Vocabulary
The vocabulary in this essay is pretty unremarkable, with the exception of the words “protagonist” and “mendacity.”
Grammar
The sentences in this essay are fairly simple and straightforward. This is pretty typical for top-scoring SAT Essays: nothing remarkable in terms of grammar or sentence structure, but the sentences are generally well-executed.
The Essay From Page 200 Of The Blue Book
Length
The essay is presented in a standardized handwriting font, so we can’t see exactly how much of the two pages in the test booklet it would have taken up. But if we compare it to other essays in the Blue Book we can see that it’s pretty long compared to them, which is a rule for scoring high on the SAT Essay.
Thesis
The first sentence of the entire essay is its thesis, but this thesis is a little bit more grammatically complex than many of the thesis statements we’ll see in top-scoring SAT Essays.
Structure
This essay uses a structure that’s closer to the classic 5-paragraph structure typical of many top-scoring SAT Essays: introduction paragraph, three example paragraphs, and conclusion paragraph. In this case, the last example paragraph is more of a list of hypotheticals than a single episode.
Type of examples
The examples in this essay are all personal, and sound like they might also have been made up. Remember that the SAT Essay-graders don’t care if your examples are academic or personal, or even if they’re factually accurate. All the graders care about is whether your examples would support your thesis if they were true.
Vocabulary
All of the words in this essay are pretty basic, but they’re used properly. This is typical for top-scoring SAT Essays.
Grammar
The last sentence of the essay is grammatically incorrect (the word “a” needs to be removed), but otherwise the essay is free of errors. It’s normal to see an SAT Essay receive a perfect score like this one did even if it contains a couple of small grammatical mistakes.
Conclusion
We’ve just analyzed the four SAT Essays from the Blue Book that each scored 6 out of 6. Looking at the evidence like this makes it clear that most of the SAT Essay-writing advice out there has no basis in reality. The only consistent feature in all top-scoring essays is their length. Essays that use personal examples can make perfect scores, just like essays with more academic examples. The basic 5-paragraph format, or some variation of it, will be found in most top-scoring SAT Essays. Top-scoring essays typically don’t demonstrate advanced vocabularies or flawless grammar.
So the next time somebody tries to tell you differently (and people will), have them look at the actual top-scoring essays in the Blue Book :)
SAT Essay Quick Summary
This is a one-page summary of the major relevant concepts. Use it to evaluate your comprehension or jog your memory. For a more in-depth explanation, see the rest of the section.
The Big Secret: The SAT Essay isn’t graded like a school essay, and shouldn’t be written like one.
State your position on the prompt clearly, and support it with three examples.
Factual accuracy doesn't matter, as long as your examples would support your thesis if they were true.
Personal, historical, and literary examples are all equally valid. Go with what's easiest for you.
Some imperfect grammar is okay. Showing off your vocabulary won’t help. Just say what you mean.
Length is the most important thing. Plan on 1.5 pages at a bare minimum. Closer to 2 is best.
Format:
There’s no set format you must follow to get a good score, but I find it's best to stick to the standard 5-paragraph format: intro, 3 example paragraphs, conclusion. Since it's familiar, structured, and repetitive, it will be easy to write in the time allotted, and it will be easy for the grader to read and understand quickly.
Remember that you're not trying to stand out and write a 'special' essay. You want to write one that's just like all the other high-scoring essays, so the grader can quickly read it, recognize that it's a good essay, give you a good score, and then move on.
Here’s the process:
oRead the prompt and quickly pick a side.
oIntro paragraph: Start your essay with a simple thesis statement, just a clear and direct response to the prompt. Briefly mention your three supporting examples. Restate your answer to the prompt in a sentence or two. Pad out the first paragraph (which is a more polite way of saying “BS it”).
o1st example paragraph: In a few sentences, explain your first example. Finish the paragraph with a sentence or two relating this example back to the first sentence of the essay.
o2nd example paragraph: Repeat the previous step with your second example.