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ACT Essay

As the only optional section, the ACT essay spotlights your writing skills.

Although the ACT essay section is the only optional part of the test, some colleges require applicants to complete it anyway. The ACT essay section consists of a writing prompt and 30 minutes in which to develop a well-written response.

Note that the essay portion cannot be taken alone. All sections of the ACT exam (English, math, reading comprehension and science) must be completed together.

What Are the Guidelines?

The ACT essay prompt generally concerns a social issue relevant to high school students. For example: should dress codes be required in public schools? Your response must be a well-structured argument supporting a definite point of view.

Your score is based on the essay’s:

• clearly stated thesis
• focus (few digressions or redundancies)
• logical organization
• proper grammar, vocabulary and sentence structure

Tips on Crafting a Successful ACT Essay

The most important advice when writing your ACT essay: Have a thesis. Take a position — a clear, decisive one — and support it with appropriate examples. This also means staying focused. Don’t repeat yourself or pursue rhetorical dead-ends.

Other tips you should keep in mind:

• Be specific. Your examples and evidence are stronger when they are more concrete. Instead of simply stating that a dress code is negative, explain why.
• Vary sentence structure. Don’t fall into a rut by writing sentences of the same length and order. Mix them up.
• Provide counter-examples. Be aware of differing viewpoints. Many readers support dress codes; acknowledge their arguments and explain why you disagree.
• Aim for a larger context. If you can, convert the prompt into more universal terms. Dress codes are not only undesirable, you might argue, but also enforce conformity and obedience.

How the ACT Essay Is Scored

The ACT essay is subjected to a special scoring process. It is assigned two readers, each of whom rank it on a scale of 1 to 6, with 1 being poor and 6 being excellent. Their two scores are added together to achieve a new number between 2 and 12, with 2 being poor and 12 being excellent. This equals your writing sub-score.

You will also receive a combined English/Writing sub-score. This is the result of adding 2/3 of your English score to 1/3 of your writing score and converting that sum to a scale score between 1 and 36 (as with the rest of the ACT).

Remember to ask the colleges you want to attend if they require an ACT essay. Even if those that you are applying to do not require it, the ACT essay is still a great way to showcase your writing skills.

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