Perfect ACT Essay
Just like the ACT and SAT are two entirely different animals, the ACT and SAT essays differ as well. I hear students share rumors all the time like “you have to fill both pages to get a good score” or “if you make up examples you’ll get a zero.”
Rather than me pontificate about what I think is a super essay, let’s check out the specific guidelines the ACT folks set forth. Below are the qualifications for a top scoring, perfect 6 essay according to each test. (Keep in mind that on both tests your essay is read by two graders, creating a possible score of 12).
Perfect 6 ACT Essay (as described in The Real ACT Prep Guide)
-“represent strong responses to the writing task”
-“recognizes and addresses the complexity of the issue by dealing with several perspectives on the issue”
-“exploring some cultural dimensions of the issue”
-“anticipating and responding to counterarguments”
-“organization is clear” and “ transitions reflect the writer’s logic”
-“introduction offers a full context for the issue”
-“language is effective”
-“good command: sentences are varied and word choice is varied and precise”
Unlike the SAT essay, which is an exercise in form and functionality, the ACT essay rewards creative/critical thinking and problem solving above all else. While you may think this is fantastic news because it sounds like you’re off the hook grammatically, don’t celebrate too soon. ACT essay prompts are not always so easy to expound upon; they are questions that address real life situations—like creating parameters for teenagers to earn their drivers licenses or reducing tardiness in schools. If you don’t see the multiple layers of issues that these seemingly simple questions create (meaning you say “yes, grade point average is a great way to qualify teenagers for driving and this is why”), you’re not going to earn a 6. You may earn a 5, but the 6 isn’t happening.
Here’s an example: a typical question might ask you if students should be required to attain and maintain a 2.0 GPA in order to get a driver’s license. In fact, it’s the first example in the indispensable The Real ACT Prep Guide, which you should be using for practice material if you’re prepping for the ACT. Anyway, this 2.0 GPA question sounds very straightforward, yes or no.
However, an outstanding ACT essay is going to respond to the question using the following points:
-It is common knowledge that teenagers are more likely to be in car accidents than any other age group, as evidenced by their unusually high insurance rates.
-Keeping teenagers safe in cars and encouraging safe driving among teenagers is of paramount importance.
-Indeed, supporting a rule that requires students to retain a specific grade point average may help weed out some dangerous drivers. However, teenage drivers should be put through rigorous driver’s education and alcohol abuse education. They should also be put under a curfew until the age of 18, thereby further preventing late night drinking, reckless driving, and drag racing.
-While further education against the dangers of speeding, alcohol abuse, and drag racing may not prevent all deaths, these stronger rules and guidelines will certainly reduce teen driving fatalities more than a GPA standard alone.
Important to note: it’s not unlikely that as a teenager you would never want to write an essay including the points I’ve just cited. Why? Because you likely don’t want to advocate for stricter rules in an world where you already likely feel pretty limited. Remember that when you’re writing for the ACT the side of the argument for which you can most easy prove your point and expand your ideas is the side you want to write about, whether you like it or not.
NOTE: YOU CAN FIND A COPY OF THE REAL ACT PREP GUIDE IN ELIZABETH’S SMART STORE. It includes examples of essays that have received each level score. Very worthwhile.
