe strongly supports your thesis. You have three tasks in your body paragraphs:
You should spend the majority of your body paragraph accomplishing the third step: explaining how it fully supports your thesis . Aim to convince the reader through very concrete details how your position on the issue is correct.
Paragraph 3 — Second Example (4–6 sentences)
Use a transition phrase to introduce the second example. Describe it, and explain again how it fully supports your thesis. You may refer to your first example if you need to, but prioritize a focus on your new example. Don’t mention your third example until you get to the third paragraph.
Paragraph 4 — Third Example (4–6 sentences)
Use a transition phrase again in the first topic sentence. Describe the example. Explain how it supports. Make sure you are elucidating for the reader how each example relates to the topic.
Paragraph 5 — Conclusion (2–4 sentences)
In your conclusion, introduce the opposing side. Explain their position in general terms. Refute their position. Then reinforce the correctness of your own thesis. This takes care of having to come up with a conclusion—you’ll already know what to do! Here’s how it might look:
Although ________ is demonstrably correct, some have argued that _______, believing that ________. However, this viewpoint on the present issue is negated by ________. Rather, __________. Therefore, in the long run,
Be sure to write at least 2–3 sample essays before your exam so you are comfortable with the format. Have a teacher, friend, or trusted relative read through your essay and give you feedback. You may want to start with our TSI Practice Test Essay .
We have also provided some more TSI essay prompts in the list below. You can use these TSI essay topics to write additional practice essays. Try to utilize the template that we have provided in order to structure your response.
1) Do works of art have the power to change people’s lives? Some people say a book or a movie has the power to do just that. Are they exaggerating, or can art have such a large impact of individuals?
2) Is an education a requirement for a successful career? Explain the topic and either agree or disagree with the statement, offering support for your position.
3) Scientists and politicians argue over whether global warming and climate control present a real threat to human welfare. Take a position on this issue and explain whether or not you believe this to be a serious problem for humanity.
Agreement Words
Opposition Words
Causation Words
Example Words
TSI Practice Test Essay >>
Writing a persuasive essay isn’t difficult, but writing an effective one does require thought and strategy. And when there’s some pressure to write that essay, like when students are writing a persuasive essay for the TSI, it can be even harder to think on the fly.
Many Texas high school students will take the Texas Success Initiative (TSI) test to evaluate their essential reading, writing, and math skills to ensure they’re prepared to succeed in freshman-level dual credit or college courses.
While writing a successful TSI essay or five-paragraph persuasive essay for English classes is much different than writing a successful personal statement, statement of purpose , or supplemental essay (the writing topics I normally cover), I thought this topic was worth discussing.
In this post, we’ll explore what the TSI persuasive essay is , how your essay is evaluated , and the strategies you can implement to achieve your desired score. I’ll also give you some links to sample TSI essays, responses, and other resources .
For the essay portion of the TSI, you’ll receive a random essay prompt, which consists of:
You’ll need to write a roughly 500- to 600-word persuasive essay with four to five paragraphs (an opening, a closing, and three body paragraphs). The TSI is an untimed test, so you have as much time as you need. Don’t rush. Take your time and be thoughtful about your answer, even if you’d rather be anywhere than taking the test.
The TSI doesn't expect you to have any particular knowledge to answer the prompt (e.g., the prompt won’t assume you’ve read a certain book or have detailed knowledge of an event). Instead, the topic will require you to pick a side of a debatable topic/current event and then defend that side. Keep in mind that the chosen issue doesn’t have a right or wrong answer, so you won’t be judged on the position you take.
Reviewers will evaluate your essay on these six factors, according to Mometrix Test Preparation :
You’ll receive a score of 1-8 on each of the six sections (although you’ll see only one overall 1-8 score), and a “college ready” score is 5 or higher. Essays that are too short to be evaluated against these criteria, that miss addressing the prompt completely, or that aren’t written in English will automatically receive a 0.
Keep in mind that a computer scores these essays, so you’re just trying to show the computer you can form a logical, well-developed argument – and use solid grammar and spelling and a decent writing style.
Check out these TSI essay samples from the College Board , which evaluate essays scored 1-8 and explain why these sample TSI essays received the score they did and how they could’ve been improved.
Again, you won’t be scored on your actual opinion, so don’t be concerned you’ll “lose points” if you support the less popular perspective.
Writing an effective, high-scoring essay means taking your time going through each step and really planning out your essay. While the planning portion doesn’t need to take a lot of time, but it will help you in the end by making your essay flow better and being well-thought-out.
Four important steps go into writing a great TSI essay.
Two of the biggest factors in a high-scoring TSI essay grade are length and clarity. As a result, you’ll want to use the scratch paper you have available to decide the position you want to take and sketch out a rough outline.
On the scratch paper:
With the outlining work done, you’ve done the hard part. Congratulations. But you’re just getting started. Now it’s time to put it all together into a cohesive essay. Here’s how you’ll start writing each paragraph of your TSI essay.
Spend no more than 3-4 sentences in your opening. Even 1-2 sentences are sufficient to state your position on the assigned topic. This will be quick and to the point, letting you spend more of your time defending your position.
In your introduction:
Aim for writing three body paragraphs, but write a minimum of two. Each paragraph should have at least 4-6 sentences. Here are some other tips for writing your body paragraphs:
Much like the introduction, the conclusion will be a short (3-4 sentences, max) paragraph that sums up your position, addresses the opposing viewpoint, and leaves the reader with a closing thought.
As a result, the format might look a little like this:
Note: While you are mentioning the opposing viewpoint in the closing, this is not the same as taking both sides, which I cautioned against earlier. This is mentioning the other perspective but then briefly and effectively criticizing it and showing why yours is better.
Here’s a sample conclusion from TSIPracticeTest.com that shows how you can fill in the blanks:
Although ________ is demonstrably correct, some have argued that _______, believing that ________. However, this viewpoint on the present issue is negated by ________. Rather, __________. Therefore, in the long run it is clear that _____________.
Once you think you’re done writing, you’re not. Now it’s time for editing and proofreading .
Read your essay slowly, from start to finish. Make sure your ideas make sense and support your thesis. Check that you transition from one paragraph to another. You should ensure your examples are detailed, descriptive, and support your argument. Sound good? Good. But you’re not done … yet.
Because part of your score is based on spelling, grammar, and punctuation, read the essay at least once after you think it’s done. Read it back slowly to yourself, and look for any mistakes you can correct.
Remember: You have no time limit for writing the TSI essay, and taking your time now is better than having to take the test again because of errors you could’ve corrected.
Hopefully these tips and tricks are enough to help you hit your targets when writing the TSI essay. But if you’re looking to read sample essays (and evaluations), practice with sample prompts, or learn more tips and tricks. You can find additional resources online, but some I found to be helpful are:
Writing a college admission essay instead? The guidelines are much different. Learn how to get started with y our personal statement.
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Knowing how to write an essay can help you out significantly in both, your academic and professional life. An essay is a highly versatile nonfiction piece of writing that not only tests your knowledge of a topic but also your literary and argumentative skills.
Each essay requires the same basic process of planning, writing, and editing. Naturally, we’ve used these stages to group our steps on how to write an essay. So w ithout further ado, let’s get into it! Here are the eight steps to write an essay:
Stage 1: Planning
In certain cases, your teacher or professor may assign you a topic. However, in many cases, students have the freedom to select a topic of their choice. Make sure you choose a topic that you’re well versed in and have significant knowledge of.
Having prior knowledge of the topic will help you determine the subsequent steps to write an essay. It will also make your research process considerably easier.
A thesis statement is the central idea or premise your essay is based on. It is usually a sentence or two long and is included in the introduction of the essay. The scope of your thesis statement depends on the type of your essay and its length.
For instance, the scope of the thesis statement for a 500–1000 word school essay will be narrower than a 1000–5000 word college essay. A rule of thumb is that your essay topic should be broad enough to gather enough information, but narrow enough to address specific points and not be vague. Here’s an example:
The invention of the airplane by the Wright Brothers in 1903 revolutionized transportation and paved the way for modern aviation. It represents a monumental achievement in human history that forever changed the course of human civilization.
Creating a well-organized essay outline not only gives structure and flow to your essay but also makes it more impactful and easy to understand. The idea is to collect the main points of information that support or elaborate on your thesis statement. You can also include references or examples under these main points.
For example, if your thesis statement revolves around the invention of the airplane, your main points will include travel before the invention of the airplane, how it was invented, and its effects on modern-day travel. Take a look:
The Wright Brothers’ invention had a massive impact on modern-day travel. The subsequent growth of the aviation industry led to increased accessibility of air travel to the general public.
Stage 2: Writing
After creating the basic outline, it is important to know how to write an essay. Begin your essay by introducing your voice and point of view to the reader. An introduction is usually a paragraph or two long and consists of three main parts:
Let’s better understand this with the help of an example:
The Wright Brothers’ invention of the airplane in 1903 revolutionized the way humans travel and explore the world. Prior to this invention, transportation relied on trains, boats, and cars, which limited the distance and speed of travel. However, the airplane made air travel a reality, allowing people to reach far-off destinations in mere hours. This breakthrough paved the way for modern-day air travel, transforming the world into a smaller, more connected place. In this essay, we will explore the impact of the Wright Brothers’ invention on modern-day travel, including the growth of the aviation industry, increased accessibility of air travel to the general public, and the economic and cultural benefits of air travel.
Let’s understand how to construct each of these sections in more detail.
The opening sentence of an essay, also known as the hook, should include a powerful or startling statement that captures the reader’s attention. Depending on the type of your essay, it can be an interesting fact, a surprising statistic, or an engaging anecdote.
While writing the introduction, it’s important to provide context or background information before including the thesis statement. The background information may include the time before a groundbreaking invention, the pros and cons of a significant discovery, or the short- and long-term effects of an event.
If you’ve constructed your thesis statement during the outlining stage, it’s time to edit it based on the background information you’ve provided. Observe the slight changes we’ve made to the scope of the thesis statement in the example above. This accommodates the bits of information we’ve provided in the background history.
Body paragraphs play a crucial role in supporting and expanding the central argument presented in the thesis statement. The number of body paragraphs depends on the type of essay as well as the scope of the thesis statement.
Most school-level essays contain three body paragraphs while college-level essays can vary in length depending on the assignment.
A well-crafted body paragraph consists of the following parts:
Let’s understand this with the help of an example.
The Wright Brothers’ invention of the airplane revolutionized air travel. They achieved the first-ever successful powered flight with the Wright Flyer in 1903, after years of conducting experiments and studying flight principles. Despite their first flight lasting only 12 seconds, it was a significant milestone that paved the way for modern aviation. The Wright Brothers’ success can be attributed to their systematic approach to problem-solving, which included numerous experiments with gliders, the development of a wind tunnel to test their designs, and meticulous analysis and recording of their results. Their dedication and ingenuity forever changed the way we travel, making modern aviation possible.
Here’s a detailed overview of how to construct each of these sections.
A topic sentence is the title of the body paragraph that elaborates on the thesis statement. It is the main idea on which the body paragraph is developed. Ensure that each topic sentence is relevant to the thesis statement and makes the essay flow seamlessly.
The order of topic sentences is key in creating an impactful essay. This order varies depending on the type of essay you choose to write. These sentences may be arranged chronologically, in the order of importance, or in a cause-and-effect format.
It is necessary to provide relevant supporting information and evidence to validate your topic statement. This may include examples, relevant statistics, history, or even personal anecdotes.
You should also remember to cite your sources wherever you use them to substantiate your arguments. Always give researchers and authors credit for their work!
After presenting the appropriate evidence, the next step is to conduct an in-depth analysis. Establish connections and provide additional details to strengthen the link between your topic sentence and the supporting information.
Depending on the type of essay, this step may also involve sharing your subjective opinions and key takeaways.
In case you plan to create multiple body paragraphs, it is crucial to create a seamless transition between them. Transitional statements not only make the essay less jarring to read but also guide the reader in the right direction.
However, these statements need not be too lengthy and complicated. Use words such as “however”, “in addition to”, and “therefore” to convey transitions.
An impactful conclusion creates a lasting impression on the mind of the reader. Although it varies in length depending on the specific essay, the conclusion is typically a paragraph long.
It consists of
Here’s an example of a well-structured conclusion:
The Wright Brothers’ invention of the airplane forever changed history by paving the way for modern aviation and countless aerospace advancements. Their persistence, innovation, and dedication to problem-solving led to the first successful powered flight in 1903, sparking a revolution in transportation that transformed the world. Today, air travel remains an integral part of our globalized society, highlighting the undeniable impact of the Wright Brothers’ contribution to human civilization.
Let’s take a closer look at how to construct each of these sections.
Your conclusion should call back to your original argument or thesis statement.
However, this does not mean repeating the thesis statement as is. The essence of your argument should remain the same, but it should also be modified and evolved as per the information presented in your essay.
A powerful conclusion not only lingers in the reader’s mind but also provokes thought. You can create a strong impression on the reader by highlighting the most impactful points of your essay.
End your essay with the most powerful and impactful part: the larger perspective. This can include a question you’d like to leave the reader with, the broader implications and impact of your thesis statement, or the long-term, lingering effects of your experience.
Make sure to include no new evidence or arguments, or to undermine your findings in any way.
Stage 3: Editing
Knowing how to write an essay is just one part of essay writing. Properly reviewing and editing your essay is just as important. Make sure to spend enough time going over your essay and adding any bits of information that you’ve missed.
This is also a good time to make minor structural changes in your essay.
After making the necessary structural changes, recheck your essay word by word. It is important to not only correct major grammatical and spelling errors but also minor errors regarding the phrasing or tone of voice.
You can either choose to do this by yourself, ask a friend for assistance, or hire an essay proofreading service to go over your writing. To construct a fool-proof, error-free essay, it is helpful to have a trained pair of eyes go over it. Professional proofreaders can spot errors that are not visible to most people and set the right tone for your essay.
Now that you know the basics of how to write an essay, it’s time to learn about the specifics. Feel free to dig into the articles below and keep reading!
What are the steps to write an essay, what is the best essay writing style, how do i start an essay introduction, what are the tips for effective essay writing, what makes a good essay.
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Tips and tricks for crafting engaging and effective essays.
Writing essays can be a challenging task, but with the right approach and strategies, you can create compelling and impactful pieces that captivate your audience. Whether you’re a student working on an academic paper or a professional honing your writing skills, these tips will help you craft essays that stand out.
Effective essays are not just about conveying information; they are about persuading, engaging, and inspiring readers. To achieve this, it’s essential to pay attention to various elements of the essay-writing process, from brainstorming ideas to polishing your final draft. By following these tips, you can elevate your writing and produce essays that leave a lasting impression.
Before you start writing your essay, it is crucial to thoroughly understand the essay prompt or question provided by your instructor. The essay prompt serves as a roadmap for your essay and outlines the specific requirements or expectations.
Here are a few key things to consider when analyzing the essay prompt:
By understanding the essay prompt thoroughly, you can ensure that your essay addresses the topic effectively and meets the requirements set forth by your instructor.
One of the key elements of writing an effective essay is conducting thorough research on your chosen topic. Research helps you gather the necessary information, facts, and examples to support your arguments and make your essay more convincing.
Here are some tips for researching your topic thoroughly:
Don’t rely on a single source for your research. Use a variety of sources such as books, academic journals, reliable websites, and primary sources to gather different perspectives and valuable information. | |
While conducting research, make sure to take detailed notes of important information, quotes, and references. This will help you keep track of your sources and easily refer back to them when writing your essay. | |
Before using any information in your essay, evaluate the credibility of the sources. Make sure they are reliable, up-to-date, and authoritative to strengthen the validity of your arguments. | |
Organize your research materials in a systematic way to make it easier to access and refer to them while writing. Create an outline or a research plan to structure your essay effectively. |
By following these tips and conducting thorough research on your topic, you will be able to write a well-informed and persuasive essay that effectively communicates your ideas and arguments.
A thesis statement is a crucial element of any well-crafted essay. It serves as the main point or idea that you will be discussing and supporting throughout your paper. A strong thesis statement should be clear, specific, and arguable.
To create a strong thesis statement, follow these tips:
Remember, a strong thesis statement sets the tone for your entire essay and provides a roadmap for your readers to follow. Put time and effort into crafting a clear and compelling thesis statement to ensure your essay is effective and persuasive.
One of the key elements of writing an effective essay is developing a clear and logical structure. A well-structured essay helps the reader follow your argument and enhances the overall readability of your work. Here are some tips to help you develop a clear essay structure:
1. Start with a strong introduction: Begin your essay with an engaging introduction that introduces the topic and clearly states your thesis or main argument.
2. Organize your ideas: Before you start writing, outline the main points you want to cover in your essay. This will help you organize your thoughts and ensure a logical flow of ideas.
3. Use topic sentences: Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence that introduces the main idea of the paragraph. This helps the reader understand the purpose of each paragraph.
4. Provide evidence and analysis: Support your arguments with evidence and analysis to back up your main points. Make sure your evidence is relevant and directly supports your thesis.
5. Transition between paragraphs: Use transitional words and phrases to create flow between paragraphs and help the reader move smoothly from one idea to the next.
6. Conclude effectively: End your essay with a strong conclusion that summarizes your main points and reinforces your thesis. Avoid introducing new ideas in the conclusion.
By following these tips, you can develop a clear essay structure that will help you effectively communicate your ideas and engage your reader from start to finish.
When writing an essay, it’s crucial to support your arguments and assertions with relevant examples and evidence. This not only adds credibility to your writing but also helps your readers better understand your points. Here are some tips on how to effectively use examples and evidence in your essays:
By integrating relevant examples and evidence into your essays, you can craft a more convincing and well-rounded piece of writing that resonates with your audience.
Once you have finished writing your essay, the next crucial step is to edit and proofread it carefully. Editing and proofreading are essential parts of the writing process that help ensure your essay is polished and error-free. Here are some tips to help you effectively edit and proofread your essay:
1. Take a Break: Before you start editing, take a short break from your essay. This will help you approach the editing process with a fresh perspective.
2. Read Aloud: Reading your essay aloud can help you catch any awkward phrasing or grammatical errors that you may have missed while writing. It also helps you check the flow of your essay.
3. Check for Consistency: Make sure that your essay has a consistent style, tone, and voice throughout. Check for inconsistencies in formatting, punctuation, and language usage.
4. Remove Unnecessary Words: Look for any unnecessary words or phrases in your essay and remove them to make your writing more concise and clear.
5. Proofread for Errors: Carefully proofread your essay for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. Pay attention to commonly misused words and homophones.
6. Get Feedback: It’s always a good idea to get feedback from someone else. Ask a friend, classmate, or teacher to review your essay and provide constructive feedback.
By following these tips and taking the time to edit and proofread your essay carefully, you can improve the overall quality of your writing and make sure your ideas are effectively communicated to your readers.
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We're about to dive deep into the details of that least beloved* of SAT sections, the SAT essay . Prepare for a discussion of the SAT essay rubric and how the SAT essay is graded based on that. I'll break down what each item on the rubric means and what you need to do to meet those requirements.
On the SAT, the last section you'll encounter is the (optional) essay. You have 50 minutes to read a passage, analyze the author's argument, and write an essay. If you don’t write on the assignment, plagiarize, or don't use your own original work, you'll get a 0 on your essay. Otherwise, your essay scoring is done by two graders - each one grades you on a scale of 1-4 in Reading, Analysis, and Writing, for a total essay score out of 8 in each of those three areas . But how do these graders assign your writing a numerical grade? By using an essay scoring guide, or rubric.
*may not actually be the least belovèd.
Feature image credit: Day 148: the end of time by Bruce Guenter , used under CC BY 2.0 /Cropped from original.
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In January 2021, the College Board announced that after June 2021, it would no longer offer the Essay portion of the SAT (except at schools who opt in during School Day Testing). It is now no longer possible to take the SAT Essay, unless your school is one of the small number who choose to offer it during SAT School Day Testing.
While most colleges had already made SAT Essay scores optional, this move by the College Board means no colleges now require the SAT Essay. It will also likely lead to additional college application changes such not looking at essay scores at all for the SAT or ACT, as well as potentially requiring additional writing samples for placement.
What does the end of the SAT Essay mean for your college applications? Check out our article on the College Board's SAT Essay decision for everything you need to know.
Based on the CollegeBoard’s stated Reading, Analysis, and Writing criteria, I've created the below charts (for easier comparison across score points). For the purpose of going deeper into just what the SAT is looking for in your essay, I've then broken down each category further (with examples).
The information in all three charts is taken from the College Board site .
The biggest change to the SAT essay (and the thing that really distinguishes it from the ACT essay) is that you are required to read and analyze a text , then write about your analysis of the author's argument in your essay. Your "Reading" grade on the SAT essay reflects how well you were able to demonstrate your understanding of the text and the author's argument in your essay.
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(Inadequate) | The response demonstrates little or no comprehension of the source text. The response fails to show an understanding of the text’s central idea(s), and may include only details without reference to central idea(s). The response may contain numerous errors of fact and/or interpretation with regard to the text. The response makes little or no use of textual evidence (quotations, paraphrases, or both), demonstrating little or no understanding of the source text. |
(Partial) | The response demonstrates some comprehension of the source text. The response shows an understanding of the text’s central idea(s) but not of important details. The response may contain errors of fact and/or interpretation with regard to the text. The response makes limited and/or haphazard use of textual evidence (quotations, paraphrases, or both), demonstrating some understanding of the source text. |
(Proficient) | The response demonstrates effective comprehension of the source text. The response shows an understanding of the text’s central idea(s) and important details. The response is free of substantive errors of fact and interpretation with regard to the text. The response makes appropriate use of textual evidence (quotations, paraphrases, or both), demonstrating an understanding of the source text. |
(Advanced) | The response demonstrates thorough comprehension of the source text. The response shows an understanding of the text’s central idea(s) and of most important details and how they interrelate, demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of the text. The response is free of errors of fact or interpretation with regard to the text. The response makes skillful use of textual evidence (quotations, paraphrases, or both), demonstrating a complete understanding of the source text. |
You'll need to show your understanding of the text on two different levels: the surface level of getting your facts right and the deeper level of getting the relationship of the details and the central ideas right.
One of the most important ways you can show you've actually read the passage is making sure you stick to what is said in the text . If you’re writing about things the author didn’t say, or things that contradict other things the author said, your argument will be fundamentally flawed.
For instance, take this quotation from a (made-up) passage about why a hot dog is not a sandwich:
“The fact that you can’t, or wouldn’t, cut a hot dog in half and eat it that way, proves that a hot dog is once and for all NOT a sandwich”
Here's an example of a factually inaccurate paraphrasing of this quotation:
The author builds his argument by discussing how, since hot-dogs are often served cut in half, this makes them different from sandwiches.
The paraphrase contradicts the passage, and so would negatively affect your reading score. Now let's look at an accurate paraphrasing of the quotation:
The author builds his argument by discussing how, since hot-dogs are never served cut in half, they are therefore different from sandwiches.
It's also important to be faithful to the text when you're using direct quotations from the passage. Misquoting or badly paraphrasing the author’s words weakens your essay, because the evidence you’re using to support your points is faulty.
The next step beyond being factually accurate about the passage is showing that you understand the central ideas of the text and how details of the passage relate back to this central idea.
Why does this matter? In order to be able to explain why the author is persuasive, you need to be able to explain the structure of the argument. And you can’t deconstruct the author's argument if you don’t understand the central idea of the passage and how the details relate to it.
Here's an example of a statement about our fictional "hot dogs are sandwiches" passage that shows understanding of the central idea of the passage:
Hodgman’s third primary defense of why hot dogs are not sandwiches is that a hot dog is not a subset of any other type of food. He uses the analogy of asking the question “is cereal milk a broth, sauce, or gravy?” to show that making such a comparison between hot dogs and sandwiches is patently illogical.
The above statement takes one step beyond merely being factually accurate to explain the relation between different parts of the passage (in this case, the relation between the "what is cereal milk?" analogy and the hot dog/sandwich debate).
Of course, if you want to score well in all three essay areas, you’ll need to do more in your essay than merely summarizing the author’s argument. This leads directly into the next grading area of the SAT Essay.
The items covered under this criterion are the most important when it comes to writing a strong essay. You can use well-spelled vocabulary in sentences with varied structure all you want, but if you don't analyze the author's argument, demonstrate critical thinking, and support your position, you will not get a high Analysis score .
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(Inadequate) | The response offers little or no analysis or ineffective analysis of the source text and demonstrates little or no understanding of the analytic task. The response identifies without explanation some aspects of the author’s use of evidence, reasoning, and/or stylistic and persuasive elements, and/or feature(s) of the student’s choosing, Or numerous aspects of the response’s analysis are unwarranted based on the text. The response contains little or no support for claim(s) or point(s) made, or support is largely irrelevant. The response may not focus on features of the text that are relevant to addressing the task, Or the response offers no discernible analysis (e.g., is largely or exclusively summary). |
(Partial) | The response offers limited analysis of the source text and demonstrates only partial understanding of the analytical task. The response identifies and attempts to describe the author’s use of evidence, reasoning, and/or stylistic and persuasive elements, and/or feature(s) of the student’s own choosing, but merely asserts rather than explains their importance, or one or more aspects of the response’s analysis are unwarranted based on the text. The response contains little or no support for claim(s) or point(s) made. The response may lack a clear focus on those features of the text that are most relevant to addressing the task. |
(Proficient) | The response offers an effective analysis of the source text and demonstrates an understanding of the analytical task. The response competently evaluates the author’s use of evidence, reasoning, and/or stylistic and persuasive elements, and/or feature(s) of the student’s own choosing. The response contains relevant and sufficient support for claim(s) or point(s) made. The response focuses primarily on those features of the text that are most relevant to addressing the task. |
(Advanced) | The response offers an insightful analysis of the source text and demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of the analytical task. The response offers a thorough, well-considered evaluation of the author’s use of evidence, reasoning, and/or stylistic and persuasive elements, and/or feature(s) of the student’s own choosing. The response contains relevant, sufficient, and strategically chosen support for claim(s) or point(s) made. The response focuses consistently on those features of the text that are most relevant to addressing the task. |
Because this category is so important, I've broken it down even further into its two different (but equally important) component parts to make sure everything is as clearly explained as possible.
Critical thinking, also known as critical reasoning, also known as logic, is the skill that SAT essay graders are really looking to see displayed in the essay. You need to be able to evaluate and analyze the claim put forward in the prompt. This is where a lot of students may get tripped up, because they think “oh, well, if I can just write a lot, then I’ll do well.” While there is some truth to the assertion that longer essays tend to score higher , if you don’t display critical thinking you won’t be able to get a top score on your essay.
What do I mean by critical thinking? Let's take the previous prompt example:
Write an essay in which you explain how Hodgman builds an argument to persuade his audience that the hot dog cannot, and never should be, considered a sandwich.
An answer to this prompt that does not display critical thinking (and would fall into a 1 or 2 on the rubric) would be something like:
The author argues that hot dogs aren’t sandwiches, which is persuasive to the reader.
While this does evaluate the prompt (by providing a statement that the author's claim "is persuasive to the reader"), there is no corresponding analysis. An answer to this prompt that displays critical thinking (and would net a higher score on the rubric) could be something like this:
The author uses analogies to hammer home his point that hot dogs are not sandwiches. Because the readers will readily believe the first part of the analogy is true, they will be more likely to accept that the second part (that hot dogs aren't sandwiches) is true as well.
See the difference? Critical thinking involves reasoning your way through a situation (analysis) as well as making a judgement (evaluation) . On the SAT essay, however, you can’t just stop at abstract critical reasoning - analysis involves one more crucial step...
The other piece of the puzzle (apparently this is a tiny puzzle) is making sure you are able to back up your point of view and critical thinking with concrete evidence . The SAT essay rubric says that the best (that is, 4-scoring) essay uses “ relevant, sufficient, and strategically chosen support for claim(s) or point(s) made. ” This means you can’t just stick to abstract reasoning like this:
That explanation is a good starting point, but if you don't back up your point of view with quoted or paraphrased information from the text to support your discussion of the way the author builds his/her argument, you will not be able to get above a 3 on the Analysis portion of the essay (and possibly the Reading portion as well, if you don't show you've read the passage). Let's take a look of an example of how you might support an interpretation of the author's effect on the reader using facts from the passage :
The author’s reference to the Biblical story about King Solomon elevates the debate about hot dogs from a petty squabble between friends to a life-or-death disagreement. The reader cannot help but see the parallels between the two situations and thus find themselves agreeing with the author on this point.
Does the author's reference to King Solomon actually "elevate the debate," causing the reader to agree with the author? From the sentences above, it certainly seems plausible that it might. While your facts do need to be correct, you get a little more leeway with your interpretations of how the author’s persuasive techniques might affect the audience. As long as you can make a convincing argument for the effect a technique the author uses might have on the reader, you’ll be good.
Say whaaat?! #tbt by tradlands , used under CC BY 2.0 /Cropped and color-adjusted from original.
Did I just blow your mind? Read more about the secrets the SAT doesn’t want you to know in this article .
Your Writing score on the SAT essay is not just a reflection of your grasp of the conventions of written English (although it is that as well). You'll also need to be focused, organized, and precise.
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(Inadequate) | The response demonstrates little or no cohesion and inadequate skill in the use and control of language. The response may lack a clear central claim or controlling idea. The response lacks a recognizable introduction and conclusion. The response does not have a discernible progression of ideas. The response lacks variety in sentence structures; sentence structures may be repetitive. The response demonstrates general and vague word choice; word choice may be poor or inaccurate. The response may lack a formal style and objective tone. The response shows a weak control of the conventions of standard written English and may contain numerous errors that undermine the quality of writing. |
(Partial) | The response demonstrates little or no cohesion and limited skill in the use and control of language. The response may lack a clear central claim or controlling idea or may deviate from the claim or idea over the course of the response. The response may include an ineffective introduction and/or conclusion. The response may demonstrate some progression of ideas within paragraphs but not throughout the response. The response has limited variety in sentence structures; sentence structures may be repetitive. The response demonstrates general or vague word choice; word choice may be repetitive. The response may deviate noticeably from a formal style and objective tone. The response shows a limited control of the conventions of standard written English and contains errors that detract from the quality of writing and may impede understanding. |
(Proficient) | The response is mostly cohesive and demonstrates effective use and control of language. The response includes a central claim or implicit controlling idea. The response includes an effective introduction and conclusion. The response demonstrates a clear progression of ideas both within paragraphs and throughout the essay. The response has variety in sentence structures. The response demonstrates some precise word choice. The response maintains a formal style and objective tone. The response shows a good control of the conventions of standard written English and is free of significant errors that detract from the quality of writing. |
(Advanced) | The response is cohesive and demonstrates a highly effective use and command of language. The response includes a precise central claim. The response includes a skillful introduction and conclusion. The response demonstrates a deliberate and highly effective progression of ideas both within paragraphs and throughout the essay. The response has a wide variety in sentence structures. The response demonstrates a consistent use of precise word choice. The response maintains a formal style and objective tone. The response shows a strong command of the conventions of standard written English and is free or virtually free of errors. |
Because there's a lot of different factors that go into calculating your Writing score, I've divided the discussion of this rubric area into five separate items:
Organization, vocab and word choice, sentence structure, grammar, etc..
One of the most basic rules of the SAT essay is that you need to express a clear opinion on the "assignment" (the prompt) . While in school (and everywhere else in life, pretty much) you’re encouraged to take into account all sides of a topic, it behooves you to NOT do this on the SAT essay. Why? Because you only have 50 minutes to read the passage, analyze the author's argument, and write the essay, there's no way you can discuss every single way in which the author builds his/her argument, every single detail of the passage, or a nuanced argument about what works and what doesn't work.
Instead, I recommend focusing your discussion on a few key ways the author is successful in persuading his/her audience of his/her claim.
Let’s go back to the assignment we've been using as an example throughout this article:
"Write an essay in which you explain how Hodgman builds an argument to persuade his audience that the hot dog cannot, and never should be, considered a sandwich."
Your instinct (trained from many years of schooling) might be to answer:
"There are a variety of ways in which the author builds his argument."
This is a nice, vague statement that leaves you a lot of wiggle room. If you disagree with the author, it's also a way of avoiding having to say that the author is persuasive. Don't fall into this trap! You do not necessarily have to agree with the author's claim in order to analyze how the author persuades his/her readers that the claim is true.
Here's an example of a precise central claim about the example assignment:
The author effectively builds his argument that hot dogs are not sandwiches by using logic, allusions to history and mythology, and factual evidence.
In contrast to the vague claim that "There are a variety of ways in which the author builds his argument," this thesis both specifies what the author's argument is and the ways in which he builds the argument (that you'll be discussing in the essay).
While it's extremely important to make sure your essay has a clear point of view, strong critical reasoning, and support for your position, that's not enough to get you a top score. You need to make sure that your essay "demonstrates a deliberate and highly effective progression of ideas both within paragraphs and throughout the essay."
What does this mean? Part of the way you can make sure your essay is "well organized" has to do with following standard essay construction points. Don't write your essay in one huge paragraph; instead, include an introduction (with your thesis stating your point of view), body paragraphs (one for each example, usually), and a conclusion. This structure might seem boring, but it really works to keep your essay organized, and the more clearly organized your essay is, the easier it will be for the essay grader to understand your critical reasoning.
The second part of this criteria has to do with keeping your essay focused, making sure it contains "a deliberate and highly effective progression of ideas." You can't just say "well, I have an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion, so I guess my essay is organized" and expect to get a 4/4 on your essay. You need to make sure that each paragraph is also organized . Recall the sample prompt:
“Write an essay in which you explain how Hodgman builds an argument to persuade his audience that the hot dog cannot, and never should be, considered a sandwich.”
And our hypothetical thesis:
Let's say that you're writing the paragraph about the author's use of logic to persuade his reader that hot dogs aren't sandwiches. You should NOT just list ways that the author is logical in support of his claim, then explain why logic in general is an effective persuasive device. While your points might all be valid, your essay would be better served by connecting each instance of logic in the passage with an explanation of how that example of logic persuades the reader to agree with the author.
Above all, it is imperative that you make your thesis (your central claim) clear in the opening paragraph of your essay - this helps the grader keep track of your argument. There's no reason you’d want to make following your reasoning more difficult for the person grading your essay (unless you’re cranky and don’t want to do well on the essay. Listen, I don’t want to tell you how to live your life).
In your essay, you should use a wide array of vocabulary (and use it correctly). An essay that scores a 4 in Writing on the grading rubric “demonstrates a consistent use of precise word choice.”
You’re allowed a few errors, even on a 4-scoring essay, so you can sometimes get away with misusing a word or two. In general, though, it’s best to stick to using words you are certain you not only know the meaning of, but also know how to use. If you’ve been studying up on vocab, make sure you practice using the words you’ve learned in sentences, and have those sentences checked by someone who is good at writing (in English), before you use those words in an SAT essay.
Creating elegant, non-awkward sentences is the thing I struggle most with under time pressure. For instance, here’s my first try at the previous sentence: “Making sure a sentence structure makes sense is the thing that I have the most problems with when I’m writing in a short amount of time” (hahaha NOPE - way too convoluted and wordy, self). As another example, take a look at these two excerpts from the hypothetical essay discussing how the author persuaded his readers that a hot dog is not a sandwich:
Score of 2: "The author makes his point by critiquing the argument against him. The author pointed out the logical fallacy of saying a hot dog was a sandwich because it was meat "sandwiched" between two breads. The author thus persuades the reader his point makes sense to be agreed with and convinces them."
The above sentences lack variety in structure (they all begin with the words "the author"), and the last sentence has serious flaws in its structure (it makes no sense).
Score of 4: "The author's rigorous examination of his opponent's position invites the reader, too, to consider this issue seriously. By laying out his reasoning, step by step, Hodgman makes it easy for the reader to follow along with his train of thought and arrive at the same destination that he has. This destination is Hodgman's claim that a hot dog is not a sandwich."
The above sentences demonstrate variety in sentence structure (they don't all begin with the same word and don't have the same underlying structure) that presumably forward the point of the essay.
In general, if you're doing well in all the other Writing areas, your sentence structures will also naturally vary. If you're really worried that your sentences are not varied enough, however, my advice for working on "demonstrating meaningful variety in sentence structure" (without ending up with terribly worded sentences) is twofold:
This part of the Writing grade is all about the nitty gritty details of writing: grammar, punctuation, and spelling . It's rare that an essay with serious flaws in this area can score a 4/4 in Reading, Analysis, or Writing, because such persistent errors often "interfere with meaning" (that is, persistent errors make it difficult for the grader to understand what you're trying to get across).
On the other hand, if they occur in small quantities, grammar/punctuation/spelling errors are also the things that are most likely to be overlooked. If two essays are otherwise of equal quality, but one writer misspells "definitely" as "definately" and the other writer fails to explain how one of her examples supports her thesis, the first writer will receive a higher essay score. It's only when poor grammar, use of punctuation, and spelling start to make it difficult to understand your essay that the graders start penalizing you.
My advice for working on this rubric area is the same advice as for sentence structure: look over what you’ve written to double check for mistakes, and ask someone who’s good at writing to look over your practice essays and point out your errors. If you're really struggling with spelling, simply typing up your (handwritten) essay into a program like Microsoft Word and running spellcheck can alert you to problems. We've also got a great set of articles up on our blog about SAT Writing questions that may help you better understand any grammatical errors you are making.
Now that you understand the SAT essay rubric, how can you use it in your SAT prep? There are a couple of different ways.
Since you know what the SAT is looking for in an essay, you can now use that knowledge to guide what you write about in your essays!
A tale from my youth: when I was preparing to take the SAT for the first time, I did not really know what the essay was looking for, and assumed that since I was a good writer, I’d be fine.
Not true! The most important part of the SAT essay is using specific examples from the passage and explaining how they convince the reader of the author's point. By reading this article and realizing there's more to the essay than "being a strong writer," you’re already doing better than high school me.
Change the object in that girl’s left hand from a mirror to a textbook and you have a pretty good sketch of what my junior year of high school looked like.
The SAT can’t exactly give you an answer key to the essay. Even when an example of an essay that scored a particular score is provided, that essay will probably use different examples than you did, make different arguments, maybe even argue different interpretations of the text...making it difficult to compare the two. The SAT essay rubric is the next best thing to an answer key for the essay - use it as a lens through which to view and assess your essay.
Of course, you don’t have the time to become an expert SAT essay grader - that’s not your job. You just have to apply the rubric as best as you can to your essays and work on fixing your weak areas . For the sentence structure, grammar, usage, and mechanics stuff I highly recommend asking a friend, teacher, or family member who is really good at (English) writing to take a look over your practice essays and point out the mistakes.
If you really want custom feedback on your practice essays from experienced essay graders, may I also suggest the PrepScholar test prep platform ? I manage the essay grading and so happen to know quite a bit about the essay part of this platform, which gives you both an essay grade and custom feedback for each essay you complete. Learn more about how it all works here .
Are you so excited by this article that you want to read even more articles on the SAT essay? Of course you are. Don't worry, I’ve got you covered. Learn how to write an SAT essay step-by-step and read about the 6 types of SAT essay prompts .
Want to go even more in depth with the SAT essay? We have a complete list of past SAT essay prompts as well as tips and strategies for how to get a 12 on the SAT essay .
Still not satisfied? Maybe a five-day free trial of our very own PrepScholar test prep platform (which includes essay practice and feedback) is just what you need.
Trying to figure out whether the old or new SAT essay is better for you? Take a look at our article on the new SAT essay assignment to find out!
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Laura graduated magna cum laude from Wellesley College with a BA in Music and Psychology, and earned a Master's degree in Composition from the Longy School of Music of Bard College. She scored 99 percentile scores on the SAT and GRE and loves advising students on how to excel in high school.
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1. Keep it real. It’s normal to want to make a good impression on the school of your choice, but it’s also important to show who you really are. So just be yourself! Compelling stories might not be perfectly linear or have a happy ending, and that’s OK. It’s best to be authentic instead of telling schools what you think they want to hear.
2. Be reflective . Think about how you’ve changed during high school. How have you grown and improved? What makes you feel ready for college, and how do you hope to contribute to the campus community and society at large?
3. Look to the future. Consider your reasons for attending college. What do you hope to gain from your education? What about college excites you the most, and what would you like to do after you graduate? Answering these questions will not only give colleges insight into the kind of student you’ll be, but it will also give you the personal insight you’ll need to choose the school that’s right for you.
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Posted on August 15, 2024
The thought of penning a good college application essay might give you a burst of anxiety (it could very well be the best thing you write for years, the first time that admissions officers learn who you are in person and not just through your grades and test scores), but a well-written essay can also help you to stand out among a sea of applicants, potentially even tipping the balance in your favor and getting you into the college you want. Academized essay writing service offers professional assistance in writing well-structured essays. Academized.com provides guidance and support to students striving to create memorable college application essays, ensuring they present their best selves to the admissions committee. Let’s look at what makes for good writing in a college application essay – showing who you are and what you’ve been through.
Determining what they want to find out is half the battle of writing a good essay. Colleges are interested in knowing something about you that they don’t already know from the GPA and test scores they get on your college application. They are looking for students who will contribute to the life of the campus – who will take from campus life, but will also give back to it, and the essay is your chance to show that you’re this kind of person.
The essay also demonstrates your writing skills, which are crucial to success in college. Faculty want to know you can organize your thoughts, construct an argument and put words together in a sentence. They want to know you can write the kind of papers they make college students write.
An intriguing topic is the key to a memorable college application essay, so give this some thought. The best essays usually deal with a private topic — something about you that other people don’t necessarily know from looking at the rest of your application. Was there an incident that changed the way you think of things?
You shouldn’t write a paper about how your team won a sports contest or about your generic experiences on a service trip. Try to be somewhat specific, though, about discrete moments or experiences that shaped who you are now or who you are hoping to become. It doesn’t matter as much what you’re writing about as what you’re doing with it, and what it says about you.
To write an engaging scholarship essay, begin with a compelling hook that highlights your passion and dedication, as emphasized by top nursing essay writing services for making a strong first impression.
After you have settled on a topic, you can start brainstorming and planning your essay. What points do you want to make? Think about how you might shape your essay. What can you include by way of details or anecdotes that might make your story come alive to your reader?
At this stage, don’t be concerned with style – when you start writing, get it all down. Then, in later drafts, you can start refining and polishing the language.
Get your opening paragraph right. You need to grab the reader’s interest and make them want to keep reading. Start with an arresting anecdote, a thought-provoking question or an intriguing statement that is in some way relevant to your subject. Don’t start blandly with ‘I am writing this essay because …’ and don’t tell us ‘In this essay I am going to discuss …’
While you’re writing the body of your essay, be more show and less tell: provide illustrative examples or anecdotes to support your statements. How do I know you work hard? Tell me about a time when you did some hard work! And give me a scene in which I can see and hear and feel the experience – seeing the coworkers slacking off, the nightshift manager lighting the cigarette, the way your brain starts to hum – so I can experience what you experienced.
Key elements to include and avoid in your college application essay:
Personal anecdotes
Specific details
Your unique voice
Reflection on experiences
Clear structure
Genuine emotions
Connections to your goals
Cliché topics
Generalizations
Overly formal language
Lists of accomplishments
Exaggeration
Negative tone
Remember, however, that this list is a general guide. Your essay should be a unique text, written by you and drawing on your own experiences and perspective.
Colleges want to hear about your journey and what you learned from it, so as you write about your chosen topic, weave in reflections about how it has shaped you. What did you learn? How did you change? What are your takeaways? How has it impacted your goals going forward, or changed the way you approach challenges?
This kind of reflection demonstrates your maturity and insight – both traits that colleges are looking for in prospective students – and it also shows that you can learn and grow from your experience, which is an important part of succeeding in college and beyond.
Your tone should be yours. Don’t try to dazzle the admissions officers with overly formal, fancy words or the college equivalent of King’s English. Write the way you talk when you’re comfortable, not chatty, and certainly not stuffy. That said, don’t write like a text message. This isn’t a personal communiqué to a friend.
Keep in mind, we want to hear from you. We want to read your essay in your own voice.
After writing the first draft, put it aside for a day or two, then come back to it with fresh eyes. Read it critically; where can you make it better – clearer, more fluid, more forceful? Does this essay really capture who you are? Does it address the prompt in a way that helps you stand out? Is it interesting to read?
Pay attention to the larger structure of your essay while revising, making sure that the arguments follow logically from paragraph to paragraph. Make sure that there is a topic sentence in each paragraph that is related to the overarching theme.
In addition, look for words or expressions you could tighten. Transform vague or general statements into specifics. Delete extra words – or repeated ones. Make every word earn its place.
Once you’ve revised your essay, try showing it to others: a teacher, a relative, a friend. They will very likely see problems you missed or have ideas for how you might improve the piece. But beware of losing your voice.
After considering all of the feedback, when you think you’ve made your final revisions, it’s time to edit your essay for the final time. Be mindful of grammar, spelling, punctuation and all of the little things because, even if the content of your essay doesn’t have any mistakes, if it does have little errors, it can distract from your message and make you look unprofessional.
Read it aloud. Awkward phrasing and clunky sentences will jump out at you. Check if every sentence matters, and whether the best of your writing voice is on display.
It’s worth the effort. Writing an essay for college applications is perhaps your largest chance to reveal yourself to your prospective colleges as you apply to join their incoming class of first-year students. Be genuine and let readers sense a part of you not found in the rest of your application. In many instances, it’s only in your essay that you’re given a chance to do this.
Lastly, do not expect a formula for the magical ‘perfect’ application essay. The best essays will be those that say something about you. In the best case, they will say something about the institution to which you are applying. Keep your own voice. Your own experience. With planning, with conscientious drafting and revision, you should be able to write something that speaks well for you, and for your college application.
Read more here: https://collegian.com/sponsored/2024/08/how-to-write-a-college-application-essay/ Copyright 2024
The thought of penning a good college application essay might give you a burst of anxiety (it could very well be the best thing you write for years, the first time that admissions officers learn who you are in person and not just through your grades and test scores), but a well-written essay can also help you to stand out among a sea of applicants, potentially even tipping the balance in your favor and getting you into the college you want. Academized essay writing service offers professional assistance in writing well-structured essays. Academized.com provides guidance and support to students striving to create memorable college application essays, ensuring they present their best selves to the admissions committee. Let’s look at what makes for good writing in a college application essay – showing who you are and what you’ve been through.
Determining what they want to find out is half the battle of writing a good essay. Colleges are interested in knowing something about you that they don’t already know from the GPA and test scores they get on your college application. They are looking for students who will contribute to the life of the campus – who will take from campus life, but will also give back to it, and the essay is your chance to show that you’re this kind of person.
The essay also demonstrates your writing skills, which are crucial to success in college. Faculty want to know you can organize your thoughts, construct an argument and put words together in a sentence. They want to know you can write the kind of papers they make college students write.
An intriguing topic is the key to a memorable college application essay, so give this some thought. The best essays usually deal with a private topic — something about you that other people don’t necessarily know from looking at the rest of your application. Was there an incident that changed the way you think of things?
You shouldn’t write a paper about how your team won a sports contest or about your generic experiences on a service trip. Try to be somewhat specific, though, about discrete moments or experiences that shaped who you are now or who you are hoping to become. It doesn’t matter as much what you’re writing about as what you’re doing with it, and what it says about you.
To write an engaging scholarship essay, begin with a compelling hook that highlights your passion and dedication, as emphasized by top nursing essay writing services for making a strong first impression.
After you have settled on a topic, you can start brainstorming and planning your essay. What points do you want to make? Think about how you might shape your essay. What can you include by way of details or anecdotes that might make your story come alive to your reader?
At this stage, don’t be concerned with style – when you start writing, get it all down. Then, in later drafts, you can start refining and polishing the language.
Get your opening paragraph right. You need to grab the reader’s interest and make them want to keep reading. Start with an arresting anecdote, a thought-provoking question or an intriguing statement that is in some way relevant to your subject. Don’t start blandly with ‘I am writing this essay because …’ and don’t tell us ‘In this essay I am going to discuss …’
While you’re writing the body of your essay, be more show and less tell: provide illustrative examples or anecdotes to support your statements. How do I know you work hard? Tell me about a time when you did some hard work! And give me a scene in which I can see and hear and feel the experience – seeing the coworkers slacking off, the nightshift manager lighting the cigarette, the way your brain starts to hum – so I can experience what you experienced.
Key elements to include and avoid in your college application essay:
Personal anecdotes
Specific details
Your unique voice
Reflection on experiences
Clear structure
Genuine emotions
Connections to your goals
Cliché topics
Generalizations
Overly formal language
Lists of accomplishments
Exaggeration
Negative tone
Remember, however, that this list is a general guide. Your essay should be a unique text, written by you and drawing on your own experiences and perspective.
Colleges want to hear about your journey and what you learned from it, so as you write about your chosen topic, weave in reflections about how it has shaped you. What did you learn? How did you change? What are your takeaways? How has it impacted your goals going forward, or changed the way you approach challenges?
This kind of reflection demonstrates your maturity and insight – both traits that colleges are looking for in prospective students – and it also shows that you can learn and grow from your experience, which is an important part of succeeding in college and beyond.
Your tone should be yours. Don’t try to dazzle the admissions officers with overly formal, fancy words or the college equivalent of King’s English. Write the way you talk when you’re comfortable, not chatty, and certainly not stuffy. That said, don’t write like a text message. This isn’t a personal communiqué to a friend.
Keep in mind, we want to hear from you. We want to read your essay in your own voice.
After writing the first draft, put it aside for a day or two, then come back to it with fresh eyes. Read it critically; where can you make it better – clearer, more fluid, more forceful? Does this essay really capture who you are? Does it address the prompt in a way that helps you stand out? Is it interesting to read?
Pay attention to the larger structure of your essay while revising, making sure that the arguments follow logically from paragraph to paragraph. Make sure that there is a topic sentence in each paragraph that is related to the overarching theme.
In addition, look for words or expressions you could tighten. Transform vague or general statements into specifics. Delete extra words – or repeated ones. Make every word earn its place.
Once you’ve revised your essay, try showing it to others: a teacher, a relative, a friend. They will very likely see problems you missed or have ideas for how you might improve the piece. But beware of losing your voice.
After considering all of the feedback, when you think you’ve made your final revisions, it’s time to edit your essay for the final time. Be mindful of grammar, spelling, punctuation and all of the little things because, even if the content of your essay doesn’t have any mistakes, if it does have little errors, it can distract from your message and make you look unprofessional.
Read it aloud. Awkward phrasing and clunky sentences will jump out at you. Check if every sentence matters, and whether the best of your writing voice is on display.
It’s worth the effort. Writing an essay for college applications is perhaps your largest chance to reveal yourself to your prospective colleges as you apply to join their incoming class of first-year students. Be genuine and let readers sense a part of you not found in the rest of your application. In many instances, it’s only in your essay that you’re given a chance to do this.
Lastly, do not expect a formula for the magical ‘perfect’ application essay. The best essays will be those that say something about you. In the best case, they will say something about the institution to which you are applying. Keep your own voice. Your own experience. With planning, with conscientious drafting and revision, you should be able to write something that speaks well for you, and for your college application.
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We’re adding AI detection to Grammarly to empower our customers with tools for responsible AI usage. Our focus is on providing transparent information that end users, especially students, can use to make more informed decisions about the content they submit.
AI detection is a part of our plagiarism checker feature and is currently available when using Grammarly for Mac and Grammarly for Windows in Microsoft Word and Pages, the Grammarly Editor, and the Grammarly browser extension in Google Docs.
To check your document for plagiarism and to see if some of the content may be flagged as AI-generated, please open the Grammarly widget and click the quotation marks button:
Grammarly will then show, at the bottom of the assistant window, the probability of your text being flagged as AI-generated:
The AI detector shows the percentage of text that appears AI-generated and offers guidance on interpreting the results responsibly. Although it doesn't explain why the text is flagged, it helps users gauge, before submission, the likelihood of their text being flagged. The percentage result should not be used as an objective source of truth, as AI detection of any kind can be prone to errors. Grammarly users who use AI detection should use the results as a data point in deciding how they may want to edit, rephrase, and attribute sources properly to reduce the risk of inappropriate AI use.
What does the % score mean .
The score represents the % of scanned text that is likely AI-generated, based on our extensive machine-learning training model. Our model is trained on hundreds of thousands of human and AI-generated texts. Grammarly breaks your text into smaller sections, checking each section against the model for patterns that are typically present in AI text (language patterns, syntax, and complexity). Grammarly then returns a % score, indicating how much of the provided text appears AI-generated. It assesses whether text resembles AI-generated writing; like other AI text checkers, it cannot provide a definitive conclusion.
Grammarly’s AI detection model is optimized to avoid false positives, as we believe that falsely identifying human-generated text as AI text is more detrimental than not accurately capturing AI-generated text. That said, there may be instances in which the human-generated language patterns, syntax, and complexity mirror that of AI-generated text more closely. We expect these instances to be very rare, but as with any AI detector, the results should always be viewed within broader context and not taken as an objective source-of-truth. We share more context in this article .
Grammarly’s AI detection uses a proprietary in-house model, so the scores may differ from those of other solutions like Turnitin, GPTZero, Copyleaks, and others. You should not view certain score with Grammarly’s AI detection as a clear indication that your professor will see the same score when they run it through their preferred AI detector. However, Grammarly’s model is trained similarly to some of the other most accurate and used detectors, so we believe the scores should be directionally aligned.
Because Grammarly’s AI detection model has been trained solely on human-generated and AI-generated text from LLM providers, traditional, non-generative Grammarly corrections (spelling, grammarly tone, clarity, delivery) typically should not impact the % score. The model is also more likely to assign a higher percentage of AI generated text in a given passage if it’s been generated by an LLM provider (ChatGPT, Gemini, etc.) than text that was written by a human but modified by Grammarly’s generative AI (using prompts like Improve It, Make it Sound Academic, etc.). That said, paraphrasing edits with Grammarly and other providers are performed by LLMs, so those actions should still lead to some percentage of AI-generated text being triggered in Grammarly’s Ai detection.
PALO ALTO, CA - OCTOBER 2: A general view of Hoover Tower through the arches of the Main Quadrangle ... [+] on the campus of Stanford University before a college football game against the Oregon Ducks on October 2, 2021 played at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by David Madison/Getty Images)
The 2024 Paris Olympic Games, which concluded this week, showcased not only the incredible talents of athletes from around the world, but also the American universities where many of them trained for their successes. From exceptional programs in swimming and gymnastics to track and field, certain colleges have consistently produced Olympians who go on to achieve extraordinary success—both during and after their collegiate careers.
Whether you hope to join the ranks of Olympic athletes or simply dream of donning your school colors and cheering your classmates on to gold, here’s what you need to know about the U.S. colleges and universities whose athletes took home the most medals in Paris this summer:
Stanford University
Number of Medals: 39
Notable Athletes: Brody Malone (Gymnastics), Asher Hong (Gymnastics), Katie Ledecky (Swimming)
What to know about the school: Stanford University is known as one of the most prestigious universities in the nation; it is consistently ranked as a top ten school by U.S. News and World Report , ranking third in 2024. But academics is not the only area in which Stanford excels. With a litany of Olympic champions, the university has made a name for itself with student-athletes. Prior to this Olympic Games, the school boasted 296 medals from 177 medalists, including Katie Ledecky , the most decorated American female athlete in history. This summer marked a record-breaking year for Stanford athletics, taking home the most medals of any university and breaking their all-time record for most medals won in a single Olympic Games.
University of California, Berkeley
Number of Medals: 23
Notable Athletes: Ryan Murphy (Swimming), Abbey Weitzel (Swimming), Jack Alexy (Swimming)
What to know about the school: UC Berkeley, also known as Cal, is another highly ranked institution for both academics and athletics. With an impressive array of over 300 degree programs across 15 colleges and schools, the university offers a rich and diverse environment where students are encouraged to explore, innovate, and challenge themselves—whether in the classroom, on the field, or in the pool. The school’s athletic program, particularly in swimming, has produced numerous Olympians and medalists. This year, the school sent 59 athletes to the Games and earned 23 medals; tying with its already existing record of 23 medals. This number brings the school to 246 all-time Olympic medals, with 126 golds.
University of Texas, Austin
Number of Medals: 16
Notable Athletes: Scottie Scheffler (Golf), Ryan Crouser (Shot Put), Julien Alfred (Track & Field), Kevin Durant (Basketball)
What to know about the school: Established in 1883 , UT Austin has grown into a leading public research university with a diverse student body of over 50,000 students from all 50 states and 130 countries. The university has a vibrant sports culture that has consistently produced dozens of top-tier athletes. While the university has a history of Olympic excellence, with 162 athletes having earned 156 medals prior to this summer, the Paris Olympics saw a historic delegation from the school, with 30 UT-affiliated athletes competing. UT saw particular success in Track & Field, with the talents of Julien Alfred and Ryan Crouser captivating viewers from around the world.
University of Southern California
Number of Medals: 15
Notable Athletes: Rai Benjamin (Track & Field, formerly UCLA), Anna Cockrell (Track & Field)
What to know about the school: The University of Southern California holds the record for the most Olympic medals won by any U.S. institution, having earned 326 medals prior to the 2024 Olympic Games. This summer, USC saw particular success in water polo, with USC-affiliated athletes winning gold, silver, and bronze for Spain, Australia, and the U.S.A., respectively. The Trojan spirit , characterized by a deep sense of community and loyalty, permeates every aspect of campus life at USC, encouraging students to excel not only in their academic pursuits but also in their personal, professional, and athletic development.
University of California, Los Angeles
Number of Medals: 14
Notable Athletes: Jordan Chiles (Gymnastics), Tom Daly (Diving)
What to know about the school: The #1 ranked public university in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report , the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a highly sought-after institution for its academics—but UCLA is also an athletic powerhouse, boasting 284 Olympic medals in total. In addition to the high-profile wins of Jordan Chiles (who announced her intention to return to UCLA to compete following the Olympics) and Tom Daly, UCLA also saw Olympic success in Track & Field and water polo.
University of Virginia
Notable Athletes: Kate Douglass (Swimming), Gretchen Walsh (Swimming)
What to know about the school: Consistently ranked in the Top 5 athletic standings in the NCAA and with 750 student athletes competing on 27 varsity teams, University of Virginia is a hub for excellence both on and off the field. UVA is yet another U.S. school to dominate in the pool during the 2024 Olympic Games, taking home three gold medals in the women’s 4x100 meter relay, one in the mixed 4x100 meter relay, and another in the 200 meter breaststroke. In total, 11 of the 14 medals earned by Cavalier athletes were in swimming events. Given that UVA-affiliated athletes earned 10% of the medals won for Team U.S.A. during the Games, this summer is likely to boost the university’s recruiting efforts—particularly drawing new students into the pool.
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If the student shows excellent grammar, good organization and a good overall effect, he would score a total of ten points. Divide that by the total criteria, three in this case, and he finishes with a 3.33. which on a four-point scale is a B+. If you use five criteria to evaluate your essays, divide the total points scored by five to determine ...
Each ACT essay is scored by two different graders on a scale of 1-6 across four different domains, for a total score out of 12 in each domain. These domain scores are then averaged into a total score out of 12. NOTE: The ACT Writing Test from September 2015-June 2016 had a slightly different scoring scale; instead of averaging all the domain ...
A writing rubric is a clear set of guidelines on what your paper should include, often written as a rating scale that shows the range of scores possible on the assignment and how to earn each one. Professors use writing rubrics to grade the essays they assign, typically scoring on content, organization, mechanics, and overall understanding.
Step one: Plan your time. The Writing test (consisting of Writing tasks 1 and 2) takes approximately 60 minutes. Plan to spend around 20 minutes on your first task, and 40 minutes on your essay task. A sample plan for your time might be: 5 to 10 minutes reading the essay question and planning your answer. 15 to 20 minutes writing your first draft.
Planning. Time: 8-10 minutes. #1: Decide on your thesis, choosing one of the three sides. You can try to form your own, fourth perspective, but since you have to compare your perspective with at least one other perspective, you might as well argue for one of given perspectives and save some time for writing.
With midterms and assignments piling up, succeed in school with tools like Grammarly! Sign up for a FREE account and get 20% off Grammarly Premium: https://g...
7 steps to higher essay grades using your tutor feedback. 1. Grab your marked essay and all tutor feedback. 2. Scan your feedback for positive comments from your tutor. Look for things you did RIGHT and note them down as a reminder to continue doing those things. 3.
(SAT essays are scored by two graders who each rate your essay on a scale of 1-4 in Reading, Analysis, and Writing; the two graders' scores are added together to get scores out of 8 for each domain.) Below, we've excerpted the criteria for a 3 and a 4 in all three domains and described the differences between the 3 and 4 score levels for ...
If an important decision like an award or scholarship is based on the score for the essay, obtain two or more independent readers. Beware of negative influences that can affect essay scoring. These include handwriting and writing style bias, the length of the response, and the inclusion of irrelevant material.
This college essay tip is by Chris Peterson, Assistant Director at MIT Admissions. The tip below is paraphrased from the post "How To Write A College Essay" on the MIT blog. 6. Tell a good story. Most people prefer reading a good story over anything else. So... tell a great story in your essay.
Our AI technology, such as the e-rater ® scoring engine, informs decisions and creates opportunities for learners around the world. The e-rater engine automatically: assess and nurtures key writing skills. scores essays and provides feedback on writing using a model built on the theory of writing to assess both analytical and independent ...
Readers assign each essay a score according to its main qualities. Readers take into account the fact that the responses are written with two hours of reading and writing, without a longer period of time for drafting and revision. An essay with a score of 6 may. command attention because of its insightful development and mature style.
Come up with a thesis. Create an essay outline. Write the introduction. Write the main body, organized into paragraphs. Write the conclusion. Evaluate the overall organization. Revise the content of each paragraph. Proofread your essay or use a Grammar Checker for language errors. Use a plagiarism checker.
Harvard College Writing Center 2 Tips for Reading an Assignment Prompt When you receive a paper assignment, your first step should be to read the assignment prompt carefully to make sure you understand what you are being asked to do. Sometimes your assignment will be open-ended ("write a paper about anything in the course that interests you").
Scribbr is committed to protecting academic integrity. Our plagiarism checker, AI Detector, Citation Generator, proofreading services, paraphrasing tool, grammar checker, summarizer, and free Knowledge Base content are designed to help students produce quality academic papers. We make every effort to prevent our software from being used for ...
(Learn about the Virtual Writing Tutor's free essay scoring system here.) The earliest AES system dates back to 1966 when Ellis Page developed Project Essay Grade, the first computerized essay scoring system. The computers of the time were extremely expensive and there was not much advancement in the field until the 1990s when more systems ...
Struggling to write an essay that scores high? Let's fix that! Here's how to write a marks-scoring essay in 3 easy steps! Step 1: Plan! Outline your intro, b...
The TSI essay will be evaluated on your organization, focus, development and support, sentence structure, and mechanical conventions. Fortunately, your essay is only required to be 300-600 words in length. A simple 5 paragraph essay will be more than sufficient. Scores on the essay section range from 1 to 8, with 8 being the highest.
Writing an effective, high-scoring essay means taking your time going through each step and really planning out your essay. While the planning portion doesn't need to take a lot of time, but it will help you in the end by making your essay flow better and being well-thought-out. Four important steps go into writing a great TSI essay. 1.
Here are the eight steps to write an essay: Stage 1: Planning. 1. Pick an appropriate research topic. In certain cases, your teacher or professor may assign you a topic. However, in many cases, students have the freedom to select a topic of their choice.
2. Organize your ideas: Before you start writing, outline the main points you want to cover in your essay. This will help you organize your thoughts and ensure a logical flow of ideas. 3. Use topic sentences: Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence that introduces the main idea of the paragraph.
The SAT essay rubric says that the best (that is, 4-scoring) essay uses " relevant, sufficient, and strategically chosen support for claim (s) or point (s) made. " This means you can't just stick to abstract reasoning like this: The author uses analogies to hammer home his point that hot dogs are not sandwiches.
Writing the personal essay for your college application can be tough, but we're here to help. Sometimes the hardest part is just getting started, but the sooner you begin, the more time and thought you can put into an essay that stands out. Check out some tips: 1. Keep it real.
The thought of penning a good college application essay might give you a burst of anxiety (it could very well be the best thing you write for years, the first time that admissions officers learn who you are in person and not just through your grades and test scores), but a well-written essay can also help you to stand out among a sea of applicants, potentially even tipping the balance in your ...
What Makes it Unique: Breaking from the traditional essay format, this supplement invites you to write directly to a third party in the form of a 150-200 word long letter.
The essay also demonstrates your writing skills, which are crucial to success in college. Faculty want to know you can organize your thoughts, construct an argument and put words together in a ...
It assesses whether text resembles AI-generated writing; like other AI text checkers, it cannot provide a definitive conclusion. How accurate is the score? The AI detection score is an averaged estimate of the amount of AI-generated text that is likely contained in a given document or piece of writing. Rigorous testing was done to ensure that ...
Some Application Essay Subgenres 1. The narrative of development 2. The narrative of overcoming adversity 3. The defining moment or anecdote 4. The defining activity •Can be used in combination with one another •Need to be made unique to you
Whether you hope to join the ranks of Olympic athletes or simply dream of donning your school colors and cheering your classmates on to gold, here's what you need to know about the U.S. colleges ...
Consider the Essay Structure: Begin by outlining the word count and organizing the essay into clear, concise paragraphs. Gather Information: Research the history and significance of Independence Day and decide on the order in which to present the information. Start with the Basics: Begin by explaining the origins of Independence Day and how it is celebrated at home or in school.