*Bigger is better. This is not golf.
—SamanthaThe Reading score grades your understanding of the main idea of the
passage. This is the “easiest” score, insofar as you will tank on this only if you
majorly misread the passage. The Analysis score is based on your understanding
of the argument, the use of evidence to back up the argument, and the stylistic
moves used to persuade or guide the reader. Finally, the Writing score is based
on your writing ability. They are looking for an orderly progression of ideas
throughout the paragraph and the essay, precise word choice, and a variety of
sentence structures. These scores are added up to get your total score, though on
the score sheet they will break it down so you can see just where you triumphed,
and just where you messed up.
HOW TO WRITE GOOD
That last score, the Writing score, will judge you on how well you’ve written the
essay. So . . . how do you write well? Hopefully, you have been working on this
in many classes in high school and, to be honest, we could write a whole
separate book on this topic, entitled Up Your Sentence: The Underground Guide
to Writing. But here we only have the space to give you a few helpful guidelines
and tips.
Be as specific as you can without getting stuck on any one point—time is of the essence.
—Samantha
1. BE SPECIFIC.
Bad writing: Krumpf doesn’t like video games.
Better writing: Krumpf says that video games offer fewer benefits than real-
world games.
Best writing: Krumpf argues that video games provide a lower level of creative
and intellectual engagement than even the most basic real-world games.
The more accurately you can restate, describe, and analyze the passage’s
argument, the wiser you will sound. By the same logic, writing specifically about