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Aside from the “grid in” math questions, all you have to do for most of the SAT is answer
multiple choice questions.
And then, if you've chosen to take it, there's the essay. Or, more accurately, "To finish
up, there's the essay." Because the last thing you'll do on the SAT (with Essay) is read a
passage and write an essay analyzing its argument, all in 50 minutes.
How can you even begin to read a passage, analyze it, and write an essay about it in 50
minutes? What SAT essay structure should you follow? Is there an SAT essay format
that’ll score you a top score for sure? Read on to find out the answers to these
questions!
#1: An Introduction
The first impression the grader will have of your writing is your essay introduction. Don't
just jump right into discussing argumentative techniques — introduce your analysis
with a statement of what the author is arguing in the prompt. You should then
briefly mention the specific persuasive techniques the author used that you'll be
discusing in your essay.
#2: A Clear Thesis Statement
I've separated this out as its own point because it’s so important. You must express
a precise claim about what the author's point is and what techniques she uses to
argue her point; otherwise, you're not answering the essay question correctly.
This cannot be emphasized enough: SAT essay graders do not care what your
stance is on the issue. They care that you understand and explain how the author
argues her point.
The SAT essay task is designed for you to demonstrate that you can analyze the
structure of an argument and its affect on the reader with clear and coherent reasoning.
Take this example prompt, for instance:
Write an essay in which you explain how Eric Klinenberg builds an argument to
persuade his audience that Americans need to greatly reduce their reliance on air-
conditioning. In your essay, analyze how Klinenberg uses one or more of the features
listed in the box above (or features of your own choice) to strengthen the logic and
persuasiveness of his argument. Be sure that your analysis focuses on the most
relevant features of the passage.
A bad thesis leaves you unclear on what features of the author's arguments you'll be
analyzing in the essay:
The author tries to enforce to his audience by telling that air conditioning has
negative effects.
This thesis doesn’t specify what features of the argument you'll be discussing, or even
what Klinenberg's specific views are. It's just a (grammatically flawed) sentence that
hints at Klinenberg's argument. Compare to a good thesis for the same prompt:
To support your thesis, you'll need to draw on specific examples from the passage of
the techniques you claim the author uses. Make sure to provide enough information
for each example to make it clear how it is relevant to your thesis - and stop there. No
need to paraphrase the entire passage, or explain why you agree or disagree with the
author's argument - write enough that the reader can understand what your example is
and be done.
It isn't enough to just summarize or paraphrase specific excerpts taken from the
passage and call it a day. In each example paragraph, you must not only include
details about a example, but also include an explanation of how each example
demonstrates an argument technique and why it is persuasive. For instance, let's
say you were planning on discussing how the author uses vivid language to persuade
the reader to agree with him. Yes, you'd need to start by quoting parts of the passage
where the author uses vivid language, but you then also need to explain why that
example demonstrates vivid language and why it would be persuasive to the reader.
#5: A Conclusion
Your conclusion should restate your thesis and briefly mention the examples you
wrote about in your essay (and how they supported your thesis). If you haven't
done it already in your essay, this is NOT the place to write about a broader context, or
to contradict yourself, or to add further examples you didn't discuss. End on a strong
note.
Just as with every five-paragraph essay you've written at school, your SAT essay
should have an introduction, 2-3 body paragraphs (one paragraph for each
argumentative technique you discuss), and a conclusion. Your thesis statement
(which techniques you'll be analyzing in the essay) should go in both your introduction
and your conclusion, with slightly different wording. And even if you're just discussing
multiple examples of the same technique being used in the passage, you’ll still probably
need two body paragraphs for organizational purposes.
Write an essay in which you explain how Eric Klinenberg builds an argument to
persuade his audience that Americans need to greatly reduce their reliance on air-
conditioning. In your essay, analyze how Klinenberg uses one or more of the features
listed in the box above (or features of your own choice) to strengthen the logic and
persuasiveness of his argument. Be sure that your analysis focuses on the most
relevant features of the passage.
Your essay should not explain whether you agree with Klinenberg’s claims, but rather
explain how Klinenberg builds an argument to persuade his audience.
You can read the full text of the passage associated with the prompt (part of Practice
Test 5) via our complete collection of official SAT essay prompts.
In the following SAT essay format, I've broken down an SAT essay into introduction,
example paragraphs, and conclusion. Since I'm writing in response to a specific
prompt, some of the information and facts in the template will only be useful for
answering this specific prompt (although you should feel free to look for and write
about the argumentative techniques I discuss in any of your essays). When
responding to any SAT question, however, you can and should use the same format
and structure for your own essays. To help you out, I've bolded structural words and
phrases in the below template.
Introduction (2-5 sentences)
Begin with a statement that explains the central claim of the passage's argument; this
statement should provide some context for what you’ll be discussing in the essay. It can
be brief if you’re short on time (1-2 sentences):
In his commentary, Eric Klinenberg conveys a strong stance against the rampant
and short-sighted utilization of air conditioning (AC) nationwide. He believes AC is a
massive unnecessary energy drain, and he implores the reader to reconsider the
implications of constant cool comfort.
Next comes the all-important thesis statement that includes a clear outlining of
what aspects of the author's argument you'll be discussing. You can be very
specific (e.g. "statistics about air-conditioning usage in the US") or more vague (e.g.
"quantitative data") here - the important part is that you'll be supporting your opinion with
proof (1-2 sentences).
In his commentary, Eric Klinenberg conveys a strong stance against the rampant
and short-sighted utilization of air conditioning (AC) nationwide. He believes AC is a
massive unnecessary energy drain, and he implores the reader to reconsider the
implications of constant cool comfort. To buttress his argument, Klinenberg
deftly employs quantitative data, acknowledgment of counterarguments, and vivid
language.
He shares that “Americans use twice as much energy…as we did 20 years ago, and
more than the rest of the world’s nations combined.” These staggering statements
immediately give the reader pause, forcing an internal dialogue about their
significant. Clearly, in the past 20 years, the American population has come nowhere
close to doubling - and yet, AC energy use has doubled. This can only mean
utilization per person has skyrocketed. Furthermore, the American population can
comprise no more than 10% of the world’s population (400 million to the world’s 6
billion) - and yet we use more AC energy than the rest of the world. This leads to
another profound inference - each American may use almost 10 times more AC
energy as the average non-American. These conclusions are grave and thought-
provoking.
Finally, explain how this example works to strengthen the author's argument (3-4
sentences).
Provide at least one specific example of how the author uses the persuasive technique
you're discussing in this paragraph (2-5 sentences).
He acknowledges that there are clear valid situations for AC use - to protect the
“lives of old, sick, and frail people,” “farm workers who work in sunbaked fields,” and
“workers who might otherwise wilt in searing temperatures.” By justifying several
legitimate uses of air conditioning, the author heads off his most reflexive critics.
Explain how and why this example persuades the reader of the author's opinion. (3-4
sentences).
An incoming reader who has just absorbed Klinenberg’s thesis would naturally have
objections - if left unaddressed, these objections would have left a continuous mental
roar, obscuring the absorption of further arguments. Instead, Klinenberg quells the
most common objection with a swift riposte, stressing that he is not a maniacal anti-
AC militant, intent on dismantling the AC-industrial complex. With this addressed, the
reader can continue further, satisfied that Klinenberg is likely to be somewhat well-
reasoned and objective. Ultimately, this facilitates acceptance of his central
thesis.
This paragraph is in the same format as Example 2. You should only include a third
example if you think it’s strong and will help (rather than detract from) your point.
In the case of the essay we've been using as the backbone of this template, the author
had the time to write a third example. Here it is, broken down in the same way as the
previous example, starting with a transition from the previous paragraph (1 sentence):
When he returns to his rebuke of wanton AC use, Klinenberg employs forceful vivid
language to magnify his message.
Provide at least one specific example of how the author uses the persuasive technique
you're discussing in this paragraph (2-5 sentences).
He emphasizes the blind excess of air conditioner use, comparing cooled homes to
“igloos” circulating “arctic air.” Then, to underscore the unforeseen consequences of
such behavior, he slides to the other extreme of the temperature spectrum, conjuring
the image of “burning through fossil fuels in suicidal fashion.” This visual imagery
shakes the reader from complacency. Most likely, the reader has been the
beneficiary of AC use. “So, what’s the big deal?” By comparing malls to igloos and
excessive energy use to suicide, Klinenberg magnifies the severity of the problem.
Explain how and why this example persuades the reader of the author's opinion. (3-4
sentences).
When he returns to his rebuke of wanton AC use, Klinenberg employs forceful vivid
language to magnify his message. He emphasizes the blind excess of air
conditioner use, comparing cooled homes to “igloos” circulating “arctic air.” Then, to
underscore the unforeseen consequences of such behavior, he slides to the other
extreme of the temperature spectrum, conjuring the image of “burning through fossil
fuels in suicidal fashion.” This visual imagery shakes the reader from complacency.
Most likely, the reader has been the beneficiary of AC use. “So, what’s the big deal?”
By comparing malls to igloos and excessive energy use to suicide, Klinenberg
magnifies the severity of the problem. We are forced to consider our comfortable
abode as a frigid arctic dwelling, prompting the natural question of whether we really
do need our hones cold enough to see our breath indoors. The natural conclusion, in
turn, is that we do not. By employing effective visual imagery, Klinenberg takes the
reader through another internal dialogue, resulting in stronger acceptance of his
message.
You may also choose to mention the examples you used if you have time and if it adds
anything (1-2 sentences). In this case, the author of the essay chose not to.
In his commentary, Eric Klinenberg conveys a strong stance against the rampant and
short-sighted utilization of air conditioning (AC) nationwide. He believes AC is a
massive unnecessary energy drain, and he implores the reader to reconsider the
implications of constant cool comfort. To buttress his argument, Klinenberg
deftly employs quantitative data, acknowledgment of counterarguments, and vivid
language.
When he returns to his rebuke of wanton AC use, Klinenberg employs forceful vivid
language to magnify his message. He emphasizes the blind excess of air conditioner
use, comparing cooled homes to “igloos” circulating “arctic air.” Then, to
underscore the unforeseen consequences of such behavior, he slides to the other
extreme of the temperature spectrum, conjuring the image of “burning through fossil
fuels in suicidal fashion.” This visual imagery shakes the reader from complacency.
Most likely, the reader has been the beneficiary of AC use. “So, what’s the big deal?” By
comparing malls to igloos and excessive energy use to suicide, Klinenberg magnifies
the severity of the problem. We are forced to consider our comfortable abode as a frigid
arctic dwelling, prompting the natural question of whether we really do need our hones
cold enough to see our breath indoors. The natural conclusion, in turn, is that we do
not. By employing effective visual imagery, Klinenberg takes the reader through
another internal dialogue, resulting in stronger acceptance of his message.
This essay contains some inferences about what the reader may experience (e.g. that
the reader is shaken from complacency by the image of suicidally burning through fossil
fuels). It also has some minor grammatical and spelling errors.
Since there is no way to survey the mind of every reader and see how the majority of
them react to the author's arguments, however, graders will go along with any
reasonable inferences about how a reader would react to the author's argument. As far
as grammatical, spelling, punctuation, or sentence structure issues, the rule is even
simpler: if the error doesn't make your essay too difficult to read and understand,
the people who score your essay will ignore these errors.
SAT Essay Format: A Quick Recap
To summarize, your SAT essay should stick to the following format:
https://blog.prepscholar.com/sat-essay-template-and-format
https://blog.prepscholar.com/how-to-write-an-sat-essay-step-by-step