SAT Essay Examples

The key to excelling on the SAT essay, as with most essays, is to plan out your examples and evidence ahead of time.

“But hold on!” I can hear you sobbing. “Can you accomplish this on the fresh SAT essay? Isn’t the point of an essay to use information from the passage in having a good answer that you don’t know about the time?”

The answer is both yes and no. While the specific details of each will obviously differ depending on the paragraph, the types of explanations you want to discuss (and how you explain each instance builds the author’s argument) can be described ahead of time and thus prepared for.

Latest Update on SAT Essay

The College Board announced in January 2021 that the Essay part of the SAT would no longer be available after June 2021. (except at schools that opt-in during School Day Testing). The SAT Essay is no longer available unless your institution is one of the few that chooses to offer something during SAT Institution Day Testing.

While most institutions have already declared SAT Essay scores alternative, the College Board’s decision implies that no colleges now need the SAT Essay. It will also most certainly result in more college application modifications, such as not considering essay scores for the SAT or ACT, and maybe demanding significant excerpts for placement.

Must Read: How to Take SAT Practice Test?

Why Should You Practice SAT Essay Examples Before the Exam?

The SAT essay prompts share several important characteristics:

• They are all passages that attempt to persuade the reader of the author’s claim.
• They are all roughly the same length (650-750 words)
• They’re all designed to be analysed and written about in a short amount of time (50 minutes).

This means you can have a good idea of what types of argument-building techniques you might encounter when you open the booklet on test day.

The author’s main techniques will not be overly complex (such as the first letter of every word spelling out a secret code), because you simply do not have the time to analyse and write about complex techniques. As a result, you can practise with SAT essay examples that will most likely be found in persuasive passages on a variety of topics.

Naturally, you’ll want to play to each passage’s specific strengths—if there are a lot of facts/statistics, make sure to discuss that; if it focuses more on personal anecdotes/emotional appeals, make sure to discuss those. If you struggle with analysis in a short amount of time, memorising these categories of examples ahead of time can provide you with a useful checklist to go through when reading the SAT essay prompt and point you in the right direction.

Must Read: SAT Sample Paper

SAT Essay Examples Evidence

The most fundamental way an author constructs an argument would be by confirming claims with proof. There are several types of proof that an author may use to support the position, but you’ll only examine the two major ones you’ve seen in official SAT Essay examples. Facts and statistics, and anecdotes are the two sorts of evidence.

Example 1: Facts and Statistics

Using data and facts to back up one’s point is among the most steadfast ways authors may construct an argument. This argument-building strategy is especially prevalent in essays on scientific and social studies topics when precise data and facts are easily available.

How Can You Identify It?

Statistics are typically given in the form of precise numbers linked to the subject at hand as percentages or as a means of communicating additional facts.

Here are a couple of examples of statistics from an official SAT essay prompt, “Let There Be Dark” by Paul Bogard:

Example: 8 of 10 children born in the United States will never know a sky dark enough for the Milky Way

Example: In the United States and Western Europe, the amount of light in the sky increases by an average of about 6% every year.

Must Read: ACT vs SAT

Example 2: Anecdotes

The anecdote is another type of evidence that is frequently employed in place of genuine facts or figures. This type of proof is most commonly seen in speeches or essay prompts written in the form of a personal address to the reader.

How Can You Identify It?

An anecdote is a brief story based on a true person or event. Anecdotal evidence is when an author describes their own personal experience or the personal experience of someone they know or have heard about.

Reasoning

To some extent, all authors use logic, but it is not necessarily a significant part of how the writer constructs her/his argument. However, sometimes the evidence for a claim may not appear to be convincing on its own—in these circumstances, an author may choose to utilise reasoning to show how the evidence offered truly supports the argument.

Must Read: How to Prepare for SAT Online?

Example 3: Counterarguments and Counterclaims

Discussing a counterpoint, or claim, to the author’s main point is one way an author could utilise logic to persuade the reader to accept the assertion being put forward. Counterargument debate (and subsequent neutralisation) is seen in prompts from all topic areas.

How Can You Identify It?

A counterpoint or claim is simply an alternative point of view which contradicts (in whole or in part) the author’s original argument. When the terms “some may claim,” “although,” or other contrasting words and phrases appear in an essay prompt, the author is most likely making a counterclaim. 

Must Read: SAT Scholarships

Example 4: Explanation of Evidence

In some circumstances, the author’s argument depends on the clarity with which she connects her evidence and statements.

How Can You Identify It?

Explanation of evidence is one of the more difficult argument-building tactics to describe (in my opinion) because while it appears in many essays prompts, it isn’t always a key persuasive aspect. If an author links a claim to support and explains it, as opposed to merely tossing out evidence without much fanfare or connection to the claim, you can reasonably quickly tell if the author is explaining the evidence; nevertheless, whether or not the explanation of the evidence is a key contributing factor to the author’s argument is rather personal.

Must Read: SAT Preparation Tips

As you’ll see, these samples of various argumentation tactics may be pulled from a wide variety of articles kinds on a variety of topics. This happens because the examples are so important and complicated that they may be utilised to explore a wide range of topics.

The essential idea is that you do not need to wait until you encounter the prompt to construct an armoury of argument-building tactics to back up your views. Instead, planning ahead of time how you’ll discuss these approaches will save you a lot of time and tension on exam day.

FAQs

This was all about SAT Essay examples. If you’re planning to give SAT or any other exam, consult our Leverage Edu experts for guidance. Furthermore, if you’re looking to study abroad, connect with our experts at 1800 57 2000 and book a 30-minute free counselling session.