Most of the top-scoring essays I’ve seen, though, have followed something similar to the 5-paragraph format: intro paragraph, three example paragraphs, conclusion paragraph. The number of example paragraphs might vary, and sometimes there isn’t a conclusion paragraph, but in general the top-scoring essays seem to favor this 5-paragraph format. It’s the format I use, and the one I advise all of my students to use.
SAT Essay Rule 8: Clearly State Your Thesis, Preferably In The First Sentence
Whether you use the 5-paragraph format or not (again, I highly recommend it), make sure you have a clearly stated thesis in the essay. One of the things that graders really seem to pay attention to is how well you support your position (which makes sense, right?). If they can’t find a clearly articulated statement of your position right away, it becomes more difficult for them to tell if you did a good job of supporting that position. So make it easy on them and include a clear thesis.
I’d also recommend putting that thesis as the first sentence in your essay, even though that’s not the common place for a thesis in the standard 5-paragraph essay format. For an example of an essay that does this, check out the essay on page 197 of The Official SAT Study Guide again. Note that the prompt asks, “Is deception ever justified?” The first sentence of the essay on 197, which got a perfect score, is “Deception is sometimes justified”—a clear statement of the thesis for the rest of the essay to support.
I think readers react well to a thesis in this position because it makes it very clear what you’re trying to prove, which makes it easy for them to determine whether you go on to prove it or not. (Of course, in order to get a good score, you do need to support the thesis in the rest of the essay. Stating it clearly is just an important first step.)
Recommended Step-By-Step Approach to the SAT Essay
This process is an effective way to organize your thoughts and write a response that closely imitates known high-scoring essays. Feel free to use it or adapt it to fit the situation—but make sure any adaptations you make are still in line with the rules for the SAT Essay in this book.
1. Watch the clock from the beginning.
You only have 25 minutes to plan and write an essay. If you kill just 5 minutes day-dreaming or panicking, you’ve wasted twenty percent of your time! Do NOT let time get away from you here. Remember that it’s crucial to fill as much of the given space as possible, because the single largest factor in your score will be the length of the essay. So plan to hit the ground running.
2. Develop a one-word response to the question.
Before you can write this essay, you have to know what you’re going to be saying. It sounds simplistic, but you need to focus yourself before you can make effective, efficient use of your time.
This one-word answer will often simply be “yes,” “no,” or “maybe,” but it could just as easily be anything else. Remember that there is no correct answer to an SAT Essay question—you can’t get this step wrong. The goal is simply to focus your mind on the point you’re trying to make in your essay.
3. Find or make up three facts that illustrate your position. Use personal experiences if you want.
Remember that the SAT scorers don’t care whether the examples that illustrate your position are factually true or false, or whether they’re academic or personal. All they care about is whether you can put together ANY example at all that would support your point.
So if you decide to make these examples up out of thin air, then be sure the relationship between the examples and your position is clear and direct. Don’t invent an example that’s only vaguely related to your answer. This is a blank check—come up with something relevant. It will make your score higher, and make the rest of your writing easier.
In general, test-takers seem to have an easier time using personal examples than academic ones. But if academic examples are what come to mind more naturally for you, then feel free to use them—just make sure they’re relevant (if they’re not, feel free to change the facts until they are).
4. Begin your essay with a one-sentence statement of your answer to the prompt.
The SAT scorers aren’t big on subtlety. Start your essay with a flat statement of the point you intend to prove. (For examples of top-scoring essays that did this, see pages 123, 197, and 200 of the College Board book The Official SAT Study Guide.) Refer to your one-word answer in Step 2 if you’ve forgotten what you were trying to say.
5. Fill in a sentence or two that relate to your thesis.
At this point, we’re really just trying to add some length to the essay. If you know what your examples are likely to be, then feel free to refer to them. If you’re not so sure, then just expand on the thesis a little.