SAT Essay: Make your introduction and conclusion strong

Many students who get a 10 have skimped on the introduction and conclusion.
Make sure you pay attention to both of those to receive a 12.

Here's how to turn a 10 essay into a 12:

Make sure your introduction and conclusion have 3-4 sentences each.

A 10 essay already should include:

A gerund phrase:

  Believing the equal protection clause granted her the right to vote, Susan B. Anthony

Other complex sentences:

  Though she died...

  Despite facing attacks...

This essay was a 10 previously. Now it's a 12 with the changes.

The parts with strikethrough font were for the 10 essay.
The parts with underline are new.
The other parts (no strikethrough or underline) were unchanged.

some small changes were implemented to avoid repetition: (using person instead of using "citizen" again).
A few other changes: bigger words: ameliorate and paragon
The big change is the longer conclusion with a good quote.

People who gathered in a hall in Philadelphia and crafted a constitution shaped the United States. And it is citizens who must continue to effect change. One cannot expect government to initiate and bring about changes to improve society.

Two major constitutional amendments granting equality -- the Fourteenth Amendment and the Nineteenth Amendment -- were promoted by individual Americans fighting for equality. No two individuals pushed for those changes more than Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass did.

No two individuals pushed more for those changes than did Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass.

Anthony was born in 1820, when women lacked the right to vote and could not even own property. She spearheaded a campaign for women's property rights in New York. The state finally granted the right in 1860. But her bigger -- and tougher -- battle was women's suffrage.

She believed Believing the equal protection clause granted her the right to vote. So, in 1860, she cast a ballot in Rochester. She wasPolice arrested her, and faced trial. The a judge actually issued a guilty verdict before the trial. He fined her, but she refused to pay. , fining her. Despite facing attacks from the public and pundits, she soldiered on, playing a pivotal role in the movement with her journal, The Revolution. WhileThough she died in 1906 -- 14 years before the passage of the 19th Amendment -- she laid the groundwork for the right of women to vote. Anthony demonstrates that individuals must play a key role in improving society.

Just as Anthony, as an individual citizen, pushed for rights as a citizen, so too did Frederick Douglass. The son of a slave, he worked as a servant. The wife of the servant taught him to read --in violation of state law. That move enabled him to push later in his life to effect change in society as an educated citizen.person. After Douglass escaped slavery and, he eloquently told of his ordeal in a passionate speech. The talk catapulted him to the forefront of the antislavery movement. He didn't wait for Congress to act, he pushed legislators to act and persuaded President Lincoln to make the civil war a war against slavery.

t is the acts of individuals, pushing to make a difference, that changes the world. Government alone cannot effect change as great as the change brought on by citizens.Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass serve as paragons of the notion that individuals must work toward change. Their fight was well-captured by Robert F. Kennedy, who once said that each person who acts to effect change sends “tiny ripples of hope,” ripples that cross each other and can knock down the “mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.” Individuals must push to make a difference to bring about revolutionary change; government cannot ameliorate the world’s problems as well as citizens can do.

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Would Romney fail the writing portion of the SAT?

U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney is surging ahead in the polls. Do you like he? Sounds funny, huh? Not to Romney.

Check out this quote that appeared in the New York Times.

“Well, I understand Newt must be very angry and I don’t exactly understand why, but look, I wish him well,” Mr. Romney said. “It’s a long road ahead. He’s a good guy. I like he and Callista."

My high school students would know this basic grammar. The object gets the objective form. "him and Callista" are the objects, not "he and Callista."

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Oops! The College Board makes mistakes, too.
I guess College Board can't choose answer choice E (no error), on this one...

Disregard That ‘Past Due Invoice’ From the College Board



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How does an ACT score compare to an SAT score?

I often get asked how to compare ACT scores to SAT scores.
Here's a table from the maker of the ACT.


The table says a 29 composite score on the ACT is equivalent to a 1300 on the SAT math and reading section's combined.

How are the equivalencies of the ACT and SAT scores determined?
A student scoring a 29 on the ACT is in the 90th percentile (only 10% of students did better)
A student scoring a 1300 on the SAT math and reading combined is in the 90th percentile.
Because those scores draw the same percentage of students, they are equivalent scores.

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Following Mom (or Dad) to an Ivy League School..

If your mother or father went to an Ivy League school, do you have a better chance of getting in? Yes. (Of course, a good SAT score or a good ACT score could help, too.)
But should you have a better chance because a parent attended the school?
Check out the debate in The New York Times?

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A media executive resigned to bad grammar

Today Rebekah Brooks resigned as chief executive of News International.
I'm surprised she headed a media corporation. She would not do well on the writing section of the SAT.

"At News International we [lacks antecdent. The same error occurs throughout the letter] pride ourselves on setting the news agenda for the right reasons. Today we are leading the news for the wrong ones.

"The reputation of the company we love so much, as well as the press freedoms we value so highly, are ["is", not "are." Only "and" forms a compound subject. Or even better, switch "as well as" to "and" and keep "are"] all at risk.

"As chief executive of the company, I feel a deep sense of responsibility for the people we have hurt [,] and I want to reiterate how sorry I am for what we now know to have taken place.

"I have believed that the right and responsible action has been to lead us through the heat of the crisis. However [,] my desire to remain on the bridge has made me a focal point of the debate.

"This is now detracting attention from all our honest endeavors to fix the problems of the past ["of the past" is superfluous.]

"Therefore [,] I have given Rupert and James Murdoch my resignation. While it has been a subject of discussion, this time [Misplaced modifier. "This time" has not been a subject of discussion. Correct: While it has been a subject of discussion, my resignation has been accepted this time.] my resignation has been accepted.

"Rupert's wisdom, kindness and incisive advice has ["have", not "has." This is a compound subject] guided me throughout my career, and James is an inspirational leader who has shown me great loyalty and friendship.

"I would like to thank them both for their support.

"I have worked here for 22 years [,] and I know it to be part of the finest media company in the world.

"News International is full of talented, professional and honorable people. I am proud to have been part of the team and lucky to know so many brilliant journalists and media executives.

"I leave with the happiest of memories and an abundance of friends.

"As you can imagine[,] recent times have been tough. I now need to concentrate on correcting the distortions and rebutting the allegations about my record as a journalist, an editor and executive.

"My resignation makes it possible for me to have the freedom and the time to give my full cooperation to all the current and future inquiries, the police investigations and the CMS (Culture, Media and Sport Committee) appearance.

"I am so grateful for all the messages of support. I have nothing but overwhelming respect for you and our millions of readers.

"I wish every one of you all the best.

"Rebekah

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The SAT or ACT -- in 7th grade...

Independent Day School Students Selected for Duke University Talent Identification Program - Carrollwood, FL Patch:

"Duke TIP identifies academically talented seventh graders based on standardized test scores achieved while attending elementary or middle school. Candidates are then invited to take the ACT or the SAT as seventh graders, which allows them greater insight into their academic abilities. In addition, they gain valuable benefits and resources for gifted students."

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