Introduction to the SAT Writing Test

How Your Essay Will Be Graded
Two graders will independently grade your essay on a scale of 1 to 6, and your score will be the total of their marks. (On the rare occasions when the marks of these two graders disagree by more than one point, an additional grader is called in as a tiebreaker.)

Combining the Two Sections: How Your Final Writing Test Score Will Be Calculated
Your final score on the SAT Writing Test will be a weighted average of your essay score (on a 2-to-12 scale) and your multiple-choice score (out of 49). The essay counts for about one-third of your overall score. The following table provides a simple way to combine the two writing sub-scores to get your final 200-to-800 Writing Test score.

Essay / Multiple-Choice Scoring Grid

	49	45	40	35	30	25	20	15
12	800	770	730	690	640	600	560	520
11	780	750	710	670	620	580	540	500
10	760	730	690	650	600	560	520	480
9	740	710	670	630	580	540	500	460
8	720	690	650	610	560	520	480	440
7	700	670	630	590	540	500	460	420
6	680	650	610	570	520	480	440	400
5	660	630	590	550	500	460	420	380
4	640	610	570	530	480	440	400	360
3	620	590	550	510	460	420	380	340
2	600	570	530	490	440	400	360	320

To use the table, locate your essay score in the left-most column and your nearest multiple-choice score in the top row. For example, a student who received a 9 on the essay and a raw score of 35 on the multiple-choice section would score a 630 for the combined writing sections. The precise table will vary from test to test, depending on the test's relative difficulty, but the basic principle is the same.

The scores in bold, running down in a diagonal band across the grid, are rough equivalents of your multiple-choice and essay scores. If the box with your combined score lies above the bold band, your essay score was significantly better than your multiple-choice score; you would likely make rapid gains if you reviewed the grammatical concepts tested by those questions.

If your combined score lies below the bold band, your multiple-choice score was significantly better than your essay score; you would likely make rapid gains if you reviewed the tips on essay writing and practiced applying them.

In addition to your overall score on the 200-to-800 scale, your score report will include your essay score on the 2-to-12 scale, and your multiple-choice score on a 20-to-80 scale (to distinguish it from your overall score).

That Guarantee, Revisited
The guarantee I made to you at the start is not an exaggeration if you apply yourself conscientiously to the upcoming four chapters. The SAT Essay: Basic Principles will cover the basic principles of the essay.

In The SAT Essay: Basic Principles I'll show you how to write an essay that will knock the socks off the SAT graders!