What will the new essay section consist of?
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Format: 1 essay prompt, 1 reading passage
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Time: 50 minutes
What’s changing on the essay?
Passage-Based Prompts: The old SAT asked students to write an essay on a universal theme or idea, such as the importance of rebellion or the meaning of justice. On the new SAT students will need to read a long passage and then write an essay exploring how the author builds his or her argument. Students will write about the author’s use of evidence, diction, and writing style.
Consistent Prompts: Although the passage will change on each SAT, the instructions that students are given will always remain the same. Students will be asked to write about how the author uses evidence and style to persuade the reader.
Optional: The new SAT essay will be optional. However, some colleges may still require that students submit an essay score when applying to college. In those cases, a student will need to be sure to have taken the essay at least once.
Sequence: Currently, the essay is the first section of the SAT. On the new exam, the essay will come at the end of the test.
More Time: Because students will need to read a passage in order to write their essays, students will have twice as much time to write the new essay as they did on the old SAT.
Scoring: Essays will be scored based on a student’s understanding of the passage, analysis of the issues, and use of proper grammar and style.
What’s staying the same on the essay?
No Prior Knowledge Necessary: Although the reading passages will cover a variety of topics, students will not need to have any prior knowledge about the topic in order to write a strong essay.
Importance of Thesis and Writing Skills: The SAT graders will still want to see a strong thesis in every essay. When assigning a score, they will also consider how well a student writes and if the body of the essay supports the thesis.
