The 25 minute Essay SAT style timed writing

General Information  Students have 25 minutes to write a first draft essay.  Prompts are free of figurative, technical, or specific literary knowledge; they do not draw on specialized knowledge.  Students may write about literature, the arts, sports, politics, technology and science, history, current events, or personal observations (therefore, personal pronouns are acceptable).

Scoring  Essays are graded holistically (overall impression) using a 6 point rubric. Items on the rubric seem to be listed in descending order of importance.  Readers spend only 2-3 minutes per essay.  Readers are high school teachers and college professors.

Suggestions  Try to write at least 3-4 substantial paragraphs (but 4-5 paragraph essays usually earn higher scores). You need an introduction paragraph (that includes a clear thesis at the end of it), body paragraph(s) (focus on one detailed example per body paragraph), and a conclusion paragraph that wraps up the essay.  Develop a clear point of view that you can fully support; choose one side of the issue and stick to it (avoid riding the fence and being wishy-washy).  Don’t write “fluff” just to fill the lines; make sure that every sentence says something worthwhile.  Directly and clearly address the prompt.  Don’t be overly ambitious; limit your focus. It is better to have fewer DETAILED examples than more examples that are vague and lack detail.  Personal experience examples are fine, but, if possible, try to use current events, history, literature, the arts, sports, politics, technology and science, or some other discipline, as these tend to earn higher scores. Use various sources/examples in your essay.

Effective writing is marked by…  The development of a point of view  Logical presentation of ideas  Clear lines of reasoning  Sustained focus  Appropriate choices of evidence  Skillful coherence  Effective organization  Precise use of language  Engagement with the reader

THINK ACT REPAIR  THINK (approximately 5 minutes)  Read prompt carefully; re-read two or three times. If there is a word that you don’t understand, try to determine its meaning from context clues (other words) in the sentence.  Decide on your viewpoint-come up with thesis  Plan/Outline: brainstorm supporting examples and determine how you will organize them in your paper. Discuss only one example per body paragraph.  ACT (approximately 18 minutes)  Write out paragraphs  REPAIR (approximately 2 minutes)  Proofread: check for spelling, capitalization, punctuation, grammar, and syntax errors.  Quickly make minor changes to words and/or structure and correct errors.