SAT Writing: A Step-by-Step Approach

SAT Writing and Language section is similar to donning an editor’s hat and identifying errors in grammar, usage and style in the English language presented in the test. You get to scrutinise a question paper crafted by a panel of experts! 

Sounds like fun? On that note, let’s begin your quest to master the techniques and strategies to tackle the SAT Writing and Language section with confidence.

What Is The SAT? A Quick Overview

The Scholastic Assessment Test or SAT is an entrance exam used by most colleges and universities in the US to test your readiness. Conducted by the College Board, SAT is a multiple-choice computer-based test that acts as a common data point to compare applicants from all over the world. The SAT score, along with the students’ high school GPA, letters of recommendation, extracurricular activities, admission interviews and personal essays form the basis on which universities make their admissions decisions. 

Two Module Adaptive Design In Digital SAT

The SAT has two sections – Reading & Writing and Mathematics, with an optional Essay Writing section, which is graded separately. The test breakdown is given below –

Component	Number of Questions	Time (in minutes)	Scoring Scale
SAT Reading and Writing	54	64 (2 modules, 32 min each)	200-800
Mathematics	44	70 (2 modules, 35 min each)	200-800
Total	98	134	400-1600

The first module of each section comprises a mix of easy, medium and hard questions. The digital SAT uses section adaptive testing, which means that based on the students’ performances in the first modules, the second modules will adapt accordingly and the questions asked will be less or more difficult.

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Understanding The SAT Writing Section

The SAT Writing section is a part of the ‘Reading and Writing’ section now and it tests the students’ writing skills based on their reading comprehension. It consists of short passages or pairs of passages, which are followed by a multiple-choice question. The questions are arranged from easiest to hard, giving the students a chance to warm up to them. The questions based on similar skills and knowledge are clubbed together to maintain a certain order. The Reading & Writing section is divided into two modules of 32 minutes each with 27 questions to answer in both. The questions are based on four different domains, which are  –

1. Craft and Structure
2. Information and Ideas
3. Standard English Conventions
4. Expression of Ideas

Content Domains & Their Significance In The SAT

The passages in the Reading & Writing section range from 25 to 150 words and are based on subjects like literature, history/social studies, science and the humanities. The purpose of testing the above mentioned content domains are explained below –

Craft and Structure – The content based on craft and structure tests a student’s ability to understand the main purpose of a given passage based on the language and structure used by the author in it. It measures –

• Vocabulary
• Rhetorical Analysis
• Textual Connections

Information and Ideas – This domain tests a student’s ability to understand information and ideas from the texts and graphics (tables, bar graphs, line graphs) given in the passage. It measures –

• Comprehension
• Analysis
• Reasoning
• Integration

Standard English Conventions – This domain tests your knowledge and ability to apply your language skills. It measures –

• Sentence Structure
• Grammar
• Usage and Mechanics
• Conventions of Punctuations

Expression of Ideas – This content domain tests your ability to express your ideas well along with your preparedness to identify and revise errors in a given sentence. It measures –

• Clarity and Precision
• Development and Support
• Organisation and Coherence

Types Of Questions In SAT Writing

SAT Writing is designed to assess your ability to understand complex texts, review arguments and identify and rectify errors in grammar and its usage, through a variety of multiple-choice questions. The intent is to gauge your critical thinking and language proficiency by testing your skills via questions based on –

1. Reading Comprehension
2. Analysis of Evidence
3. Word in Context
4. Sentence Improvement
5. Paragraph Improvement

Mastering Every Skill In The SAT Writing

Learning the art of mastering the skills mentioned above is essential to give a boost to your overall proficiency in English writing. By honing these skills, you are not just going to ace your SAT but also develop an aptitude in language for academic success in college and beyond. Let’s break down the skills and explore how to approach each of them like a pro!

1. Reading Comprehension

• Dive Right In – Expose yourself to different writing styles and subject matter by practising a variety of reading comprehension passages based on fiction, science, history and humanities. Familiarise yourself with the test formats and their difficulty levels by practising the official SAT practice tests published by the College Board.
• Adopt Active Reading Techniques – Annotate the passages by underlining key points and circling important details alongside the paragraphs in the margins to keep a tab on the main focus of the passage. Summarise the main points of the passage in your own words.
• Build Your Vocabulary – Read books, articles and news extensively to expand your vocabulary. Use flashcards to learn and retain new words. When lost or faced with unfamiliar words, use context clues to figure out the meanings.
• Decipher the Questions’ Intent – Familiarise yourself with different types of reading comprehension questions using practice tests. They are based either on the main idea, supporting details, inference, vocabulary in context or author’s purpose. Once you know the question stem, it becomes easier to answer them.

2. Analysis of Evidence

This is the skill to identify and interpret evidence that supports an idea within a passage. Here are a few strategies to ace them –

• Practise Active Reading – Pay attention to details and nuances. Keep asking yourself questions as you read along to understand the author’s purpose. Highlight key points as explained above.
• Master the Art of Identifying Evidence – Identify factual evidence like statistics, data and expert opinions (statements from credible sources), anecdotal evidence like personal stories and experiences, logical reasoning like deductive and inductive reasoning. Understand their relevance and credibility and evaluate their reliability and strength based on the source, logic and specificity.

3. Word-In-Context

Word-in-context questions test your ability to understand the meaning of a word in terms of its usage in a sentence or a passage. Students can develop this skill by reading up diverse material from novels, short stories, articles and essays. 

• Brush up your Basics – Active reading, building your vocabulary and highlighting important words within a passage helps in answering such questions better.
• Building Blocks – Understanding the building blocks of words like root words, prefixes and suffixes will help you decipher unfamiliar terms effectively.
• Context Clues – Identifying context clues like synonyms, antonyms and definitions within a sentence or paragraph can help answer word-in-context questions.

4. Sentence Improvement

Mastering grammar rules can go a long way in the SAT and beyond. Take care of a few basic rules to make sure that your sentences are infallible –

• Subject-verb agreement
• Pronoun-antecedent agreement
• Parallel structure to balance phrases and clauses
• Correct placement of a modifier
• Correct usage of idioms

5. Paragraph Improvement

This is a skill that enables students to identify and correct errors in grammar, usage and style. You can improve these skills by understanding common errors observed in –

• Sentence Structure – This includes subject-verb agreement, parallel structure, run-on sentences and sentence fragments.
• Usage and Mechanics – This may include wrong choice of words, punctuations and capitalisation.
• Clarity and Conciseness – This includes redundancy, wordiness and incoherent language usage. 

Essay Writing Guidance From The Best In The World!

Some Common Strategies That Apply To All

Some of the common strategies that can help you brush up all these skills are –

1. Develop Critical Thinking Skills

The student must learn to analyse a sentence structure by paying attention to its grammatical structure to understand the relationship between words. Try to figure out the author’s intent for using a particular word or phrase, tone and style.

2. Adopt Effective Study Strategies

Make a study schedule for SAT preparation. Read diverse texts. Take help of mnemonics to memorise grammar rules and vocabulary. Discuss strategies with peers and join study groups to stay abreast. Seek professional help from a reliable tutoring platform like Ascend Now to get one-on-one tutoring sessions from experts in the field.

3. Manage your SAT test timing with SAT Practice Tests

First of all, stay calm and focussed. Familiarise yourself with the SAT format and structure. Time your practice sessions and simulate actual test conditions. Pace yourself by allocating a specific amount of time to each question.

4. Outsmart the SAT Writing Questions

SAT questions may be confusing at times. Here’s how you can crack them –

• Read them carefully by paying attention to specific details and wording of the question stem to understand what exactly is being asked. 
• Adapt strategies like narrowing down your options by eliminating redundancy and unlikely answers.
• Substitute the target word in the question with each answer option to see which one fits the best.
• Trust your instinct. If unsure, choose an answer that sounds the most natural and correct.

5. Be open to feedback

Review your mistakes and analyse what went wrong and where you need to work more on. 

Optional Essay Writing In SAT

Essay writing has now become an optional part of the SAT, but it can be a valuable way to showcase your writing and analytical skills during college admissions. Once you have mastered the skills of SAT writing fundamentally, the optional essay writing becomes a cake walk.  

What is offered to you in the test?

You are given a short passage consisting of 650-750 words, which presents an argument or discusses a specific topic. Based on the topic, you are given a prompt in the form of a question or instruction to analyse the author’s argument and rhetorical techniques and write an essay based on the prompt, all within 50 minutes.

What is expected of you?

• Analyse the passage, understand the author’s ideas and key points.
• Evaluate the rhetorical devices used (ethos, pathos, figurative language, logos), use of evidence and reasoning in the passage.
• Write a persuasive essay that is well-crafted to explain the author’s point of view and argument using examples from the passage. 
• The essay should have a clear structure – an introduction, body and conclusion.
• The essay should be concise and effective.

How is the essay evaluated?

The essay score is not a part of the 400-1600 score of SAT. For the essay, a student is evaluated on three dimensions – Reading, Analysis and Writing – each on a scale of 2-8 by two different readers independently. It’s a simple evaluation where the scores are the sum of two readers’ 1-4 ratings in each dimension.

How to prepare for the SAT Essay Writing

Follow the basic preparation methods explained above. Get your grammar, punctuation and sentence structure right. Write regularly to practise essay writing to improve your flair, writing style and clarity. Practise writing within the allotted time.

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The Art Of Persuasive Writing With Ascend Now

Ascend Now is an online tutoring platform that provides personalised academic assistance and support to students appearing for SAT. Learn the art of persuasive writing with our experienced tutors who are all digital SAT certified. Improve your writing skills with our customised resources, practice exams and study guides. Speak to an advisor now.