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Looking to ace the ACT essay at the level of a perfect-scoring pro tutor? You’ve come to the right place. Here I’ll discuss all the elements you need to craft a winning essay.
To answer your first question…
Isn’t the ACT Essay optional?
Yes, it’s technically optional. But you should only opt out if none of the colleges to which you’re applying require the essay. Do your research! Chances are, at least one, if not all, of those colleges will require an essay score. You’d do well to prepare accordingly—which brings me to your second question:
How do I get a 12 on the ACT Essay?
I’m glad you asked! Here’s what you’ll need: a clear thesis, a focused and logical structure, descriptive examples, thoughtful analysis, and a meaningful conclusion. Let’s take a look at each of these elements.
Provide a Clear Thesis
The ACT Essay section presents you with a question on an issue and asks you to choose a side and defend your stance. Without a clear thesis in your first paragraph, you’re out of luck. A thesis is pretty much a statement of opinion. Here’s an example:
Students should be required to complete community service in high school because it promotes empathy and fosters a cosmopolitan work ethic.
Great! Now you’re ready to sustain an argument.
Establish a Focused and Logical ACT Essay Structure
Once you’ve articulated your thesis, your essay should assume a focused and logical structure. This is something we go in-depth into with the Complete ACT Essay and SAT Essay Course, so be sure to check that link out.
Consider two examples—history and literature are safe bets, and personal experiences are fair game as well. Having chosen your examples, follow the rough outline below!
Paragraph 1: Hook, thesis, forecast of examples.
Paragraph 2: Transition. Example #1 described and analyzed.
Paragraph 3: Transition. Example #2 described and analyzed.
Paragraph 4: Transition. Refute the counter-argument.
Paragraph 5: Conclude by universalizing and gesturing forward. End in a memorable way.
This isn’t the only way to structure an essay, but it’s tried and true and works when done properly. Let’s consider some of the elements above in greater detail.
Provide Descriptive Examples and Evidence
Your examples and evidence are the meat of your ACT essay. Without descriptive examples, you’ve got no way to prove your thesis.
Make sure that you don’t just make a passing reference and call it an example. Dedicate a nice block of writing to describing your example in detail. Assume the reader is unfamiliar with your example!
Engage In Thoughtful Analysis
Most students are able to come up with good examples, but many fall short on analysis. Once you’ve introduced your reader to your example in detail, explain why that example proves your thesis. Here’s what I mean:
If Mary hadn’t worked to provide food and shelter to homeless women and children in high school, she might not have founded a charity with her excessive corporate earnings later in life. Because she learned firsthand how some struggle to make ends meet, Mary became a more empathetic and altruistic person, bettering not only her life, but other people’s lives as well.
Refute a Potential Counterargument
While not required, it can be very wise to consider and refute the counterargument—that is, explain what someone with an opposing viewpoint might claim, then disprove that claim. To stick with our current example, a refutation of the counterargument might look like this:
Although some might argue that high school students are too busy to engage in community service, this is more of a cop-out than a legitimate excuse. Students find plenty of time to hang out with their friends or sleep in on the weekends. And while some might claim that it’s not a high school’s responsibility to promote charity and empathy, those people fail to understand that a good education involves not only intellectual awareness, but social awareness as well.
Draw A Meaningful Conclusion
Perhaps the worst way to end an essay is with the words “In conclusion,” or some variant thereof. Instead, you should seek to connect your thesis and examples to the world-at-large by universalizing. “Imagine,” you might write, “what our society might look like if everyone did community service. If progress doesn’t have to be a dream, why let it be?”
You get the gist.
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