SAT notes June 5,2014

• the multiple-choice components includes 49 questions on grammar,usage,paragraph organization and multi-paragraph coherence, and asses your ability to use language in a clear, consistent mannered to improve a piece of writing through revision and editing 
• the multiple-choice questions don't ask you to define or use grammatical terms and don't test spelling or capitalization
• In some questions,punctuation marks, such as the semicolon, may help you chose the correct answer. 
• but questions like those mainly test the structure in which the punctuation appears
• read the directions carefully then follow them
• eliminate the choices you are sure are wrong when you are not sure of the answer
• make an educated guess form those that remain 
• you will be give two sub scores 
• the essay sub score will contribute about 30 percent toward the total writing score 
• the total writing score will be placed on the College Board 200- to 800- point scale 
• to write better you have to write more 
• practice helps improve your writing skills 
• to write better, you have to read more, 
• reading helps improve the way you use language 
• the more you read challenging material in particular the more you'll be exposed to interesting and provocative ideas and to varied, even unusual, ways of using language
• If you read well written books and articles, you may be inspired to use similar language in your own writing 
• make writing consistent 
• logical expression of ideas 
• logical comparison 
• clarity and precision 
•   appropriate use of conventions 
• through the writing process, you develop, examine and refine your ideas 
• through formal writing assignments, you demonstrate what you understand and how well you are able to communicate it to others 
• The SAT essay measures your ability to write effectively under timed conditions 
• You will be give 25 minutes to respond to an essay topic, also called a prompt 
• The topic will be general enough for you to respond to without needing advanced knowledge on a specific subject 
• base ideas on 
• what you have learned in school 
• what you have read in and outside of school in literature, science or other areas 
• current events 
• your extra curricular activities and outside activities 
• your observations and your own experiences 
• how well you write is more important than how much you write 
• make handwriting legible 
• SAT reader isn't familiar with your handwriting 
• essay written for the SAT are score using a holistic approach 
• the reader reads the entire essay and determines a score based on an overall impression 
• they are urged to be positive and reward what is well done well rather than to penalize what is done poorly 
• the readers know that the essays are written by high school students as first drafts under timed conditions 
• the readers are reminded to ignore handwriting to avoid judging an essay by its length 
• to ensure accurate and reliable scoring, two readers independently evaluate and score each essay on a scale of 1 to 6 
• the combined score for readers will rang from 2 to 12 
• SAT are experienced high school teachers and college professors 
• the readers are required to qualify for scoring by completing a rigorous online training course that will familiarize them with holistic scoring and teach them to evaluate essays