The Essay (Section 5)
One prompt, 30 minutes, two lined pages in pen. Nobody at ERB scores it, every school you applied to reads it, and your family never sees it.
10 topics · 34 questions
Each topic is a path, not a menu: work down it in order and every question builds on the one above. Click any of them to watch the answer draw itself.
What the Essay Is and Who Reads It
- How it worksHow does your essay travel from the test room to every school you applied to?
- Common mistakeWhy isn't an unscored essay a part of the test you can safely do badly on?
- Going furtherWhat happens to the essay when your own family asks for a copy of it?
Your turneasy1 of 3
The essay gets no score from the testing company, yet a copy of it goes to all 6 schools a family applied to. Why is it not a safe place to do badly?The First Five Minutes
- How it worksHow do you turn a one sentence prompt into one clear thing you actually want to say?
- Worked exampleWalk me through the opening five minutes on: describe where you would spend a perfect vacation.
- Common mistakeWhy doesn't starting to write immediately get more words onto the page in the end?
- Going furtherWhat happens when a prompt asks two things at once and you only answer one of them?
Your turneasy1 of 3
The prompt reads: describe where you would spend a perfect vacation. A student has 5 minutes before she means to start writing. What should those minutes produce?Making a Plan Before You Write
- How it worksHow does a plan turn into a spine with one rib for each paragraph you mean to write?
- Going furtherWhat changes about a plan when you realize halfway down that your best idea is the third one?
- Worked exampleShow me a four line plan for: what would you change about your community, and why?
Your turneasy1 of 3
A student writes a 4 line plan on the scrap side of the topic sheet before starting. How does spending those minutes leave her with more time, not less?A Beginning, a Middle and an End
- How it worksHow does each middle paragraph attach to your main idea the way a rib attaches to a spine?
- Common mistakeWhy isn't a first paragraph that just repeats the prompt word for word a real beginning?
- Worked exampleWalk me through the three parts of an essay about the best day you ever had at school.
- Going furtherWhat happens to an essay when one middle paragraph attaches to nothing at all?
Your turneasy1 of 3
A student writes 4 good paragraphs and the clock stops her before the last one. Why does the essay feel broken even though every sentence in it is sound?Real Examples Beat General Ones
- How it worksHow does one exact detail do the work of five general sentences inside a reader's head?
- Worked exampleShow me how to turn the park needs fixing into a picture a reader can actually see.
- Going furtherWhat happens when you add a smell, a sound or a number to a sentence you already wrote?
Your turneasy1 of 3
A student writes: my grandmother is nice. Her neighbour writes: my grandmother bakes a lemon cake every Sunday and cuts the first slice for whoever arrives at 4 o'clock. Which reads better, and why?Joining Sentences So It Flows
- How it worksHow do words like first, also, because and finally work as joints between your sentences?
- Worked exampleWalk me through joining: I like the library. It is quiet. I can read there. Into one smooth idea.
- Common mistakeWhy isn't stuffing in every connecting word you know the same as writing that flows?
Your turneasy1 of 3
A student writes: I like the library. It is quiet. I can read there. She has 6 minutes left to improve it. Which joining works best?Answering the Prompt You Were Given
- How it worksHow do you underline the real asking words in a prompt before you write a single line?
- Worked exampleShow me what who is your favorite relative, and why is it that person, is really asking for.
- Common mistakeWhy isn't there one correct answer that the schools are quietly hoping you will give?
Your turneasy1 of 3
The prompt reads: who is your favourite relative, and why is it that person? A student has 3 minutes before writing. Which words should she underline?Splitting Up the Thirty Minutes
- How it worksHow does a 30 minute bar split into planning, writing and checking without running dry?
- Worked exampleFind how many minutes are left for writing if planning takes 5 and checking takes 4.
- Going furtherWhat happens when you are halfway down the second page with 10 minutes still on the clock?
Your turneasy1 of 3
Out of the 30 minutes a student gives 5 to planning and 4 to checking. How much is left for writing, and how big a share is that?The Last Two Minutes
- How it worksHow do you sweep your own writing for missing capitals, missing periods and misspelled words?
- Worked exampleWalk me through repairing: me and my brother goes to the park evry saturday, in one pass.
- Going furtherWhat happens when you notice a whole missing sentence with only 60 seconds left?
- Common mistakeWhy doesn't crossing out a messy word with one neat line hurt you?
Your turneasy1 of 3
A student has 3 minutes left and nothing more to add. What is the best sweep to make through what she has written?Writing It So Someone Can Read It
- How it worksHow does copying the topic into the box at the top tell a school what you were even asked?
- Worked exampleShow me the difference between two lined pages of neat print and two pages of rushed scribble.
- Going furtherWhat happens when an essay fills only four lines of the two pages you were handed?
- Ties togetherHow do a clear plan, real examples and readable writing add up to the essay a school wants?
Your turneasy1 of 3
A student copies the prompt into the box at the top of her page before writing 34 lines below it. What does that box do for the 6 schools reading her essay?AP®, SAT® and PSAT/NMSQT® are trademarks registered by the College Board (PSAT/NMSQT® jointly with the National Merit Scholarship Corporation). ACT® is a registered trademark of ACT Education Corp. GRE® is a registered trademark of ETS. LSAT® is a registered trademark of the Law School Admission Council. MCAT® is a registered trademark of the Association of American Medical Colleges. ISEE® and SSAT® are registered trademarks of their owners. None of these organizations is affiliated with, or endorses, Jentoo.