Introduction to the ACT Writing Test | Science for ACT PDF Download

Introduction

The newly introduced ACT Enhanced Writing Test, starting from September 2015, assesses your skill to analyze and assess various viewpoints on a controversial topic. It challenges you to compose an essay within a specified timeframe, articulating your own stance on the issue and bolstering it with concrete evidence and examples. While the test is optional, numerous colleges and universities either mandate or suggest taking it as part of the admissions process.

What to Know

• The ACT Writing Test is administered as the final section of the exam, requiring you to continue even after your peers who are not taking the Writing Test have completed their exam.
• You have a time limit of 40 minutes to plan and write your essay.
• The test presents you with one essay prompt that introduces a debatable topic along with three distinct perspectives. The prompt asks you to evaluate these perspectives, express your own viewpoint (which can align partially or fully with any of the given perspectives), and explain the relationship between your perspective and the provided ones.
• Your essay is assessed by two graders, each assigning a score of 1 to 6 for four different writing "domains." The total points awarded by both graders are converted into a scaled score ranging from 1 to 36, which is the final score reported to you.

What to Study

• Practice writing essays using practice ACT prompts, focusing on planning and structuring your essay within the time constraint. While writing complete essays is beneficial, brief ten-minute outlining sessions can also be helpful in learning how to generate and organize ideas quickly.
• Seek feedback from skilled writers you know by sharing your writing with them. Have them assess your practice essays using the ACT rubric.
• Review sample essays available on actstudent.org to gain insight into the types of essays that receive different scores. This can be highly valuable in understanding the expectations.
• Stay updated on current events and develop your own opinions on them. Engage in lively debates with friends and family to practice defending your viewpoints and anticipating counterarguments.