Acing the ACT Essay

Perfect ACT Essay Tip #1:

Choose the option to agree with one of the perspectives, but modify it slightly.

For most students, choose the option to agree with one of the given perspectives rather than choosing the option to present your own. It’s just too risky. The readers might not understand what you are trying to get at and you run the risk of going off topic. You can get a perfect score by agreeing with one of the perspectives, so unless you are a VERY strong writer, it's not worth the risk.

However, if you are aiming for a top, top score, choose the option to agree with one of the perspectives, but narrow your focus. 

• • • • • • • __________ can be an effective way of achieving social change.

Consider doing something like this:

• • • • • • • __________ can be an effective means of achieving social change, but only when it is done in a way that brings public visibility to the issue.

OR CONSIDER A COUNTERARGUMENT/ROGERIAN THESIS

• Although there are many relevant thoughts on this topic, ____ is the most reasonable.

That’s a rough approximation but hopefully you see the point. In the body of the essay, provide examples in which social injustices were brought to light on YouTube and other social media platforms, for example. Narrow the scope of the argument to the “public visibility” note..

The idea is to get essay graders to perk up a little bit when they read your thesis and then go into the body of your essay with a more positive attitude. Remember that they are reading countless essays that have wishy-washy thesis statements or thesis statements that just repeat one of the perspectives verbatim. Make yours stand out.

Perfect ACT Essay Tip #2:

It’s ok if you are using really common examples, if you employ them well.

The first thing that popped into your head may be the Civil Rights Movement. So, run with it, but try to do it really well: using specific examples and making sure the examples are key in supporting larger arguments. You won't be punished for writing something cliche, so don’t over-analyze your choices and waste time trying to think of less common examples just because you think they are going to be the same ones that other people write about. 

Perfect ACT Essay Tip #3:

Don’t make the graders work hard to follow your train of thought, but don’t be redundant either.

• Your essay can be written in an obvious 5-paragraph(-ish) structure. The five paragraphs aren’t important, maybe you have four or six, but what it should be structured with an intro, supporting body paragraphs, and conclusion. 

  • • • For a TOP score, though, make sure you use transitions between ideas liberally. You might think you are overdoing it, but remember, the graders are reading your essay quickly. Don’t assume they will work hard to connect the dots. Make it easy for them to do that. The Organization scoring domain is a pretty easy one to do well on if you follow the protocol, so make sure you nab your points here.

At the same time, take care to vary your phrasing when you are plugging in your introductory and concluding sentences for each paragraph. A dead-giveaway of weaker writing is introductory and concluding sentences that say exactly the same thing. So make sure to be varying your words constantly. This will help you score well both in Organization and in Language Use.

Recap: Getting a Perfect Score on the ACT Essay

1. Choose the option to agree with one of the perspectives, but modify it slightly.

   • Agreeing with the perspectives offered can help, but put your own spin on it.

   • Presenting your own perspective is a risk it’s probably better not to take.

2. It’s ok if you are using really common examples if you employ them well.

   • Don’t overanalyze your choice of examples.

   • Be specific.

   • Make sure your examples support your essay’s bigger points.

3. Don’t make the graders work hard to follow your train of thought, but don’t be redundant either.

   • A five-paragraph essay structure works best on the ACT (though this may mean four or six paragraphs in some cases!)

   • Use lots of appropriate transitions.

   • Vary your phrasing in each paragraph’s introductory and concluding sentences.

Getting a 36 on the ACT essay is not easy at all. You can think of it as getting two different English teachers to give you A+s instead of As on the same essay. It’s tough. So don’t sweat it if your essay score is a bit lower. Remember it doesn’t affect your composite score and is really more of a bonus than anything when it comes to college admissions. Buuuut….for you perfect score seekers out there, you've got this.