New SAT Essay Scoring Guide

							        New SAT Essay Scoring Guide
SCORE OF SCORE OF                                                                   SCORE
   6        5                                                                        OF 4
An essay in this category is          An essay in this category is effective,     An essay in this category
outstanding, demonstrating clear      demonstrating reasonably consistent         competent, demonstrating
and consistent mastery, although it   mastery, although it will have              adequate mastery, althoug
may have a few minor errors. A        occasional errors or lapses in quality. A   will have lapses in quality
typical essay.                        typical essay.                              typical essay.

Effectively and insightfully          Effectively develops a point of view on     Develops a point of view
develops a point of view on the       the issue and demonstrates strong           the issue and demonstrate
issue and demonstrates outstanding    critical thinking, generally using          competent critical thinkin
critical thinking, using clearly      appropriate examples, reasons, and          using adequate examples,
appropriate examples, reasons, and    other evidence to support its position      reasons, and other eviden
other evidence to support its                                                     to support its position
position

Is well organized and clearly         It well organized and focused,              Is generally organized and
focused, demonstrating clear          demonstrating coherence and                 focused, demonstrating so
coherence and smooth progression      progression of ideas                        coherence and progressio
of ideas                                                                          ideas

Exhibits skillful use of language,    Exhibits facility in the us of language,    Exhibits adequate but
using a varied, accurate and apt      using appropriate vocabulary                inconsistent facility in the
vocabulary                                                                        use of language

Demonstrates meaningful variety in    Demonstrates variety in sentence            Demonstrates some variet
sentence structure                    structure                                   in sentence structure

Is free of most errors in grammar,    Is generally free of most errors in         Has some errors in gramm
usage, and mechanics                  grammar, usage, and mechanics               usage, and mechanics



SCORE OF SCORE OF                                                                   SCORE
                3                                       2                             OF 1
An essay in this category is         An essay in this category is seriously    An essay in this category
inadequate, but demonstrates         limited, demonstrating little mastery,    fundamentally lacking,
developing mastery, and is marked    and is flawed by ONE OR MORE of           demonstrating very little o
by ONE OR MORE of the                the following weaknesses:                 no mastery, and is severel
following weaknesses:                                                          flawed by ONE OR MOR
                                                                               of the following weaknes

Develops a point of view on the      Develops a point of view on the issue     Develops no viable point
issue, demonstrating some critical   that is vague or seriously limited,       view on the issue, or
thinking, but may do so              demonstrating weak critical thinking,     provided little or no evide
inconsistently or use inadequate     providing inappropriate or insufficient   to support its position
examples, reasons, or other          examples, reasons, or other evidence to
evidence to support its position     support its position

Is limited in its organization or    Is poorly organized and/or focused, or    Is disorganized or unfocu
focus, or may demonstrate some       demonstrates serious problems with        resulting in a disjointed o
lapses in coherence or progression   coherence or progression of ideas         incoherent essay
of ideas

Lacks variety or demonstrates        Demonstrates frequent problems in         Demonstrates severe flaw
problems in sentence structure       sentence structure                        sentence structure

Contains an accumulation of errors   Contains errors in grammar, usage, and    Contains pervasive errors
in grammar, usage, and mechanics     mechanics so serious that meaning is      grammar, usage, or
                                     somewhat obscured                         mechanics that persistentl
                                                                               interfere with meaning.


             Essays not written on the essay assignment will receive a score of zero.
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