一篇好的SAT作文要满足以下几个要求,即好的内容、好的论点与论据、清晰且恰当的举例说明、段与段之间有好的逻辑关系、观点鲜明与清晰及较好的英语写作掌控力、有变化的句型与词汇。考生要尽力避免观点模糊不清、在议论文当中一会儿说对一会儿又说错、语言表达单一、不以理服人、自以为是给人强加自己的观点、字迹不清及文章太短等问题。怎么才能拿到高分呢?
一:再次表达论点。这里注意的点是,结尾的开头要有连接词:consequently,in conclusion,in sum,therefore,hence都可以使用。第二点,是不要把开端的论点抄下来,换个写法。例:Consequently, although literacy is an excellent life skill, it is not indispensable in finding success in life.
二:再次提起论证。一句话,不用进入细节了。例:Huck Finn from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Mao Tze-Tung in China’s quest for independence prove that there exists alternatives to learning to read in order to obtain wealth and power.
三:所谓让文章“踹”。最后一句,把题目结合到社会或人间。例:It is only after society realizes this plethora of options leading to success, that people can expand their skills, and impact the world through means unrelated to literacy.
最后时间关口:可能还剩30到45秒,可能一点时间不剩了。检查文章?这不是最重要的。25分钟内应该尽可能一直在写文章。
介绍完了SAT作文结尾的三部分以后,再给大家补充说明一下SAT作文得高分的两个要素:
要素一:老师同学所说要背的SAT词,在这里用得越多越好。只有一个规则:此要用得对。不然的话,每次要用到动词,名次,形容词,花一两秒想一想,有没有个更复杂的词,能够在这里派上用场?
要素二:是要知道,这些考官每篇文章最多也大概只花五分钟阅读。一篇剩半页空白,和一篇剩五行的文章,哪个看起来是更有学问的考生写的?之所以说应该时时刻刻在动笔,就是为了填上最多的行。
SAT作文结尾写好了,一篇完整的文章就完成了,但是这里也有一条规则:不要胡说八道。根据事实来拧出论证是可以的,但写出来要有条理。要是进入一些讨论哲理,虚构话题,那考生显然其实不知道自己在做什么。
SAT作文作为essay,而且写作者都是高中生,所以评卷的考官并不期待考生可以在短短25分钟之内,就写出一篇完美完整的论文出来,只是以ESSAY的称谓,让考生可以表现出自己的思维特点和组织语言的能力,因此,并不是你必须有三段式论证,开宗明义,三个论点支撑,结尾总结,这样严格的结构。
在官方指南中,针对考题“is there always a however”,一个满分考生就是通篇给了一个例子“how the tragedy of the 1929 stock market crash and the Great Depression necessitated changes that led eventually to a sounder national economy” 。
对于大多数考生写作来说,清晰的结构确实是初学者在短期之内,比较清晰的写作框架,尽管一味的说必须这么写略有偏颇,但是从提高和拿分的角度讲,也不足为过,因为如果结构清晰,开头点题,结尾收题,会让整篇文章非常完整。
结尾段写作的目的是再次提醒读者你的中心论点。适合SAT的写作方法比较简单,即给出总结。
三段式的结构中,开头段是给出中心论点;中间段(可能是分成几个段落)是支持中心论点部分;结尾段是总结中心论点。很明显,重新陈述自己的观点并不难,只是从作文和语言的角度,一定注意不能重复开篇用过的语言和词句。
如官方指南第二版中,第四套题目中的ESSAY: ASSIGNMENT: Do changes that make our lives easier not necessarily make them better?
一个满分考生的开篇段是: Throughout time mankind has strived to make his life easier. Whether it be through technology, science, or theories of social interaction every generation has made one contribution. From the idea of crop rotation to the cellular telephone mankind has advanced. It can be argued however, that not all of these advancements were beneficial. Many times people are accused of “taking the easy way out”, something that is looked down upon in today’s society.
结尾段是: While technology and science have made man’s life easier, they have not made it better. Man has become less productive and less devoted, partly, as a result of this newfound ease of life. Therefore, what makes our lives easier does not necessarily make them better.
典型的三段式,开篇很清晰的给出了观点“It can be argued however, that not all of these advancements were beneficial.”而结尾是“While technology and science have made man’s life easier, they have not made it better.”以及“Therefore, what makes our lives easier does not necessarily make them better.”其实都是对开篇观点的重新改写。这样做比较清晰,反复强调也可以更好的突出主题。