ACT Writing: What To Expect & How to Raise Your Score
When we talk about the ACT exam, generally we are referring to the four main sections that make up a student’s composite score: English, math, reading, and science. But what about the optional fifth section — writing? Why does the ACT include this section? Do you need to take it? What do you need to know in order to do well on this section? We’ll answer all of your burning ACT writing questions right now.
ACT Writing - What’s the point?
The ACT writing section is much different than the four sections that come before it. Students get accustomed to working through multiple choice questions and filling in answer bubbles throughout ACT test day, and then, before they finally get to go home, they are thrown a 45-minute handwritten essay. Seems a bit strange.
The fact of the matter is that writing is actually really important. If we’re being honest, of all of the areas tested on the ACT, writing is a really big one that students will actually go on to use throughout any secondary education that they pursue. Many students will never be asked to find the slope of a line again, but every student that goes on to complete further schooling will be expected to know how to write an essay. The essay part of the ACT is meant to gauge a student’s likeliness to succeed at college-level writing — which, again, is a BIG part of college curriculum.
It’s not easy to judge a student’s ability to write a strong essay by asking a series of multiple-choice questions. Therefore, this section does require students to actually craft an essay response to a prompt that the ACT provides. The ACT writing essay examines a student’s writing ability to compose an essay that is effective at arguing their point. To determine whether the essay is effective, the ACT scores based on four key factors. Here is the big picture to keep in mind for each of these four areas:
Organization - Is your essay organized in a way that is easy for the reader to follow? Are different ideas separated into their own paragraphs? Do you have an introduction and a conclusion?
Development and support - Do you use logical, concrete examples and to support your perspective and ideas?
Language use - Do you use correct English grammar? Do you spell words correctly? Do your sentences vary in structure? Are you using appropriate vocabulary?
Ideas and analysis - Do you support one specific perspective but include all perspectives in your essay? Do you compare and contrast the different perspectives?
ACT Writing - What does it look like?
Format: Background information of the topic + Essay Prompt + 3 Perspectives
The ACT essay is always an argumentative essay. Students are scored based on their ability to effectively argue their perspective. However, students do not get to choose the topic of their essay. Students are provided some background information on a topic and then provided with three differing perspectives about the topic. Students will choose one perspective that they wish to agree with and focus on throughout their essay. That’s right - students don’t even have to make up their own argument! They can simply select one of the perspectives they are given and use it as the base of their essay. They will then develop supporting information and examples to support the perspective chosen. Students then get 45 minutes to plan, create, and review their handwritten essay.
The ACT does a pretty good job of selecting ACT writing topics that are more or less relevant to modern American life and culture, so generally the topic is something that most students should have some level of familiarity with. For example, recent ACT writing prompts have included subjects questioning the decrease of face-to-face communication, the effects of childhood stardom, the safety of genetically modified organisms, and the importance of arts in education. So, while students do not get a sneak peek at what the topic of the essay will be for the upcoming test, they should not worry so much about what the topic is as making sure they have a strong grasp of the writing fundamentals that the ACT is looking for.
ACT Writing - How is it scored?
The scoring of the ACT writing section is yet another key difference from the other four sections of the exam. While all other sections are scored out of 36 total points, the ACT writing section is scored on a scale of 2-12. Since this is the only section of the test that is unable to be graded by a computer, the ACT has two separate evaluators read each student’s essay and give it a score on a scale of 1-6. These two scores are then combined to give the student a total score out of 12.
The fact that a human scores the writing section of the ACT can be a positive thing, as well as a negative thing. One downside has to do with the speed of scoring. Where a computer can quickly crank out Scantron test scores, humans take much longer to work through and score written essays. For this reason, ACT writing scores take about two weeks longer to be released than the multiple-choice counterparts of the same exam. On the positive side, a human has emotions and reactions and can be influenced by the essay that the student writes. This can be good to keep in mind while working through the writing essay. For example, data has shown that students who write more usually receive higher scores.
So , what are the evaluators looking for when they score an essay? We’ve already mentioned the four areas that the essays will be scored on. Here is the ACT’s identification of each of these categories. Per act.org, these areas are as follows:
Ideas and Analysis—Scores in this domain reflect the ability to generate productive ideas and engage critically with multiple perspectives on the given issue. Competent writers understand the issue they are invited to address, the purpose for writing, and the audience. They generate ideas that are relevant to the situation.
Development and Support—Scores in this domain reflect the ability to discuss ideas, offer rationale, and bolster an argument. Competent writers explain and explore their ideas, discuss implications, and illustrate through examples. They help the reader understand their thinking about the issue.
Organization—Scores in this domain reflect the ability to organize ideas with clarity and purpose. Organizational choices are integral to effective writing. Competent writers arrange their essay in a way that clearly shows the relationship between ideas, and they guide the reader through their discussion.
Language Use and Conventions—Scores in this domain reflect the ability to use written language to convey arguments with clarity. Competent writers make use of the conventions of grammar, syntax, word usage, and mechanics. They are also aware of their audience and adjust the style and tone of their writing to communicate effectively.
ACT Writing - What do I need to know to get a good score?
Lets begin by identifying what “good score” actually means. The ACT writing section is scored on a scale of 1-12, based on the sum of the scores given by the two evaluators, as outlined above. That means that if each scorer gives the essay a score of 3 out of 6, the student has an essay that is doing about half of what a perfect essay does. Per act.org, a perfect 6 out of 6 on each of the four areas is considered as follows:
Ideas and Analysis—The writer generates an argument that critically engages with multiple perspectives on the given issue. The argument’s thesis reflects nuance and precision in thought and purpose. The argument establishes and employs an insightful context for analysis of the issue and its perspectives. The analysis examines implications, complexities and tensions, and/or underlying values and assumptions.
Development and Support—Development of ideas and support for claims deepen insight and broaden context. An integrated line of skillful reasoning and illustration effectively conveys the significance of the argument. Qualifications and complications enrich and bolster ideas and analysis.
Organization—The response exhibits a skillful organizational strategy. The response is unified by a controlling idea or purpose, and a logical progression of ideas increases the effectiveness of the writer’s argument. Transitions between and within paragraphs strengthen the relationships among ideas.
Language Use and Conventions—The use of language enhances the argument. Word choice is skillful and precise. Sentence structures are consistently varied and clear. Stylistic and register choices, including voice and tone, are strategic and effective. While a few minor errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics may be present, they do not impede understanding.
This perfect score is hard to come by, however, since both scorers would have to give the essay a score of 6 out of 6. But don’t fret — you don’t need a perfect score! (Remember that this section is optional and does not count toward your composite score!) So what actually is a GOOD essay score? Well, the average writing score is just shy of a 7 out of 12. For students looking to go to rather competitive colleges and universities, it is a good idea to aim for at least an 8 on the ACT writing section — this lands somewhere in the 80+ percentile. Students scoring over 8 on the writing section are in the 95+ percentile for this section of the exam, which makes anything above an 8 a really great score.
As with all areas of the ACT, there are some key things that you can keep in mind to assist you as you work through the ACT writing essay, regardless of what topic they throw at you…
8 things to make sure to do on your ACT essay
Plan your essay - Planning your essay in advance is a VERY important aspect of the writing section. You should identify the perspective you agree with, write a strong thesis, and then map out your supporting paragraph points and examples before beginning to craft an essay. The ACT provides scratch paper for just this purpose, so use it! This will be critical in helping you combat the time constraint — remember that you only get 45 minutes to write and that the essay is HANDWRITTEN! You can’t easily go back and change the order of phrases or add more details to a sentence. You’d be wasting all of your precious time erasing and starting over. Students should spend anywhere between 5 to 10 minutes planning and mapping out the essay. This will not only make the actual writing step move very quickly, but it will also ensure that the essay is organized in a way that is easy to follow — remember that ORGANIZATION is one of the four things that your essay is graded on.
Your Intro & Conclusion matter most - Remember what we said about the scorers of your essay being real people? First impressions matter! You need to make sure to grab the reader’s attention right away with your introduction while also making sure to be crystal clear about the topic of your essay. Then closing off your essay with a strong conclusion will leave a good taste in the reader’s mouth. This is critical, as now they will begin the scoring process. Because of all of this, you should spend more time planning your introduction and conclusion than planning your supporting paragraphs.
Use CONCRETE examples - Even though we just told you to spend less time planning your supporting paragraphs, that does NOT mean to just throw something together haphazardly. On the surface level, you want to make sure that your supporting ideas are logical and that they fit with your overall perspective. Then you want to make sure that you go one step further and give real, concrete examples to make you look even more credible. For example, an essay that argues “Face-to-face communication is declining due to the internet,” will be less effective than one arguing that “While face-to-face communication is declining, internet applications like Skype, FaceTime, and Google Hangouts are an example of how we remain in contact with people.” This is an example of using product names to make an argument more credible. The same is true for places (If you can name a country, do it. If you can name the specific city, even better!), dates (If you can give a specific date, that is amazing — make sure not to make anything up on your essay. If you can’t think of a specific date, a specific year still makes you sound credible.), names (Try your best here to spell names correctly - this isn’t as big of a deal as if you spell normal words wrong throughout your essay, though.), and so on and so forth. Basically, be as specific as you can be wherever possible. You want the reader to not only believe what you are arguing, but you want them to also believe that you are a subject matter guru.
Include a counter argument - In the past, the ACT evaluated essays simply on a student’s ability to effectively argue his or her point. In more recent years, however, the ACT has modified their definition of an effective essay to include not only arguing one’s point but also respecting and accepting other perspectives. This means that a strong essay is expected not only to persuade the reader of a particular perspective but also to explore differing perspectives, especially the other two that appear with the prompt. Make sure to make space for exploring these perspectives quickly within your essay. Also ensure that you are not bashing these perspectives — the idea is to respect other opinions and acknowledge that your opinion is not the only opinion.
Write as MUCH as you can - At the end of the day, your essay is being graded by a human. While a computer that generates a Scantron test is not going to be swayed by any human input, a human certainly is. As we mentioned earlier, data shows that, on average, students who write more receive higher scores on the writing section of the ACT. This doesn’t mean that you should just fill your papers with a bunch of useless phrases, but as you sit there with writer’s cramp and contemplate throwing your pencil at the test moderator, push through and keep writing! All that writer’s cramp is going to lead to a higher score!
You DON’T have to pick the perspective that you agree with - This is a big one that is not necessarily common sense. It’s totally normal to gravitate toward the perspective that you agree with most. Oftentimes this will be the perspective that you’ll have the easiest time writing about, in which case it’s the perfect choice for your essay. However, it’s very possible that there may be an instance where the perspective that you disagree with most is the one that you can actually come up with the most logical, concrete supporting ideas and evidence. It can help to remember that you are not ever scored on which perspective you choose to write about — scorers do not consider this when they are scoring. All they care about are the four criteria we’ve mentioned multiple times here: organization, language use, ideas and analysis, and development and support. Don’t be afraid to write from a perspective that you disagree with. Write about whichever perspective you think you can most strongly develop and support ideas.
Don’t downplay spelling - If you think you might have spelled it wrong, pick another word! Lets go back to the important fact that the scorer of your essay is a real person. No matter how good your ideas are and how strong and concrete your supporting evidence is, if your essay is riddled with spelling errors, especially of everyday words that you should for sure know how to spell, your scorer is going to be swayed in a negative direction. Your essay as a whole needs to be strong — and this includes your spelling.
Pay attention to conventions of standard English - One of the four criteria that you are scored on is Language Use and Conventions. This covers everything from word choice and sentence structure to comma usage and spelling. Basically, take what you have learned from your preparation for the English portion of the ACT, and USE IT! Make sure you’re varying the structure of sentences throughout the essay. This is an academic essay, so use vocabulary that is fitting — don’t write your essay with the same language you use when texting with your friends. Make sure punctuation and commas are in the appropriate places. Similar to the spelling mentioned above in #6, if you aren’t sure if a comma is in the right place, rephrase the sentence so that you don’t need that comma. Again, your whole essay needs to make you look like the subject matter guru that the scorer should agree with. Don’t let misplaced commas influence your scorer’s feelings about your essay.
ACT Writing - Do I need to take it?
The ACT writing section is OPTIONAL. However, there are certain colleges and universities that do require a student to submit an ACT writing score with their college application package. This would be an instance where a student should consider the ACT writing section to be mandatory. Before you decide to ignore the ACT writing section altogether, make sure you check the college app requirements for all of the schools you plan to apply to. If you skip the writing section now and later find out that it’s required….guess what? You have to take the ENTIRE ACT again if you want to get that writing score. Best to have a thorough understanding of what all you are expected to include in your college app from the beginning.
At The Prepared Student, we recommend that students take the ACT writing section at least once. This will, for one, ensure that you have a writing section score to include on your college apps should you end up needing it. Additionally, it really does give a look into a student’s ability to write effective essays. If a student obtains a mid- to high-level score on the ACT essay, then he or she can expect to be able to handle college essays pretty well as a whole. On the contrary, if a student really struggles with the ACT writing essay, he or she should spend some time working on essay-writing abilities to ensure that this is not going to be a stressful, weak point during college — most students write a TON of essays during college.
Recap: ACT Writing
While the ACT writing section may seem like a nuisance that wastes more of your Saturday morning and does not contribute to your composite ACT score, it can actually be very beneficial for students preparing to make the leap to college. The ACT writing essay evaluates a student’s ability to write essays effectively based on organization, ideas and analysis, development and support, and language use and conventions. Even if the writing section is not an admissions requirement for the specific schools that you plan to apply to, it might help you to gauge your writing abilities and thus determine how easy or difficult of a time college-level writing will be for you. Of course, there is much more preparation that can be done to ensure a study is ready to excel on the ACT writing section. If you want to refine your essay writing skills to make sure they are fitting for a high score on the ACT essay, one of our expert tutors would be happy to help you prepare. Reach out to us on our Contact page or by email at info@thepreparedstudent.com to discuss your ACT test goals and test prep needs.
Good luck, and happy studying!
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