The essay gives you an opportunity to show how effectively you can develop and express your ideas in writing. You will first read a short passage and an assignment question that are focused on an important issue. You will then write an essay in which you develop your own point of view on the issue. You should support your position with appropriate reasoning and examples. The position you take will not influence your score.
Your essay will be given a holistic score that represents how clearly and effectively you expressed your position. The following six characteristics of writing will be considered:
Purpose and Focus: The extent to which you present information in a unified and coherent manner, clearly addressing the issue.
Organization and Structure: The extent to which you order and connect ideas.
Development and Support: The extent to which you develop and support ideas.
Sentence Variety and Style: The extent to which you craft sentences and paragraphs demonstrating control of vocabulary, voice and structure.
Mechanical Conventions: The extent to which you express ideas using Standard Written English.
Critical Thinking: The extent to which you communicate a point of view and demonstrate reasoned relationships among ideas.