The Essay
One prompt, thirty minutes, unscored by the test maker and read by every school: the argument as a spine with ribs that must attach to it.
9 topics · 31 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 ISEE Essay Is and Is Not
- How it worksHow does an unscored essay reach every school on your list while never reaching your own family?
- Common mistakeWhy isn't an unscored section safe to treat as a throwaway?
- Going furtherWhat changes about how you write once a human admission officer is the only reader?
Your turneasy1 of 3
A student sends ISEE results to 7 schools and writes the essay in the last 30 minutes of the sitting. The essay earns no scaled score. What becomes of it?Reading a One-Sentence Prompt
- How it worksHow do you pull a task, a subject and a required move out of a single-sentence prompt?
- Worked exampleWalk me through unpacking: Describe what you consider a really successful person and explain why.
- Common mistakeWhy isn't writing about the topic the same as answering what a prompt asked for?
- Going furtherWhat changes when a prompt describes a situation instead of asking a question?
Your turneasy1 of 3
A prompt reads: Describe a change you would make at your school and explain why it matters. A student lists 5 problems at the school and stops there. What has the essay left undone?Planning Inside Thirty Minutes
- How it worksHow do you split 30 minutes into planning, drafting and a final read without running out?
- Worked exampleFind a workable clock for a 30-minute essay with a four-paragraph plan and no time to recopy.
- Common mistakeWhy isn't starting to write immediately the way to get the most words onto the page?
Your turneasy1 of 3
The ISEE essay section runs 30 minutes. A student gives 7 minutes to planning and holds 4 minutes at the end for a final read. How many minutes are left for drafting?Building a Thesis from a Prompt
- How it worksHow do you turn a prompt into a single sentence every paragraph will then have to serve?
- Worked exampleWalk me through turning forty hours of community service into a claim you could defend in three parts.
- Common mistakeWhy isn't restating a prompt the same as stating a thesis?
- Going furtherWhat happens to your plan when the thesis you wrote first stops matching what you want to say?
Your turneasy1 of 3
The prompt asks whether schools should require 48 hours of community service. A student writes: This essay will discuss whether schools should require 48 hours of community service. What is missing?Structure as a Spine with Ribs
- How it worksHow does each body paragraph attach to a thesis the way a rib attaches to a spine?
- Worked exampleFind the dangling paragraph in a plan arguing for teamwork whose third part praises working alone.
- Going furtherWhat changes when you have three strong ribs and only enough time to write two of them?
- Common mistakeWhy isn't five paragraphs a requirement rather than one convenient shape?
Your turneasy1 of 3
A plan argues that teamwork produces better results, using 4 body paragraphs. The last of them praises the focus a person finds when working alone. Which paragraph dangles?Specific Examples Beat General Ones
- How it worksHow do you zoom a vague example down to one scene with a time, a place and a detail?
- Worked exampleWalk me through turning I like helping people into one specific Saturday at a food bank.
- Common mistakeWhy isn't a bigger example a stronger example?
Your turneasy1 of 3
A paragraph claims the writer likes helping people and supports it with 4 general sentences about kindness. Which revision does the most for the paragraph?Transitions Between Paragraphs
- How it worksHow does a transition name a relationship between two paragraphs instead of just announcing order?
- Worked exampleFind a better transition than Secondly for a paragraph that contradicts the one before it.
- Going furtherWhat changes when a transition must carry a reader across a shift in time as well as in idea?
Your turneasy1 of 3
Paragraph 2 argues that group work speeds a project up. The paragraph after it argues that group work slows careful work down. Which opening carries a reader across?Handwriting, Length and Two Lined Pages
- How it worksHow do two pre-lined pages and a copied prompt box set a realistic length for your plan?
- Worked exampleFind how many words fit comfortably on two lined pages and what that means for a four-part plan.
- Common mistakeWhy isn't filling every last line to the bottom the goal?
- Going furtherWhat changes when you must copy the prompt into a box at the top before you begin?
Your turneasy1 of 3
Two lined pages hold about 384 words in a particular student's handwriting, and a four-part plan is to share them equally. About how many words does each part get?There Is No Right Position
- How it worksHow does a reader judge the support you give a position rather than the position itself?
- Common mistakeWhy isn't guessing what an admission officer wants to hear a workable strategy?
- Ties togetherHow does defending a position reuse the evidence habit behind a supporting-idea question?
Your turneasy1 of 3
On one prompt about school uniforms, 10 students in a room argue for them and the rest argue against. Can both groups write excellent essays?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.