1. SAT Essay Scoring & Prompt Breakdown
The SAT will give you three scores, each with a maximum of 4 points.
Reading
Analysis
Writing

2. What the SAT Essay Measures
The SAT Essay shows how well students can comprehend an argumentative source text and produce a cogent and clear written analysis of the text supported by critical reasoning and evidence drawn from the source.
Reading: A successful essay shows that a student understood the passage, including the interplay of central ideas and important details. It also shows an effective use of textual evidence.
Analysis: A successful essay shows understanding of how the author builds an argument by:
Examining the author’s use of evidence, reasoning, and other stylistic and persuasive techniques
Supporting and developing claims with well-chosen evidence from the passage
Writing: A successful essay is cohesive and precise, with an appropriate style and tone that varies sentence structure and follows the conventions of standard written English.

3. SAT Essay Scoring & Prompt Breakdown
Reading
Analysis
Writing
comprehends source text
insightful analysis
cohesive response with effective use & command of language
understand main idea & key supporting details
well-considered evaluation of author’s use of evidence, reasoning, & style
precise central claim
demonstrate how details interrelate
support for claims is relevant, sufficient, & strategic
skillful introduction & conclusion
free from errors of reading
focus remains on features that are most relevant
ideas progress both within paragraphs & throughout essay
skillful use of textual evidence (quotations & paraphrasing)
variety in sentence structure
consistent & precise word choice
formal style & objective tone
Free of grammatical errors

4. What college recommends or requires for the new SAT essay?
ar.com/schools-that- require-the-sat-essay

5. SAT Essay Analysis Elements:
evidence to support claims (CD: Concrete Details)
reasoning to develop and to connect (CM: Commentary)
diction and emotional appeals to add power

6. How-to Attack SAT Essay:
Read passage.
As you read, annotate with three different symbols if possible for CD, CM, & diction/appeals
Make annotations answering how the CD supports, how the CM develops and connects, and how the diction/appeals add power to the overall argument.

7. All SAT Essay Prompts State the Following:
Write an essay in which you explain how AUTHOR builds an argument to persuade his/her audience on that TOPIC. In your essay analyze how the AUTHOR uses one or more of the features in the diction that precedes the passage (or features of your own choice) to strengthen the logic and persuasiveness of his/her argument. Be sure that your analysis focuses on the most relevant features of the passage.
Your essay should not explain whether you agree with the AUTHOR’s claims, but rather explains how the AUTHOR builds an argument to persuade his audience.

8. Optional Essay Prompt (Part 1)
As you read the passage below, consider how [the author] uses
evidence, such as facts or examples, to support claims.
reasoning to develop ideas and to connect claims and evidence.
stylistic or persuasive elements, such as word choice or appeals to emotion, to add power to the ideas expressed.
Source Text

9. Example: Optional Essay Prompt
As you read the passage below, consider how Dana Gioia uses
evidence, such as facts or examples, to support claims.
reasoning to develop ideas and to connect claims and evidence.
stylistic or persuasive elements, such as word choice or appeals to emotion, to add power to the ideas expressed.
Adapted from Dana Gioia, “Why Literature Matters” ©2005 by The New York Times Company. Originally published April 10, 2005.
[A] strange thing has happened in the American arts during the past quarter century. While income rose to unforeseen levels, college attendance ballooned, and access to information increased enormously, the interest young Americans showed in the arts—and especially literature—actually diminished….

10. Example: Optional Essay Prompt (Part 2)
…Reading is not a timeless, universal capability. Advanced literacy is a specific intellectual skill and social habit that depends on a great many educational, cultural, and economic factors. As more Americans lose this capability, our nation becomes less informed, active, and independent-minded. These are not the qualities that a free, innovative, or productive society can afford to lose.
Write an essay in which you explain how Dana Gioia builds an argument to persuade his audience that the decline of reading in America will have a negative effect on society. In your essay, analyze how Gioia uses one or more of the features listed above (or features of your own choice) to strengthen the logic and persuasiveness of his argument. Be sure that your analysis focuses on the most relevant aspects of the passage.
Your essay should not explain whether you agree with Gioia’s claims, but rather explain how he builds an argument to persuade his audience.

11. CHAPTER
Scoring the SAT Essay 3

12. Score 4 SAT Essay Rubric 4 Reading Analysis Writing
Advanced: The response demonstrates thorough comprehension of the source text.
The response shows an understanding of the text’s central idea(s) and of most important details and how they interrelate, demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of the text.
The response is free of errors of fact or interpretation with regard to the text.
The response makes skillful use of textual evidence (quotations, paraphrases, or both), demonstrating a complete understanding of the source text.
Advanced: The response offers an insightful analysis of the source text and demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of the analytical task.
The response offers a thorough, well-considered evaluation of the author’s use of evidence, reasoning, and/or stylistic and persuasive elements, and/or feature(s) of the student’s own choosing.
The response contains relevant, sufficient, and strategically chosen support for claim(s) or point(s) made.
The response focuses consistently on those features of the text that are most relevant to addressing the task.
Advanced: The response is cohesive and demonstrates a highly effective use and command of language.
The response includes a precise central claim.
The response includes a skillful introduction and conclusion. The response demonstrates a deliberate and highly effective progression of ideas both within paragraphs and throughout the essay.
The response has a wide variety in sentence structures. The response demonstrates a consistent use of precise word choice. The response maintains a formal style and objective tone.
The response shows a strong command of the conventions of standard written English and is free or virtually free of errors.

13. SAT Essay Rubric 1 Score 3 3 Reading Analysis Writing
Proficient: The response demonstrates effective comprehension of the source text.
The response shows an understanding of the text’s central idea(s) and important details.
The response is free of substantive errors of fact and interpretation with regard to the text.
The response makes appropriate use of textual evidence (quotations, paraphrases, or both), demonstrating an understanding of the source text.
Proficient: The response offers an effective analysis of the source text and demonstrates an understanding of the analytical task.
The response competently evaluates the author’s use of evidence, reasoning, and/or stylistic and persuasive elements, and/or feature(s) of the student’s own choosing.
The response contains relevant and sufficient support for claim(s) or point(s) made.
The response focuses primarily on those features of the text that are most relevant to addressing the task.
Proficient: The response is mostly cohesive and demonstrates effective use and control of language.
The response includes a central claim or implicit controlling idea.
The response includes an effective introduction and conclusion. The response demonstrates a clear progression of ideas both within paragraphs and throughout the essay.
The response has variety in sentence structures. The response demonstrates some precise word choice. The response maintains a formal style and objective tone.
The response shows a good control of the conventions of standard written English and is free of significant errors that detract from the quality of writing.

14. How do I attack the introduction? Rhetorical Analysis & Devices
A rhetorical precis differs from a summary in that it is a less neutral, more analytical condensation of both the content and method of the original text. If you think of a summary as primarily a brief representation of what a text says, then you might think of the rhetorical precis as a brief representation of what a text both says and does. Although less common than a summary, a rhetorical precis is a particularly useful way to sum up your understanding of how a text works rhetorically {Reading Rhetorically 62}.
The Structure of a Rhetorical Precis
Sentence One: Name of author, genre, and title of work, date in parenthesis; a rhetorically active verb; and a “that” clause containing the major assertion or thesis in the text.
Sentence Two: An explanation of how the author develops and supports the thesis.
Sentence Three: A statement of the author's apparent purpose,followed by an "in order to" phrase.
Sentence Four: A description of the intended audience and/or the relationship the author establishes with the audience.

15. Rhetorical Precis Sentence Starters:
Sentence One (Who/What?) __________ (Author) in the ___________ (A), ___________ (Title), ___________ (B) that ___________.
Sentence Two (HOW?) __________ supports his/her _________ (B) by __________ (C) _____________.
Sentence Three (Why?) The author’s purpose is to ____________ (D) in order to / so that _____________.
Sentence Four (To Whom?) The author writes in __________ (E) tone for _____________ (audience???).

16. Rhetorical Precis ChartB C D E
Article
Book
Review
Essay
Column
Editorial
Argues
Argument
Asserts
Assertion
Suggests
Suggestion
Claims
Questions
Explains
Explanation
Comparing
Contrasting
Telling
Explaining
Illustrating
Demonstrating
Defining
Describing
Listing
Show
Point out
Suggest
Inform
Persuade
Convince
Formal
Sarcastic
Humorous
Contemptuous

17. Rhetorical Appeals Cheat Sheet
Ethos
(Credibility)
Pathos (Emotions)
Logos
(Facts)
Facts
Diction
Compare/Contrast
Details
Imagery
Cause & Effect
Testimony
Personification
Background
Simile
Statistics
Credibility
Rhetorical Question
Problem / Solution
POV
Metaphor

18. SAT Dates (Spring & Fall dates)
SAT Administration Dates and Deadlines
SAT Date
Registration Deadline
Late Registration Deadline
Deadline for Changes
August 26, 2017
July 28, 2017
August 8, 2017 (for mailed registrations)
August 15, 2017 (for registrations made online or by phone)
August 15, 2017
October 7, 2017
September 8, 2017
September 19, 2017 (for mailed registrations)
September 27, 2017 (for registrations made online or by phone)
September 
November 4, 2017
October 5, 2017
October 17, 2017 (for mailed registrations)
October 25, 2017 (for registrations made online or by phone)
October 25, 2017
December 2, 2017
November 2, 2017
November 14, 2017 (for mailed registrations)
November 21, 2017 (for registrations made online or by phone)
November 21, 2017
March 10, 2018
February 9, 2018
February 20, 2018 (for mailed registrations)
February 28, 2018 (for registrations made online or by phone)
February 28, 2018
May 5, 2018
April 6, 2018
April 17, 2018 (for mailed registrations)
April 25, 2018 (for registrations made online or by phone)
April 25, 2018
June 2, 2018
May 3, 2018
May 15, 2018 (for mailed registrations)
May 23, 2018 (for registrations made online or by phone)
May 23, 2018