The New ACT Essay Section: Your questions answered
Image Courtesy of David Coleman
The ACT is shaking things up by changing the essay section.
Before you freak out, read this summary and wepromise you will feel better and more prepared! TestRocker Students: Once you have read the below, make sure you log back in to TestRocker and submit your two ACT essays (located in the Full Length Tests). We will send you feedback to help you improve. Essays must be submitted at least 1 week before your test date. Not a TestRocker student? Enroll now to take advantage of our essay grading/feedback service!
How is the ACT Essay section changing?
The ACT Writing section is changing in the following ways:
- Allotted Time
You will now have 40 minutes to complete the essay. The old essay allotted time was 30 minutes. This is because you now need to spend more time to plan and compose your essay. - Topic
The old essay topics were about controversies around school-related issues. Eg. School uniforms – should schools have them or not. The new essay topics will focus on contemporary real-world issues beyond school. Eg. Public health vs. Individual Freedom. - Perspective/Reasoning
The old ACT essay would prompt you to take a stance for or against the issue. The new essay will give you three perspectives about the issue and ask you to develop an argument taking these three perspectives into consideration, and to explain your perspective in relation to the perspectives provided. - Scoring
The old ACT essay was scored on a scale of 2 – 12. The New ACT essay will be scaled, so you will receive a score out of 36 (like the other ACT sections.)
When will the new ACT Essay section replace the current one?
The old ACT essay is officially gone – so any of you taking the ACT with Writing from September 2015 onwards will see the new ACT Essay.
What does a sample prompt and example response look like?
Good question! We have created a Sample Essay Response to one of the New ACT Essay prompts. To download the attachment, simply click here:
