Lindsay Lewis

English/ ESL consultant: Word worker, writer, teacher, mentor and poet. Author of This Won’t Hurt a Bit! on writing clear content.

SAT Essay writing

Posted by on Apr 8, 2011

Students really suffer with S.A.T topics, and need to loosen their brain freeze condition.

The most important aspect of writing is paraphrasing the topic. Instead of choosing a dull analysis, think about the grey area. Topics are usually about individuality vs conformity, or imply a “to what extent” should we value education. Good essays address the subtle gains and losses of a given topic. What is the purpose of education? Is it merely to make students conform to ideologies? How does a Korean education system differ from Canadian education? Should students merely memorize facts, or should students learn how to think independently?

I find that posing the question “To what extent”… can help students understand essay topics. For example, the topic “Does praise increase one’s esteem” could be paraphrased by addressing the positive and negative aspects of praise. When is praise merely empty and when is it deserved? Have we created a society of undeserving, spoiled children by overpraising them? Is praise merely doled out in words, or does society condone spoiling people with cars and possessions as a reward for merely going to school? Hmmm….

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